Page 136 of Carbon

“Holy hell.”

My fingers were shaking too much to dial Ben. Twice, I tried and failed, but before I could hit third time lucky Emmy wandered in, whistling.

“Leroux’s escaped,” I told her, ashamed of the quake in my voice.

“Yeah, I know. Have we got any chocolate milk left?”

“Did you even understand what I said?”

“Leroux’s escaped. Not surprised really. The security at the hospital was atrocious.”

“He’s on the loose! What if he hurts someone else? What if he vanishes again?”

“Relax, would you? Dammit, no chocolate. Strawberry milkshake will have to do.” She upended the carton and took a slug. “Don’t tell Black I did that. I always tell him off for not using a glass.”

“How can you act so calm?”

“Because we’re a step ahead this time. When Leroux was in the hospital, I snuck into his room and planted a tracker in him.”

“You what?”

“They’re tiny nowadays. The long-range ones are about the size of a kidney bean.”

“How on earth did you plant it inside him?”

“I look good in a nurse’s uniform. Black wanted me to keep it on with a pair of heels while… Too much information?”

I closed my eyes until I’d regained control of my ragged emotions. “Yes, too much information. What’s going to happen with Leroux? If you know where he is, can’t you tell the police so they can arrest him again?”

“They had their chance. We’ll do this our way now. Just know that you don’t have anything to worry about.”

Worry? Of course I was going to worry. By the time Ben ran in twenty minutes later and gathered me up in his arms, I was cursing my mother’s genes as I fought to stay away from the vodka bottle.

“He’s got out,” I sobbed.

“I know. We’ll fix it; I promise.”

“But how? Emmy says she knows where he is, but she won’t tell the police.”

“The police have already let him go twice—once in France and once in England. And he’s still getting help from his father.”

“I hate him. I hate both of them. They tried to take everything from us, and they tore my family apart. What if they decide to have another go?”

“Blackwood will handle it.” His brows knitted together before smoothing out again. “They want him out in the open because it’s easier to make him disappear that way.”

An icy cold wave broke over me. “That’s what they plan to do? Make him disappear?”

“Would you be upset if they did?”

I thought about it. Guy Leroux didn’t have a scrap of goodness in his body, and he’d made a misery out of lives the world over. Quite honestly, I had more affection for a wasp than for that bastard.

“I hope he rots.”

* * *

Nobody spoke another word about Guy Leroux. Ruth cooked up a feast of French delights for supper, and I managed to eat a few morsels while everyone else left in the house laughed and joked. Ben, Black, Emmy, Sofia, Xavier, Gideon—even Roxy managed a smile.

Ben tried his best to take my mind off the situation that night with three more creative orgasms to add to my collection, and I slept more soundly than I ever dreamed I would. Maybe I could get through this after all.

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