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Hugo’s fingers flew over the control panel.

“Well, who was it?” Mano demanded, craning his head out the window. “I don’t see shit out there. No one’s out there.”

Suddenly, Hugo’s fingers stilled, his tendons frozen over the controls.

“Who was it?” I cried. “No one is supposed to be coming or going while Étienne is gone.”

“Mother.”

CHAPTER 23

Léonie

At my insistence, Mano ordered the remaining guards to patrol the house, make sure no one had gotten inside, even though I couldn’t see how that was possible.

“How dare she use the code!” Mano gritted out. “What the hell was she thinking with Réjean out there?”

Hugo was moving very fast with his new cane.

“Mme has always had a—very rigid idea of how the Bastides should behave, and I very much fear⁠—”

And he said no more, but only moved faster until we stood at the door to her suites.

Hugo put a finger to his lips and Mano nodded, pulling out a tiny, slim length of steel.

Then he placed it at the edge of the door and there was a crack.

Hugo pulled it open, and through the wild staccato of my heart I saw the back of my brother Réjean, hips thrusting as he pounded into Placidie from behind.

“Merde and fucking hell,” Mano swore, and he charged toward them.

Réjean barely changed expression, his cock still buried deep in my mother-in-law as he drew out a pistol and shot Mano.

My brother-in-law staggered sideways, then fell to his knees as a murderous bloom of blood burst through his shirt.

“Stay back, the two of you,” Réjean warned as he cocked the gun at Mano’s skull.

There was blood soaking through Mano’s shoulder, but I couldn’t see his face.

Was he going to die here?

What the hell were these two rivals doing in bed together?

And how had I been blind for so long to the fact that my family saw me only as a bargaining chip? My virginity as something that could be sold off?

“What are you doing with him?” I cried as Hugo took a few careful, sideways steps toward his mother. “You know he wants to kill Étienne!”

“Let him,” Placidie said, and I looked into her bitter brown eyes, and it was like all the sanity had receded out of them.

“All my sons are dead to me. Every single one of them is weak. Hugo with his leg—Mano unable to beat his brother, and Étienne, Étienne my darling, brought down by a wet and sloppy cunt. Carving léger into his own forehead—he could never come back with me after that. So why not let Réjean take it over—burn the whole place and give me more sons. Sons who will be strong this time.”

“You’re fucking insane. He will kill you.”

“Give it up,” Hugo warned as Réjean shoved Placidie aside with an audible pop. “Étienne will be heading home soon. You won’t get away with this.”

My brother snorted.

“I’m in his home, with his whole family under my power. I can get away with anything I want.”