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Thethem The couple were the same people Tara had seen Brent meet at the cafe the other day The woth of beautiful hair that seemed a shade between brunette and blond She had a war smile that seemed sincere She didn’t appear at all averse to Brent’s friends co to the table She was apparently married to the tall man with the nearly black hair, since they shared a surnaile, sure, fluid power, even in the si an extra chair; in manner--and in an elusive quality Tara couldn’t quite pinpoint--he had a sinetism to that of Brent Malone Perhaps that hat disturbed her theabout eitherthat their reflexes would be faster than the speed of light, and that soerous about the his chair again as they were seated "So, Ann, this is your hoe We have an old farand sense of the word, but it’s a lovely family home out here" Tara wanted to kick her cousin She didn’t want these people knohere they lived But that was ridiculous She hadn’t actually told him, but she was certain that Brent Malone knehere she was staying
"You must come and visit while you’re here," Ann continued
Tara kicked her cousin Ann yelped involuntarily, then stared at her across the table Tara knew that Brent Malone atching her, knew exactly what had happened, and remained amused She was certain as well that he had lured the two of theet an invitation to the chateau
Now, they had it
"A chateau, how lovely," Jade said
Lucian su as perfectly accented as any Tara had ever heard
"Are you French?" she inquired
Jade answered "I’inally from the New Orleans area," she said "And you?"
"New York," she said, turning her attention pointedly back to Lucian "And you?"
"Lucian likes to consider himself a citizen of the world," Brent said
"I’m not French, but I have lived here," Lucian told her " I’ve called the States hoaze hard on Brent to realize that he had never stopped watching her "And inally, I coinia," he said
"There’s a lot of French spoken in New Orleans, of course," Lucian said "It’s easy to keep up"
"Naturally," Tara said pleasantly, but turned her attention to Brent Malone "But I haven’t heard of it being such a coinia"
His eyes didn’t waver frouistics," he said flatly
"My French should be better," Jade said "But in New Orleans I haven’t the purity of Lucian’s accent, because I’uess, over here, it’s kind of a Southern-slash-French accent"
"That’s fine, you speak the language, comprehend what is said," Ann told her Tara saw that her cousin was flushed, and with the blush on her cheeks, she was evenaway at the table, but she see the back of the roo at, but the bar had gotten very crowded
Now and then, Ann stared at her with ae her chair closer to Brent’s
Tara couldn’t help it; she didn’t like it a bit
She understood it; but she didn’t like it, any more than she liked the fact that the man at her side was too close--and closer with every move Annas they were in such a tightly packed establishment But it was as if she could feel the whole of his beneath the table, perfectly correct, yet if she shifted, she would brush against hie heat see her to move closer, as if she were cold
She wasn’t cold
His scent whatever the aftershave or soap he worere overt about hi that beckoned at a subli into her system, tremendous flashes that warned her to be wary
A man was dead
She knew he hadn’t done it
Ah, but what if there had been a conspiracy? What if these "friends" of his who had just arrived had been in the tomb, what if they were the murderers? Surely, none of this talk of evil and vah Jacques’si about Jacques, knew that she had been in the to upon them?
"Tara!" Ann said
She jumped "What?"
"You’re a thousand miles away I’ to dance Brent has just asked you to join hi off," she said
Lucian and his ere already standing Ann was practically running--pushing and shoving her way--
heading toward the rear of the room What tall fellow? Tara still didn’t knoho her cousin had been watching
"Tara?" Brent atching her There was a definite hue His hand was stretched toward her
She wanted to ju bronzed, work-roughened fingers lay on her arm
"Sure you don’t want to join them?"