“He’s not a friend,” he warned.
Sad, but true. Clem was Mina’s friend, but not mine.
“He’s a cop.” Roux’s voice dropped to a gravelly whisper.
“A harmless, small-town cop.”
“Recently transferred from the special crimes unit in Marseille.” He leaned in, and my nostrils filled with his fresh scent. “A transfer he made when we arrived here. Funny coincidence, don’t you think?”
“Wouldn’t he have launched a raid or busted you all by now?”
“Maybe he’s still gathering intel.”
“Maybe you’re paranoid.”
His eyes flashed. “I prefer cautious.”
He also preferredsecurity consultanttomercenary, I knew, but I let it slide.
“Seriously, Roux. If you guys are such bad news, my sister would have long since kicked you out of the château.”
“We’re not the problem. Gordon is.”
Gordon, my generous godfather, was a rich and successful businessman. But not all his businesses were legit, as my sister had learned. I trusted her, but I’d also trusted Gordon my whole life. Which of them should I believe in now?
“Are you implying Clem is using us to gather information on Gordon?”
“I’m saying we need to be careful. You, especially.”
“Wow. You really think I’m stupid, don’t you?”
He snorted. “You’re sharp as a scalpel, but you’ve spent the last few years in…New Hampshire?”
“Maine,” I grumbled. “With lots of trips to Boston,” I added defensively.
“Working for a children’s theater, right?”
I did a double take. Roux, who made a point of ignoring me when he wasn’t forced to follow me around like an unwanted bodyguard, actually paid attention to such things?
“Notachildren’s theater.TheChildren’s Theater of New England,” I corrected, lest he think we were an amateur operation that threw together the occasional puppet show. “We’ve won awards, you know.”
He nodded. “Two Community Theatre Spotlight Awards for set design. I know.”
My mouth hung open. He did?
“My point is, you’ve left that world,” he said. “And no matter how competitive community theaters might be, I guarantee, you’re in an entirely different level ofcutthroathere.”
I gulped, then tried a joke. “You mean, in Auberre?”
He shook his head, dead serious. “I mean, in the world your godfather has dragged you into.”
A little chill went down my spine.
“You have to be careful about who you invite to the château,” he concluded.
“Well, that will be hard since the plan is to rent the place out for events.”
He made a face. “I mean, until then, when we’ll hopefully have this all sorted out.”
