Page 94 of Carbon

Emmy sagged into the nearest chair and groaned. “A Frenchman with excellent connections, a filthy mouth, and the ability to make women drop their knickers simply by clicking his fingers.”

“It certainly worked with you,” Xav said.

“That’s because he knows what to do with those fingers. Fuck my life. What am I supposed to tell Black?”

Xav still wore a grin. “I don’t know, but I suggest you do it sooner rather than later. What’s the journey time from Paris? Two and a half hours?”

“Two and a quarter,” Luke helpfully put in.

“Shit shit shit. I’m going to need some fancy underwear to get out of this one.”

“For who?” Xav asked.

“Black, you asshole. If it was Gideon, I wouldn’t be wearing any. Fuck!”

Sofia hopped down off the table. “I need to sort out my hair.”

“You have a boyfriend now,” Xav reminded her.

“Yes, but this is Gideon.”

Xav’s grin only got wider. “I need to get popcorn.”

* * *

“Where’s Emmy?” Black asked when he walked in three hours later.

Xav, Nye, and Luke all looked at each other. Their expressions were clear:Do you want to tell him or should I?Because clearly Emmy hadn’t.

In the end, Xav shrugged. Obviously his balls were bigger than everybody else’s, metaphorically speaking. Because I hadn’t checked out his package at all. No, not once. Okay, maybe once. But with that face and body, any girl with a pulse would have, okay?

“St. Pancras.”

“Why’s she gone there? Have we had a break in the case?”

“Ben Durham used to be in the French Foreign Legion.”

“So, what’s she doing? Going to Paris?”

“Not exactly. Paris is coming here.”

Black put it together quicker than the others had done. “Gideon Renard is on his way?”

“Apparently so.”

“Why the hell didn’t she call me? I could have picked him up myself.”

“I think that’s what she was afraid of. If the guy’s eating through a straw, he won’t be much help to us.”

“I wouldn’t have damaged him. Merely reminded him that we get on a lot better when he’s in a different country than my wife.”

“Sofia went with her,” I offered.

“He warrants a fan club now?”

I didn’t know how to answer that, so I slunk back to my corner again, staring at the display board where Luke cycled through text and images so fast my head hurt. I didn’t spot any pictures of Ben, and that was the only thing I was watching for.

Half an hour later, I found out what all the fuss was about, and I had to admit the man following Emmy into the room did have a certain something. Dressed in a suit, with light brown slicked back hair, high cheekbones, and a strong jaw, he exuded pheromones. I noticed Sofia chose to walk behind him, and her eyes kept drifting downwards.

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