Wolves of Paris

by Tori Knightwood

  “Let’s go into the office,” Lucien suggested. He ushered Renardin into the large, airy room filled with a combination of dainty and functional furniture. There was no clutter, no dust, thanks to his mother’s constant tidying. All documents were filed away in their proper place.

  He and Renardin sat in floral-patterned wingback chairs as Maman leaned against her broad wooden desk from the nineteenth century, facing Lucien and their guest, her arms crossed. “Now then, who are you?”

  “Charles Renardin. I work for Lord Enterprises.”

  Lucien glanced nervously at his mother. After the job in Kenya, she had researched their client and discovered Stephen Muteti’s ties to Lord Enterprises. Françoise narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything.

  “We are interested in working with you. Malraux Frères is well-established and you have an impeccable reputation in the shifter hunting business. We think your skills will be useful to us.”

  “Why on earth would a legitimate business need shifter hunters?”

  “Well, Madame Malraux, we employ many shifters and we would like you to become a main part of our security force to help keep our employees in line.”

  Lucien watched his mother’s face redden. “Maman, why don’t we get our guest a drink?”

  But his mother was having none of it. “You want shifters to police only the shifters you want controlled? No, thank you. You can leave now.”

  “But your son said he was willing to meet with us and set up an appointment to finalize the arrangements for an exclusive and highly lucrative contract.”

  “My son does not speak for our business. I do. You will leave. Now.”

  “Maman, let’s not make hasty decisions. You and I should talk about this.”

  “The day Malraux Frères gets in bed with rogues is the day I die. Good day, Monsieur Renardin.” She stormed to the front door and held it open until Monsieur Renardin passed through.

  On the other side of the threshold, he turned and glared at Lucien and his mother. “You will regret this.” He strode down the street, anger evident with each step.

  Maman slammed the door and rounded on Lucien. “How dare you tell him we would work with him? You can’t make decisions like this. Since when are you interested in working with rogues?”

  “I wouldn’t actually sign a contract with them. You ruined my plan. I was going along with them so we could find out more. Do you know where their business is located?”

  She shook her head, chin still tilted upward in anger. “I have no interest in knowing.”

  “Well, I do. We could have found out valuable information. These people tried to turn Ryenne in Kenya and could have killed me. I guess we know now why they left me alive. They wanted to use us. And I want to know why. Don’t you?”

  Maman’s face paled. “Maybe I was too hasty, but the idea of rogues coming to us, as he said, an established and respected shifter hunter business... I’m sorry, son, his gall made anger pour out of my ears and I reacted without thinking.”

  He put an arm around her. “It’s okay, Maman. Ryenne reacted just as you did at dinner last night, but she saw that we might be able to use them as they’re trying to use us. Unfortunately, that door has closed. We’ll find another way.”

  “He said we would regret it, Lucien. I may have put us all in danger.” Maman’s shoulders shook.

  Lucien had never seen her like this. Putting his arm around her, he stilled her shaking. “We’ll find another way, Maman.” His words seemed to reassure her, but Lucien wasn’t convinced. The Fangs were trouble.

  FIVE

  After lunch, Ryenne climbed up to the room she shared with Lucien on the top floor of the Malraux house and pulled out her laptop. While waiting for the computer to awaken, she looked out the dormer windows across to the Bois de Boulogne. Less than a mile away, she could just barely see the reflection of cars on the Boulevard Périphérique and beyond it, the dense foliage of the many types of trees in the huge park.

  On her first day here, she and Lucien had walked through the park. He had pointed out the various trees and different areas of interest, like the tiny Château de Bagatelle, created by Louis XVI’s brother on a bet with his sister-in-law, Marie-Antoinette.

  She couldn’t see the château from this distance, but she enjoyed knowing it was there. It occurred to her that she didn’t really know what kinds of trees and flowers were in Central Park in New York City, but she now knew the Bois de Boulogne contained beech, linden, cedar, chestnut, elm, and even redwood, which she had thought only grew in California. The French park also had two racecourses, a tennis stadium, and greenhouses. As much as she loved New York, Paris was winning her over.

