Page 132 of Marked By Moonlight

Good thing she has us,my dragon declared.

Yes, but I wasn’t counting my baby dragons before they hatched. I would only relax when we got home to Château Nocturne and put all this behind us.

“It will be fine,” Anastasia assured her.

Bene snorted once we’d extracted ourselves. “Did you see the way she grabbed the cash? She didn’t even ask about the painting.”

We piled back into the van, with Roux, Mina, and me in the front, as before, and Bene and Henrik in the cargo area.

“I don’t get it,” Mina gazed glumly out the window as we drove away. “What happened to principles?”

“Not sure she ever had any,” I said.

A few seconds ticked by. Then Mina murmured, “Maybe I should pose the same question about my principles.”

I took her hand. “Just asking shows they’re right where they ought to be.” Then I managed a little smile. “Then again, I am biased.”

We drove the rest of the way in silence. Roux’s eyes constantly roved the streets, but we made it back to the hotel without further incident. Once there, we all flopped into chairs or the couch.

“I still don’t understand what happened,” Bene said. “With Szabo, I mean. And what the hell was Etienne doing in London?”

“Celeste,” I grumbled. “It had to be. In both cases.”

Bene stirred the air with his hand. “Explain.”

I looked at Mina, then laid it all out. The threatening photo. The grudge Etienne held against me. Szabo following Mina to London…

“But how would Etienne have taken that photo in Mallorca?” Roux asked.

“He didn’t,” I said, having finally figured it out. “That had to be Celeste’s doing. But she passed it on to Etienne, probably hoping we would take each other out.” I grimaced, squeezing Mina’s hand. “And maybe take Mina out too.”

Her eyes met mine, grim but grateful.

“Why would anyone want to off Mina?” Bene asked.

To her credit, she didn’t glare at Henrik, but I did.

“I think Celeste is a bit…jealous,” Mina said carefully. “You know, of the château. Of the preferential treatment I get from Gordon.”

Roux snorted. “The preferential treatment that nearly got you killed?”

“Also, the château is kind of a money pit,” Bene said. When Mina grimaced, he threw up his hands. “No offense.”

She sighed. “None taken.”

Henrik rubbed his chin, thinking. “So, that report of Szabo lurking around the warehouse…”

“Celeste,” I grunted. “Again. I’m sure she came up with that.”

Mina grimaced. “Was Szabo there at all, or was it all a false alarm?”

“He was there,” I said, “But only long enough to lure me away.”

“Why?” Bene asked.

Roux had an answer to that one. “To give us one less man on the job. You know — divide and conquer.”

And to get me away from Mina. I was sure of it. The clincher was Szabo and Etienne working together to trap her in that goddamn tunnel. There was no way those two would ever have cooperated on anything…unless Celeste put them up to it, promising a reward she may or may not have delivered in the end.