you think Seth and I are arrogant, you should meet her husband, Nikolai. Now that is one arrogant son of a bitch,” he added with obvious admiration.
It was one of the longest speeches Diana had ever heard him make. And it was in praise of a man who was even more arrogant than him and Seth.
“Can I trust you to stay here while I’m sleeping?” Jonas narrowed his eyes on her. “Or will I have to tie you up?”
Diana thought he was joking until she saw the lack of humor in his expression. “That won’t be necessary, thank you,” she answered primly. Really, Jonas was starting to make Seth look almost reasonable.
“If anyone’s going to tie Diana up, then I want the pleasure of being the one to do it.”
Diana turned in time to see a grim-faced Seth letting himself into the house through the back door. How long had he been there? Long enough to hear her call him arrogant? Probably. But then, it wasn’t anything she hadn’t said to his face. Several times.
Which meant there was another reason for the grimness of his expression.
She doubted it was their argument the previous night.
But perhaps for the same reason as their argument last night? Jonas.
But that didn’t explain what he was doing back here when he was supposed to be at the pension watching for Eduardo Garcia’s return.
“Trouble?” Jonas had obviously drawn the same conclusion, and no doubt in less time.
“Garcia, or whatever his name is, is dead.”
Diana gave a gasp and raised a hand to her chest, her eyes wide as she stared across the kitchen at Seth. Could he possibly be responsible—
“No, I didn’t kill him,” he bit out as he saw her expression. “Sit down before you fall down,” he instructed her scathingly.
Diana was too shocked to argue as she staggered over to drop down onto one of the kitchen chairs. Because, for a moment, the briefest of moments, she had thought he might have been responsible for killing the other man.
“What happened?” Jonas prompted.
Seth turned away from looking at the pallor of Diana’s face and answered the other man. “About a dozen French police arrived in almost as many cars a couple of hours ago, probably called in by the unhelpful guy on the desk. The neighbors started gathering on the street outside. An ambulance arrived. Then a short time later, a body was brought out. I hung around outside long enough to learn that it was Garcia’s body. He’d had his throat cut. Something that was apparently realized after blood started dripping through the ceiling onto the front desk.”
Both men ignored Diana’s second gasp upon hearing how Garcia had died.
“He came back without us knowing.” Jonas sighed.
“We were mainly watching the front of the building. He must have come in the back.” Seth nodded. “I’m guessing the killer came in the same way.”
“The accomplice who searched Diana’s apartment while she was in England?”
“That would be my take on it.”
“Mine too.” Jonas nodded. “The question is why.”
“Our earlier visit to the pension would have alerted them to the fact Garcia had been made, so maybe he’d outlived his usefulness?”
“Sounds reasonable—”
“Sounds reasonable?”Diana echoed tensely. “There’s nothing reasonable about…about someone slitting a man’s throat.”
Seth turned to look at her. She was still very pale, turquoise eyes appearing enormous against that pallor.
He had slept badly after their argument last night, too tense and frustrated to be able to relax enough to fall sleep. Not only sexually, but with the whole situation of not knowing what the hell was going on. The death of Garcia today had knocked that tension up several notches.
Diana looked as if she was about to be sick, reminding him all too forcefully that this was the second violent death she’d been close to in only a few months. First her husband, and now Garcia. And Seth was more convinced than ever that the two were connected in some way.
“No, there
It was one of the longest speeches Diana had ever heard him make. And it was in praise of a man who was even more arrogant than him and Seth.
“Can I trust you to stay here while I’m sleeping?” Jonas narrowed his eyes on her. “Or will I have to tie you up?”
Diana thought he was joking until she saw the lack of humor in his expression. “That won’t be necessary, thank you,” she answered primly. Really, Jonas was starting to make Seth look almost reasonable.
“If anyone’s going to tie Diana up, then I want the pleasure of being the one to do it.”
Diana turned in time to see a grim-faced Seth letting himself into the house through the back door. How long had he been there? Long enough to hear her call him arrogant? Probably. But then, it wasn’t anything she hadn’t said to his face. Several times.
Which meant there was another reason for the grimness of his expression.
She doubted it was their argument the previous night.
But perhaps for the same reason as their argument last night? Jonas.
But that didn’t explain what he was doing back here when he was supposed to be at the pension watching for Eduardo Garcia’s return.
“Trouble?” Jonas had obviously drawn the same conclusion, and no doubt in less time.
“Garcia, or whatever his name is, is dead.”
Diana gave a gasp and raised a hand to her chest, her eyes wide as she stared across the kitchen at Seth. Could he possibly be responsible—
“No, I didn’t kill him,” he bit out as he saw her expression. “Sit down before you fall down,” he instructed her scathingly.
Diana was too shocked to argue as she staggered over to drop down onto one of the kitchen chairs. Because, for a moment, the briefest of moments, she had thought he might have been responsible for killing the other man.
“What happened?” Jonas prompted.
Seth turned away from looking at the pallor of Diana’s face and answered the other man. “About a dozen French police arrived in almost as many cars a couple of hours ago, probably called in by the unhelpful guy on the desk. The neighbors started gathering on the street outside. An ambulance arrived. Then a short time later, a body was brought out. I hung around outside long enough to learn that it was Garcia’s body. He’d had his throat cut. Something that was apparently realized after blood started dripping through the ceiling onto the front desk.”
Both men ignored Diana’s second gasp upon hearing how Garcia had died.
“He came back without us knowing.” Jonas sighed.
“We were mainly watching the front of the building. He must have come in the back.” Seth nodded. “I’m guessing the killer came in the same way.”
“The accomplice who searched Diana’s apartment while she was in England?”
“That would be my take on it.”
“Mine too.” Jonas nodded. “The question is why.”
“Our earlier visit to the pension would have alerted them to the fact Garcia had been made, so maybe he’d outlived his usefulness?”
“Sounds reasonable—”
“Sounds reasonable?”Diana echoed tensely. “There’s nothing reasonable about…about someone slitting a man’s throat.”
Seth turned to look at her. She was still very pale, turquoise eyes appearing enormous against that pallor.
He had slept badly after their argument last night, too tense and frustrated to be able to relax enough to fall sleep. Not only sexually, but with the whole situation of not knowing what the hell was going on. The death of Garcia today had knocked that tension up several notches.
Diana looked as if she was about to be sick, reminding him all too forcefully that this was the second violent death she’d been close to in only a few months. First her husband, and now Garcia. And Seth was more convinced than ever that the two were connected in some way.
“No, there
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