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“Stall him,” Hugo hissed. “I’ll put this asshole somewhere.”

“Don’t kill him yet,” I hissed back, and I saw Mano’s eyes widen, but the rope around his throat was too tight for him to call out and sound the alarm.

He wasn’t going anywhere until I got my answers.

“Tilly? Armand?” Étienne bellowed, pacing into the other room, and I tracked his movements through the crack in the basement door, trying to catch my breath.

His body looked tight with irritation, impatient and angry.

Had he been the one behind the attack? Was he here to finish the job?

Well, I wasn’t going to go down hiding in the basement. If he was going to kill me, I’d force him to do it to my face.

And if I didn’t move now, I might not have another chance.

As soon as I heard him in the kitchen, I crept as silently as I could up the last few steps, closing the door as much as I dared without trapping Hugo, then practically collapsed against one of the bookshelves.

It only took a few seconds before my husband whirled around, his eyes instantly honing in on me as I felt the force of his intense gaze.

“Where were you? Why didn’t you answer when I called?”

Bile and nausea threatened to rise in my throat, but I only shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

Étienne stalked back over to me, those strong arms crossed across his chest.

“What were you doing?”

“Nothing.”

I didn’t rush into his arms. Didn’t beg him to please believe me.

In fact, my hands weren’t even tempted to touch him. To get what? More rejection?

“I’m looking for Mano.”

My heart skipped a beat and the hairs on the back of my neck began to rise.

Had he guessed what we’d done?

But my voice was still steady.

“I haven’t seen him.”

“His truck is right outside,” Étienne bit out.

I shrugged. I had never lied to my husband before, but I didn’t owe this man anything, no matter how fast my heart might beat, how much past memories tried to intrude on my consciousness.

“That’s strange.”

Inside, my heart was thudding hard as my husband narrowed his eyes.

“You’re trying to tell me you haven’t seen Mano?”

“Maybe he went out in the woods. They can be very dangerous, you know.”

Étienne’s eyes narrowed.