Reynaud's Redemption, стр. 28

“I’ve come to see Madame Cousteau. The other gentleman said she was not here, but I—”

“Of course, sir. The last guy was mistaken. He’s new around here. Come right in,” the man offered, taking a step back, making room for Reynaud to pass.

The hairs on the back of Reynaud’s neck stood on end. He hesitated and noticed two other men dressed similarly coming into the foyer with them. The door closed behind him, and he turned to face the first fellow.

“Where is Madame Cousteau?”

“We were just waiting for our boss to get here,” one person explained, ignoring Reynaud’s question. He wrapped his arm around Reynaud’s shoulder, guiding him farther into the home. “Would you like something to drink while we wait?”

“No, but thank you. I have no desire to see your boss, whoever he or she is. I came to see Madame Cousteau,” Reynaud reiterated.

“Yes, and how is it that you know the Madame?”

A tingly feeling snaked up Reynaud’s spine, tickling the hairs at the base of his neck. He stopped walking.

“The Madame and I go way back,” he told the man, looking at him eye to eye. “Where is she?”

“I think it’s best we wait on the boss.”

Reynaud shifted his gaze to the staircase off to the left. The pull that had brought him to the house mentally directed him upstairs. Out of the corner of his eye, Reynaud saw the other men closing in on him.

“I don’t want to see your boss. I’m going to see Madame Cousteau.”

He turned toward the stairs, but the two attackers apprehended him before he could take more than three steps. The one who had opened the door punched him in the gut without hesitation. Reynaud doubled over from the pain.

“I’m afraid I must insist,” the thug said, his tone cold.

Reynaud took a few deep breaths then snatched his arms away from his captives. He threw a quick elbow back into the face of the person on his right. As Reynaud adjusted himself to swing on the other guy, he was met with another punch to the stomach and a well-connected uppercut. Dazed by the blows, Reynaud landed hard on the polished marble floor beside the thug he had incapacitated. His assailant stood over him, smirking.

“The boss has been the only one to see the Madame in years. I think he will be very interested to know how you even knew that she was here.”

The two men pulled Reynaud to his feet again, dragging him away from the staircase. A vase of flowers on a pedestal caught his eye as they turned him down a hallway. Reynaud yanked his arms from his captors, grabbed the vase and swung it at the guy on his right. The man ducked and Reynaud’s momentum took him full circle, hitting the other assailant across the head. The container shattered, falling in pieces to the floor, along with the attacker. Quickly, Reynaud thrust his knee up into the other guy’s jaw before he could regain his upright position.

Reynaud took off at a run, leaving the fallen men behind. As he passed the first guy that had attacked him, he had to kick him in the head as he tried to get him, then continued on, taking the steps two at a time. Following his instincts, Reynaud burst into a bedroom at the end of the hall, locking the door behind him. A swift scan showed the suite was empty. He paused to catch his breath then entered the inner room and slipped inside.

Madame Cousteau lay in the bed at the far side of the room. The light of day shone through the windows, showing him that she looked as lovely as he remembered her. As he stared at Madame in awe, she turned his way and smiled.

“I knew you’d come,” she said, her voice soft but not frail or strained.

She extended her hand in invitation. He rushed across the room to a chair, pulled it to her bedside and accepted it.

“I have missed you so much, Reynaud. I am so sorry that you had to suffer your banishment when you were an innocent. As we were conjuring you into the dog, my heart cried, even as I held the tears back. I was so fixed on you at the time that I could see what really happened in your mind’s eye as you thought about it. Please forgive me for my part, even when I knew the truth.”

He kissed her hand and held it to his face. “I never blamed you, Madame. There is nothing to forgive.”

The elder let out a relieved sigh. “There is much for us to discuss, Reynaud. Please listen. A lot has happened since you have been away. The land has suffered very much in the last ten years. There was a great flood that destroyed our home.”

“Yes, I know. I’ve seen it,” he mentioned sadly.

“It was a heartbreaking and distressing time. Isabelle tried to use her gift over the wind to help Marguerite hold back the water, but she was overwhelmed. Isabelle perished with so many of our people and the natives of this land. Marguerite was devastated over her death. She left us behind and moved to another sect to put the tragedy behind her.”

“Marguerite has left New Orleans? Where are the others who sat on the council with you?”

Madame Cousteau choked on her next words. She moved her free hand to her chest as she tried to compose herself. “They are dead, Reynaud. Murdered—and their magic stolen from them. My amulet lets me wield and control the other elements.” She lifted the necklace and continued. “We were all connected, in a sense, through the magic. I feel it in my soul. I know it to be true,” she sobbed.

He did not know the others like he knew Madame Cousteau. She had taken him under her wing and