DELANNOY STARED AT himself in the bedroom mirror. He barely recognized the man staring back. He was beyond tired, of course, having lost a night's sleep. And he was essentially still in a state of shock, still unable to fathom what had taken place. He was like a fighter who had taken several punches in such rapid succession that he hadn't yet realized he should fall down.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1E8vfGBoli
But he was ready to fall down now. The last blow had come thirty minutes ago, a call from the man himself, the Minister of Justice and Liberty. Delannoy had been relieved of his duties. Not demoted. Not suspended. Not placed on administrative leave. Fired. Gone. Au revoir.
He fingered his cufflinks out of his shirt and pulled at his tie. His career was in ashes now. And that might be the least of his worries. The DCRI was all over Josette and Coralie, interrogating them separately and probing for inconsistencies. What would they say? Would they put this on Delannoy? It would make sense. He could deny things all he wished, but it might be two against one. If each guard (separately) broke down and confessed to trying to murder Mischa Barton, and if each of them said the directive came from the top, Delannoy's denials wouldn't be convincing.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflc5tOIORh
Delannoy froze as he felt something change in the bedroom. Something intangible, an adjustment in the temperature or something....325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVN0iIezPe
He whipped around and saw the man. He hadn't heard him. How had he.....325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfX5qzNNhb3
"I won't say anything," Delannoy said to the man. "I can keep a....."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnFv6OysLT
Delannoy didn't complete his sentence. He didn't draw another breath. The bullet between his eyes saw to that. The impact sent him back against the chest of drawers. The last thing he saw was a small insect crawling across the ceiling. The last thing he felt was the release of his bowels. The last thing he thought was: I can't believe she beat me, I can't believe Mischa Barton won.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGUbnD83kp
