Read Online The Cherbourg Jewels by Jenni Wiltz - Free Book Online Page B

the dark sedan, forcing it up onto the sidewalk.  The sedan swerved unsteadily to avoid hitting a lamppost and then a mailbox.  Sébastien turned the wheel once more, using the weight and power of his vehicle to keep the black sedan on the sidewalk. 
    The sedan charged straight ahead.  Unable to change directions, it slammed into a telephone pole.  Sébastien jerked the wheel to the left and pulled the e-brake again, turning the car so they faced the sedan head-on. 
    Smoke plumed from the crumpled hood .  M ultiple cracks cris-crossed the windshield. Ella popped up from her crouch and stared, open-mouthed, at what Sébastien had managed to do.  Her heart felt as if it were permanently lodged in her throat.  She felt a ringing in her ears and it took her a moment to realize it was her pulse, racing out of control.  We almost died , she thought.  They could have killed us. 
    “What do we do now?” she asked, more than half afraid of the answer.
    He kept his eyes fixed on the other vehicle.  “I want to see who gets out of that car.”
    “We need to get out of here,” she whispered.  “This isn’t right.”
    “I want to know who did this.”
    “What if they come out of the car still shooting?  Sébastien, I’m scared.” 
    She reached out to grip his arm, hoping her touch could communicate what she was still too frightened to say.  I don’t want to die , she thought.
    She turned to face him, hoping she could see some sign of humanity looking back at her, some sign that he was as shaken as she was.  He couldn’t think this is all in a day’s work, could he?  And then another, more chilling thought struck her.  Ella gulped to force her heart out of her throat.  “Sébastien, what if they’re dead?  What if we killed someone?”
    “ You didn’t kill anyone . ”
    “You know what I mean . ”   She refused to allow him to retreat behind that gruff exterior, especially now when they might be facing the worst kind of trouble.  “We have to call the cops.  Someone might need an ambulance.”
    “There’s only one way to find out,” he said, unbuckling his seat belt.
    “Sébastien, wait!”
    He put out a hand and pressed it to her chest.  “No,” he said, finally facing her.  She took one look at his face and stopped short. 
    The wildness in his eyes was frightening to see.  They had turned from a clear olive into a dark forest green, swirling with emotion.  His face took on a snarl that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a wolf.  Curled lips bared the points of his canine teeth, shining in the moonlight.  Anyone who looked at him would realize he was in the throes of a deep and violent fury. 
    She opened her mouth to say his name but nothing came out. 
    His hand rested in the concave between her breasts, holding the seat belt against her chest.  “Stay, Ella.” 
    She felt tears prick her eyes.  She wanted to beg him not to go out there, to take her home instead and help her wash the blood from her hands.  But as hard as she tried, the air she forced from her mouth refused to shape either words or sound.  Beneath his hand, her heart beat with the force of a kettle drum.  Its warmth spread through her from the epicenter of his touch. 
    Her right hand slipped up and encircled his, keeping it pressed against her chest.  “Don’t go, Sébastien,” she whispered.  “Please don’t go.”
    He brought his other hand up to caress her face.  She leaned into his touch, wishing she were enough to persuade him to stay.  With her cold cheek resting in his hand, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply.  Then he tilted her face up and pressed his lips to hers. 
    Soft at first, they rested lightly over hers, a comforting presence that was almost enough to transport her outside this car, outside this city, into a place where bullets and death didn’t exist.  Then his lips began to press on hers, pushing them open.  He took her lower lip between his teeth and nipped it