Page 32 of Innocent Salvation

Even knowing she’d have to answer all the questions she saw in his eyes, she knew it was worth it to keep them safe. Now it was time to pay the piper, and she was scared for the first time in a really long time of disappointing someone.

When she’d got in the car and seen and felt the relief move through his body as he wrapped her and Fleur in his strong arms, she’d thought it would be okay. Yet now the danger was over she could feel him pulling away. His walls, the ones he’d been beginning to lower toward her, were back in place and the cool aloof man she’d met turned to face her.

“We should talk.”

He gave her a sharp nod, his shoulder straining against the top he’d borrowed from Bein, his jaw so hard she was worried he’d shatter his tooth enamel. His arm brushed her nipple as he moved past her through the doorway and she held her breath, her traitorous body betraying her at the light, innocent touch. His scent and closeness sent sparks of desire through her body, fanning the flames of lust she was finding harder and harder to fight against.

Sebastian flinched and she knew he felt it too and was far from happy about it. A sigh filled her chest, and she knew this was going to complicate everything. Her budding attraction to the man she wasn’t even sure she liked some days was making her head swim.

“Let’s go sit outside. The air is warm and we can talk without Bein and Reaper hearing.”

“Fine.”

Sebastian held out a hand for her to go first, his old-fashioned manners and etiquette bred into him, even when he wanted to strangle her or at least she thought he might want to. Snow led the way past the living room where Bein and Reaper were still talking, knowing she should be on that call, but wanting to fix this, whatever this was, first. Reaper would update her later anyway.

The air was warm enough that a light jacket over her thin t-shirt was enough, her legs that had been bare from her sleep shorts were now covered with leggings. All the women of Shadow were roughly the same size, except for the fact she was a fair bit shorter than the others. Still, the clothes they kept there were good enough. She led him to a bench that overlooked the fields of green as far as the eye could see during the day. A stream that she couldn’t see but could hear, tinkled in the dark of the night as it edged toward the orange grey as the sun and the moon swapped places.

Sebastian sat down next to her, two feet between them as if he didn’t trust himself any closer. The ease with which they’d been communicating was now gone. “So, talk.”

A spur of anger flickered in her blood at his cool tone, and she tried to keep in mind he was in shock. “My name really is Sabine Goubert, and my nickname is Snow. I can’t give you the details of the people I work for, but I can say that we mean no harm to you or Fleur.”

“Oh, well, that’s okay then!” Sebastian angled toward her, the sarcasm and anger vibrating off him.

“Sebastian, I know you’re angry and what happened was terrifying for you and Fleur but please listen.”

Sebastian linked his fingers together and went back to watching the sunrise, the bursts of orange and purple, slashed with vibrant pinks and blues bathing the world in a beauty only a few got to see each day.

“I’m listening.”

“We took an interest in you because of your involvement with Dominique Dupont. We had a case last year that brought to light her dealings with a man named Jimmy Doyle.”

Sebastian glanced at her, his sharp jaw covered in a dark scruff she itched to feel on her skin. “The Irish mobster?”

“Yes.”

“Wasn’t he killed in a gunfight in Scotland?”

“Yes, he was. As you know very well, the investigation into him led to a number of high-level politicians, judges, and law enforcement officers being suspended, pending further investigation.”

“I was led to believe the arrests and subsequent investigation was being done by British Security Services.”

His frown made her want to swipe her thumb over his brow and smooth the wrinkles away. How could she explain this without giving away everything that Shadow was? Secrecy was imperative to the very existence of the team. Aoife had only been told the full details after her engagement to Bein.

“The Security Services aren’t involved but the operation has been sanctioned by the highest authority in the land.”

She could see he didn’t really understand but was trying. “Okay, so how do I fit in? Surely you could have asked me why I was involved with Dominique.”

Snow cocked her head. He made it sound simple, but it was far from that. “Would you have just told us?”

Sebastian had the grace to look sheepish. “Probably not.”

“Look, I know you have secrets that involve her, and I also know who Fleur’s father is.” She held up a hand as he went to speak, his face paling a little. “I know that Patrick is her father, and you’ll do anything to protect her from him and his mother. I get that, but you need to be honest about this and tell us what you know.”

Sebastian stood abruptly and began to pace the undirected anger and fury rolling off him in waves. “Lucinda was beautiful, so sweet and kind, but she had awful taste in men. I guess as her older brother, I’d said that too often because when it came to Patrick, she just wouldn’t listen no matter how hard I tried.” He shoved his fingers through his hair, giving him a just fucked look that Snow really liked. He was so tortured by this she could feel his pain and regret as if they lived and breathed.

“When she got pregnant, he promised her the world and his mother seemed to welcome her with open arms, but I knew the rumours about him being a sadistic bastard who liked to play games and never trusted any of it. Lucinda persuaded me to go and meet them to get to know them. So I flew to France with her and stayed for two days at the Chateau in Cap Ferrat on the French Riviera.”

Snow knew the place, having studied it many times from the satellite images and in person.