Page 6 of Unholy Gambit: Checkmate in Blood
At the scheduled meet-up time, Axel returned to the parking area, removed his coat to show the costume, and made his way to the group he’d been assigned.
He’d been told to dress as a zombie, but no one had mentioned makeup. He’d purchased clothing he could rip, and he thought he had the effect right, after watching some online videos.
At least one woman appreciated the way the torn fabric showcased his muscles, but Axel was only interested in making a good first impression to his Aurélie.
“Oh, wow, nice zombies,” Aurélie said, scanning the group.
Until her gaze landed on him.
She froze, and he slipped into her mind to see an instant flash of recognition: she knew him from her dreams.
Three seconds of shock, and she recovered. “I have some makeup for you,” she said evenly before breaking their gaze to look around the group. “Let’s get set up, and then we’ll run through the script and figure out what everyone’s doing.”
“Oh good,” Ruby said as she rounded a van. “Looks like Aury’s getting ya’ll started. She’ll be your point person since she’s done this so many times. She recently had knee surgery, so we have a chair and footstool for her. If someone can carry those down, you’ll recognize the zombie scene when you get there. Everyone, introduce yourselves!”
“Ya’ll go on down,” Aurélie told the group when Ruby left. “I’m going to hit the restroom one last time before I walk down. The two of us will be along shortly.”
When they were out of sight, she grasped his hand and pulled him between two tall SUVs. He’d have never let anyone else get away with touching him without permission. Dragging him like they owned him.
But her small fingers were warm, sure.
And the fact she touched him without fear endeared him all the more to her.
“I’ve been waiting for you to come back all my life, and don’t youdaretry to tell me it isn’t you.”
Her voice was low, urgent. “Your hair is different, but your face and body, your walk, the way you stand, it’s all the same as my dreams.”
She took a breath and barreled on. “The psychiatrists were full of shit! I knew it when I was a damned kid. My subconscious didn’t invent you! You werereal.”
He was in her head, watching every flicker of memory and certainty, and she was absolutely sure. No hesitation. No gaps.
This wasn’t childhood fantasy, it was conviction.
If he denied it, even gently, he’d shatter the fragile bridge she’d dared to build. He’d destroy any hope of trust between them.
He couldn’t confirm the truth yet, but he could walk the edge of it.
“Out of curiosity,” he kept his voice soft, low. “How long was it before the dreams broke through the rewritten memories?”
She blinked. Then steadied.
His Aurélie. Brave, furious, unshakable. Not even a five-second pause.
“I’m not sure. Not right away. Maybe three to six months?” A little shrug. “Could’ve been longer. That whole stretch is a blur of surgeries, doctors, constant PT. My life was a nightmare.”
She exhaled sharply, and her scent went sour with grief. Pain. “The dream was the only thing that made sense.”
Her adorable brow furrowed. “Your accent. You just got here? And it’s not French. Have you not been living in France this whole time?” Before he could answer, she kept going. “When we moved, I thought that was it. That I’d never find you, or you’d never find me, but I’ve been waiting.KnowingI’d see you again.”
Something in Axel’s gut relaxed. Decades of staying away, of waiting until she was ready for him, and now she was in front of him, still unafraid, still fierce. Still tethered to him even after all this time. Even after what he’d done.
But he needed to answer her, so he told her, “We have a job to do tonight, and I know you’ll follow through on your promise to your friend, so our talk can wait, but I’m looking forward to spending time with you.”
“I’m taking you out to eat when we finish,” she said. “I don’t care if it’s IHOP, Waffle House, City Café, or another open-all-night place. If they have hot chocolate, I’ll be good.”
“Deal.” He lifted the two bags containing the chair and footstool, and fell into step beside her.
She hadn’t been wearing the brace before, and a dip inside her head told him it was precautionary for the uneven ground.
