Paris After Dark Read Free

tresses once more. Instead, Gabriel released her. She scurried away. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flashlight. Not that he needed it to see, but he had no doubt she did. “The catacombs are closed. You want to tell me what you’re doing down here?”
    Her soft Asian eyes narrowed as she carefully took in his appearance. The woman wasn’t as young as he’d initially thought. Mid to late thirties if he had to guess. The press of her warm lithe body had thrown him off. He was glad to be wrong. Time seasoned a woman. Though it had little meaning to creatures such as himself. Gabriel kept still, trying to look harmless, though he was anything but.
    She opened her mouth to reply, but stopped. He could tell by her expression that she was trying to come up with a plausible story for her presence. Smart and beautiful. “Do you work here?” she asked, attempting to commandeer the conversation. This was a woman used to being in charge.
    Gabriel’s lips quirked. “Why else would I be here?” It wasn’t like she knew this was the entrance to the Otherworld. Was she simply a tourist trying to sneak in to the catacombs after dark? There were plenty who tried and succeeded. Not all got out to tell of their adventures.
    “I was attacked by a man. He came down here.” She ran a trembling hand through her hair.
    He arched a brow. “And you followed him?” Gabriel corrected his earlier assessment of her. The woman was clearly insane.
    “He took something of mine,” she said softly. “I want it back.” She glanced around the cavern, her gaze hopping from skull to skull. “Did you happen to see anyone else down here?”
    “No.” He shook his head. “Only you.” Gabriel watched her scan the area. She didn’t miss much. He rarely met humans who paid close attention to their surroundings. That’s what made them such easy prey. “What did he take, miss? Miss … ?”
    “Rachel Chang. And you are?” she asked, avoiding his question.
    She was good at changing conversational direction. He’d give her that. “My name is Gabriel Dumont.”
    “Can I see your eyes, Mr Dumont?” she asked, taking another step back.
    Gabriel blinked at her question, then slowly raised the flashlight beam to his face.
    “They’re blue,” Rachel said, then visibly relaxed.
    He frowned. “I know. Is that a problem?”
    Rachel waved the question away. “I need to notify the police. There’s been a murder.”
    “I thought you said you were attacked and robbed,” he said, feeling suddenly uneasy.
    “I was. The man who attacked me killed a woman.”
    Gabriel ran a hand over his face. So much for spending a quiet evening at home. “Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?”
    She groaned in frustration. “We don’t have time. We have to get back to the scene.”
    “At least tell me what he took.”
    “My St Michael’s medal.”
    That hadn’t been the answer Gabriel expected. Diamonds, yes. Gold maybe. But not a worthless medal. “They are easy to obtain. Allow me to get you another.”
    “Thanks, but it wouldn’t be the same.” Rachel forced herself to concentrate on getting out of the catacombs. She was sure Gabriel hadn’t been the man who’d attacked her, but the place was making her uneasy. She rolled her shoulders, but the sensation of being watched didn’t go away. The killer was nearby. Maybe he was waiting for an opportunity to attack Gabriel. She wasn’t going to be responsible for another death tonight.
    “Let’s get out of here,” she said.
    “Right this way, madam.” He motioned for her to go ahead of him.
    “After you,” she said.
    Rachel was huffing from climbing the stairs by the time they reached street level. Gabriel wasn’t even out of breath. She stared at him, getting a better look now that they were under a street light. Gabriel’s raven-coloured hair framed a boxer’s face. His features were several fights past handsome, but strangely intriguing. Lines bracketed his blue eyes, but she