Chapter 10 #2
"We found a list of Julien’s properties and made an educated guess. We got there before he could destroy everything. Thermal imaging showed three heat signatures when we arrived—two mobile, one stationary. By the time tactical breached, only two remained. You and Julien's body."
So the shooter was already gone before my team arrived. Fast. Clean.
"I'll be there in less than an hour," I tell Remy.
"Copy that."
I end the call. Simone's already moving toward the door.
"I'm coming with you," she says.
"No."
"Luc—"
"You're going back to the guest house with an operative escort. You're staying there until I clear you for movement." I pull on my boots, lace them with movements that are automatic despite the pounding in my skull. "This is a crime scene. Active investigation. You don't need to see Julien's body."
"He was stalking me. Someone killed him because of me. I have a right—"
"You have the right to stay safe while I figure out who's trying to destroy you.
" I stand, move into her space. Close enough that she has to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact.
"This isn't negotiable, Simone. You follow my commands or you walk away from Rapier Strategic's protection. Which is it?"
Her jaw tightens. I can see the fight in her eyes, the instinct to push back, to assert control she doesn't have in this situation.
"Yes, Sir," she says quietly.
"Good girl." I look toward the door where Derek's posted. "Derek will take you back to the guest house. You stay there. You don't leave, don't open doors or windows, don't make decisions about your safety without running them through me first. Clear?"
"Clear."
Derek steps into the doorway on cue.
"Take her back to the estate," I tell him. "Follow standard protocols."
She nods, but there's something in her expression that makes me pause. Fear, maybe. Or the weight of knowing someone died because of the threat against her.
I wait until Derek escorts her out before I head for the exit. A nurse tries to stop me at the station. Something about discharge paperwork and doctor's orders.
I keep walking.
The SUV is where Remy said it would be, parked in the emergency lot with the keys under the front mat. I climb in, start the engine, and pull out into early morning traffic.
The drive to St. Tammany Parish takes less than an hour. Enough time for the pounding in my skull to fade from excruciating to just brutal.
Someone paid Julien hundreds of thousands to run surveillance on Simone. High-end gear, sophisticated operation, timing coordinated with her business schedule. Then executed him the moment he became a liability.
If it's Armand like we suspect, this just became attempted murder and conspiracy on top of the stalking charges.
The rural property appears through the trees as I turn onto the access road. NOPD vehicles line the driveway, crime scene tape marking the perimeter. I pull up behind Remy's SUV, kill the engine, and head for the house.
Andy Broussard's coordinating with the crime scene techs near the entrance. He looks up when I approach, waves me over.
"Luc. Good to see you conscious." He gestures toward the house. "Body's still in position. Coroner's waiting on your walkthrough before they move him."
"Appreciate you holding the scene." I duck under the tape. "What've we got?"
"Single GSW to the back of the head. Execution-style, same as I briefed Remy earlier." He walks me through the entry. "No signs of struggle, no defensive wounds. Position indicates he was kneeling when the shooter put him down."
The interior shows signs of the breach—broken door, overturned furniture, blood on the floor where he dropped me.
The memory comes back in pieces, hazy from whatever drug he used.
But I remember enough. The injection. The way my muscles stopped responding.
Julien's voice saying something about proving a point.
Andy leads me to the back room. Julien's body is slumped against the far wall, exactly as described.
"Clean hit," I say, studying the blood spatter pattern. "Professional work."
"That's what I'm thinking." Andy crouches beside the body. "Nine millimeter, based on the wound channel and recovered round. Ballistics will confirm, but I'd bet money on it."
"No gunshot residue on his hands?"
"Clean. He didn't fire a weapon before he died." Andy stands, brushes off his hands. "Your brother filled me in on what happened at Dominion last night. Julien knew exactly where to plant his equipment to avoid detection." He pauses. "Smart setup Margot's got there—found it right away.
Something in the way he says it catches my attention. Not just detective doing his homework. More like someone who understands the operational logic behind privacy protocols in BDSM clubs.
I file it away but don't comment. "Your brother said Julien grabbed you from LaCroix Petroleum headquarters. He brought you here, and drugged and restrained you. Then someone showed up and put a bullet in his head while you were unconscious."
"That's the timeline."
