Page 137 of Blood and Thorns

“Ta da!”

Margot raised a single brow. “You’ve brought him here?”

“Yep. Tied with a bow.” Ryder waited a beat, his smile straining when no one moved closer. “That’s your cue,” he said, pointing to one of the guards and then to the boot. “Seriously, you can’t get good help these days.”

Ryder stepped back, moving closer to us as the guardsfinally circled the car slowly, waiting for Margot to give the order before one held a gun up, and the other reached for the latch.

I tried to peer closer, Ryder’s arm brushing against mine as the boot popped, revealing nothing inside.

“Well, shit.” Ryder whistled. “He was there a moment ago.” He turned to wink at me, reaching over and forcing me to duck just as the first bullet soared overhead.

Chapter 62

Sebastian

I never thought I’d step foot back in France, the country of my birth holding tainted memories I’d rather forget. Yet I hadn’t hesitated on getting on the plane, crossing the sea to arrive within hours of finding out Arabella was taken.

“Coming outside now, over.”

I moved further around the tree, watching the car outside the front of the house. It had been a shock to see the building, an almost exact replica of the place I’d once called home.

Langdon had laughed, throwing his head back when he’d first noticed the similarities. Margot had made it a little more grand, adding decorative columns and making it five times the size of the modest home I’d grown up in.

But it was still the same. The bitch had rebuilt the house she’d burned all those years ago.

“We have visual, over.”

Straightening from my crouch, I moved forward, trusting my team to protect us from the treeline. They’d already taken out the guards that were roaming the grounds, moving silently into position so the place was surrounded. Ryder had confirmed Margot had built the place like afortress, to keep her safe inside the walls with her bulletproof windows and reinforced doors.

Which meant we needed to bring her outside.

Arabella shivered, her face pale as a bruise darkened her cheekbone.

I waited, the early morning air burning my lungs as Ryder said something with a smirk, closing the distance just like he’d been told so he could get to Arabella, and then protect her.

It went off like clockwork, with Ryder putting his body over hers and pushing them both lower as the first shot sounded.

A splatter of blood, guard after guard falling to the ground while Margot spun, eyes wide and mouth agape. She spotted me amongst the trees, her movement calm as she bent down for one of the dropped guns. She straightened, her arm unwavering as she swung it towards me.

Langdon appeared behind her, holding up his own weapon to the back of her head.

“You look likehim,”she purred, seemingly in complete control of the chaos that surrounded her.

I tossed the brooch, and Margot remained still as it crashed to the stones by her feet. She didn’t even glance at it, her attention remaining on me.

“Sebastian?” Arabella whispered, her voice drawing me to where she stood to the side, Caden pulling her slightly behind him. Ryder was nowhere to be found, but right now he didn’t matter.

Margot was so much older than I remembered, but her eyes were the same. Just as pinched. Just as harsh.

Il ne m'a pas laissé le choix.

He left me no choice.

My demons roared, threatening to unravel my control. But I refused to let them.

“Do you know how easy it was to infiltrate your little empire?”she continued, her posture stiff as Lang pushed the muzzle of his gun harder against her head.“All it took was a little… persuasion.”

She laughed, her red hair coming around to brush along her bare shoulders. She didn’t seem to react to the cold air, yet the wind bit harshly at my exposed skin.