Page 31 of Icebound

She headed back to her alcove, finding a t-shirt and boxers to sleep in, and carefully crawled into her own bed. She was safe—Bastien would keep guard. Bastien would save her, as he had so many times, as he’d saved her today. But could he save her from himself?

She could still hear their faint voices from the alcove, and she closed her eyes, shutting them out. Shutting everything out, as she willed herself to forget. And to sleep.

“He’s not going to like it about Flambeau,” Luc said quietly as he scraped the plate. They’d eaten leftovers that night, but even the leftovers from Chloe’s cooking were good. “Le Fauçon had a use for him.”

“Flambeau could kill efficiently. So can I,” Jean-Marc said.

“You think she’ll be any use to us now? He beat the hell out of her.”

“Bruises will heal. One thing I’ve discovered about the woman—she has a fierce heart. She’s not going to let this stop her from what she wants to do.”

“What she wants to do is get away from us,” Luc said.

“Does she? She had her chance yesterday and she stayed put, though I’m not sure why. My guess is she still thinks I’m her missing husband, and as long as she believes that, she’ll do what I tell her.”

“You’re taking a big chance by taking her to the gala. There are other women who’d be willing to take her place. Le Fauçon could come up with half a dozen more suited.”

He shook his head. “I’ve decided on her. She has a certain innocence about her that will serve me well. Now she has something to be grateful for. I saved her. If she wasn’t already tied to me, this should do it.”

Luc shook his head. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said. “This is too important to fuck up, and Le Fauçon isn’t known for forgiveness.”

“Le Fauçon can go fuck himself. He picked me for this job and I intend to see it through.”

“With Madame Chloe by your side?”

“Exactly.”

“What about afterward? Are you planning to kill her too?” Luc demanded.

“Have you got a soft spot for her as well? Maybe I should kill her now,” Bastien suggested.

“It would be the smart thing to do.”

Jean-Marc leaned back to look at him. “So it would,” he said. “To a man of little imagination.”

“My imagination is fine. I just think you’re taking an unnecessary risk when it comes to her.”

“Maybe. But that’s for me to decide, is it not?”

Luc bowed his head. “It is. Don’t forget, I’m on your side. I’m here to help you, not to get in your way. I want to make sure you know what you’re doing.”

“Always. What would you have me do with her? Go in and put a bullet in her brain?”

“You could always let her go. What does she know, after all? She doesn’t know your target, she doesn’t know our names, she doesn’t even know where we are. Anything she told the police would just send them on a wild-goose chase.”

Jean-Marc was silent for a long moment. “So, she’s bewitched you too?”

“No. I just feel sorry for her.”

“You’re too soft-hearted for your own good. I’ll let her go when the job is done; content yourself with that.”

“Is that the smart thing to do? Wouldn’t it make more sense to leave her body somewhere to complicate things for the gendarmes?”

“I thought you were the one who wanted to let her go,” Jean-Marc said, irritation in his voice.

“I told you, I feel sorry for her. That doesn’t mean I think we should risk the entire operation on the hope that she’ll cooperate.”

“Who’s in charge of this?”