The Boss (Chateau #3) - Penelope Sky Page 0,24

do for her. I just can’t imagine not seeing her face every day, even if it’s from across the clearing, even if it’s in the snow. If you had a sister or a brother, you would understand.”

My eyes drilled into her face, watching her watch the fire, her cheeks still flushed because of what we’d done for the last few hours. Her blue eyes had this unique brightness whenever she looked at the fire. It was never replicated in the clearing when the sun was shining, when I stared at her from the window of my cabin. For a brief moment, my anger was quieted. But then a horrible memory came to me, a winter night with rain on the streets, the echo of a gunshot from a silenced pistol. Beds turned into graves. Home turned into a homicide scene. There was only one soul I could save—and it nearly cost me my own.

She looked at me again, her entire body tightening like she knew she’d said the wrong thing. Her eyes shifted back and forth quickly as she looked into mine.

I turned to the door.

“Fender?”

I shut the door and locked it.

Her voice came through the door. “Fender, wait…”

I ignored her and left.

Seven

Blizzard's Whispers

Melanie

I’d never met a man who could be so furious without raising his voice.

Without saying a single word.

It was something I’d said. Was it my refusal to leave with him? That was the most obvious explanation, but it seemed like my comment about having siblings triggered him more.

I would never know.

When I worked in the clearing the next morning, I expected Fender to walk by on his departure, but he never did. He was supposed to leave tomorrow, but maybe he would just leave now. It seemed like he’d gone a different route—just to avoid me. My eyes were down on my work, lost in the memories of the two of us together, hot and sweaty, saturating my sheets with the scent of sex.

A part of me felt dirty for what I’d done.

How could I sleep with the man who ran this camp?

But more importantly—how could I like it?

A cloud of guilt rose up inside me. I looked across the clearing at my sister, her voice in my head. Melanie, what the hell are you thinking? How could you sleep with him? What the fuck is wrong with you? I knew exactly how that conversation would go without even having it.

But when he returned, I knew it would happen again.

And again.

Whenever we were together, it was easy to forget the context of the situation. Maybe he was just a phenomenal lover, maybe Frenchmen fucked like they were making love, and made love like they fucked. But it felt like more than that, at least to me. I’d never gotten so lost in a man that I forgot reality. I’d never been so satisfied and desperate for more at the same time. In the breaks in between, I wanted to curl up and sit right inside that expansive chest, like it was the safest place in the world. His strong body looked bulletproof. If someone shot him with a machine gun, the bullets would ricochet right off him.

“One of you has stolen from us.” The executioner’s booming voice echoed in the clearing.

I dropped the bag of coke I was holding. It hit the table and tipped over, powder spilling out.

The executioner looked right at Raven. “If anyone knows anything about this, come forward. You’ll be rewarded.”

My eyes shifted to Raven, seeing the same stoic expression she always wore, her poker face. But I saw what others couldn’t see from a lifetime of experience. Raven…what have you done?

The executioner walked forward. “Every cabin will be searched. When we find what belongs to us, you’ll hang.” He departed the clearing, but no one got back to work right away. The girls all looked at one another, like the accomplice was right beside them.

My eyes stayed on Raven.

Then she looked at me.

That look told me everything I needed to know.

Raven was still at the clearing throughout the day, and the executioner didn’t mention the stolen items.

I had no idea how she managed to pull it off—but she did.

That told me our escape was imminent. Any moment, it could happen.

Fender didn’t come to me again, even if he was still in the camp, and that told me he was truly pissed off by what I had said.

Was it over?

For good?

There was a twinge of pain in my chest, and that made me