She led him over to the ambulances, where they found Rose and Pilar, the former still clinging to the latter’s hand.

“Papa!” She launched herself at him. He knelt and held her close, whispering against her hair, then held her away from him and examined her.

“The medic says she’s fine,” Pilar offered.

“She doesn’t have a scratch.” He looked up, bewildered. “How? I thought you were trapped toward the rear of the hall. And there were…” He swallowed. “Gunshots.”

“Where’s the guy?” Loup asked Pilar.

She pointed to a figure on a stretcher, a policeman standing guard. “Over there.”

“That’s your shooter, sir,” Loup said to Danielson. “He shot at me and missed, and Pilar shot him in the arm. I knocked him out and threw him out the window, then we went out the window after him. Looks like they’ve got him in custody now.”

He blinked slowly, glancing back at the château. Smoke was pouring out the second-story windows, vying with thick streams of water now that the fire engines were in place. “You… jumped?”

“Loup jumped,” Pilar clarified. “She caught us.”

He blinked again. “And you… shot that man?”

“Yeah. Yes.” She shivered. “I did.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

“You’re—” Pilar startled and touched her earpiece. “Henry? Are you okay? Yeah, fine. Rose is fine. Loup, too. She lost her radio. We’re over by the ambulances with Mr. Danielson. Okay.” She nodded at Hugh Danielson. “You should get checked out by the medics, sir.”

“Right.” He limped away, dazed, his daughter clutching his hand.

“Shit.” Loup leaned against the side of an ambulance, feeling the bone-jarring ache of her hard landing and the strain of exertion in every fiber of her body, her throat and lungs smoke-scoured. She regarded the contained chaos of the ongoing rescue mission. “You think after all this they’ll figure it was worthwhile going through with it?”

“I hope to God not.”

“Me too.”

“Loup…”

“I know, I know.” She rolled her aching shoulders. “It was stupid and dangerous. But it was the only way I could think of to distract him and give you a clean shot without endangering the kid. It was dumb, but it worked. Okay?”

“Okay. I don’t want to argue. Not today.” Pilar kissed her, soft and lingering. “Stupid fucking little hero,” she added, tears in her eyes.

Loup smiled at her. “Yeah, well. You too, huh?”

“I guess.”

“Believe me, you are.”

TWENTY-FIVE

There was an investigation and lengthy debriefing in the aftermath of the Danielson affair.

Thanks to heroic efforts all around, there were no fatalities, but there were multiple injuries, many of them serious. The worst was a woman with a crushed rib cage and collapsed lungs, who was still in grave condition.

And, of course, their client had nearly been assassinated.

“This was a disaster of epic proportion,” Magnus said, curt and icy. “How did it happen?”

“Intelligence failure and human error, sir,” Henry Kensington said steadily, his right arm in a sling. “I take full responsibility.”

“Tell me.”

“According to their specs, Château Legaspe’s wiring was thoroughly modernized and brought up to code seven years ago. The specs were provided by the company they contracted to perform the update, and we had no reason to question them.” He looked ill. “But according to the arson investigator, the majority of the old wiring was never actually replaced. The work that was done was largely cosmetic. They were bilked. The place has been a firetrap for years.”

Magnus stared. “You’re telling me the fire was a coincidence?”

“Basically, yes.”

“What about the assassin?”

“He’s not talking, but we’re fairly certain he meant to make his attempt on the ship during the pyrotechnics and get away underwater. He might have succeeded if we hadn’t gotten Dear Papa to agree to botching the effects. The police found an emergency oxygen cylinder in his pocket. It would have bought him fifteen minutes’ time, enough to get to a waiting boat.”

“That could have been intended to prevent smoke inhalation.”

Henry shook his head. “It’s a model designed specifically for underwater emergencies. It’s not fire-safe.”

“And how the hell did he get on that ship?”

He took a deep breath. “Ah… it appears he incapacitated one of the actors earlier in the day and took his place using a forged ID.”

“And no one noticed?”

“No.” Henry looked more ill. “We checked IDs, but we didn’t cross-reference them against the original photos in the dossier. Due to the last-minute changes, the other performers simply assumed he was part of the security team.”

