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Of course, he had other ht not be the best opportunity Lynch held the door open for her "Bleight despisesAlistair and hly likely he’ll o so far as to blame me This could become quite a scene"

Rosalind stared up at him, the hard body but a breath away froh the open door No doubt Lynch could too His jaas tight with strain

"Do you have your pistol?" he asked quietly

She nodded

"Don’t use it unless I tell you to" Then he pressed his hand to the sh the door

Inside, the hall was charged with silence It al Each creak of timber beneath her boot heel made her wince Lynch’s presence behind her was al

The firh another door "This way," Lynch murmured and she knew he could smell the death within

As soon as she sahat lay on the floor, Rosalind stopped in her tracks Her led to make sense of the mess, of the red pool that bloated the carpets and the frozen, screae of the elderly woashes marred her lavender skirts Froers, it was clear she’d tried to protect herself

Firm hands slid over Rosalind’s shoulders and she relaxed into the touch Death had never frightened her; she’d dealt it with little remorse, but that had been out of a sense of duty Not personal Notdown to her white soup, perhaps a smile on her face as she listened to her consort’s account of his day Most consort agree ood pearls and the scent of perfuered in the air The silvery-blonde hair had been curled artfully over her shoulder, as if for a beau, and from the roses spilled out of the vase on the table, they’d perhaps been celebrating so

Rosalindnumb all over

"Wait outside," Lynch instructed quietly

Rosalind turned, tripping on the carpet Her worst fear--to be bloodied like that, torn apart by a ra by the door, she held on to the fralanced over her shoulder

Lynch knelt by the woaze hooded and his h, he reached out and held his palm over the woman’s face, then slowly closed her eyes His hand hovered there, as though to hide the dead woainst his chest

The privacy of the e of the dining room He knew the woht have thought hirief around him almost physically hurt

A clatter of sound as he scraped the plates out of the way and dragged the white tablecloth fro down, he folded the woman’s hands over her chest and then carefully draped the tablecloth over her It stained with red i up the pool of blood beneath the woman’s hair Lynch slowly turned, emotionless once more

"Lady Arrondale," he said, as if in explanation Brushing past her, he strode along the hall, ignoring each door and tributary Little spatters of dark blood trailed along the checkerboard floor and paintings hung haphazardly as if soe sany railing had been destroyed, splinters littering the floor

Byrnes appeared at the top of the stairs "He’s up here I didn’t think it appropriate to leave hiht on his way"

Lynch nodded, taking the stairs two at a time "How did you kill him?"

Byrnes peered over the rail His cerulean eyes were al she didn’t Long dried blood clung to his right hand and his black sleeve ith it "I couldn’t get hie--so roo back frouild and overheard the commotion From the look of the house, Arrondale killed everyone else, then went for her" His lips thinned "I put et his attention Unfortunately, it was too late for Lady Arrondale"

Lynch glanced over the rail, assessing the bloodythe hall "Just once?"

"I didn’t have time for a second shot He turned on me and I went down Somehoe ended up there--" Byrnes pointed at the spot below "I’d lost the pistol by then" He looked up, hard gaze locking on Lynch’s "I had to rip his heart out of his chest He was trying to gut "

Lynch surveyed the scene one last time then turned "Show him to me"

They’d taken the body to thescent of blood stained the air and Rosalind sed hard as she stepped inside Soed a sheet over the body and Lynch strode to it, twitching it aside His large body blocked her view and for that she was grateful She’d seen enoughthe sheet, he turned, candlelight washing over his too-s You’d best leave If Bleight sees you, he’ll want your head--"

A shout sounded outside They all spun toward theand Lynch pushed past, twitching aside the curtains "Go," he said "Out the back and return to the guild Take a suard"

"Surely the duke wouldn’t attack anyone," Rosalind ht was a vulture who sat on the council and circled for prey, but her dossier said he was once of the hts and rarely proclai them

Lynch shot her a hard look as Byrnes left the room "Don’t leave my side Try to be inconspicuous" He swore under his breath, grabbing her arht you here"

"Lynch!" someone roared The sound cahtened, then he cursed again and started toward the door

"Get your goddae "Lynch! You bastard, where’s my son? Where’s my bloody son?!"