Page 123 of Retribution

I wasn't lying when I said I liked him, though. I do. He has a funny way about him, and although we have a business arrangement, and I shouldn’t trust him, I get a strange feeling that I entertain him or amuse him, which goes a long way inhow he is around me, I believe. He definitely doesn’t act like the crazy, violent mobster that the guys warned me about.

He can barely stand Shade, Mav, and Blake, though, and even I notice, so it must be a blatant dislike.

'What do you mean?' I ask, realizing I’ve been staring at him for a beat too long.

'Your fiancé. I have had word. He will be at one of my clubs in New York tonight. His name has appeared on the VIP guest list. The fool has no idea you’re here. If he did, he’d never go into la fosse aux lionsthe lion’s den. He will be vulnerable there.'

He nonchalantly checks his watch as my heart begins to pound. I can get my revenge. I could end this. I could be free of the Bandervilles’ wedding contract. Maybe John would lay off, and I could begin the process of freeing myself from his guardianship.

His brow rises when I don’t readily speak. 'You do still want?—'

I find myself nodding. ‘Yes, I still want to.’

'The journey will take more than two hours from here. We must go soon if you’re to have your chance at him.'

I nod again. 'Let’s go.'

'And your… stooges?'

He rolls his eyes at my unamused look. 'Paramours, then. Do you tell them your plan?'

I wince a little. I’m meant to be including them, not just making decisions without them. But what if they don’t understand? Try to stop me?

'I want to tell them,' I say, realizing that I really do, and it’s not just because I don’t want them to be upset with me.

I grimace. 'But not until we’re all in your car and on the way, so they can’t make us turn back.'

He chuckles. 'They will spend their lives trying to tame the untamable, I think, chéri.

He takes out his phone and speaks into it in rapid-fire French for a few seconds. When he’s finished, he puts it back in his breast pocket and glances over at me.

‘It is arranged, but your paramours stay in the car,' he grumbles.

I smile in spite of myself.

'How do you wish to do it, ma petite fleur? A gun? Electrocution would be apt, no?’

I don’t like the reminder of him being present in the vulnerable moment when I got zapped, and then in the aftermath when I showed the Stinger to the guys. But he's staring down at my little shopping list when he suggests it, so I don't think he's making fun of me.

'Will poison work?' I ask hesitantly. 'I've made something. Will I have a chance to slip it into a drink?'

He nods sagely, and makes a sound of thoughtful interest.

'Oui, you may use your Aqua Tofana.'

'What’s Aqua Tofana?'

‘A poison women gave to their abusive husbands in Italy during the Renaissance.'

'But I'm not married to him,' I say absently as I write down something I’ve forgotten on my list.

I turn back to him, and he waves a hand. 'Semantics,' he murmurs. ‘Poison is a good choice. It is a woman's weapon, but also fitting for a skilled chemist, non?'

I nod. 'I guess it is fitting.’

His eyes bore into mine. 'And you have done this before. Killed a man? Once you decide such a thing, you cannot go back on it.'

I nod. ‘One. Maybe two,’ I say with a shrug. ‘I’m not sure. One at least.’