Chapter Thirteen
ROUX
“I still don’t understand,” Mina griped as the five of us made our way down the street along the Canal Saint-Martin.
The wind blew at our backs, toying with loose strands of Gen’s hair. My eyes traced each section of her braid, and my fingers itched to comb through it, just to be able to watch her weave them all over again.
“Gordon always took pains not to involve me or Gen,” Mina continued. “Now, he specifically wants us to come along?”
“Fucking Gordon,” Marius muttered.
I couldn’t agree more. Gordon was up to something — as usual.
“Now, now. Not a way to talk about your godfather-in-law,” Bene said. “Even if he’s on the wrong side of the law.”
Gen had stuck by my side throughout our trip from Burgundy to Paris, which I loved. But her stride hitched at Bene’s comment. Apparently, she was still clinging to the misconception that Gordon wasn’t such a bad guy.
She figured out Clement wasn’t worth her time, my tiger decided. She’ll figure out Gordon too.
Of course she would. I just didn’t want that to happen the hard way.
A snarl escaped my throat, and Bene looked over.
“What did you say?”
“Rien.” Nothing, I grunted, keeping my eyes down.
A huge lie, because I was rattled as hell by last night.
What’s wrong with getting a peaceful night’s sleep for the first time in years? my tiger grumbled.
Nothing, except for the fact that the vigilant part of my mind had totally shut off.
Nothing wrong with a couple of innocent kisses either, my tiger huffed.
No, except when they were driven by a burning, out-of-control need. If Bene hadn’t come along when he had…
My tiger snarled. Fucking Bene.
But really, I only had myself to blame. Overwhelmed by wild cravings and inexplicable emotions, I’d gone deaf and blind to the real world. An evil world that targeted innocents like Gen, as Claudette’s awful fate proved.
Even now, my mind was hazy, and it took everything I had to focus.
Gordon. Stolen painting. Potential setup, the calculating part of my mind supplied.
Potential setup blinked most prominently on my radar, because laying intricate traps was Gordon’s specialty.
“He called us in because he cares about Dad’s painting, and he knows we care too,” Gen reasoned.
“Gordon only cares about himself,” I muttered.
“I hate to say it, but I have the feeling this is another of those Roux was right moments we’ll look back on,” Bene warned. “You know, after the shit hits the fan.”
“Would you please keep an open mind?” Gen complained.
There was open, and there was Please use me as a doormat. We all knew Gordon preferred the latter. But Gen didn’t, and I wasn’t going to be the one to break the news.
Mina shook her head. “Gordon always has an ulterior motive. We have to be careful.”
Gen’s expression soured, but she didn’t say a word as Mina led us to Gordon’s building. Henrik approached from the opposite end of the road, and we converged at the door.
Fabian, the bear-shifter doorman, greeted us with a grim look and let us in.
Gen took the back corner of the tiny elevator, and I stood in front of her as everyone else piled in. When she touched my back lightly, my soul drifted into a world of fluffy clouds and rainbows.
I gritted my teeth. We were about to face Gordon. No fluffy clouds and definitely no rainbows. I had to be prepared.
I squeezed her hand, then released it before my mind numbed entirely.
Upstairs, Gordon opened the door and greeted us solemnly.
“Wilhelmina.” His tense voice relaxed when he turned to Gen. “Geneviève. So good to see you.”
He brushed kisses over both her cheeks, but his stiff grip on her forearms revealed how worked up he was.
Clearly, the warlock was furious. Not with us, for a change, and thank goodness. Even so, it was terrifying.
“Gentlemen,” he rumbled at us in an entirely different tone. Then he lightened up again to address his goddaughters. “Come in, come in.”
The man was a one-man Jekyll/Hyde, sweet to the women and thunderous to the rest of us.
Did we deserve it? Absolutely.
Was I still suspicious of the overly kind persona he used for Mina and Gen? Yes. That too.
“As you can see…” Gordon gestured to the living room wall.
Several paintings hung off-kilter, and a gap showed where their father’s artwork had hung.
“You remember it, of course,” Gordon said.
A huge understatement. Both sisters kept entire encyclopedias of art in their minds.
Gen nodded sadly. “Easter at the Chateau.”
“Such a tranquil scene,” Mina added. “The chateau, the lawn, the trees in the background…”
The voices. The click of croquet mallets… slipped out of Gen’s head.
Funny how Mina described the sights, while Gen described the sounds. Weird, but I supposed that went with her creative mind.
“Much as I love that painting, I don’t understand. Why would anyone steal it instead of that or that?” Mina pointed to a framed Matisse cutout, then what appeared to be a sketch by Paul Klee.
“Because of what it meant to me,” Gordon said, choking up.
