Shade nods. 'Oui. She sent me a message. Asked for a meeting at nine at the precinct in Richmond.'
Savage nods. 'Her superiors. They are, how you say, riding her ass. She is not a fresh face, but she is young enough to still have her ideals, even in this place. Tell her as much as you can.’
Pierre puts his pen down and sits back in his chair, hiseyes on Shade unwavering. ‘Throw her un osa bone. Make her believe that you are telling her everything.'
Blake's hands come to rest on my shoulders, and I can’t help but nuzzle against his arm.
'How much do we tell her about Daisy? And if we tell her that we took your jet and she subpoenas you for your travel itineraries and the names on the manifests, will that implicate you in any other crimes?' Shade asks.
Sauvage raises a brow at him and thinks for a moment.
'Non,' he says. 'I do not let just anyone on my plane and all of my trips are either to London or the European continent. Other than that, my son has taken it to the Dolomites and Banff for skiing. There will be nothing for her to find.’
‘Then we'll tell her that we took Daisy on a trip to London. That should ensure we aren't implicated in my father’s and Joseph's deaths if she is suspicious that they weren't actually an accident.'
'And the rest?' Sauvage asks. ‘She will not end her interrogation there. Joe Banderville’s death in my club,' he shrugs. 'New York may technically be out of her jurisdiction, but the Banderville’s are not. She will create problems for us, this detective, if we let her.'
He looks down at me and I wince.
'I'm sorry,' I say immediately, but he waves a hand.
'I knew what I was doing, chéri,' he says. 'I am no spring chicken. I hoped I would be able to bribe her, offer her some shiny thing, but, no,' he mutters. 'Usually, I would use blackmail and be done with it, but she is squeaky clean, a paragon of virtue and justice. So, we must placate her.’
He snorts. 'The police were dirtier twenty years ago. Much easier.'
‘What does she know about Joe Banderville’s death?’ Shade asks.
‘No more than the NYPD. She will be interested in where you were the night he was killed, but I have given the police all the footage for my club and, of course, none of you are on it. However, the death of Joseph Banderville may work in our favor. I have heard the second son is not as sorrowful as one would expect after the deaths of his brother and father.'
Mav lets out a humorless chuckle. 'Of course he's not. Fucker's always wanted the reins of the Banderville family. He never thought he'd get them, but now that Big Brother and Daddy Dearest are dead, he's next to inherit the Banderville estates, fortunes, and businesses.’
Sauvage nods. ‘Oui. Perhaps he will take the heat off us then. Tell her what you know of him. Give her seeds that will grow.’
Shade nods and Sauvage stands.
'You are tired, rest now,' Sauvage says, looking at me specifically.
Shade gets to his feet and takes my hand, guiding me up. We leave Sauvage's office and go up to the penthouse. As soon as I enter our room, I relax a little more.
We're all inside, the guys sit down on the couch and turn on the TV.
'You're not tired?' I ask.
Shade shakes his head. 'My body isn't sure what time it is.’
'Mine either.'
I look behind me, checking the clock on the wall. 3:30.
'It's 8:30 in the UK,' I say. 'I thought I could sleep, but now that we’re up here…’
Shade’s eyes move over me slowly.
'Come here,' he commands quietly.
I walk to the couch and sink down next to him, conscious that Mav and Blake are observing.
Shade immediately pulls me into his lap, cuddling me close.
