Page 34 of The Midnight Club
Soon. When he took her, he would take his time to kill Ori, not like Viola where the crossbow bolt had slammed into her body, severing her abdominal artery immediately. It had only taken her seconds to bleed out and die. No, Ori would suffer horribly before she died.
He pushed away from his computer screen. He wondered if any of the other members of the Club would avoid getting involved with women once they knew he was deadly serious.
The Midnight Club would be brought to its knees by the time he had finished with them.
Shiloh wasdeep in thought as she walked to Benoit’s office a week later. They had almost completed the plans for the new developments, the green spaces they had worked so hard on. Now, today, she and Benoit would present their plans to the Board. Shiloh was going over everything in her head when she suddenly heard Benoit’s raised voice. She hovered outside his door, curious. Benoit was speaking fast, in French, and he sounded angry.
Shiloh started guiltily when Genevieve, Benoit’s assistant, appeared behind her, but Genevieve grinned at her. “He’s in a foul mood today,” she murmured. “Good luck with him.” She rolled her eyes and grinned, and Shiloh smiled uneasily back.
“Should I go in?”
Genevieve nodded. “He’s expecting you.”
Still, Shiloh poked her head in see if Benoit would want privacy for his phone call, but he waved her in and she sat in the chair opposite him.
He finished the call by slamming the phone down and rubbing his hands over his head. Shiloh waited for him to speak.
“Merde… Well, that was Gaston D’Urberville.”
The name sounded familiar, but Shiloh frowned. “Is he on the Board?”
Benoit nodded. “The presentation is canceled. Shiloh, I’m so sorry, but it seems my Board is more interested in profit than it is in social responsibility.”
Her heart sinking, Shiloh stared at him. “The development?”
Benoit sighed, and she could see genuine sorrow in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Shiloh. They won’t approve it. They will only consider boutique and high-end properties.Dammit,I thought I had them; at least four them swore we would have their backing … it’s such a kick in the gut.”
“I don’t believe this … all our work.” Shiloh’s voice was barely a whisper. “What the hell am I going to tell Miriam?”
Benoit shook his head. “I’ll talk to Miriam, Shiloh.”
“No, it’s not your job to tell her. It’s mine. God, she trusted me, and I failed. I failed the city.” Shiloh felt bleak and Benoit got up and dragged his chair around next to hers. He took her hands in his.
“Sweetheart, these things happen. Miriam can’t blame you. At least you tried.”
Shiloh gave him a thin smile. “That won’t be enough. She trusted me with something she wouldn’t normally trust anyone in a junior position with. She took a risk and lost.”
“She’ll understand.”
Miriam did understand—but it wasn’t enough, and Shiloh tendered her resignation to her boss. Miriam accepted it sadly. “These things happen, Shiloh. Learn from this.”
At least the severance package would pay her rent for a few months, but Shiloh felt bleak. Benoit immediately offered her a job with his company, but Shiloh told him she couldn’t work for him—or rather, for the Board that had shattered their dream. A boutique hotel was swiftly erected on the greenbelt land and Shiloh despaired at the world.
The one positive thing was that Benoit Vaux had shown himself to be a good friend. He called her almost every day and came over, bringing take-out or even cooking in her tiny kitchenette. They took to walking Beau in the parks Paris still had left, chatting about everything and anything.
Benoit would take Shiloh’s arm sometimes as they strolled, but he never made a pass at her or made her feel uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable. Ha, she thought now. The fact was that shewasattracted to him; his machismo and his arrogance were tempered by his wit, his intelligence, and his unexpected kindness. His dark brown eyes would settle on her blue ones and she would feel as if she were sinking into them.
On a rainy Saturdaynight in late spring, he asked if she would like to join him for dinner, and she accepted. The city was busy as they dined in a small but exclusive restaurant.
Shiloh was telling Benoit about the freelance work she was doing. “It’s mainly writing articles, blog posts, and doing research, but it keeps me busy.” She was being distracted by his fingers, which were stroking the back of her hand as it rested on the table.
“That sounds positive.”
“It is.”
Benoit slowly took her hand and brought it to his lips. “I’m glad things are working out, but you know there’s always a job waiting for you at my company.”
