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Pulling the gun from his pocket, he regarded her with a fierce glare. “Stay in here and do not make a sound. If you try to call out I will kill whoever is on the other side of that door. Do you understand?”
Raine lifted her hands in a gesture of peace. “I will be as silent as a mouse.”
He gave one last threatening wave of his gun before he was moving out of the chamber and across the outer room. Raine held her breath as she heard the door being yanked open, silently praying that it was not Philippe on the other side.
Dear God, she was so close to convincing Seurat to bring an end to this madness, but if he were to be confronted in this fragile moment by the blood of his hated enemy, Raine had no doubt he would pull the trigger without thought, without remorse.
Pressing her hands to her mouth, she battled back the fierce urge to run screaming into the other room. For the moment she could only do more harm than good by attempting to interfere.
There was the sound of Seurat’s harsh voice, and then strangely the high-pitched tones of a young boy. Her prayers became more frantic at the mere thought that some innocent child might be harmed. She did not believe Seurat was a heartless killer, but if he felt as if he were threatened he would not hesitate to strike out.
An eternity seemed to pass as Seurat barked out sharp questions and the lad responded in quick, soothing words. Raine could tangibly feel the tension that filled the small rooms, but thankfully there was no hideous sound of a firing pistol or a screaming child.
Her knees were feeling decidedly weak when at last the door was slammed shut and Seurat was charging into the room, his thin face flushed with emotion. Without a word to her, Seurat brushed past her frozen form and tugged a shabby bag from beneath the bed. Once it was open, he began tossing in his handful of belongings.
Raine gave a lift of her brows as she watched his frantic motions. “What are you doing?”
“I must go.”
“Go?” She frowned in surprise. “Where are you going?”
He closed the bag and grasped the threadbare coat from a nearby chair. “Someplace where I will not be found,” he said as he shrugged into the coat.
“You are leaving this moment?”
He turned to her. “That boy was looking for me. Even now he is rushing back to tell your precious Philippe Gautier where I can be found. I do not intend to be here when he arrives.”
Raine balled her hands in frustration. No, she could not allow him to flee until she was certain he would agree to her bargain.
“You cannot be certain that the boy has anything to do with Philippe.”
He gave a short laugh. “I have not survived so long without knowing when a trap is about to close upon me.”
“But what of our bargain? How can I contact you?”
With his belongings in order, Seurat once again reached beneath the bed and pulled out a length of rope.
“If I decide to agree to any bargain, I will be the one to contact you,” he warned as he slowly advanced with the rope. “Until then I need to find a place where I cannot be found.”
Raine abruptly began to back away. “What are you doing?”
He shrugged as he reached out to grab her arms in a biting clasp. “I am leaving and I need to make sure that you do not call unnecessary attention to my escape.”
“I have already told you…” Her words broke off in a small cry as she found herself facedown on the filthy mattress with her arms wrenched behind her back. “Damn you, you cannot leave me here like this,” she growled as she felt the ropes being tightly tied about her wrists and then attached to the bedpost. “I could die before someone finds me.”
“Your lover will soon be rushing to the rescue,” he said without the least hint of sympathy, shoving a rag into her mouth and fastening the ends behind her head. “Until then I need time to make my escape.”
She heard him leave the bed and gather the bag from the floor. With a flare of panic she kicked her feet, futilely attempting to loosen the bonds that held her. Blast it all. It was all very well for Seurat to assume that Philippe would soon be charging to the rescue. He was crazy, after all. Not to mention the fact that he was not the one gagged and tied to the bed.
What if the lad had nothing to do with Philippe? What if no one came and she was left to rot in this ghastly place? Or worse, what if she were discovered by some ruffian and…
“I shall send you word if I decide to take your offer, mademoiselle.” He gave a sudden, wild laugh. “Or perhaps I shall simply shoot Philippe Gautier and toss his body in the Seine. In either event you will have your answer.”
Anger and fear raged through Raine as she struggled against the damnable rope, not stopping until she felt the blood dripping down her arms.
Why the devil had she thought she wanted an adventure? If she managed to return to her father’s small cottage she swore that she would never, ever begrudge the peace and quiet again.
PHILIPPE WAS STANDING in the alley behind Belfleur’s shop when the sun settled behind the horizon. The surrounding buildings protected him from the frigid breeze, but it was still painfully cold as he restlessly paced the filthy cobblestones.
