Page 84 of The Midnight Club
He smiled and kissed her hand. “A new life,mon amour.”
She smiled and glanced at her watch. “Let’s go home, Benoit. Let’s start making that new life.”
Shiloh waited at the café as Benoit brought the car around. Outside the rain was relentless; headlights on the windows of the café twinkled like jewels. Shiloh smiled to herself, running her hand down her swollen belly and picking up the scan again.
She could pick out the baby’s face now, the nose, the tiny eyes. She squinted, trying to see who the child resembled then laughed to herself. What did it matter? Everything was working out right. She traced the fetus’ outline with her finger, her eyes pricking with tears.Love.It was a feeling she had thought she would never feel for a child.
“We’re on our way, baby,” she whispered, grinning to herself. She noticed an old couple looking over at her, and she waved the scan at them. They nodded and smiled.
Sighing happily, she gazed out of the window again, trying to pick out Benoit’s form in the melee of cars and bodies and rain, and waited.
He watchedher from the across the street, his eyes following the elegant sweep of her neck, the way her blonde hair fell over her shoulders in fine strands. So, she was pregnant? That made things more interesting … still, he was only tracking her to throw people off his scent. This blonde girl was merely collateral damage. Ori was his real prize, her resemblance to Viola fueling his bloodlust. He would use the blonde to distract The Midnight Club and then, when the time was right, claim his prize. It was getting harder and harder to get to Ori alone; he would have to take his chance whenever he could.
He just hoped he would get the chance soon. Orianthi Roy could not be permitted to marry Maceo Bartoli. She was his, and his alone …
Shiloh saw Benoit pull up to the curb and gathered her things. She stepped out into the rain and Benoit leaped out to open the door for her. As he did, a car came from nowhere, tires screeching wildly, and slammed into their car. The force knocked both Benoit and Shiloh off their feet, broken glass shattering around them. Benoit threw himself onto Shiloh as the car headed inexorably towards them. It was over in seconds, and then all was silent for a beat. People began to stream out of the café to help; the attacking car pulled back and screeched away, the driver unseen.
Benoit quickly gathered Shiloh to him. A large gash on her forehead was oozing blood, her cheeks were grazed, but she blinked at him, dazed but conscious. “Ça va?”His voice was urgent, and she nodded.
“Oui. Toi?”
Benoit was shell-shocked but unharmed, “What the hell was that?” He looked up at some of the bystanders. “Did you see who that was?”
They all shook their heads but later, at home, when they were resting, he got his answer. A text message.Nightfall.Benoit cursed, and Shiloh looked at him with big, frightened eyes. Together, they looked at the website. A new photograph of her had appeared: sitting in the café, waiting for Benoit. A warning:I am close.
Benoit did his best to reassure Shiloh. “I will never let him hurt you or our child.”
Four hours later, in the dead of night, Shiloh awoke, panting, pain like she’d never known ripping through her. She staggered to the bathroom to find blood flooding out of her, the pain in her abdomen excruciating. She managed to scream for Benoit before she passed out.
Seth Cantor had been concentrating sohard on his work that he barely heard his cell phone. As the weather worsened in Montreal, he stayed longer hours at the office. Now that he and Irina were over, he had no appetite for socializing. He knew his friends were worried about him—but they all had bigger problems at the moment.
He snagged the phone from his pocket. “Cantor.”
“It’s me.” Benoit said, his voice flat. Seth’s heart began to beat fast;please don’t let this be bad news …
“Did you see the website today?”
Seth brought it up and cursed. “A new photo.”
“It was taken yesterday, just before we were hit by a car. Shiloh’s in the hospital. They think she might be miscarrying.”
Seth’s heart sank. “Oh god, I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. Look, they’re trying to stop it, but I really need your help. We need to find this guy before he kills Shiloh or Ori or anyone else.”
“Agreed. Look, I’m on my way to Paris. I’ll be with you soon. Hang on there, buddy.”
“Thanks, Seth,” Benoit sounded relieved and grateful. “See you soon.”
Alex toldOri and Maceo about the attack in Paris as they ate breakfast. Both expressed their sorrow. “Do you think we should go to them?”
Alex shook his head. “Maceo, you haven’t got your passport back yet. Seth is going, and we all agree that putting Shiloh and Ori in the same place is not a good idea. He or she is determined to kill you,” he said to Ori, who paled. “I think this shows he will stop at nothing. I’m glad you have Jason and Krav Maga.”
“Cheers to that,” Maceo murmured and kissed Ori’s temple. She smiled, but said nothing.
Over the last four weeks, she had been training hard every day with Jason Meeks, an instructor who Alex knew. She was enjoying the physicality of it and her body changing as she got fitter and leaner, but there was something else, something she hadn’t shared with Maceo or Alex.
Jason himself had appeared friendly when she started working with him. They would go for long hikes in the woods, but it wasn’t until a few days ago that she’d noticed his changing attitude. He began to flirt, complimenting her on her body in a way that made her uncomfortable.What was the word?she thought.Intimate.He pretended there was an intimacy between them that didn’t exist as far as she was concerned.
