Page 122 of The Quiet Witness

It took a painful and good long minute before her feet stepped onto the first floor, but she did it. Aiming straight for her room, she noticed that Lucien had stayed in his spot beside the stairs, leaning on the railing where he rested his hand on his chin, while his eyes followed her to the bedroom door.

Opening it, her nostrils flared wide to take in the soothing smell of the mint scented linens.

She glared at the bed, faintly wishing she didn’t need to use the toilet before dropping down on the mattress. And how to get out of the dress?

This will be a challenge still.

“Kate?”

She turned, popping her head around the doorframe. “Yes?” He was still next to the stairs, smiling softly at her.

“Did you have a good time?”

This time she didn’t have to think before answering. “I loved every second.”

His shoulders slumped. “Glad to hear it.” With a final smile, he turned to go back downstairs.

“Wait.” She called out, just before he stepped down the third step. “Did you?” Her lip protested the way she bit into it, no doubt leaving behind the marks of her teeth.

“One hundred percent.”

“Lucien?” Again she kept him from striding down the stairs, wanting to linger in the moment a little while longer.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

The nickname didn’t set her jaws grinding over each other, no somehow it carried a difference in tone. Less mocking and more… something she couldn’t figure out tonight.

She turned around to show her back. “Could you help me with the zipper?”

Nothing but the creaking stairs answered her question, until the familiar sandalwood smell drifted over her and warm fingers trailed over her back with the answer. “Gladly.”

She swallowed, heard the same heavy swallow being repeated behind her.

It felt as if minutes passed by before she felt him step back, the cold grazing the spots where his fingers had been. “There you go.”

She slyly turned to lean against the frame, about to say something, anything when she saw his pupils take over the green of his eyes, darkening them to near black. Before she could say another word, he whirled around and strode down the stairs, vanishing from sight.

Chapter 52

Mea Culpa

The familiar buzz tingled under Lucien’s skin as he slid through the open window, crouching to land silently on the smooth grey stones of the storage room.

No matter how many times he brought justice, the thrill of it remained. He’d done many bad things in his career, had taken lives undeserving of being snuffed out. But this? An evening with the wind blowing through the leafless trees, the half moon adding just enough light to see where to put his feet, and just enough darkness to hide him from any potential onlookers. His heartbeat ramped up.The perfect evening to take a perfect life.

These were the kills he enjoyed.

It hadn’t taken much. Dark brown eyes, nearly black, had widened in shock, but he’d cut off the man’s screams. Dragging him to the chair he’d prepared in the middle of the man’s living room.

It hadn’t been much of a fight, not nearly as exhausting as Kate had been during their first meeting. The woman carried fire in her veins. This piece of shit… there was nothing good about him. Lucien winced. Shit.

Perhaps it was best for him to keep Kate as far from his mind as possible. Guilt wouldn’t help him in this glorious endeavor, nor that other feeling that had been inching below his skin ever since he’d helped her unzip the dress. He shook his head free from the image, instead focusing on the fear in the man’s face, he shivered in delight. A much preferred view for now at least. The zip locks groaned under the pressure of his struggle but the man wouldn’t be going anywhere.

Taking out the gag, Lucien muttered. “Don’t bother screaming, your boy isn’t here.” He drew up a chair and dropped himself in it while conjuring up the cocky grin he knew infuriated Kate to no end.

He saw the recognition light up in the man’s eyes.

“You.”