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“Superficial,” Allan says, flatly. “Poulliot called with an update a few minutes ago.”
“Did Yavuz arrange the attack at the dinner?"
“The Paris attack was fortuitous. I only heard rumors about it two days ago. The target was the president of the society.” Allan gets up and pours more whisky into his glass, along with a tiny splash of water.
My mouth drops open. “Why target Henri? He was a pompous snob but harmless. And poor Cal.”
“They were collateral damage.” Allan’s dismissive comment raises the hair on the back of my neck. He is such an unfeeling bastard. I don’t know what to say. In the end, I say nothing but my glare could start a forest fire.
Allan crosses his legs, leaning back in the chair. “Yavuz set up the attack so he could grab you, while making it look as if the attack was on the event. He knew Max would chase after you. I think the plan was to kill you to make Max suffer more before dispatching him. His hatred after his sister’s death festered over the years.”
Max frowns at Allan but instead of responding, he maneuvers us out of the armchair. His rumbly baritone is hoarse. “Sorry all. We’re Skyping with my family in a couple of minutes. Let’s all meet for breakfast in the morning.” He pulls me closer. Brushes his fingers against my cheek. Then we leave.
Back in our suite, we spend an hour on Skype with the Grants, reliving the past few hours. Their parents have put all the kids to bed in their respective houses, except for Sean, who sits silent, eyes enormous, between his thunderstruck parents. I don’t know if Les and Diana even realize he’s there. We talk until late, Max’s family trying to wring out every detail.
Exhausted, we curl around each other in bed, Max’s warmth lulling me to sleep.
When we show up for the breakfast buffet, JL and Micki are already chowing down. JL waves his fork and calls out, “Need to keep up our strength before all hell breaks loose.”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“The American, Canadian, and British consuls have called a meeting for us. Then Max and I have a video conference with Clay and Metin. Then I can escape, but Max has a second one with Jarvis about the cybersabotage.”
With everything else going on, I totally forgot about Max’s problems at GSU.
“I think I’ll spend the day writing.” Tomorrow we are going to a hastily planned memorial service for Henri. But, if I could, I’d leave Paris today. A city that I love has been tainted and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to come back.
Micki opts for a sightseeing tour out to Versailles. She begs me to go with her, but I just want to hole up in our room and brood.
After a room service dinner, Max and I are ready to turn in early. But first, Max fills me in on his GSU meeting. “They think they have a bead on the saboteurs.”
“Even the internal person?”
“I think they’ve narrowed it down, but they need more evidence. And rewriting the software and protecting the existing version is taking a lot of time.” His gusty sigh is a combination of exasperation and frustration. “Then there are the clashes between Jarvis and Elizabeth Talbot. But Jarvis has all the authority now and I will just get periodic updates.”
“I was thinking that maybe we should just go home after the service. I can contact the conference organizers and tell them that I can’t come. I’m sure they’ve seen the news and won’t be surprised.
Max shakes his head. “I think we should take our trip on the Orient Express and try to enjoy Venice. The break will be good for you. And you can still cancel the conference if you want.”
My mouth drops open. When I recover myself, I get up, pacing and mutter, unsure about what to do.
Max clears his throat and I notice that his hands are clenched. “If you hate this, I’ll book a flight to Chicago for tomorrow.”
I relax slightly, having made my decision.
I throw myself into his arms and cover the parts of him I can reach with kisses. Maybe surprises aren’t so bad after all.
* * *
Max
The service for Henri is low-key but attended by many literary luminaries, but Honor didn’t come. I heard that she and Hugh decamped to London with James as soon as possible. I didn’t blame her.
People congratulate Cress on receiving the award for the best historical novel in the pre- and early modern category and a representative of the society assures her that they will send the award, an engraved crystal plate, to Chicago.
A small woman in a vintage Chanel suit too big for her tiny frame hovers on the fringes. Cress leads me over to meet Henri’s mother. When I turn away, I can feel moisture gather in the corners of my eyes.
On our final day, we take say goodbye in the hotel lobby. JL is flying to Vancouver to spend time with his mother and Micki is going with him. She is coy, however, and won’t confirm whether they are actually starting a relationship.
