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As I waited for Elsa to arrive, I paced the length of my office, my mind racing. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. How could she have kept her friendship with Vincent from me? What else was she hiding?
When the door finally opened and Elsa walked in, I could see the confusion and worry in her eyes. She looked at me, searching for answers.
"Duncan, what's going on?" she asked again. "I had to leave Thierry alone at the boulangerie. I was in the middle of…." She stopped talking when she saw Dom.
I turned to her, my expression stern, and guided her to the sofa in the corner of the room. " We need to sort some things out."
She sat down slowly, dragging her eyes away from Dom to me. "What's happened? What's Jett doing here?"
I took a deep breath, feeling the significance of the moment. "Last night, I asked you how you knew Vincent Arsenault, and you never told me. You need to tell me now."
"In front ofhim?"
I sat down next to her, wanting very much to see evidence that she wasn't involved with her father or Arsenault. "Yes."
"He's an American spy?"
"Yes," I admitted.
Dom didn't move, didn't show any emotion as he sat across from Elsa in an armchair.
"Why?" She looked at me, her eyes flinty.
"Vincent is one of the most dangerous arms dealers in the world. Several countries and intelligence agencies have been monitoring him. And apparently, you have some kind of connection to him," I said, my voice tight.
Her eyes widened in shock. "I... I know Vincent through his father. Emile had been a regular at the boulangerie since I opened it, but he got sick a few months ago and stopped coming.Now, I visit him when I can. He's dying of cancer. I bring him pastries, we play chess, and I keep him company."
I looked at Dom who was now on his phone, no doubt trying to get more information about Vincent's father.
"You've been spending a lot of time in the home of a very dangerous man, Elsa," I said, my voice hard. "And you're telling me you're just there to deliver pastries and play chess?"
"Yes."
I shook my head, the rage still burning. "How am I supposed to believe that?"
"I don't know how, but it's the truth."
She looked so damned innocent, butshe'd been with Vincent at the party, and now I wasn't sure of anything.
"Duncan, do you want to tell me what exactly is going on?" she demanded softly.
Her hand went to her belly as if trying to protect the life within her, and it hit me hard. I stared at her, my emotions a turbulent storm. For now, I needed to keep my head clear.
"Did you know who I was when you came to my suite at the Ritz pretending to be Angelique?" I asked my tone that of an interrogator.
She gasped. "Are we discussing thatagain?"
"Yes."
"Because you don't trust me." With that realization came tears, and I wanted nothing more than to wrap her in my arms and tell Dom to go fuck himself.
"No, I don't," I told her, and honest to God, for the first time in my life I saw what heartbreak looks like. The raw pain in her eyes would have brought me to my knees if I had been standing.
"Duncan," Dom dragged my attention away from Elsa, "Let me talk to her."
I nodded. "We'll talk more about this later," I said, my voice still hard. "But Dom needs ask you some questions."
"Who's Dom?" Elsa asked, confused as I got up and walked across the room, putting distance between my wife and me.
