Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 69909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to go to sleep now. We’ll deal with it in the morning.”
She quiets but I’m pretty sure she won’t sleep tonight. Me either. I lie there instead with Blue tucked into my side, her lashes tickling my chest with every blink. And I think.
The one thing I want I know she won’t agree to. She won’t let me send her away, hide her, while I clean up this mess. But she may not have a choice.
Sometime in the night, we both fall asleep, and when I wake in the morning, Blue is quietly snoring. It’s cute. I watch her for a minute before kissing her forehead lightly and slipping out of bed. Quickly getting dressed in slacks and a button down, I go downstairs to the kitchen, the scent of freshly brewed coffee calling me.
“Good morning,” Cynthia says when she sees me. She’s clearing dishes from breakfast, and I realize Angelique and Matty would be getting ready to go to school.
“Morning, Cynthia.”
“How about an extra big cup of coffee?” she asks. I must look a wreck.
“That bad?” I ask as she pours coffee into a mug.
“About as good as your brother. He’s in his office,” she says, handing me the mug.
“Thanks.” I head to the office where I find the door slightly ajar. I enter to find Jericho talking to Dex.
“Morning,” he says when he sees me.
“Morning,” I say and enter, closing the door behind me.
The doorbell rings.
Jericho dismisses it. “Carpool to school. Isabelle has something arranged with some of the moms. Did you have any epiphanies last night?” he asks me.
“I want to meet with Girard.”
Jericho raises his eyebrows. “You do that, and Augustus will assume you’re working with the enemy.”
“I give Girard that flash drive and our problem is solved.”
“Not necessarily. Augustus can make Girard disappear. Hell, he might have done it already.”
“No way. Antoine Girard isn’t going to go down that easy. He has years of hate to account for. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something else. I’m thinking about sending Blue away.”
The door opens then, and Angelique enters, her schoolbag on her back. We all turn, surprised, and Jericho raises his eyebrows. “Haven’t I taught you to knock before entering my office?” he asks, but I notice my niece, who is usually smiling, isn’t.
A big hand appears on top of the door and pushes it farther.
Jericho is on his feet in an instant, but before he can come around the desk, Angelique runs to me, wraps an arm around my leg and stares at the man entering.
Antoine Girard.
And three of his men.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Jericho demands.
“Apologies. Didn’t mean to scare your little girl.” Antoine says casually, his gaze moving over the room, from Jericho, to me. “Gates were open. Didn’t think you’d mind.”
“You didn’t fu—”
“Jericho,” I start.
Girard grins. “Just wanted to make sure I caught you both at home.”
“Angelique, go upstairs,” Jericho says.
Girard turns to his men. “You three are scaring the little thing. Get the hell out of the way,” he tells his men, of which I see one more in the hallway. He brought four men with him. Four soldiers.
Lifting Angelique, I walk her out of the room and to the stairs.
“Go upstairs. Tell everyone they have to stay up there. Blue is in my room. Tell her too. Understand?” I whisper as I set her down.
She nods, eyes wide and wet. “But I have to go to school.”
“It’s okay. You’ll go a little later today. Go on. Hurry.”
I wait until she’s all the way up the stairs before going back to the study, taking note of the man who makes Hoxton look small, standing just outside the still-open door. Inside, I find Jericho nose to nose with Antoine Girard. My brother is fuming. Girard’s face looks like it’s made of stone, eyes narrowed, one corner of his mouth curved upward.
“What the fuck are you thinking walking into my home?”
A tense moment passes and one of Girard’s men steps toward them. Girard puts his hand up. I notice the other arm, the one without the hand, has a pinned sleeve tucked into his jacket pocket.
“Let’s all relax, shall we?” he says. “I mean no ill will toward your family. We simply have business between us.” He takes a step backward then makes his way to the couch and sits dead center, testing the seat, stretching his arms out on either side of him. “I’d kill for a cup of coffee.”
“I’m sure Councilor Augustus would be happy to serve it to you.”
Girard’s mouth tightens. “He’d happily lace it with arsenic, I’m sure. You two are making me nervous. Sit with me. I’m here to talk.”
“Jericho. Go get your kids to school. It’s me he’s here to see.”
Girard gives an approving nod.