Iris Johansen - Dark Rider

Important? In the whole world Cassie was of the utmost importance to him, and Guillaume had left her unprotected with Cambre hovering over her like a vulture.

And she was still unprotected. His anger was submerged in panic. Bradford was right, there was no time to waste.

He picked up his hat and gloves from the table and strode after Guillaume.

"I don't want to just sit here and wait." Cassie prowled back and forth across the tiny chamber. "Let's go back to Cambre's house and talk to him."

"It's safer to have him come to us."

"Papa could be in that house."

"Do you think Cambre offered him his hospitality?" Lani shook her head. "Not if he's as evil as you believe."

"Perhaps Papa is a prisoner."

"Or perhaps he was too clever to let Cambre fool him." She paused. "Charles isn't stupid. We're not even certain that he went to Cambre's house."

"Why are you arguing with me?" Cassie's hands clenched into fists. "Anything could happen. Jared must be in Paris by now. If Cambre doesn't find Papa, Jared will."

"I'm not arguing with you. I'm trying to make you see reason."

"We should have met Cambre as he was coming out of the pension. I should never have let you stop me.

"And what would you have done? It would have been foolish to confront him with no plan. We didn't even have a weapon. Evidently he's concerned with our presence here, or he wouldn't have set out immediately for our pension. When he returns, we'll question him in safety here and see if we can learn anything." She was sitting in the window seat and wearily leaned her head back against the sill. "Now, will you stop pacing? You're making my head ache."

"I'm sorry." She stopped in the middle of the room. "It's just-we're so close- I'm afraid for Papa."

"We can do nothing if we don't ensure our own safety."

Cassie knew she was right, but it didn't still the anxiety pounding through her. Ever since they had arrived in Paris, she had felt a constant sense of panic, as if they were living under a threatening cloud that was turning the world darker with every passing second.

She crossed the room and dropped down onto the floor before Lani. "What if we don't find Papa before Jared does?" she whispered. "I couldn't bear it, Lani."

Lani's gaze searched Cassie's face. "Oh, no."

Lani knew, Cassie realized. She wanted to deny it, to tell Lani she was concerned only about Papa. She couldn't do it. "What I feel for Jared will make no difference. If I was going to let it matter, do you think I would have come?"

"Poor Kanoa." She gently cradled Cassie's cheek in her palm. "It's a cruel path you've chosen."

"I didn't choose it. I didn't want it to happen." She closed her eyes. "It's not fair that I love them both. God shouldn't have let this happen to me. What will I do if I can't keep Jared from killing Papa?"

"You will survive it."

Cassie's eyes opened and she blinked to hold back the tears. "You don't hate me?"

"For something you cannot help?" She shook her head. "How could you think I would hate you?"

"Because sometimes I hate myself." She sat back on her heels and smiled shakily. "But I'm glad you don't. I think it would break my heart."

Lani's expression was troubled. "If Cambre doesn't come to us tonight, we'll go to him in the morning."

Cassie nodded jerkily and rose to her feet. "Whatever you think best. I don't want to-"

A sharp knock sounded on the door.

Relief surged through Cassie. Cambre. At last the waiting was over and she could do something.

She moved quickly across the room and threw open the door.

"I'd like to throttle you," Jared said grimly.

She stared at him in astonishment. "How did-"

"You couldn't wait, could you?" He threw open the door and pushed past her into the room.

"Wait for what? For you to find him before I did?"

Bradford followed Jared and closed the door. "We understand, but your haste was ill-advised and unkind." His gaze went to Lani and he added reprovingly, "You frightened me."

To Cassie's astonishment color flushed Lani's cheeks. "I've given you no right to be concerned."

He smiled. "Ah, but I took that right long ago."

"Are you mad?" Jared's eyes blazed down at Cassie. "Why did you follow David to Cambre?"

"How did you- Cambre was being watched?"

"Guillaume's man, Valbain." He grasped her shoulders. "You're to stay away from Cambre, do you hear me?"

"I hear you." She shook her head to clear it. "That doesn't mean I'll obey." Valbain might have told him where to find her, but how had he known she had followed the artist? "How did you know we'd gone to see David?"

"Josette."

She stared at him in disbelief. "That's not true. She wouldn't betray us."

"She would to save your life."

She shook her head. "I don't believe you. Nothing would make her-"

"She knew it didn't matter any longer." His expression changed, and his grasp on her shoulders gentled. "She knew there wasn't anything you wanted here."

"What are you talking about? My father is here."

"Not anymore." His grasp opened and closed on her shoulders. "Dammit, I'm the last person on earth who should tell you this."

She went still. "Tell me what?"

"He's dead." When she still stared at him uncomprehendingly, he said jerkily, "Your father is dead, Cassie."

Pain and horror stormed through her. Her eyes closed and she swayed. "You killed him?" she whispered.

"No!" He crushed her to him, his hand cradling the back of her head. "Cambre killed him."

The pain was too great even to feel relief. "How do you know?"

"I received a letter from Guillaume before I left Morland. Cambre met with your father over a week ago at a café near the Seine. They stayed at the café for over two hours talking. At first they seemed on cordial terms. When they left the café, Valbain followed them. It was very late, and they took a deserted street that bordered the Seine…" He stopped. "You don't want to hear the rest."

"Yes, I do." She should step away from him, she thought dimly, but his arms seemed to hold the only comfort in the world. "I want to hear everything."

"They turned a corner, and Valbain lost sight of them for a few moments. When he rounded the corner, he saw Cambre rolling your father's body into the river."

She shuddered; she had passed that river a dozen times since reaching Paris. "Was he… found?"

"Not yet." He paused. "Guillaume says that's not unusual."

Papa lost… only that cold gray river for a grave. "And you didn't get to do it yourself," she said dully. "It must have been a great disappointment."

"Cassie…" His voice was hoarse with pain.

"You sound upset. I don't know why. This is what you wanted, isn't it?" She finally found the strength to push him away. "He's dead."

"What do you want me to say?" His expression was tormented. "God, I don't want to hurt you anymore."

"He's dead, that's what you wanted."

"Stop saying that."

"Why should I stop telling the truth?" The wild words were tumbling out, the tears running down her cheeks. "That's what this is all about. Death." Terrible word, horrible word. She said it again, "Death."

He took a step toward her.

"Don't touch me. How do I know Cambre even killed him? Maybe you did it."

He turned pale. "Do you want to see Guillaume's letter?"

"A letter that you could have written yourself. You said you wanted me in your bed again. If you killed my father, you knew that would never happen."

"I didn't kill him." He added harshly, "I can't deny that was my intention when I first met you. I won't even deny that I might still have killed him if I'd found him before Cambre did. I've hated him for a long time, and I don't know what I would have done." He enunciated every word with desperate distinctness. "But I did not kill him, Cassie."