Page 103 of Savage Beauty

Max’s fingers intertwine with mine, connecting us.

“Why did you trespass?”

Max smiles down at me. “It was when we were looking for you. It’s nothing.” He squeezes my hand, and I take it to mean he doesn’t want to talk about it further.

Max guides me to a chair and drags another up beside it. Tristan Voignier closes the door behind us, shutting the four of us in a small room. This is the interrogation room I expected.

“First, may I say what a relief it is to find you alive and well, Ms. Watson.”

I keep my gaze set on the floor, quite conscious that to comment on his statement might be perceived as defensive or inflammatory.

“Tristan, are you here because you have information?” Max’s direct question strikes the confrontational tone I aim to avoid.

“Charles, would you mind if we have the room?” Tristan asks.

“For you? Not a problem. I’ll visit the hospital and check on William Salo. Based on what you’ve told me, we’ll set up security for him, should he stabilize.”

I lose the will to fight leaning into Max. His arm curves around me, tucking me against him. “Do they think I’ll go after him?”

My question is to Max, but I hear someone chuckle. Based on the throaty intonations, my guess is it’s the Detective Superintendent laughing at me.

“No, they don’t think you’ll go after him,” Max says to the room.

“Personally, I doubt he’ll be much more than a vegetable should he survive, but it appears you’ve exposed some powerbrokers, Ms. Watson. Chances are good they won’t want a liability sitting around in a hospital bed.”

William was married, and I had sex with him. Many times. Oddly, no one has asked me about my relationship with William. If I were a detective working this case, I would ask those questions.

“Ms. Watson, can you please look at me while we have this discussion?” Tristan pulls out a chair and crosses a leg over his knee, exposing a pale, bony ankle and foot. His leather loafers bear a logo I’ve seen before but can’t recall the brand name.

He’s classically handsome, with an angular jaw and a straight nose. His lips don’t smile, but his eyes do.

He yawns, and his hand graciously covers his mouth. “Please forgive me. I’ve been traveling.”

“Because of me?”

“No, love.” His fingers tap against his leg, and when I brave a glance, he’s still smiling. “I was following Mr. Salo. Our sources of information are quite dependable, but they aren’t so brilliant as to foresee today’s turn of events.”

“What can you tell us?” Max asks.

“I’m rather hoping you can tell me more than what you told the detectives.”

“You listened to the tape?”

“Yes, I listened to the interview with the officer.” He studies me. I feel the weight of his gaze, and my nerves spike. “You don’t need to worry, Ms. Watson. Your character is not being questioned. What I’m most interested in, now that we understand the situation, is who the players are. Are there any names you can share?”

“No.” Max’s thumb crosses over the back of my hand like a windshield wiper, but I force my gaze to remain on Tristan, as he’s the one asking the questions. “I didn’t believe Dr. Kallio was involved until she made it known to me. Max tried to tell me, but….”

“And Mr. Salo?”

“It never would have occurred to me,” I answer honestly. “He moved to Switzerland to work for Lumina International. I didn’t think he was associated with us anymore.”

“Did you get to know many of the executives from Lumina?”

“None. Yes, they are our lead investor, but I wasn’t invited to any of the investor meetings. When investors visited, I would occasionally be introduced to them if they stopped by my lab, but that wasn’t often, and I never paid close attention to the names or the faces. But Dr. Kallio and William made it clear there are others. I don’t know if Lumina is the only company using the people in those compounds as test subjects or not. Neither of them said. But they both mentioned other people.”

“Do you think it’s likely this group will still come after Sloane?” Max asks the question of Mr. Voignier, and I stare at the scratched wooden chair leg waiting for the answer.

Mr. Voignier folds his hands, giving the question consideration.

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