Chapter 9 #2
She sneaked another glance and noticed that Basil had not looked away from élise.
With a low groan of unmistakable longing, he reached for élise, drawing her against him with such aching familiarity that Sabrina’s breath caught.
élise’s arms slid around his neck, her lips meeting his in a kiss so intimate, so wholly consuming, Sabrina felt as though she had intruded upon something sacred—or scandalous.
Or both.
The pair disappeared inside the house, still fused together, and the door shut with a soft click, leaving Sabrina alone with nothing but the faint echo of her own heartbeat. She exhaled shakily.
What in the world was she supposed to do now?
Leander had warned her—firmly—that she should leave Basil’s indiscretions alone.
That she did not understand the danger. That he would handle it.
She had ignored him and she had followed Basil instead.
And now—now she had witnessed something she could not possibly unsee.
Sabrina turned to go, pressing a trembling hand to her stomach.
That was when a gloved hand clamped over her mouth.
She gasped, instinctively fighting, but a strong arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her clean off her feet. Panic flared white-hot beneath her ribs. The street blurred and the night spun. She kicked, clawed, twisted—but the stranger was stronger. Much stronger.
Before she could scream, before she could even remember how to breathe, she was dragged toward a waiting carriage—its door already open as though expecting her.
“No—no—let go—!” Her plea was muffled against the leather-clad palm.
The man shoved her inside. The door slammed. The carriage lurched forward at once. Her eyes widened as terror finally clawed its way to the surface. She had followed Basil into danger.
But danger—true danger—had now followed her.
And she had no idea whose hands she had fallen into.
She stared into the darkness uncertain what to do next.
Should she scream? What would that even accomplish.
No one was coming to her aid. Sabrina was completely on her own and had no idea how to extricate herself from this mess she had found herself in.
“Who…” She swallowed hard. “Who is there.”
“I see you have found your voice,” the man said in a heavily thickened French accent. “I am so glad you have decided to converse with me. You and I are going to have so much fun together.”
Terror filled her. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you, my dear are very important to the Duke of Lionston and he and I have tangled much in the past. It is time that he understand the damage he has caused and you are going to help me in issuing that payment.”
“Who are you?” He had to be mistaken. “What makes you believe that he cares for me.”
“I know he does.” The man chuckled lightly. “élise Marchand,” he began. “The lovely woman who has so easily seduced your brother has witnessed much. She is the reason you are here now. But Lionston is the reason you will die.”
Lord help her…she had done it now. She really should have listened to Leander. “Then it will not hurt you to tell me your name. Shouldn’t I know the man who will ultimately end my life.”
“I suppose it will not hurt to tell you that much.” His voice was tinged with menace.
“You will not be spilling my secrets to anyone. But you shouldn’t worry about when you will die, my dear.
It isn’t quite time for that yet. We must wait for your lover to witness it and as he is not here, we have much to discuss.
” He leaned forward. “As to my name, it is Bastien.” He paused. “Bastien Girard”
That name meant little to her, but then again, why should it? What was Leander involved in? Did this have something to do with the war. “Bastien,” she began, “Why do you hate him?”
She did not have to clarify what him she referred to.
There was only one other him that mattered in this—Leander.
She waited for him to speak and then he said in a calm tone, “Because he is the reason my wife is dead. She was a spy and he outed her. I understand it is the nature of spies, but she was the love of my life. So, he must pay. It matters not that he is no longer working for the crown and that his spying days for them are over. It only matters that he is the reason Amélie is gone.”
“Leander isn’t a spy…”
“Ah, my dear, naive girl.” He shook his head.
“Apparently, we have much to discuss. There is much you do not know about your duke then. It will be my pleasure to expel all of his secrets and ruin him in your eyes. What a pleasant little bit that will be to add to my revenge. It is too bad you must die. You are lovely, truly, but this plan has been in the works for some time. It took much to ensure. Starting with the deaths of his father and brother. He had to return home you see. It had to be here that he lost everything.”
She wanted to ask Leander many questions, but she would probably never get the chance to do that.
This man, Bastien, had ensured she would never have another moment alone with Leander.
She had made so many mistakes but there was no turning back.
She would have to find a way to save herself.
She could not depend upon Leander to rescue her.
For now, she would just have to bide her time and pray an opportunity for escape would come to her.
Otherwise, she would indeed die this night…