Walking The Edge: A Romantic Suspense/Espionage Thriller (Corpus Brides Trilogy Book 1) (25 page)

This is what my existence has been reduced to.
He’d have to plough on every day he opened his eyes in the morning.

*

Outside, Morgane stood on the steps leading to the
commissariat
. Had it been only a month ago that she had stood here without any idea who she was?

“
Maman, qu’est-ce qu’on fait ici?
” the boy with her asked.

She turned to him, and as it happened every time she saw her son, her throat closed, her heart swelling close to bursting in her chest.
Damn, bloody emotions
. They’d get the better of her one day.

“There’s someone here I need to see, and I want you to meet him, too,” she replied in the French she was slowly trying aloud now she had Seth to correct her occasionally incorrect pronunciation. “Come,” she said as she tugged on his hand.

He sighed audibly, and she stifled a laugh.
Teenagers
. She shook her head.

The inside of the building teemed with as much activity as a beehive. Going up to the front desk, she met the same young officer who had greeted her on her first visit.

He didn’t seem to recognize her, and she couldn’t blame him, really. She’d changed a lot in the past few weeks, looking for all intent now like a serious and responsible case officer, and not like a woman with a borderline crazy streak in her, on a quest for something she couldn’t name.

Today, her quest
had
a name—Gerard Besson.

She stood on the verge of asking the desk officer for the
commissaire
when a voice resounded close to them.

“Is it really you?”

She peeked up into Rashid’s stricken face. Damn it, the man looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“What name did you know me by?” she asked teasingly, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

He shook his head and laughed, then he reached out and hugged her to him.

“We thought you were—” He stopped speaking abruptly, and turned his gaze towards Seth.

“Dead.” She finished for him. “I thought I was a goner, too.”

He turned his keen eyes on her. “As much as I want to hear the whole story, I suppose you’re here to see him.”

There, the sudden, freezing panic taking hold of her body while her brain shifted gears into overdrive.

“He’s here?” she finally managed to croak.

Rashid nodded. “Yeah, he’s in. Come on.” He turned towards the interior of the station, then abruptly stopped and faced her.

She caught herself a second before bumping into him.

“Why are you here?” he asked.

She heard the concern in his question.
Don’t fuck with my friend.
She heard the warning as clearly as if he’d said the words aloud.

Don’t worry
, she grew tempted to say.
I intend to fuck
him
, not fuck with his mind
. But she didn’t. Not the time to goad or make jokes.

“Rashid.” She started to explain, unable to find the words. She shook her head and tried again. “I’m not here to mess him up any further. I just want a chance to make things right.”

The ball will be in his court, though
, she didn’t add.

He seemed to ponder her reply, and then he nodded. “And who’s this with you?”

She placed her hands on Seth’s shoulders. “My son.”

His eyes grew wide, but he didn’t make any comment. “Come on.”

He led her to Gerard’s closed office door and knocked twice on the panel in rapid succession.

“Rashid, not now,” Gerard exclaimed from the other side. His voice sounded far away.

Rashid knocked again and pushed the door open.

“Gerard,” he called from the doorway.

*

Gerard turned to face his friend. Couldn’t a man get some peace and quiet when he needed it? “What?”

“Someone here to see you.”

Why did Rashid sport such a silly grin? Gerard wasn’t in the mood to see anyone—

He caught himself when the big man moved aside and revealed who stood behind him.

It can’t be her...

She remained there, staring at him for a long time, without saying a word. Dressed in a dark blue, tailored suit that brought out the colour of her eyes, she radiated quiet confidence and subtle authority. She looked different, but at the same time, the same.

With small, hesitant steps, she walked into the office and closed the door.

He found himself going to her.

When he got close enough, she put her hand out.

“Morgane Marie Catherine Van Heerden,” she said.

For a second, he faltered. Could this be someone else...?

“My birth name,” she added. “Not a moniker. Not an alias.”

So she had found out her real identity, and if she was alive, then the
Corpus
had no plans to kill her.

Lightness like he’d never thought existed descended upon him, lifting the heavy weight that had pressed upon his whole being in the past weeks. He smiled, the curl of his lips easy and naturally touching his features as he shook her outstretched hand.

“Gerard Emmanuel Besson,” he said.
First official introduction
, he couldn’t help but think.
New beginnings...

“Pleasure to meet you.” She paused. “Again.”

She smiled, and then she was in his arms, her lips on his, kissing him like he’d dreamed of, ever since the day she had been removed from his life.

*

Morgane couldn’t believe she had finally reached here. With him. Where she belonged.

How good it felt. How right. His kiss brought her to life, and she revelled in the strength of his arms around her. Strength that became hers. Arms that would welcome her in their embrace any time.

Because he loved her. And she loved him equally in return.

She broke free, pressed her forehead against his. Their breaths came out heavy, and they clung to each other as if neither wanted to let go for fear the other would vanish. She panted, her heart hammering as dozens of images flashed in her mind.

So much to say; so much to explain. But one thing remained even more important.

“There’s someone I want you to meet,” she said as she took his hand, opened the door, and led him out of the room.

