Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 139934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 700(@200wpm)___ 560(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 700(@200wpm)___ 560(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Timur poured a drink for Christophe and handed it to him. “Take Ambroise somewhere safe for a few days. I’ll let you know when this is over. It should be very soon.”
“Let me help.”
“Not this time. Evangeline needs family. I can’t worry about keeping her brothers safe while I’m trying to keep her alive.”
Christophe drank the small finger of scotch and then placed the glass carefully on the table beside the decanter. “There must be some way I can help.”
Timur indicated the chairs on either side of the stone hearth. Christophe sat across from him, leaning toward him, determination on his face.
“I want you to really think about what you know about your uncle Gilbert. It wasn’t a smart move for him to challenge me. He wasn’t drunk. It seemed more of an act of desperation.”
Christophe frowned and shook his head. “I swear, I have no idea why that man would be that stupid.”
Gilbert’s seemingly ridiculous challenge nagged at Timur in the same way Anton Lipin deviating from his orders bothered him. It was clear that Christophe couldn’t shed any light on either strange incident. He switched subjects.
“Tell me about your father’s and uncle’s friends.”
Christophe shook his head. “They aren’t friendly. No one goes to our home there, and other than working for Charisse and Armande, and they’re packing and sending out the boxes through the mail so they aren’t really around anyone, they have little contact with others. I know they were able to get Dion Lenoux a job with Armande in the factory. Sometimes they’ll do that, but it’s rare.”
Timur tried to think how he could word the question to get Christophe to give an answer that he needed. “Who manages the perfume factory?”
“Armande is in charge of everything business. He gets the accounts and oversees everything in the factory. Charisse is very picky about how things look, so Armande makes certain that every box of soap and perfumes going out looks exactly how she wants it to look. Armande oversees all of that.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve known both of them for years. Charisse is different. She lives in a world of scents. She grows flowers, hybrids, you know, and comes up with all sorts of products that sell like hotcakes. She would stay in her greenhouse or the lab forever if she could. Especially since the truth about their mother came out. Her mother was involved with my grandfather and actually was as mad as a hatter. Seriously. She was a serial killer. Charisse just kind of disappeared into her work, and Armande took over running things.”
“Do they need money?”
“Not when I worked there. I was a kid when I worked there, and it wasn’t for me, but that’s how I know the workings of the factory. I also know a lot of the people who work for Charisse and Armande.”
“If opium was being packaged in the boxes being sent out, would either or both of them know about it?”
“No way would Charisse know unless she happened to go into the factory for some reason when they were packaging that shit. Then, knowing her, she’d probably zero in on the smell right in the middle of all those other smells. She never goes there anyway because there are too many people. She’s really isolated herself.”
“Would Armande package opium with the perfumes and soaps and allow that to be distributed worldwide? In other words, would he be part of your father’s drug deals?”
Christophe shook his head and then stopped. “If Charisse was threatened, then yes, he’d do whatever it took to protect her.”
Timur stood up. “Why didn’t you ask Joshua for a job? He’s your uncle.”
“Two reasons. I want to get to know Evangeline. Working for her husband seemed the perfect opportunity. And Joshua took over Rafe Cordeau’s territory when he disappeared. I didn’t want any part of that.”
“I see.” He gestured toward the door. “Take Ambroise and find a safe place to hole up for a couple of days, until you get a text from Fyodor stating it’s safe to come here. We’ll talk about jobs then. Don’t ask questions and don’t jump to conclusions. Above all else, don’t talk to your father or uncle. Make yourself scarce.”
Christophe nodded, and Timur left him to find Fyodor. It was nearly five in the morning and he’d been away from Ashe far too long. He was going through withdrawal. Besides, when he felt like shit, which he did after questioning Evangeline’s brothers, he wanted to hold her. To feel like he wasn’t covered in filth.
Fyodor gestured toward a chair when he walked in. He closed the door behind him and gratefully sank down onto the leather. There were two bottles of ice-cold water sitting on the small end table beside the chair. He picked one up and removed the lid.