“I don’t give a damn what Eric said.” Benoit’s voice cut like a scalpel—clean, controlled, lethal. “Be ready. Send Andre to scope the cabin. He is not to be seen. There will be security.”
Lyle was silent for a breath. “Understood.”
The line went dead with a soft click.
Benoit slid the phone into his jacket just as the double doors to his office opened behind him.
He didn’t turn.
Soft leather shoes crossed the marble. Two sets. One measured. One softer.
“Do you really think this is wise?” came the voice he’d been expecting—quiet, sandpaper-rough, and carefully controlled.
Benoit’s jaw flexed. Slowly, he pivoted to face the man and woman.
Robert stood to the left—older, broad-shouldered, his silver-streaked hair and lined face a reminder of a different era, one thathad stained both of their hands. His gaze, however, was unwavering.
To his right, the third and final piece of the group entered. Andrea glided into view in a tailored navy pantsuit, every inch the elegant killer she was. Not a hair out of place. Not an emotion on her face.
Benoit’s eyes met Robert’s first—fire to ice.
“And yet, here you are,” Benoit said smoothly, stepping away from the window. “Despite yourreservations.”
Robert didn’t flinch. “You should have them as well if Kiki is with Aeto and his brother.”
Andrea’s gaze flicked between them, unreadable. “You’re sure about this? About Kiki being with them?”
“You should be asking Robert that question—again, my dear. He is the one who let her slip through his fingers. If anyone knows where Brie is, Kiki will. They were very close. Plus, it’s time to bring her home now that we’ve found her,” Benoit said with a faint smile. “If what Eric has foreseen, she has a weakness that can be exploited.”
“And what have youseen?” Andrea asked.
“Enough,” Benoit replied, glancing from her to Robert.
He didn’t want to lay all his cards on the table. While he was powerful, he was nowhere on the same level as Kiki. Brie wasn’t an issue. Her talent lay in helping and healing. Her heart was too kind and fragile to harm another, even if it meant her own life.
Eric could be an issue, but Benoit knew how to handle the other man. The key was to neutralize him before he used his talents against those around him.
But, Kiki. Kiki was their prized child that escaped. The experiment they couldn’t replicate. The enigma that might change the world.
He pursed his lips before responding with a shrug, “If we can’t retrieve her alive, we’ll study hercorpse.”
“And Eric? What are you going to do about him? You don’t think he’ll just stand by and let you kill her, do you? He always had a soft spot for Brie… and because of her… Kiki, even if they did leave him behind,” Andrea retorted.
“He’ll serve his purpose,” Benoit replied. “One way or another.”
Robert folded his arms. “And if he doesn’t?”
Benoit’s smile vanished.
“Then I’ll take care of him myself.”
Silence.
Andrea stepped forward, her heels clicking softly on the stone. “Do you need support?”
Benoit turned back to the window, his reflection shimmering faintly in the glass.
“No. This part,” he said, his voice like steel, “I do alone.”
