The Art of Retaliation (5 page)

Chantal
Garreau
rose to her feet like a
queen regally descending her throne to deliver a rebuke.

“I don’t think you are in a position to do anything Miss Logan are
you?
 
Your precious fiancé has run
away with my
nineteen year old
daughter who should
have known better than to involve herself with a man like him.
 
He is arranging to marry her under false
pretenses.
 
And that’s not
surprising since she is about to inherit a large estate from her uncle on her
20th birthday in one months time.”

She held up her hand to prevent Mara from interrupting.

“That isn’t the worst of it,” she spat.
 
“Louise has recently had medical tests
conducted for bad headaches she has been experiencing…” Chantal stopped,
hesitating and then regained her composure.
 
“She has a brain tumor and if we don’t
find her soon so she can have the operation she needs, she will die just like
her father, Mademoiselle.
 
Ryan is
more than aware of this and we know he is going to make sure she doesn’t get
it.
 
He has convinced her she does
not need it and he can get her different treatment that doesn’t require
surgery.”

Chantal shook with her anger.

“He is keeping her hidden from us and is waiting for her to die so
he can claim her inheritance when it passes to him through marriage and watch
her die.
 
We know he is still in
love with you and when he has the money he will return to your
relationship.
 
Because Louise went
of her own accord the police will not help us.
 
I am prepared to allow
Stephane
to do whatever it takes to bring my daughter back
and save her life.”

Mara stared at the woman.

“And you think I am involved and part of Ryan’s plan?” Astonishment
and hurt lined Mara’s quiet tone.

“I don’t think I know.”

Tears gathered in Mara’s eyes.

“If she dies I will make sure you suffer . . .”

“Mammon,
s’il
vous
plait,”
Stephane
intervened.
 
“Enough.”

Mara stole a quick glance at Maxine
who’s
head was bent, shaking in disbelief.
 
It gave her time to think.

“I am very sorry for your daughter.”
 
Mara swallowed hard.
 
‘But you are very wrong.
 
I am not involved in any plot and if you
persist in holding me here I guarantee you I will find a way to escape.
 
When I do I will make sure you are
prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” she informed the woman coldly.

Mara held her head high trying in vain not to lose the authority in
her voice.
 
It proved difficult and
she could hear the words shake as panic rose through her body like the flow of
fast running water.

“You won’t escape.
 
Of
that I am very sure.
 
If you do, I
will have you hunted down and dragged back here and locked away where no one
will ever find you again.”

Mara opened her mouth to speak feeling her body shake with her own
anger.
 
The room started to spin
again and she put her hand to her forehead trying in vain to calm it.
 
The billionaire stood scraping his chair
along the wooden floor and threw down his napkin.

“Enough mother.
 
Sit
down, please,”
Stephane
instructed with firmness
taking command of the scene.

Mara felt her body sway but was soon steady by two hands on her
shoulders.
 
Stephane
.

He gently moved them to her arms and guided her back down in to the
chair.

“Pierre, water quick please,” he called to man serving them.

He maintained his hold on her shoulders providing her with much
needed reassurance.
 
Mara couldn’t
understand why she felt safe with the man despite everything that he was doing
to her but she did and the confusion it was causing her emotions was turbulent.

The billionaire rubbed her shoulders soothingly as she picked up the
glass of water and brought it to her lips.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked.

“Yes, thank you,” she murmured feeling unexpected pain at the loss
of his hold when he moved away and sat back down.

“I think it is better if you hear the rest of the story from
myself,’ he said in a calm tone.
 
“A
couple of months ago Ryan was valuing some antiques for auction from this
chateau.
 
He struck up a friendship
with my sister that developed into something more for Louise than Ryan.
 
That all changed and he became more
interested when he learned that she was to inherit a large estate from her
uncle on her twentieth birthday.
 
She is the sole beneficiary and will become a very wealthy young woman.”

He casually took a sip of wine, leaving his captive audience in
anticipation.

“He persuaded Louise to run away with him when we insisted she have
the operation.
 
We have no idea
where Ryan has taken Louise but if we don’t find her soon she will die.
 
We all dote on my baby sister and will
do anything to protect her even if it is from herself.”

The billionaire sighed before continuing watching the first course
of onion soup being put down in front of him.

‘The night before they disappeared, Ryan got drunk after dinner and
told me that he loved you more than anything in the world.
 
He regretted leaving you and was going
to make sure he got you back.
 
I
don’t think he was aware of his drunken confession but when he left with Louise
the next day, it was plain it was her fortune he was after.
 
When I found the note from Louise saying
they had run away to get married and other treatment I knew it was her fortune
he was after.
 
It has since been
confirmed by someone he confided his plan in after much persuasion.
 
