Dark Carousel (Dark #30) - Christine Feehan Page 0,4

being by driving a stake through the man’s heart. Vince had been there. So had Bruce. She recognized their voices.

She was aware of the men standing, of Genevieve grasping her arm. Daniel’s fingers settled around her neck, pushing her head down, afraid she would faint. His touch only made matters worse. She didn’t get anything off human beings, only objects, but she imagined she was right there, watching him hammer a stake through a man’s heart, torturing him while he was conscious. The idea of it made bile rise and she pushed one hand over her mouth.

“I’m going to be sick,” she whispered.

Genevieve caught her around the waist and began moving her away from Daniel and the others, toward the restrooms. “What is it, Charlie?” she whispered. “What did you see?”

“He killed a man.” Charlotte choked the words out. “Tonight. Before they came here. He drove a stake through his heart while the man was alive. Awake. The other two were with him. And then they came here. Drinking. Dancing. Laughing.”

Genevieve stopped right outside the ladies’ room and glanced over her shoulder. “They’re watching us, Charlie. Let’s get inside, out of sight.”

Charlotte nodded. She had to pull herself together. “It was just a shock. They killed a man and then came here to dance.” She let Genevieve lead her into the ladies’ room. “Or pick up women.”

“Specifically us,” Genevieve pointed out. “I get the vibe off of them that they’re totally targeting us. Not any women. They certainly had their choice. Several women made it clear they’d be willing to go home with them tonight, but they keep coming back to us.” She glanced around the crowded ladies’ room and lowered her voice even more. “Do you think they could possibly be the ones who murdered your brother and my grandmother?”

Charlotte frowned and forced herself to quit leaning on Genevieve. Her stomach still churned, but she had it under control now. “I’m sorry, Vi—it was just so shocking. I let go before I could get any more. I shouldn’t have, although the murder was so fresh that it probably would have covered everything else.” She rubbed the frown off her mouth and sent Genevieve a wry, halfhearted smile. “I panicked. I’ve never done that before in my life. It just goes to show what happens when you have a child. You get soft.”

“What are we going to do, Charlie?”

Charlotte took a deep breath and then squared her shoulders. “We’re going to get as much information as possible in as little time as possible, and then we’ll leave. See if they follow us. If I can figure out the location of the body they staked, I can call in an anonymous tip to the cops and name them as the murderers.”

“You want to go back to the table and sit with them?” Genevieve asked, her eyes wide with shock.

Charlotte nodded. “We can’t let on that we’re onto them. We have to just play it off like I was suddenly sick or something. I’ll think of an explanation.”

Genevieve took a breath and then slowly nodded. “Okay. I can do that if you can. But let’s leave as soon as possible.”

“Agreed. We’ll have to get out in front of them and then find a way to watch to see if they try to follow us out. Turning the tables on them is going to be dangerous, Vi. If they’re following us, then they want something. Murdering that man has to be connected.”

Genevieve swallowed hard. “Did you recognize him? Was it someone we know?”

Charlotte tried to focus on the murdered man. He’d been about forty. Dark hair. His face had been twisted with pain. His eyes alive with terror and excruciating agony. She would see those eyes in her sleep. She shook her head, trying to still the shudder that ran through her body. “I don’t know. He looks vaguely familiar. It’s possible he was on Matt’s crew. My brother had a lot of employees. When I sold the company, some of them were laid off and they were angry. I got a lot of threats.” She ran her hand through her thick hair. “I just can’t place him. He looked . . . terrified. In so much pain. I don’t understand what they were doing to him.”

“They drove a stake through his heart? You mean like they do to vampires in movies?” Genevieve asked. “Because when Grand-mère and your brother were murdered, the blood was drained from their bodies and their throats were