Page 77 of Mountain Security

Yvette sighed, putting her fork down and pushing her plate gently away. “I don’t think the colonel likes me much. We’ve been on … opposite sides of certain issues, in the past.”

Alex laughed. “Yeah. Rumor around thegendarmerieis he doesn’t like anyone very much.” He walked around to her side of the table and squeezed her shoulders gently. “Do you know what I like?”

“Tell me,” Yvette said, leaning back into his touch. She moaned gently as he increased the pressure, massaging her tight trapezius muscles.

“You.”

“What will your boss and your colleagues say when they see us arrive together?”

“What do you mean?” Alex asked, perplexed.

Her shoulder muscles and neck tensed under his arms. No wonder the area was tight, if she spent all day doing this. “I know what they think of me.”

He couldn’t laugh this off.

“Is this about the ice princess thing? It was an unfortunate comment, Yvette, but nobody thinks—“

She raised her hand. “It’s okay. I know I can be intense to work with, and that I like things just so. But you seem to be close to your colleagues, and I don’t want them thinking I’m taking advantage of you.”

Alex sputtered. “Taking advantage ofme? I hope you’re kidding. If they see us together, Yvette, they’ll know I’m a lucky SOB.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all. My friends want me to be happy, just like I want them to be happy. And you, Yvette,” he said, punctuating each word with a squeeze of her tight shoulders, “you … make … me … happy.”

25

* * *

Alex

The round conference table was much too large for five people.

The meeting room was right beside the colonel’s office, on the top floor of thegendarmerie. Beyond the large windows, the mountains glimmered in the sunlight.

Despite the incredible view, Alex didn’t like coming up here. In his experience, nothing good ever came of being on this floor. The only person Alex knew who came up here willingly was Drake Jacobs, and that’s only because he was married to Isolde, one of the police psychologists, who had her office just a few doors down.

Colonel Pelegrin sat in one of the seats facing the doorway. If he thought anything when he saw Alex and Yvette appear together, he kept it to himself. He waved them towards the chairs to his left.

The seat across from him, he kept for the mayor, who arrived moments later together withSous-officierRomain.

“Monsieur le Maire,Mademoiselle Legrand,” the colonel began in his deep, gruff voice. “Thank you for coming. We wanted to address the issue of Théo Lambert, who, as you know, was taken into custody two nights ago.”

“Is Théo okay?” Yvette asked.

Of course.

Those would be the first words out of her mouth.

Sous-officierRomain nodded tightly, looking slightly affronted.

“He is in perfect health,Mademoiselle, I can assure you.”

“Yvette. Please call me Yvette.”

“Sous-officierRomain and his team of investigators have questioned Lambert extensively,” Colonel Pelegrin interjected. He crossed his hands in front of them on the table. “It appears, however, he doesn’t know much more than he initially shared with you and Lieutenant Wright on the night of his arrest.”

“How is that possible?” the mayor asked.

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