"Which means the shooter either followed Julien here or was already waiting." Andy pulls out his notebook. "Initial thermal showed three signatures before breach. Two mobile, one stationary. By the time your team entered, only two remained—you and Julien's body. The third signature was gone."
"Fast exit. Knew exactly when to leave." I turn away from the body. "Any luck tracing the shell corporation payments?"
"Cyber team's making progress. The Delaware LLC layers are a pain in the ass, but they're close to piercing through to the actual source." He makes a note. "We pulled Julien's phone records, email, financial transactions overnight. If he was communicating with whoever paid him, we'll find it."
"Keep me posted on the forensics." I head for the door. "Coordinate with Remy—we'll share everything relevant to building the case."
"Already doing that." Andy gestures toward the exit. "I'll let the coroner know he can move the body. I'll send you ballistics and autopsy results when they come through."
I head back outside. Pull out my phone and dial Remy.
"How's the scene?" he asks.
"Clean execution. Professional work." I lean against the SUV, let the sun hit my face. "Andy's running point. He's solid."
"Twenty years in homicide. He knows what he's doing." His tone shifts. "How's your head?"
"Functional."
"That's not what I asked."
"It's what you're getting." I straighten, focus on what matters. "Where are we on the shell corporation trace?"
"Cyber team's been on it all night. They're working backwards from Julien's accounts, peeling away the LLC layers." The sound of typing comes through the line. "Regular payments. Same amount every month. Started right around when Julien joined Dominion."
Right when Armand started positioning himself for another run at the CEO position. Right when the board was considering the Gulf acquisition that would cement Simone's control of the company.
"We need solid proof it's Armand," I say. "Not just suspicion."
"We're close. The cyber team thinks they'll have the connection within hours." His tone hardens. "Once we tie the shell corp to Armand or one of his subsidiaries, we've got him for conspiracy, attempted murder, and likely Julien's execution."
"He'll fight it. Deny everything. Attack Simone's credibility."
"Let him try. We've got surveillance equipment, financial records, witness testimony from you about the kidnapping. And once Andy finishes processing the crime scene, we'll have ballistics and forensics that help build the timeline. Armand can deny all he wants—the evidence speaks for itself."
He's right. But I can't shake the feeling that we're still missing something.
"I'm heading back to the estate," I tell Remy. "Keep me updated on the financial forensics. The moment you have solid proof connecting Armand to the shell corp, I want to know."
"Will do." He pauses. "Luc. You care about her."
Not a question.
"She's my responsibility."
"That's not what I said." His voice carries that older brother tone that sees straight through tactical framing. "You care about her. More than just keeping an asset alive."
I could deny it. Should deny it. Maintaining distance is standard protocol for protection details. Getting emotionally involved compromises judgment.
But I'm already compromised. Have been since Dominion. Since I felt her finally let go and surrender for real.
"Yeah. I care."
"Good. Because she's going to need more than just protection to get through what's coming. She's going to need someone who gives a fuck whether she survives this intact."
He's right. When we confirm Armand orchestrated everything—the surveillance, the threats, Julien's obsession weaponized against her—that's going to cut deeper than any physical threat.
"I'll keep you posted," Remy says before ending the call.
The drive back to the estate takes longer than it should. Early morning traffic, commuters heading into the city, normal people living normal lives while I'm calculating how to tell Simone that we're close to proving her uncle tried to destroy her.
The guest house is quiet when I arrive. Derek is posted outside, gives me a nod as I approach.
"She's inside," he says. "Been in there since I brought her back. Hasn't come out, hasn't opened windows or doors. Following protocols."
"Good. You're clear to leave. I've got her from here."
Derek heads back to his vehicle. I unlock the guest house door, step inside.
Simone's sitting at the kitchen table. Clean jeans, oversized sweater, hair pulled back in a ponytail. Face scrubbed clean. She looks young without the CEO armor. Vulnerable.
She stands when she sees me. "Luc. You shouldn't have left the hospital. The doctor said—"
"I'm fine." I close the distance. "How are you?"
"I'm—" She stops. Starts again. "Julien's dead because of me."
"Julien's dead because someone executed him. Not your fault."
"But if I hadn't gone to Dominion—if I'd just stayed away—"