  When her laptop was ready, she called Gavin. He answered more quickly than she would have expected, considering the early hour in New York.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he greeted her as usual.

  “Hey, Gav, why did you want to talk so early?”

  “I didn’t want to miss you. I’m sure you and Lucien are super busy with sight-seeing and... ahem... other things.”

  Rolling her eyes, she waited him out. She knew he’d get to the point on his own.

  “I’m nervous about the wedding,” he said. “I haven’t seen Christopher in more than a year and I don’t know why he invited me anyway.”

  “So, why go, Gavin? We don’t have to.”

  “I do,” he insisted. “I don’t want Christopher to think he has any kind of hold over me.”

  “But he doesn’t, right?”

  “Not exactly. But I don’t want him to think that he affected my life.”

  “You’re the only one who can let him affect your life. It’s up to you to move on, Gavin. I thought you had.”

  “I thought I had, too, but since Marco, I’ve been thinking about my choices. Even after Christopher broke my heart, I still went into each night out and each new meeting thinking this could be the beginning of something special.”

  Ryenne nodded. She knew. She had been there through them all. He always thought he had met the one, but it was because he wanted it so bad.

  “Maybe I was looking through rose-colored glasses so often because I didn’t want to become jaded and bitter after my experience with Christopher.”

  “But that’s a good thing, Gav.”

  “Yeah,” he conceded. “But it hasn’t been good for me. It means that I get my heart broken over and over and over again.”

  That was true. And it was hard to watch, over and over and over again. “What’s the alternative, Gav? You have a big heart. You can’t let someone like Christopher change that about you.”

  She could see the dark circles under his eyes. He probably wanted to talk to her this early because he didn’t want to admit to her that he wasn’t sleeping. “Oh, Gavin, honey, I wish I had the perfect words for you. The best revenge will be for you to get enough sleep and look your usual gorgeous best and blow his socks off at the wedding.”

  “Blow?” he asked with a sardonic smile.

  “Um, not exactly what I meant.”

  They laughed.

  “Thank you,” he said. “I don’t know if I can salvage my looks at this point. We only have a few days left before the wedding.”

  “Well, my dear, the best thing isn’t how gorgeous you are. Christopher knew it and broke your heart anyway. That you are still as sweet as the day I met you ten years ago is one of your best features. So, you go to that wedding and strut your stuff and be as sweet as you can be, as only you can be, and he will regret his choice. And if he doesn’t, then it’s his loss, not yours. He clearly wasn’t right for you.”

  “You can say that again.” Gavin tossed his head back like a horse. “He chose a toad like Ned.”

  “Gavin.”

  “I know, I know. I shouldn’t be mean. I don’t really have anything against Ned. But I hope he knows what he’s getting into with Christopher.”

  “Okay, but it’s not our place to tell him.”

  Noises from downstairs
dragged her attention away from her best friend. Three floors up, she shouldn’t be able to hear much. It sounded like Françoise had raised her voice, something Ryenne hadn’t heard in her week here.

  “Gavin? Hang on.” She listened for a moment. Voices reached her but she couldn’t make out the words. “Let me call you back.”

  She went downstairs and listened to Françoise’s voice rising. “My son does not speak for our business. I do. You will leave. Now.”

  “Maman, let’s not make hasty decisions. You and I should talk about this.” Lucien sounded agitated and conciliatory.

  “The day Malraux Frères gets in bed with rogues is the day I die. Good day, Monsieur Renardin.”

  Ryenne went back upstairs, smiling at Françoise’s stern tone, and resumed her call.

  “What happened?” Gavin asked.

  She filled him in on what had happened last night. “It looked like the same guy, Renardin, came today, maybe to set up an appointment with Lucien for next week. I’m surprised he came himself rather than having an underling call. Maybe he wanted to reassure himself of the family’s willingness.”

  “From what you said, it sounds like Françoise isn’t willing after all.”

