said. “About three days after. It was before Grand-mère was murdered. Our lives went crazy after that. We could barely leave our homes between the creepy guys following us around and a serial killer going after people we loved. I honestly forgot about Emeline, and I shouldn’t have because she was in trouble. Do you think this is the same Emeline?”
“If I were a betting man,” Tariq said, “I’d be willing to place a very large amount on that as fact.”
4
A subtle breeze came off the lake and stroked over her face, touching her with cool fingers and rifling her hair. Charlotte held herself very still, her arms wrapped around her middle, afraid her legs would give out on her. Now that the danger had passed for the moment, her body went into a kind of shock. She didn’t want Tariq to notice, so she kept her face averted as she studied her surroundings.
The moment Tariq had told her and then Grace had confirmed that Lourdes was safe, she’d gone limp with relief. She hadn’t realized how much she’d been holding herself together, terrified for the child and knowing she could never get to her fast enough. Tariq stood close to her, close enough that she felt his body heat, close enough that she worried she would slump to the ground at his feet. She’d never fainted in her life, but she suddenly felt terribly weak, her arms and legs like lead.
Charlotte glanced at Genevieve, and saw she was still seated in the car. The passenger door was open and she stared out at the lake, but she looked pale and just as weak as Charlotte.
Tariq’s arm circled her waist, pulling her body into his, tucking her to his side. “Forgive me, Charlotte, but you look as if you might end up on the ground. You have been through a lot tonight, and you still need to talk to the police. I do not want you to fall and injure yourself.”
She shouldn’t cling. She really shouldn’t. She told herself over and over to be strong, that she was strong, but confronting her brother’s killer—that sophisticated, smiling murderer—she hadn’t realized just how afraid she’d really been. Fridrick set her teeth on edge. There at the end, she could almost believe in vampires. His smiling oily good looks had suddenly disappeared. He’d looked so different, his eyes almost glowing and his teeth . . . She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. Vampires. She was overtired and scared to even be considering such a thing.
Then there was Tariq Asenguard. It was definitely the wrong time to be attracted to a man, but for the first time in her life she had a real interest in someone—she was attracted both physically and intellectually. Tariq had put his life on the line for Genevieve and her. He was courageous, and the last thing she wanted to do was appear weak in front of him.
“I’m not going to fall down,” she denied, but she wasn’t certain if it was a lie or not. She couldn’t stop the body tremors.
“No, you’re not,” he agreed in his soft, way-too-mesmerizing voice. “Because I’ve got my arm around you. See over there, by the lake? The little house?” He waited for her to nod her head before continuing. “It used to be the boathouse, but I have a very nice couple living there. Donald and Mary Walton. Good people. You will like them. I met them one evening coming out of the club. I had taken a walk after the club closed because I couldn’t sleep. They had been sleeping in their car and woke when a couple of thieves, bent on robbing them at gunpoint, trying to take what little they had, pounded on the roof of the car. I heard the noise and went to their assistance. They were a very nice couple, just down on their luck.”
She stared up at his face, a little shocked that the very elegant Mr. Asenguard, owner of several nightclubs, could talk about saving a couple so casually, as if it hadn’t mattered at all, just that they were a delightful couple. “And you invited them to live on your property?” She couldn’t keep the astonishment from her voice. Why would he do that? She didn’t know a single person who would do something like that.
“Yes. They needed a home. They are good people, Charlie.”
She wasn’t certain if there was a hint of censure in his voice, as if