Page 87 of The Outcast
“But you understand that I’m a little disappointed, right?”
“Yes, but don’t forget that it took you months to tell me about Indiana.”
“Touché. All right, water under the bridge then. Let’s go and talk to the others.” Being a woman of action, it took Aubri no more than ten minutes to gather Freya, Thor, Banni, Mason, and Belle, who held Violetta in her arms when she and Mason entered the library.
“Is Indy coming?” Thor asked.
“No, he’s working.” Aubri replied while directing everyone to take a seat and listen up.
“What is this about?” Mason asked. “If this is an announcement that you’re pregnant, I have to insist that Indy should be here.”
“It’s not that.” Aubri said with a dismissive hand gesture. “Now be quiet and listen for once. We need to go back to France for another negotiation.” She pointed to Thor. “And this time you have to stay calm.”
“Moreau was insulting our fathers,” Thor said in his defense.
Aubri retorted, “He’s an ass who likes to play with what little power he has, but this isn’t about you, Thor. It’s about Sparrow and Banni wanting to be together.”
Belle leaned forward and spoke to Banni in French. He smiled and dipped his head. “Oui. It’s true.”
Mason crossed his arms with a groan. “Hang on a second. Does Archer know about this?”
“No,” I said in a firm voice. “I’m a grown woman who can make my own choices. My father’s biggest objection would no doubt be that as long as Banni is bound to go back to France at any time, we can’t build a future together. I want that blockage out of the way before I tell my family.”
“But Moreau made such a big deal out of letting Belle go. Who knows what he’ll demand this time?”
Freya answered Mason. “There’s one way to find out. We’re going to meet with them and negotiate.”
“We can’t do this behind Khan’s back. We’ll need his support,” Mason pointed out.
“I’m way ahead of you there.” Thor, who hadn’t spoken so far, moved forward in his seat. “I already talked to him this morning.”
“And?”
“He wants Sparrow to be happy, but he asked to think on it.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to wait for his answer,” Mason said and reached for Violetta, who was starting to fuss. “If he agrees, we could leave tonight and get this taken care of.”
“Oh, but Mason, you’re not coming,” Freya told him.
“What do you mean?” With a scrunched-up grimace, he insisted, “I want to help Sparrow and Banni.”
“Then stay home. Seeing you will be a stark reminder to Moreau that you married Belle against his will.”
“But…”
“I mean it, Mason. Sparrow will stay here too. The people going will be Thor, Aubri, Indiana, Banni, and I.”
“Why can’t I come?” I asked.
“Because you’re still healing. It’s a long journey and the negotiation will be stressful. You’ll stay here with Linea and work on getting back to normal.”
Banni and I exchanged a long glance, and then I muttered, “What if Moreau won’t allow Banni to leave again?”
“That’s a chance you’ll have to take.”
I stared at Freya. “That’s easy for you to say. It’s not like you’re facing the prospect of never seeing the man you love again.”
“I’m not trying to be mean, but some things are outside our control.” Freya stood up and came to put her hand on my shoulder. “We will do everything in our power to get Monsieur Moreau to accept. You know we will.”
