Page 13 of The Light Within

“The consortium all took the Baths to attend an emergency conference in New York, ordering the Institute be locked down for twenty-four hours. I had a few things to do first. I was on my way to the Baths when I saw you.”

Julien fought every instinct not to squirm under Eleanor’s continuing close observation of him. A friend to both of his parents, the woman had known him since he was a child. She definitely knew he was holding something back. But would she call him out on it?

“Well,” she started, pursing her lips. “I’m now late. But I will catch up with you, Julien, when I return tomorrow.”

Why did that sound so much likea threat?

Eleanor had taken only a handful of steps before Darcy and Cinn appeared, stopping dead when they saw her. The color drained from Darcy’s already pale face. Eleanor laughed, then shook her head in dismay. “Gallo, escort them all out for me, would you?”

Once she was out of earshot, Elliot said, “I’m fine to do that, sir,” and Gallo waved his hand in agreement, already turning his attention back to listening to incoming reports on his radio.

Julien rounded on Darcy. “Why are you two here?”

She smiled in response. It was not a nice smile. “Well, since AP left, running right past us—weak, defenceless us—awaiting your return at the barrier, we figured we might beallowedto follow after you.”

Julien’s gaze flicked to Cinn’s very much unsmiling face. He’d almost forgotten that he’d pissed him off earlier. Now it looked like he was going to suffer the consequences.

Physically pushing them, Elliot led them away, hissing, “What the hell?” into Julien’s ear.

A guilty shrug was Julien’s reply. He tugged Elliot away from the other two, who seemed quite content to march ahead without them, likely fuelled by their anti-Julien agenda.

“What time does your shift finish later?”

Elliot shot him a slanted, wary glance. “Eleven p.m. Why?”

“I need your help with something. Can you meet me back here? Midnight?”

“Here? Julien…”

Cinn spun around, narrow eyes combing over them both. “Well? What happened? Was it really AP, then?”

Julien lifted his finger to his lips. A gendarme could round the corner at any moment. “Let’s talk in the car.”

This answer did not seem to improve Cinn’s mood.

The four of them walked towards the broken barrier in silence.

Two officers now flanked the access point, one of them leaning on the metal pole. Adjusting the collar of his uniform, he winked at Julien and shot him a beaming, wide-toothed grin before raking his gaze over him with a smirk. It took a further moment of studying his—admittedly attractive—face before the memory of hooking up with him last year resurfaced in full-detailed glory. A summer solstice party, if he recalled correctly. Toned thighs for days, if he recalled correctly.

Of course, the gendarme’s attention was not lost on Cinn. He shot daggers at Julien, a completely undeserved scathing glare, considering he hadn’t even acknowledged the guy. Or returned his smile.

“Cinn,” Julien called, reaching for him, but he was already storming up the hill towards where Maz was parked.

The rock in Julien’s stomach was becoming heavier by the second.

Once they’d reached the car, Julien drove while filling them in on his entire conversation with the enigmatic ‘L’, holding back no details.

Elliot whistled. “Well, at least we’ve heard it straight from the horse’s mouth now. Fuck.” Julien glanced in the rear-view mirror to see him run a hand through his corkscrew curls, a morose grimace on his face. “I can’t believe she kept this from us. Seems like she was in deep too, from what you heard. Full membership, loyalty card and all.”

A hand squeezed Julien’s arm from the backseat. “Don’t let what thisLsaid cloud your judgement. They’re coming to this with their own agenda,” Darcy said.

“Judgement of what?” Julien replied, to make her say it.

“You know, Eleanor and the ‘looking closer to home’ stuff.”

Julien scoffed, turning up the radio music to end the conversation. His brain quickly latched on to more pressing problems as his eyes constantly flicked against his will to a silent, brooding Cinn who stared out the window. Just how much trouble was Julien in now? He pulled up at the cottage to drop Elliot and Darcy off, giving Elliot the most subtle of raised eyebrows to accompany his casual, “See you later.”

Then Julien continued driving, allowing silence for a beat or two, before he said quietly, “I can drop you off and then head back to Darcy’s.”

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