Page 59 of Cold as Hell

“Get the fuck inside andletme handle it,” Dalton snaps.

“Are you going to handle it?” Mathias says. “I question that right now. If you cannot—”

“Stop your fucking posturing bullshit, Mathias. You arenothelping. Get your ass inside.Now.”

“Mathias!” I shout, and I sound as if I’m calling a growling dog to heel, I’m okay with that. Heisposturing, which he does to shore up his reputation—and keep people at bay—but he usually doesn’t interfere with our job.

“Get inside,” I snap in French.

Mathias turns a gaze on me, and for two seconds, it’s ice cold, sending a chill through me. But then he blinks and sniffs.

“Tell your husband—” he begins, in French.

“I’ll tell him nothing,” I say. “Show a little damn respect and address him yourself.”

The front door opens, and Mathias wheels, knife raised. “I told you to stay inside.”

Sebastian only fixes Mathias with a look… and then steps past him.

“You!” Grant shouts. “Get the hell out here and face me.”

Two figures come running between buildings. Anders and Marlon. They both advance on Grant, but Dalton lifts a hand, telling them to hold off for now.

“What’s going on here?” I say as I walk over.

“He’s the one Lynn was with,” Grant says, jabbing a finger at Sebastian. “He was screwing around with her and he killed her.”

For a second, I think Grant saw Sebastian walk into the butcher shop and, from the back, mistook him for Thierry. They’re about the same height and build, with dark blond hair. From the front it’s clearly Sebastian, and it’s light enough to see his face.

“Sebastian?” I say. “You think Sebastian—”

“I was going through Lynn’s drawers. I need clothing to cover herdead body,after someone left her in a stormnaked.I found this in her underwear drawer.”

He lifts something I can’t quite make out. Dalton takes it gingerly with a gloved hand and holds it out to me. I walk closer. It’s tiny feathers braided into a heart.

“It’s a fishing lure,” Grant spits. “Like the oneshemakes.”

“Sebastian is not the only person who knows how to tie a lure,” Mathias says.

“Those are his feathers. Lynn bought one of his damn lures.Or shesaysshe bought it. She didn’t even fish, but she said the feathers were so pretty.”

They are very nice—iridescent black interwoven with white. Pretty… and distinctive.

“They’re my feathers,” Sebastian says, ignoring a warning growl from Mathias. “Lynn did buy a lure from me, with those same feathers. I brought them back from the settlement when I went to see Felicity. Lynn liked them.”

“Is this the one she bought?” I lift the lure.

“No,” Grant snaps. “It’s not.”

Sebastian opens his mouth.

“Do not answer her,” Mathias says.

“Lynn bought a regular lure,” Sebastian says. “That one’s mine, which Mathias knows because he saw me making it last month. It’s for Felicity.” He looks at me. “I didnotgive it to Lynn.” He looks at Grant. “Your wife was a nice lady, and I enjoyed talking to her, but that was it. I have a girlfriend. I—”

“You killed her. You screwed around with her and then you murdered her. There is something wrong with you, boy. Lynn couldn’t see it, but I can. You’re not right.”

“I did not kill your wife,” Sebastian says. “I was not having an affair with her. I did not see her yesterday. I did not kill her. I’m very sorry for your loss—”

---