Gen touched his shoulder in quiet support.
I loved — and hated — that she saw the best in people…including me. But I would rejoice the day she finally accepted the truth about Gordon.
“Who would know that it was important to you?” I asked.
Gordon looked toward the desk, then grumbled, “Celeste.”
Everyone fell silent, and I shuffled puzzle pieces around in my mind. Claudette, murdered by a vampire. Gen, attacked by supernaturals. Gordon, targeted through his art.
The common denominator? Celeste.
“We thought the same when—” Gen started, but Mina cut her off.
“When you called,” Mina finished quickly.
Gen frowned, clearly wondering why Mina wouldn’t mention Claudette.
No details. No confidential information, I whispered into her mind.
How is that confidential? she protested.
I gave her a firm look that said, I’ll explain later.
“Celeste would know about the painting and how to sneak in here,” Mina noted.
Gordon nodded. “Precisely.”
“Anyone else?” Marius asked.
Gordon shot him a dark look that said, You crossed my mind.
His gaze went to each of us — Henrik, Bene, and me. Lucky for us, we had no motive. But Celeste did.
“What do you want us to do?” I asked before the ugly vibes between Marius and Gordon turned into a full-on electrical storm.
“Find it,” Gordon snapped so vehemently, Gen looked stunned.
“Find and extract, or find and report?” I asked. Clipped and clinical worked best when Gordon’s emotions ran high. No one needed to see what a warlock that powerful was capable of.
“Find and report, but stand by to act quickly,” Gordon growled.
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Any other pertinent information?” Henrik asked.
Gordon’s face colored, and I pictured him shaking a fist in the vampire’s face, yelling, I’ll show you pertinent, dammit!
Bene and I exchanged wary glances. Gordon never lost his cool. Why was he so close now?
“That is all,” Gordon finally said. “As for you…” He pointed sternly at Mina and Gen. “I’ve called you in because I know you will leave no stone unturned in your search. But Celeste is not to be underestimated. Once the painting is located, you must leave the rest to them.”
He means us, the expendable ones, I sighed into my friends’ minds.
Marius being the most expendable, Bene added cheerfully.
When Marius growled, Bene shrugged. That’s what you get for banging the boss’s goddaughter.
Marius’s eyes shot daggers.
“You must not expose yourself to any danger,” Gordon admonished Mina and Gen. “Your father would never forgive me if any harm came your way.”
The waver in his voice said he truly meant it. So, maybe Gordon wasn’t entirely bad.
Just ninety-nine percent bad, Bene murmured into my mind.
“Why not report this to the authorities?” Gen asked.
Marius snickered into our minds. Yes. Why not do things legally, Gordon? Got something to hide?
Gordon jutted his jaw, then answered in a saccharine tone one might use to explain how Santa Claus managed to deliver presents to so many children in a single night.
“It’s complicated, sweetheart. And a certain…speed of action is required. Otherwise, I fear the painting may be lost to us forever.”
Classic Gordon — changing the topic from his shady methods and working her emotions like a puppeteer.
No more questions, child, his posture commanded as he turned away.
Gen’s eyes blazed the way they had when Clement ignored her.
I didn’t feel sorry for her, though. I pitied Gordon and Clement, because they were missing the real her.
Underestimating her, my tiger growled. The way Gordon underestimated Mina.
I grinned in anticipation of the day Gen proved how wrong Gordon was. But it worried me too, because underestimating her wasn’t as risky as underestimating a ruthless warlock.
Good thing she has us to watch over her, my tiger growled.
“Now, then,” Gordon continued briskly. “I know Wilhelmina and Geneviève are as motivated as I am to retrieve this family treasure. To make sure the rest of you are equally motived, I offer a €10,000 premium if you find the artwork before it is damaged or destroyed.”
Henrik narrowed his eyes. Marius looked at me askance.
“Ten thousand each or ten thousand total?” Bene ventured.
Gordon turned a lethal stare on him, but Mina raised her hand firmly.
“Ten thousand each,” she insisted.
Gordon’s eyes jumped to her, and I was amazed that she held that killer gaze.
The sweet middle school teacher we’d first met had turned into a formidable negotiator and champion of our rights.
Amazing, isn’t she? Marius glowed.
“Do you have so little faith in their motivation?” Gordon challenged.
Mina shook her head. “I have all the faith in the world, but the clock is ticking, and your missions have a history of proving lethal to an unlucky few.” She paused, then nailed him with, “I’m sure you value the painting enough to justify such a reward.”
Everyone held their breath. Mina was definitely pushing Gordon. But he could hardly say It’s actually not that valuable to me after all.
“Of course. Ten thousand each,” he gritted out.