Page 69 of Dark Reign of Forever

“Francesca has been trying to reach him. She has news for him from France. Can you put him on?”

“Um. Sure.”

With a puzzled look, Étienne took the phone when she handed it to him. The conversation was in French, and Samantha struggled to keep up, but his expression said this news wasn’t good. Shock, surprise, strident denials. It was all there. As near as she could figure out, someone had died. Maybe.

Maybe?

“What’s going on?” she asked when he disconnected.

“Supposedly Juliette has died.”

Samantha’s hand flew to her mouth. “Your sister? Oh, no. Étienne, I’m…wait.Supposedly?”

“Right.” He chewed on his lower lip, mystified. “Something is wrong. She messaged me only last night. I need my phone.” He paced into the bedroom.

Samantha followed. “That was hours ago.” Even fewer hours ago, they had both seen just how quickly lives could end. “What happened?”

“TanteFrancesca said it was an accident, but”—he grabbed his phone off the nightstand, swiped, searched and dialed—“but she said it happened last weekend. Ah, Juliette?Bonjour. C’est Étienne. Comment vas-tu?”

Not only was Juliette pleased to hear from her brother, she was perfectly fine. Not to mention alive.

“How bizarre,” Samantha said after he disconnected. “What would make Francesca think Juliette had died?”

“Apparently Geneviève’s husband told her so when she called to check on the restaurant.”

“Geneviève? Francesca’s daughter?”

“Oui. She and Juliette are fast friends, and she said she wanted to be at the funeral.”

“Wait. Slow down.” Samantha sat up in the chair she had dropped into. Alarms clanged in the back of her head. “Geneviève, Dominique’s sister, said she was going to France for Juliette’s funeral? When was this?”

“Saturday.”

A chill of no name marched goosebumps up and down her arms. Today was Tuesday. “Did Juliette say Geneviève was with her in France?”

Étienne’s eyes widened with dawning apprehension as he followed her reasoning. “Non. But she would have. She would have been very excited by a visit.”

They looked at each other. Dominique often said his older sister was the most responsible person in the family. She had a loving husband, a toddler daughter, and a restaurant to manage. The last thing Geneviève was likely to do was disappear.

“We may have a problem,” Samantha said. Though there really was no “may” about it. If Esteban’s tentacles had reached into South Florida…they could also reach St. Barth.

31

Inconvenient Truths

Jacksonpackedawaytheempty syringe in its case, straightened Dominique’s shirt, and waited. The sky brightened. The vampire’s skin remained unmarred. For another minute, he looked peacefully asleep.

Then he woke.

His eyes widened in alarm as he sat upright, hands pushed flat against the door and center console.

“How do you feel?” Jackson ventured from the driver’s seat.

“Fils de pute!Where am I, and what am I doing here with you?”

Jackson pointed to Dominique’s phone propped on the dash. As it had for the last six or seven minutes, it still recorded their every word and action. “The answer to all your questions. Right there. Go on. We have time.”

Dominique looked like he contemplated leaping out the door and making a run for the dense woods surrounding the rest area.

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