Destiny

"I sent a car for you," Lesauvage stated.

"I declined. Move on to your next point." A

"I could kill Avery Moreau," Lesauvage threatened.

"And I could get on the next plane out of here." Glancing back over her shoulder, A

"We're going to do this my way," Lesauvage said.

"No," A

Without a word, the old man did. But a faint grin pulled his lips.

A

The other two men ran to help their companion to his feet. They tried to run to their car, but public parking was a long way from rental parking.

A

The phone rang again.

Grabbing the phone, A

"Where," Lesauvage asked, "do you want to meet?"

A

For a short time, Roux let her drive in silence, long enough to get onto the loop around Paris so they could head south. Finally he said, "You realize, of course, that Lesauvage and his men will outnumber you when you reach that destination."

"Yes." A

"What do you plan to do?"

"I don't know," she replied, "exactly." She paused. "Yet. This is still a work in progress."

"You're trusting that Lesauvage won't kill you."

"He won't." A

"Once he has it, he may well kill you. Us."

A

"Both, actually." Roux regarded her. "I'm fascinated by you. I'd like very much to see what you do with Joan's sword."

Me, too, A

"It appears we have a tail," Roux a

"We've had one for the past half hour," A

"We'll not be arriving una

A

Roux gave her a crooked smile. "No. I've seen myself through worse than Corvin Lesauvage."

"You mean Garin?"

Roux studied his hands. "I mean much worse than Lesauvage or Garin." He wouldn't say any more.

A

It didn't matter, though. There would be a lot more waiting with Lesauvage.

A roadside sign a

Pulling off the highway, A

Lesauvage waited on the north side. A sleek black BMW looked like a predatory cat hunkered down between two stalwart Renault Alpines. Only a short distance behind them, a cargo van sat solid and silent. A dozen motorcycles were spread around the cars. They had the whole end of the parking area to themselves.

A

"Yes," she said.

"I see you, Miss Creed," Lesauvage a

The tail car, flanked by two others, pulled in behind A

A

"At this point, Miss Creed," Lesauvage said, "you truly have no choice."

Without replying, A

Roux gripped the suicide handle above his head. "You purchased the optional insurance, didn't you?"

"I never go anywhere without it," A

Lesauvage turned abruptly and waved to the BMW's driver. The man engaged the transmission and squealed backward, sliding out of the protective custody of the two Renaults. In his haste, the driver ran over one of the motorcycles.

A

"Well," Roux said in a calm voice as he released his hold, "I'm sure we wouldn't have enjoyed a more welcome response before this anyway."

Quivering a little inside, knowing that she was laying her life – and Roux's – on the line, A

One of the men wearing motorcycle leathers ran and jumped onto the Terrano's hood. He landed in a kneeling position with a deadly machine pistol in his hands. A

"Don't move!" he shouted in accented English. "Keep your hands on the steering wheel!"

A

"And you, old man," the thug went on, "you put your hands on the dash!"

"Impertinent twit," Roux growled.

For a moment fear ran rampant in A

Lesauvage stepped to the Terrano's side and gazed into the vehicle with a hot-eyed glare. A tense moment passed. A

"Get them out of the car," Lesauvage ordered.

Minutes later, A

You have no business being here, A

But every time she looked at Avery Moreau, sitting shaking and frightened across from her, she knew she couldn't have stayed away.

"You did not bring the charm, Miss Creed." Corvin Lesauvage paced the carpeted rear deck of the van.

A

"What did you hope to accomplish?" Lesauvage demanded.

"You would have killed Avery Moreau if I hadn't come," she said.