“I see.” Magnus was quiet for a moment. No one in the conference room made a sound. “Henceforth, all venues will be inspected by a qualified electrical engineer contracted by Global Security. All identity checks will include visual cross-referencing.” He waved one hand. “You are dismissed.”

Several dozen men and women rose and hurried gratefully for the door.

“Ms. Herrera!” Magnus called. “I’d like you and Ms. Mendez to stay.”

Pilar glanced at Loup, who shrugged.

“I expect you’ve some idea what this is about,” he said to them when everyone had left, save for Sabine standing sentinel behind him.

“Is it because I didn’t shoot to kill?” Pilar winced. “I choked, I know.”

“No, no.”

“Is it the swearing?” Loup asked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to swear at the kid. Oh, and the other guests. I just forgot in the heat of the moment, you know?”

“No one mentioned the swearing.” Magnus looked bemused. “No. Loup, Pilar… against all odds, your performances were the only bright spot in this godforsaken catastrophe.” His mouth twisted. “It’s the only reason Hugh Danielson isn’t suing us yet.” He beckoned to Sabine, who laid a briefcase on the table and opened it. “He wishes to buy out your contracts and assign you as full-time bodyguards to his daughter.”

Loup looked at the offer. “Whoa! For a million bucks?”

“Euros, yes. Under the terms of your contract, you’d each receive a hundred and twenty-five thousand euros to serve out the remaining eleven months. After that, you’d be free to renegotiate on your own terms.”

“And you’d make a nice profit,” Pilar commented.

“A profit, yes.” Magnus steepled his fingers. “Not as hearty as one might suppose after factoring in months of private training, signing bonuses, generous business expenses, and the political markers called in to get your passports. I will be honest. I am only entertaining this offer because Global failed a client. But the choice is yours.”

“What happens if we pass?” Loup asked. “Do you get sued?”

He hesitated. “It’s possible. But that isn’t your concern. We failed to perform due diligence.” He shrugged. “If Danielson sues us, we will sue Château Legaspe for providing false data and endangering hundreds of people.”

“I told you to make him sign a waiver,” Sabine muttered.

Magnus glanced up. “Yes, you did.”

“That idiocy with the pirate ship.”

“Duly acknowledged, Sabine.” He looked back at them. “Well? Hugh Danielson is a very, very wealthy man. When it came time to renegotiate, I suspect you’d do very well.”

“What do you think?” Pilar asked Loup.

Loup studied the offer again, then set it down. “I think I’m really glad we saved the kid. And I think they’re so glad, they’re forgetting that she couldn’t stand you and didn’t care too much for me before it happened. I’m pretty sure she’d drive us crazy once things got back to normal. And I’m not sure I want to work for a guy so whipped by his kid that he wouldn’t cancel a stupid party over a fucking death threat.” She winced. “Sorry.”

Sabine’s mouth twitched. “You can take the snipe out of the gutter, but you can’t take the gutter out of the snipe,” she murmured. “However, I concur with the sentiment.”

“Are you actually saying you don’t want us to go?” Pilar asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You kinda did,” Loup said. “Okay. We’ll stay.”

Magnus smiled. “I’m very pleased.”

“So what’s next?” Pilar asked. “For us, I mean.”

“For now, you’re at leisure. The same terms apply. Be available at a day’s notice. We’ve a bit of a mess on our hands, so it may be a couple of weeks before you hear from me.” He paused. “I want you to know that you both did an exemplary job. Loup, I know your capabilities make you… different, but I would never have thrust you into that situation, inexperienced as you are, if I’d thought it would come down to your being the last line of defense. You more than rose to the occasion. And, Pilar…”

“I know. I was just supposed to be tending bar.”

“Mr. Lindberg is in a bit of shock,” Sabine said dryly. “You kept your head. You got the job done. We do not call that choking.”

Pilar flushed. “Thanks.”

“You are welcome.”

“You’re being serious, right?”

“Yes. Do not ruin the moment.”

“Okay.”

Back at the Hotel Beau Rivage, they relaxed after the debriefing, rehashing the events of the catastrophic party for the hundredth time since its occurrence.

“So the fire was a coincidence,” Pilar marveled. “That’s crazy, isn’t it?”