Free The Billionaire’s Valiant Rescue by Nic Saint Page B

you?”
    She clasped her purse closer to her body, and didn’t respond. Of course. Work for a billionaire and people start to think you’re loaded with the stuff yourself.
    “No, I don’t,” she quickly lied.
    “I saw you leave his house. Look, I just want to warn you.”
    “Leave me alone!” she trilled with tremulous voice. “Or-or I’ll scream!”
    “Don’t be scared, Madame . I just want to do what’s right. Tonight, some very bad people are going to break into Jack Carter’s house to kidnap a woman.”
    At this, Magali gasped in horror. “Kidnap!”
    “Yes, kidnap,” the man repeated patiently.
    They’d stopped at the corner, and since the man kept a respectable distance, Magali felt her apprehension fade, only to be replaced by a different emotion altogether. Anger. “What’s all this nonsense? What are you talking about? Who are you?”
    “Look, it doesn’t matter who I am, and if you tell the police, I’ll deny everything. Just make sure Jack and the Lorgnasse girl are out of the house.” His face turned grim. “These people... They’re planning to murder Mr Carter and string him up from the highest tree.”

Chapter 18

    Jack entered the room just when I was testing the mattress.
    “Is it to your liking, Mademoiselle Harper?” he grinned.
    I pursed my lips. “It will do for now, Monsieur . Though I’ll have you know I’ve experienced better.” And what was up with all the Disney figurines? I’d seen them scattered all around the house, the bigger ones safely locked inside glass display cases. They reminded me of that first night in Brussels, when he’d been wearing those funky Donald pajamas…
    I tossed my hair and gave him a seductive look. I’d just emerged from the shower and felt reinvigorated. Standing under the hot jets for what felt like hours, the fatigue that seemed to have settled in my bones had slowly dissipated to give way to a feeling of utter relaxation.
    My hair was still wet, and I was only dressed in a towel, and for a moment I played with the idea of dropping the flimsy excuse of a garment and revealing myself to Jack. The only thing stopping me was Jack’s theory that I might have a husband somewhere, even children perhaps.
    Jack swallowed as he let his hot gaze rake my body. The tingling sensation I always felt in his presence quickly returned, and I was on the verge of throwing myself into his arms, damn the consequences, when he announced, “The inspector is here. He’s waiting downstairs for you to join us.”
    “Oh. Right. I’m sorry. I’ll be down in just a second.”
    He lingered by the door. “Take your time.” Then, after a last look of longing, he turned away and softly closed the door behind him.
    I’d completely forgotten about the inspector Jack had contacted. A close friend of the family, the man had promised to take us over to the Rue Notaire mentioned in the GSM found on my person to see if it didn’t jog a memory.
    The theory was that whoever had abducted me had held me there for a while, before transporting me across the border into Belgium.
    Why they would take me from Paris to Brussels was one of the many mysteries confronting us.
    I quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and shirt Magali had laid out for me, and slipped into a sweater. Paris was even colder than Brussels today, and I still wasn’t feeling too well, my head still intermittently hurting from the hit I’d taken.
    Joining Jack and a small man with a drooping mustache in the kitchen, I introduced myself as Melanie Harper for lack of a better name, and the man gave me a pleasant smile.
    “Jacques Gustave Formelle, Mademoiselle Harper. I’ll be helping you to discover the truth behind your disappearance.”
    “Jacques is a friend of the family,” explained Jack. “He’s actually my godfather.”
    “Yes. Jack’s father and I are childhood friends. He even named his son after me.”
    Jack laughed. “Nice try, Jacques.”
    The police inspector held up his hands. “The