Page 40 (1/2)

"Luc!" I shouted, running into the house, skidding across the floor

I didn’t see a body, and I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad

I stopped in the doorway of Luc’s room

Definitely bad

Henri sat on the bed, holding Luc in his lap, his hand over the child’s mouth Froh Henri was a uess ere short another babysitter

Henri sured you’d show up eventually"

My reat-grandfather’s trail to this place? I had a feeling Henri wasn’t that stupid

"What do you want?" I asked

He lowered his hand from Luc’s mourn but kept his arms locked around the child’s body so he couldn’t run away Luc’s bright, happy blue eyes were now dull and very sad What had he seen? How long would it take hiet?

"This isn’t Daddy," Luc whispered

"I know"

"Who is he?’

For an instant I was surprised Luc didn’t know the truth, but Adam had said he kept his two lives separate He must have used a very serious threat in order to keep Henri on a leash, so to speak

"I’one or Henri didn’t care anyrandpa died"

"I’enerations removed, true But I’m blood of your blood You’ll understand better when you have a child of your own"

Luc’s face crinkled in confusion "Where’s Daddy?"

"In de swamp," Henri said "He has a very bad headache"

My eyes narrowed "What did you do?"

"Nothing perure out if I need you Having hi"

"Watch your mouth in front of Luc"

"That’s de least of your worries" Henri shoved the child fro "Go in de bathrooged hied to smear blood here and there Maybe a shoasn’t such a bad idea At least Luc would be out of harm’s way by a few feet

"He hurt Sadie," Luc whispered "She cried and cried and I wished she’d stop" He sed "Then she did"

"That’s not your fault" I pushed hiently toward the bathroom "Do what he says, Luc"

"But - " The boy stared at me orried eyes

"I’ll be fine"

He went, dragging his feet all the way The door closed and the shower turned on

"You won’t be fine," Henri said

"I know"

A cunning expression cao if you leave now"

"Me and Luc?"

"No Either you or de kid dies today"

"Me," I said automatically

He tilted his head the same way Adam did The similarity made me nauseous "Why so hasty? He isn’t even yours"

"Doesn’t matter"

"I suppose it doesn’t, but did you ever wonder why?"

"What?"

I was having a hard ti to listen to Luc, to think of a plan, to pray that Adam wasn’t dead and was already on the way

"Ever wonder why you fell so hard and so fast for Adam and his son?"

"Who said I fell? Nors don’t sell out others just because they can; they don’t sacrifice children to save the," he said "Most people aren’t exactly huers, even lovers and children"

"I don’t believe you"

"What I can’t believe is that you’re one of de few to be self-sacrificing And now I understand why Ever seen one of these?" He held up a gris-gris

My hand went to my pocket Mine were still there "A few"

"I found this one under de boy’s pillow It’s a love charer cared

The sound of astruck , and when it went up as if drenched in lighter fluid, he dropped the gris-gris to the floor and stomped on it

"How you feel now about de boys now?" he asked

I thought a minute, then couldn’t help but smile "Exactly the same"

Henri frowned "That’s iic We got true love"

"Adam doesn’t love you," he said "He’s as incapable of it as I a to aded and his face darkened

"We’ll find out soon enough He’ll have to choose, too You or his son"

A hysterical bubble of laughter spilled from my lips "You’re a moron"

Fury washed over his face HeHis hand at ainst the wall I saw stars

"Watch your mouth," he said

Since I couldn’t talk, that wasn’t going to be a problem

"I like to make people choose," he murmured "I smell their fear, de sweet aroer"

He put his nose todeeply "Minghe wouldn’t react like a regular ot here, I needed to keep Henri away fro reflex "Tallient, despite his holier-than-thou attitude, chose himself over his family without a quibble"

I frowned Was that why Frank had becos to a person’s mind I should know

"We have ti a ive me any power over de moon"

"We’ve been over this I don’t have any ic My name is just a nahed "But that was round his erection against me; then he yanked off his shirt He looked so much like Adam, my eyes burned After this, would I ever be able to be with Ada Henri?

I’d be dead soon; the worry was

Henri fisted his hand in my shirt and tore it down the middle His body was so close to mine, he didn’t see the fleur-de-lis chain, but he certainly felt it when the silver touched hi, even as he howled and spun away

My gaze lowered to his stoe of a dozen tiny French crosses had been scalded into his skin I’d be able to tell them apart after all

"What de hell?" he shouted "Where did you get that?"

"Adam"

His eyes narrowed "Someone will pay" He turned toward the bathroorabbed his arm "No Come on, let’s, uh, do it"

He shook hed no ain my balance, he’d opened the bathroo

The bathrooone

Henri backhandedin a heap near the bed

"Where did he go? How did he get out?"

There were no s in that rooht was a trapdoor so into the bathroom Clever, clever boy

I shook my head as Henri advanced, and stopped ain He’d bit me pretty hard

He pulled me to my feet by the hair Damn, that hurt But not as much as when he wrapped his hands around ers, saw black dots But my life didn’t pass before my eyes Only Adao, Grandpere Now"

The weight on htened I could breathe just a little

"What will you dor Henri murmured "I wonder"

I tried to speak, to tell Adaone

"He will do nothing"

Mandenauer’s voice How many people were in this cavalry?

"It would o"

I was falling and soht nized the gentleness of his touch, the strength in his ar at the pain in my throat "Luc - "

"He’s fine Used an escape hatch under de sink" Adam shook his head "Can’t trust a beast to follow de rules forever"

He’d always known Henri would come one day

"Where’s Luc?" I asked

"We ran into hi up de road" Adauns blazing, but I convinced him to wait for us next door"

Soothed by the knowledge that Luc was fine, I ed to force back the dizziness Cassandra waited in the hall with a y blonde, ore hot pink shorts and an electric blue tank top Talk about bright I was dizzy again

Henri sat on the bed, Edward’s pistol stuffed in his ear Why hadn’t I thought of that?

"How?" The word dissolved into coughing, so I just pointed at Cassandra