  “She’s pretty pissed. I don’t envy Lucien right now, having to face his mother and explain what we were thinking last night when we agreed to work with them. You know, Gav, I wonder if now is really a good time for me to come home.”

  “Wait, Ry, what are you saying? You promised you’d accompany me to this wedding.”

  “I know. I know. I will. But I feel bad about leaving them right now. Clearly, things are happening here. The Fangs are making a move on the Malraux.”

  “Didn’t Françoise shut the guy down?”

  “She did, but something feels wrong. It’s the Fangs, after all.” She ran her fingers through her hair where it fell down below her shoulder. “It’s probably nothing. I’ll be coming home in a couple of days, as promised.”

  “Maybe you’re right, Ry. This is Lucien’s family. They could be your family someday. The Fangs are not to be messed with, as you saw firsthand in Kenya. Those people are crazy. Maybe you should stay.”

  “Gavin, I promised I’d go with you to Christopher and Ned’s wedding. I’m not letting you walk into that lion’s den by yourself.”

  “You’re the best, Ry.”

  “No, you’re the best. But I think there’s nothing to worry about. Françoise threw the guy out. The Fangs would be foolish to mess with the Malraux.”

  Dread curled in her stomach. The Fangs weren’t fools and they clearly planned to mess with the Malraux.

  SIX

  Lucien suggested a night out on the town to relax after the drama of the day. They left the house with Dany and Guy. All four squeezed into the back of a taxi. Dany was practically on top of Guy, which was the only way they fit since Guy was massive. A bear shifter, he had thick dark hair, soft brown eyes, and muscles on top of muscles.

  Ryenne liked them both. They had made her feel welcome. But they were very visible with their love, openly affectionate, and Ryenne wasn’t used to it except from Gavin.

  She didn’t mind pushing closer to Lucien, though, and snuggled against him. “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “We’ll start at the Quai d’Austerlitz,” Lucien said. “They’ve developed the waterfront and built an incredible performance and entertainment space there.”

  Dany leaned across Ryenne. “Yeah, it’s really cool. There are restaurants and a concert venue and a dance club. Part is inside and part is outdoors. You’ll love it.”

  Ryenne wasn’t so sure. Clubs—or anywhere with crowds—weren’t really her thing, because people weren’t really her thing.

  The cab deposited them on a sidewalk next to a building made of glass and yellow metal. People crowded the sidewalk and Ryenne’s nose was assaulted with smells of the river, sweaty bodies, and perfume.

  Inside, Ryenne was greeted with a bar made of colored metal stripes, pounding music, lots of people, and neon lights in the dark. Dany rushed past her, a huge smile splitting her face, tugging Guy behind her. Ryenne tried to hide her discomfort. She wanted Lucien’s family to like her, which bothered her because she’d never cared about people liking her before.

  Dany reached through a group of writhing bodies and grabbed Ryenne’s arm. “Come on, come dance with us.”

  “Oh, no, I...” She glanced around for Lucien but he was striding toward the bar.

  Dany didn’t let her say another word, hurtling Ryenne through the group of dancing people. She managed to land on her feet next to Guy, who immediately took his girlfriend in his arms, swayed with her, and moved his hips.

  Surrounded by sweaty, dancing people, Ryenne decided she’d look less like an idiot if she joined in rather than continuing to stand there like a hippo making the river flow around her. Within minutes, Lucien returned with four bottles of beer and distributed them.

  Even without the beer, Ryenne had begun to relax and even enjoy dancing in the loud space.

  A mop of bright white hair caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She grabbed Lucien’s arm. “Oh my God, he’s here.”

  “Who?”

  “The snake shifter from the café the other day.” They searched the crowd but didn’t find him.

  “I guess I’m seeing things. Maybe I’m more nervous about the Fang situation than I thought,” she said.

  He smiled and kissed her, his arms tightening around her. If anyone could get her to relax and enjoy herself, it was Lucien.

  With Lucien’s arms around her and her face buried in his shoulder, they swayed to the music and blotted out the crowd, the sweat, the haze of alcohol above everything. Soon, Lucien’s hands wandered down her back and she melted further into him and mirrored his movements.

