Bene pulled me back, but I lunged forward. And, oh. A fit of magic must have given me a little boost, because I found myself standing firmly between the bear shifter, Henrik, and the door of the squad car.
“This is my property, dammit. I have a right to know what’s going on.” My voice rang out, silencing everyone.
So, yikes. I’d definitely had aMinamoment.
ThenClement looked at me.
“Monsieur Velchynsky is under arrest,” he gritted out.
“For what crime?” When I gestured, sparks jumped from my fingers. Whoa. Definitely atouched by magicmoment.
The bear shifter glanced uneasily at the warlock.
Clement heaved a deep breath, then grunted, “For the murder of Claudette Villard.”
Chapter Eight
GENEVIÈVE
The first thing I did was call my sister.
The second thing I did was chase the police car into town — on foot, because my car had broken down.
A kilometer or so down the road, a van beeped, passed me, and stopped. Roux jumped out and jogged to me, but I didn’t stop. I just swiped away the half-frozen tears stuck to my face and hurried on.
“Gen, wait. Stop.” Roux jogged alongside me, his breaths crystallizing in the crisp morning air.
I shook my head. “I have to get to Claudette. I have to help.”
That made no sense, and I knew it. But my mind wasn’t too clear, and all I could think of was reaching Claudette.
Roux put a hand on my arm, but I shook it off.
“There was some mistake. She can’t be dead,” I voiced the mantra that kept circling through my head.
Roux hurried a few steps ahead and opened both arms, blocking me.
“Gen. Stop. We’ll give you a ride.”
I jogged right into him. A smaller man might have been bowled over, but Roux braced himself and locked his arms around me. That shielded me from the chilly air and the slanting fall sun, but not the cold, hard truth. I sagged against him, sobbing.
“It’s a mistake. It has to be…”
He held me, not saying a word.
“Claudette has left suddenly before. She always comes back. Always…” I tried, but I wasn’t fooling anyone. Not even myself.
Roux helped me into the back of the van, slid in beside me, and motioned to Bene, who drove on.
Good. They were taking me to Claudette’s house. Soon, we would get this all cleared up.
But Bene, I realized, was going the wrong way.
I pointed over the front seat. “Claudette doesn’t live in town. It’s that way.Thatway!”
Roux quietly took my hand and held it in his. Using his free hand, he started wiping my cheek. Then he cupped it instead, warming my skin.
“You’re freezing,” he muttered.
