Page 14 of Marked By Moonlight

He jutted his jaw in a way that suggested,Fine. I’ll just worry about that dragon shifter of yours.

I peeked in the box and practically drooled.

“Chocolatereligieuse. Yum.” The round, cream-puff-like pastry was my favorite, and Madame Martin knew it.

There were two, of course, making it impossible to turn Clement away.

“Can I invite you in? We could make tea,” I offered, praying he would say no.

“Sure.” He beamed.

I wrestled my grimace into a stiff smile. Didn’t he have more pressing matters, like patrolling for crimes?

Of course not, because this was Auberre, where the greatest transgressions were fashion crimes like sandals worn with socks…and it was autumn, so not really the season for that. Plus, I doubted the FrenchCode Pénallisted such offenses.

“This isn’t just a pleasure call.” Clement’s voice dropped ominously. “I have a few questions for you.”

My gut flipped. Henrik froze in the midst of ascending the stairs. The floorboards in the dining room creaked as Bene leaned in to eavesdrop.

“Sure,” I said as brightly as I could, though my heart was pounding.

Would this visit start with pastries and end with handcuffs? Was the game up for me and my mercenaries? Was this part of a nationwide raid, with Gordon getting busted as we spoke?

Then I caught myself. Those men were notmymercenaries. All I was doing was renting a few rooms, right?

But, no. I’d long since followed them down a deep, dark rabbit hole, which made me just as culpable.

I led Clement to the kitchen, where I brewed tea and transferred the pastries to my grandmother’s fine china. If this was a bust, I would go down in style.

But, shit. Wasaccessory to illegal dealingsa felony charge? Would my criminal record transfer to North America and ruin my teaching career too?

God, I was so screwed.

Balancing tea, cups, and the pastries on a tray, I headed for the back door, which Clement opened for me.

“Over here?” He gestured to the patio table just outside the door.

I shook my head. “Over there.”

Way, wayover there, to a cluster of tree stumps that served as a table and chairs.

“For privacy,” I murmured at his puzzled expression.

He looked around. “Privacy?”

“Privacy.” I nodded firmly. We could be seen but not heard, and no one could sneak up to listen to us. “Besides, it reminds me of when we were kids.”

His lips curled into a tiny smile. “Playing in the woods, then coming here to play cards…”

“My grandmother bringing us tea and treating us like grown-ups.” I smiled. “Gen, Dora, and I had entire tea parties out here when we were kids.”

The original tree stumps had long since rotted, but my cousin had insisted on rolling replacements to the exact same spot.

I held up the teapot before we got too lost in the good old days. I would have plenty of time to mull over those from behind bars. For now, I might as well enjoy my last moments as a free woman.

God, what would my mother say?

“Tea?” I offered.