I need to find her before it is too late
and that is where you come in.
 
I
will not let my sister die.”

Mara gave him a sympathetic look.
 
Would she act any differently if it
was
Peter?

“But you can’t really think I am part of the plan?
 
I don’t love him.
 
We are over.
 
I haven’t seen him for three months.
 
What kind of monster do you think I am?”
 
her
high shrill
voice of anger dwindled into a hurt whisper that was barely audible and she
began to stumble over her words as she fought to keep control and her dizziness
at bay.

She had been called many things at work, but to be thought of as
devious,
calculating and willing to risk someone’s life was
an outrage that cut to the core.
 
Her eyes lowered and displayed the wound that was bleeding inside.
 
She bit her lip and forced her head up
to meet his eyes that were watching, waiting for further response.
 
They were suddenly cold, distant and
closed to any penetration, shielded by their owner leaving her in no doubt of
his conviction of her guilt.

“So, Mara, when we find Ryan, I will tell him that if he does not
return my sister I will inform the authorities of your involvement and any
other indiscretions I care to invent and have you imprisoned.
 
And believe me I have enough sway as a
member of the French nobility and one of Paris’s prominent financial contributors
to pull it off.
 
It isn’t something
I relish but the ruin of your life for my sisters will be a small price to
pay…”

Mara didn’t allow him to finish, a fresh burst of anger carrying her
indignation at her earlier confused thought of feeling safe with him.

“I am not involved with Ryan or his plan.
 
You are making a very grave error for
which I will see that you pay.
 
Your
plan is stupid.
 
There will be
people looking for me, my brother for one who won’t rest until I am
released.
 
And anyway I would rather
you murdered me than let me rot in a French prison.
 
So you might as well get it over with
now because Ryan will never let love get in the way between himself and money.”

The billionaire actually looked taken aback.
 
She had thrown the threat back in his
face.

Silence settled like frost in the room.
 
No one dare speak.
 
The atmosphere was oppressive.

“I don’t think I want to do that, Mara, not to someone so pretty.”

The mischievous light in his eyes he seemed to be using to cover his
shock at her words died a slow death as the expression on her face changed from
anger to fury.
 

Mara slipped into autopilot as she mechanically picked up the glass
of crimson wine in front of her and threw the contents squarely into
Stephane’s
face.
 
There was a loud gasp of horror from the audience.
 
Unaware she began retreating from him as
he instinctively sprang from his chair and attempted to wipe the liquid from
his eyes and the excess from his shirt and tie with a napkin.
 
When he rose to his full height she took
a gulp and froze.
 
He was trying to
laugh it off.
 
Unsure of how to act
she turned and left the room in a trance, her sandal heels clattering feebly on
the wooden floor.

Mara was suddenly embarrassed
;
frightened
that she may have made the situation worse with her temper.
 
She quickened her pace, hurrying up the
stairs when she heard someone chasing her from behind.
 
It was
him
.
 
It had to be.

Desperate to reach the safety of her room she broke out into a
run.
 
He was there before she
succeeded in opening her door pushing her back against it, his hand above her
on the door to confine her in the small space between them.
 
In a defensive action she made a fist
with her right hand, like her brother had shown her and swung it round at
him.
 
He caught it swiftly before it
made contact.

“Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you.
 
You are nothing more than a child having
a tantrum,’ he scolded taking hold of her wrists to pin them above her head
against the wall when she kicked out at his legs.

The grip on her wrists tightened and she realized she was helpless
in his power.

‘That’s better.
 
You are
safe with me.
 
Trust me.
 
I will let go of you if you promise to
keep calm.”

She searched his eyes and then nodded

He let go of her wrists slowly.
 
But the moment he lowered his arms to his side Mara delivered a blow
with her outstretched palm across his cheek.
 
He hardly flinched and she shut her eyes
waiting for its return.
 
There was
no slap.
 
Instead his arm encircled
her small waist, tugging her possessively towards him, to trap her in his
arms.
 
The grip was tight and
promised no escape.
 
Her apple red
lips pouted accusingly at him as she tried to move away, her eyes darting
between his arms and his face, a little puzzled.

He had wanted her as she had him from the first moment they met in
Maxine’s apartment and was struggling to keep control.
 
It was hard to understand, she wasn’t
like the elegant French society women he would have been forced to court.
 
She wasn’t impressed
by his status, his money or his title
, on the contrary she frowned on it
and mocked his birthright.
 
Maybe he
saw her as some sort of challenge, a sport in which he played the hunter and
herself the prey.
 
He steadied her
head with a hand and brought his lips down on hers.
 
He was winning the hunt.
 
He held her tighter forcing her to
become tired and cease the annoying movement she made.