Page 80 of Mountain Security

The thought gave her pause.

Alex …

She didn’t love Alex. She couldn’t love Alex.

You love him.

Face it.

“I’m sorry, Yvette,” Théo said again.

Yvette looked in her handbag for a pack of kleenex.

“Stop apologizing, Théo. All I need is for you to tell me I can trust you. And that if this person gets back in touch with you, you’ll come to us.”

He nodded quickly. “I will. I wish … I wish I could have told the police more about him, but he only contacted me by email. I won’t let you down again, Yvette.”

26

* * *

Yvette

Alex’s place turned out to be a lovely chalet, located minutes away from town, at the end of a small cul-de-sac, with a secluded little yard.

Yvette’s eyes kept going back to the hot tub on one side of the yard, its wooden lid mostly covered by a thick layer of snow. Hot tubs in the snow had always seemed to Yvette like the biggest indulgence. She wondered, now, what it would be like to get inside one with Alex.

She shook her head.

Forget about that.

He shares the house with two colleagues.

The thought gave her pause. Maybe she shouldn’t be here. Maybe she should—

As if he could read her mind, Alex placed a small hand at the small of her back, his touch warm and reassuring.

“It’s okay, Yvette. You’re going to be safe here.”

He’d given her the option of coming here or having him come over to stay at her place, but he’d made it clear this was the safest option in his opinion. Yvette wasn’t an idiot, so she’d agreed. Even if she was now second-guessing herself.

The door to the house opened, and two men stepped quickly towards them. Yvette recognized both of them from the hospital.

“Yvette,” Ry said, offering her his hand. She shook it. He had a strong grip, but not so strong to cause her pain.

Hugo followed suit.

“Ry. Hugo. Thank you for having me.” She hesitated for an instant, then decided to come out and say it. “I don’t want to put you in any danger.”

Alex’s hands curled into fists, but Ry only laughed, a loud, booming sound. “Believe me, anybody who comes close to you would be putting themselves in danger.”

“Come inside, Yvette,” Alex said, and once again, there was that hand on the small of her back, making her feel so warm and safe.

The inside of the house was neat and tidy, except for the dining room table, which was covered in files. She realized she recognized some of them.

“What are—“

“They’re the original files that went missing. I made copies of everything.” He exchanged a quick look with Ry and Hugo. “This is where it all started, Yvette. Whatever’s going on, I think the answer lies within these seven files. And the four of us are going to find it.”

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