Page 113 of The Shadows Beyond
“The friend he’s trying to help. With the dead sister.”
“That’s me.”The friend with the dead sister, apparently.
Tyler coughed, an audible rasp to his breath. “So, when is Buns allowed to come home then?”
Julien’s skin prickled.Home is there, now. Home is us.
“Surely you guys can’t keep him in Switzerlandforever?”
“He’s told you what he’s doing there. Auri is helping him learn more about himself.” Julien didn’t bother to hide his look of distaste. And then, because he’d let this infuriating man rattle him, he added, “Maybe you shouldn’t assume he wants to come back.”
Tyler lurched forward as far as the rope would let him. Julien glanced at the remaining guard, who seemed unbothered by their little spat.
“Of course he wants to come back. His life is here.”
“Is it? I’m not sure his restaurant would rehire him after he robbed it for you.”
If looks could kill, Julien would be dead meat.
Thankfully, at that moment, the door swung open, and Cinn emerged with Elliot and, presumably, the infamous Heino Richter. He instantly reminded Julien of his father: unyielding, untouchable. Someone who always got what they wanted.
Cinn’s eyes shot straight to Julien’s, a tiny but unmistakable smile on his lips when their gazes met. “It’s cold in here,” he said, the slightest hint of emphasis on the wordcold.
“Oui,”Julien replied, crouching down to unzip the duffle bag with his gloved hands. Then, he positioned a certain couple of bank notesjust so,so they would be the first ones to be touched. He kicked the bag into the middle of the concrete floor.
As predicted, Richter nodded towards it, and his two henchmen scurried over to it. Kneeling on the floor, one lifted the stacks of notes out of the bag, and then passed it to the other.
Perfect. Better than they’d hoped for, in fact, withtwoof them touching the money.
Moments later, one lifted his head, forehead crinkled. “Sir, there’s no way this is fifty G. It’s mostly—”
Newspapers. However, the man didn’t get to finish his sentence, as his body fell slack. He crumpled back into himself, then tipped over ontothe floor, eyes blinking in surprise. Soon, all he’d be able to do was blink, if he was lucky.
A round of shocked gasps from Richter and Tyler.
“Wh—” the other one managed, before finding himself in a similar fate. He dropped the stack of money he was holding. The stack with the slight dusting of white powder to the notes.
Thanks, girl.Darcy’s ultra-concentrated Frostbite compound had come through, just as promised.
“Reynolds! Mitchell!” Heino Richter shouted, and for a moment Julien presumed they were the names of the fallen men, until he heard two pairs of footsteps pounding towards them through the warehouse.
Fuck.
“Elliot!” Julien shouted, already moving to Cinn, pushing him against the wall to stand firmly in front of him.
The overhead strips of fluorescent lights flickered as Elliot threw his arms wide. Sparks rained down upon them as he drew upon the lights, channelling every lumenmote he could towards him.
But the lights were weak—narrow, dim strips that barely lit the warehouse, and time was not on their side.
Two more men burst into the space, looking straight to Richter for direction.
“Kill them all,” was the only thing he uttered.
With his entire weight, Julien pressed a cursing and very much resisting Cinn further back into the wall. Richter’s backup security, knives glinting in their hands, looked between their fallen comrades and the three unarmed assailants with evident confusion before moving towards Elliot and Julien.
Julien’s eyes darted to Elliot, face crumpled in pure concentration.
A part of Julien ached to reach for the motes himself, so close, so within reach. His body longed to feel them coursing throughhim. It would be so easy. They were right there, waiting for him. Julien’s arms twitched, reaching up…