They went out to the open-plan office, to Rashid’s desk. Gerard’s step faltered when he saw the young boy chatting with his right-hand man.

They stopped at the table.

“Gerard, I’d like you to meet Seth.”

“Your son,” he said. “You found him.”

Morgane saw joy on his face, and she knew she’d carry this image with her until she died. Her gaze sought his, and she lost herself in those aqua depths, the memory of which had flickered her dormant memory to life and sent her on the path to remembering.

With him, in this city, she had found her answers. She had also found herself and everything that made her whole. She looked over at her son, then back at Gerard.

“And now I’ve found you, too,” she said as she reached up and kissed the man she loved.

Author’s Note

Dear Reader,

It’s been a labour of love to get the
Corpus Brides
trilogy finally up on its feet and ready to meet the world. There have been missed attempts over the years; times when I thought these women would get to meet with an audience...but things don’t always happen as we wish them to.

Though they do happen for a reason. I sincerely believe I have grown as an author and as a person since first conceiving the idea of Amelia’s amnesia back in 2007. As it inevitably happens with me, once I meet a character, I always find others in his/her entourage to write about—and this is how the characters of Rayne and Anastasiya have come into being. You haven’t met them yet; theirs are Books 2 & 3, respectively.
Corpus
thus became a series, one that has been a journey fraught with ups and downs as I tried to find a home for these unconventional heroines.

Many would say the Corpus Brides walk a fine line—they are not the wholesome, easygoing, happy/carefree women I usually write about in my stories. But don’t we all have a darker side inside us? Mine came out through the expression of these characters, in showing their lives and their quest for love...because everyone needs love. I wanted to do this series justice, and also do my loyal readers and
Corpus
fans justice, too.

Which is why this series is now coming to you directly from me, and not through a publisher. My first foray into self-publishing—I hope you’ll join me on this journey with Amelia, Rayne, and Anastasiya. You won’t have long to wait between these stories; hopefully, each one will be releasing within one month of the other. Each book stands alone, but there’s an overall arc connecting all three in the trilogy that has the
Corpus
agency at its heart.

I hope you have/will enjoy
Walking The Edge
and also the whole series. All three stories are close to my heart and they have been a joy to imagine, write, and then deliver to you, dear reader. As always, I would love to hear your feedback (email me anytime at
[email protected]
) and your ratings & reviews are always welcome and much appreciated.

From Mauritius with love,

Zee Monodee

Acknowledgements

There are so many people who have contributed over the years to make the
Corpus Brides
what they are.

My father, firstly, because in a world where I was merely supposed to look pretty and accomplished with the goal of nabbing a ‘suitable’ husband, he let me veer to the fringe and always encouraged me to seek my dream and my self-fulfilment.

Then but no less, my husband, for being the one who told me to go live my dream and not wait for ‘one day’, because ‘one day’ is right now and is an opportunity we must grasp. Thank you for accepting, with an indulgent smile, to have a wife who mostly lives in the clouds while the house is overtaken by dust bunnies, and also for proofing all the action and the firearms info in the books, because your wife is a total airhead when it comes to these matters.

To my boy – my little big man, for your lovely smile and contagious good cheer. You make the world a brighter place, even if I do have to grit my teeth over your antics at least once a day.

My bestie and soul sister – where would I be without you, Natalie G. Owens? This series is coming to life all thanks to you, because you gave me the avenue to accomplish this task. Your daily messages and brightness are a ray of sunshine in my life. I couldn’t have wished for a better sister in the whole universe!

To my beta readers and everyone who’s helped, in one way or the other, with the conception and delivery of these books, and everyone who’s helped contribute, by near or by far, to the makings of this story. Elizabeth Morgan & Nana Prah – thank you for your feedback. Cait Reynolds and Britt Behm – you were always there through the numerous first drafts on this story over the years. Chicki Brown, Sandy Marshall, Carole Gill, Lynn Spangler, Rae Lori – thank you for sticking by all my ramblings before this took shape. And double thanks to Rae Lori for all the fun she provided while we spent all our free time imagining actor Thomas Kretschmann as Gerard Besson! Linda Kay Zais – you’ve been the biggest and staunchest
Corpus
supporter over the years; this one’s for you! SK Whiteside – you’ve always cheered for this series. Becky Dampier and Mary Harris - thanks for getting behind this series since the day you laid eyes on it.

And to anyone else I might’ve forgotten to list –
sorry!
– a big thank you! (Please point out if I forgot; I promise to pay express apologies and mention to you in my next book!)

Thank you, Google, for all the info and especially your Earth plug-in, which allowed me to travel all over Europe for this series!

And finally, a huge thank you to all my readers. Writing is a solitary profession, and we, authors, stick with it because we want to share something with the world—with you—and to know that we manage to bring a smile or a few moments of contentment to at least one of you is a formidable achievement we are so proud of.

For my readers following me from other places and books, thanks for coming along this thrilling ride.

For the reader who picked up this book and just discovered that I exist—
Hello!
—thank you for taking a chance on me.