Page 139 of Blood and Thorns

Her arm shook, dropping the gun before a gendarme immediately shoved her face-down onto the floor. Another set of hands pushed me down, and I let them, turning my head to look at Arabella. She continued to hold her weight on Caden’s shoulder.

“STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!”

Ara didn’t stop, her arms shaking as she stemmed the blood that was still pumping.

“Arabella, you need to step back,” I said, keeping my tone calm. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

She looked up then, our eyes meeting. Her hair was a mess, curling around her face, and her skin was pale. Yet determination was there. “Caden?”

“Everything’s going to be okay,belle,” I repeated, grunting when a knee was pressed into my spine. “Trust me.”

She blinked, her eyes wet as she knelt back and was immediately handcuffed. A medical team began working on Caden as I was dragged to my feet, facing a combative Margot.

You couldn’t simply chop the head off the snake and expect everything to disappear. No, I wanted to destroy the entire fucking nest. I wanted every piece of her empire dismantled, every lie she’d built her legacy on exposed and shredded beyond repair. So one anonymous tip later, here we are. Her estate swarmed, officers sweeping through every inch, closing in on the evidence my team had already made sure they’d find.

I watched her struggle, making sure my face was the last thing she saw before she was shoved into the van. I smiled, noting how her eyes flickered with confusion, followed by slow, dawning fear.

That was the reason I’d chosen not to wear my mask, wanting her to see the resemblance, to recognise the face of the man she once claimed to love.

To see my brothers, and my mother.

To see that I’d won.

Chapter 63

Arabella

“So let me get this straight,” the inspector began, tapping his pen repeatedly on the cold, metal table. “You have no idea who Miss Laurent is?”

I remained silent, my body heavy and my bones aching. I didn’t even know my bones could ache. Or my eyelids.

“She’s a big name here in France. She’s been on our radar for quite some time, but she’s smart. Playing the rich socialite but never directly being connected to the heroin trade. So imagine my surprise when we get a tip that she’s holding some Enchanted Dust in her own home. Laurent doesn’t make mistakes like that.”

Again, I remained silent. Debating whether it would be rude to just take a little nap here, or would that just make my situation a thousand times worse?

“Okay, tell me about a,”–he looked down at his notes–“Sebastian Devereaux. Now, that’s a name I haven’t seen in a long time.” He glanced up, face tightening when I didn’t react. Turning to his partner, he spat something in French before returning his attention to me. “He almost killed Laurent.”

“He did nothing but defend himself,” I said calmly,pressing my fingers to the cool table. My body shook slightly, goosebumps prickling my skin. “If Margot was already on your radar, then you’d know how dangerous she is. I’m sure you saw the amount of manpower she’d hired.”

The inspector’s eyes brightened, as if he’d caught me out. “What happened this morning,mademoiselleGrey?”

I swallowed, returning to my comforting silence. If only to piss him off.

His shoulders tightened, and if I wasn’t so tired I would have done a victory dance. “Mademoiselle, if you refuse to co-operate with our investigation. Then you’ll only–”

“I think that’s enough.” Alexander burst through the door, escorted by one of the uniformed officers.

The inspector stood, knuckles white as he gripped the table’s edge. “This interview isn’t over.”

“Oh, but it is.” Alexander snapped his fingers, and the officer beside him relayed something in French.

The inspector’s face turned red in response, a muscle feathering in his jaw.

“You’ve been interrogating a traumatised woman, one who’s been kidnapped and clearly harmed,” Alexander continued, helping me gently to my feet with a tut. “Look at her, she’s still covered in blood.” Removing his jacket, he draped it over my shoulders.

“She received the appropriate medical attention.”

“Come on, Ara, let’s get you out of this cesspool.” Alexander held out his arm, and I took it as he escorted me out of the building to a waiting car. He let me enter first, sliding into the seat beside me. “Did you say anything?” he asked, adjusting his cuffs.