  Dany brushed against them and Ryenne glanced over. Dany smirked at her and then returned to kissing Guy, her arms locked around her boyfriend’s massive neck. This wasn’t the first time Ryenne had seen Lucien’s sister engage in active displays of affection with Guy; she was starting to get used to it.

  After several minutes, the song changed and the frenetic beat pulsed deep inside her. Dany pulled on Ryenne’s arm. “Come on, dance with me now.”

  Ryenne reluctantly left the circle of Lucien’s arms. She danced closer to Dany but couldn’t help searching the crowd for signs of the snake shifter.

  “What’s wrong?” Dany asked.

  “The rogue who got away the other day might be here. I saw him a while ago, or so I thought.”

  Dany gazed around the club. “The only people watching us are men who like seeing us dance together. We should give them a show.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She made her intent clear by dancing closer to Ryenne, taking her hand, and bumping her hip against Ryenne’s.

  Guy approached with a round of shots, four glasses each garnished with a salted lime wedge. “Are you trying to cause a stampede in here, my love?”

  Dany laughed it off. “With you next to me, no one else would dare.”

  Guy gestured with his head off the dance floor. All three followed him to a high table, where they each did a shot of tequila. Within fifteen minutes, warmth spread through Ryenne, and thoughts of the snake shifter and the Fangs flew away. The Fangs tried to recruit the Malraux through proper business channels, and Françoise shut them down. They wouldn’t be a problem anymore. Ryenne would leave in about thirty-six hours to take Gavin to Christopher’s wedding and all would be fine.

  Except that she would miss Lucien. The past week had been fun, exploring Paris and their relationship. He had shown her a different side of himself in bed last night. He had been a lot rougher. She hadn’t minded but she wondered if it had anything to do with seeing his ex-girlfriend.

  As if she had conjured her, Ryenne glimpsed Chantal on the other side of the club. She knocked into Lucien and when he looked at her, she gestured with her chin. A funny look crossed his face.
<
br />   “I’ll be right back.” He strode through the sweaty, dancing people under the garish lights.

  Ryenne followed him with her gaze, a ball of dread in the pit of her stomach.

  He soon returned, Chantal in tow.

  Dany gave a rictus of a smile and kissed Chantal’s cheeks, eyes cold, stance rigid. Ryenne had never seen Lucien’s sister so quiet. She wondered if Dany hadn’t liked her brother’s fiancée or if she only hated her now that Chantal had broken Lucien’s heart.

  “You’re not here alone, are you?” Guy asked, ignoring Dany’s cold manner.

  “No, of course not. I’m here with a group of friends.” She turned to Lucien. “You remember Sylvie and Jacqueline, don’t you?”

  He nodded, staring over her head.

  On the other side of the club, where Ryenne had first noticed Chantal, a man stared in their direction. He was the same man Chantal had been with last night at the restaurant. But Chantal again didn’t mention him. What was up with that?

  Dany grabbed Ryenne’s arm. “Let’s dance some more.”

  Ryenne allowed herself to be led to the dance floor. Trying to ignore the dread in her stomach, she had to trust that Lucien had told her the truth last night. That he and Chantal were really over and he no longer had feelings for her. Ryenne didn’t want to be the clichéd jealous girlfriend.

  Dany clearly wanted to put Chantal out of her head. Ryenne would help her do just that.

  Guy tagged along, his large, dark presence looming over them in a way Ryenne would find threatening if she hadn’t come to know him.

  Dany leaned over while they danced and shouted in Ryenne’s ear, “I hate that bitch for what she did to my brother.”

  Ryenne gave her a surprised look and a small nod. She couldn’t help glancing over to Lucien and Chantal occasionally. Lucien’s face was stony, and he stood rigid as a statue.

  Chantal was talking. It looked like she was trying to convince Lucien of something. Maybe she was apologizing for what had happened between them. Her hands moved while she spoke and her forehead was creased in an earnest expression.