Page 129 of The Sinner's Bargain

The front door groaned open, and I heard the shuffle of feet on marble. Several feet. I didn’t dare steal a peek, but there was more than one person with the sheriff.

“Mr. Lacroix,” came a deep, reverberating baritone voice that echoed off the chamber walls. “I apologize for disturbing you at this late hour. We had a formal complaint.”

“About me?”

There was a pause, then very slowly, the sheriff said, “No sir, about the lady you were with today at the village.”

Thoran hummed, but that was it. He didn’t confirm or deny my existence.

“We need to talk to her, sir,” Handley said.

“No.”

No explanation.

No hesitation.

The single word vibrated with a finality I would have immediately obeyed.

Handley sighed. “Mr. Lacroix—”

“It’s dinner time, Handley.”

“I just have a couple of questions.”

“Ask.”

“Sir?”

“Ask your questions, Handley.”

There was frustration in Handley’s tone. “That isn’t how it works. I have a member of my community claiming they were attacked with a weapon and have the injuries to prove it. Jeannette Roberts is a pain in all our asses, but she’s still one of mine and I need to get to the bottom of this situation.”

“She was disrespectful. She was talked to — quite gently, I might add — about her behavior. That’s it. Cyrus was there.”

“It was just a chat,” Cyrus agreed.

I heard Handley draw in a breath. “Jeannette isn’t like most people. She’s not going to stop with this until she gets results.”

“Leave Jeannette to me, sheriff. I’ll smooth things over,” Thoran promised.

“Thoran...”

“Just a chat,” Thoran assured him. “It’s all been a misunderstanding that I’ll have cleared up before morning.”

There was a pause before Handley muttered, “She’s a mother and soon to be grandmother, Mr. Lacroix, and a big part of the community. People will notice—”

“I don’t know what you’re implying, Handley, but I don’t like it. I said I would handle it and I will. How I do that is my business.”

“I don’t think it even needs to go that far if I could talk to the girl—”

“No. I don’t care what grievance Jeannette has, she can deal with me.”

There were more attempts from Handley to sway Thoran into giving me up. They weren’t demands but firm requests. Even he knew to tread lightly around a man like Thoran, but he had a job to do.

I abandoned my corner and hurried to my room to change before Thoran came to get me.

I washed up and chose a curve hugging, backless dress in black with thin straps over the shoulders and a deep, enticing neckline. I applied Thoran’s favorite lipstick, swept my hair up in an updo supported by a single claw clip and pulled on black pumps with silver trims.

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