I’d always thought of myself as a patient woman. But right now, everything inside me screamed to hurry. Not because I yearned to see Lucius, I assured myself, but because I wanted, at last, to begin helping with this case.
An hour passed. My lips dipped in a frown, and I shifted in my seat again. Why couldn’t the ambassador of alien goodwill live closer to the airport?
I’d read the file on Claudia Chow. She’d been born to privilege. She’d married young—a man also born to privilege. She’d never known a moment’s hardship in her life. When her husband had been alive, the two of them had enjoyed hunting animals and traveling the world.
Now she spent her time fighting for alien rights. That didn’t make sense to me, didn’t seem to fit her background. I was to translate for her at parties, meetings, and any other events she chose to attend. I sighed.
She owned a ranch on the outskirts of the city…a sprawling ranch now visible on the horizon. Thank God. My back straightened, and I grinned suddenly. Happily.
“We’re almost there,” I told Luc, excitement dripping from my tone.
She blinked up at me and licked my hand.
I patted her between the ears. “Be careful around the ambassador. She used to hunt animals. She might still.”
Luc licked me again. She trusted me to keep her safe, and I liked that.
I returned my attention to the ranch. It was red and white, wide and sprawling, with notched wooden posts anchoring the first floor to the second. Armed guards roamed the edges of the property, as well as around the home itself. They weren’t human. They were purebred Ell-Rollises, creatures so thought-dependent they could only follow the dictates of their master.
“You’ve got to show total courage while you’re here, girl,” I said to Luc. “If anyone suggests one of those guards hurt you, they’ll do it without a moment’s thought. So don’t go outside without me.” I traced a hand down my braided ponytail and muttered, “Maybe I should have left you with Michael.” I didn’t want her hurt.
I’d intended to leave her behind. As I’d strode out the front door, however, Luc had bounded behind me, whimpering with every step. I’d been reminded of every time Michael left me behind for a mission—every time I’d cried for him, wanted him to sing me to sleep. I hadn’t been able to do the same to Luc.
Who could have known I’d turn to mush over a dog?
She licked my leg.
With such a fierce companion, I thought dryly, I might not need the modified rifle, silencer, and hollow-point bullets in my bag. Of the two of us, though, I was in more danger than Luc. Michael had told me Ambassador Claudia Chow liked to collect other-worlders. All races. “I bet she’d stuff and mount me if it were legal.”
Agent Luc gave me yet another lick.
Honestly, I despised humans who used other-worlders as trophies. “Ah, look at my alien,” I mimicked with sugary sweetness. And I didn’t care if the driver heard me. I was a pampered princess. A diva. “Isn’t it pretty?” My lips pursed. If Claudia treated me that way…
One of the guards must have notified Claudia of my arrival, because the moment the limousine eased into the long, winding gravel drive, she stepped onto the slatted porch. I studied her. She wore her black hair in a severe twist, had perfectly applied makeup, and her long, elegant body was molded into a conservative black silk suit. I would have put her age at thirty, but I knew she’d just turned forty-six. She was an attractive woman who obviously knew her power and reveled in it.
The car stopped, and my door instantly opened. An Ell-Rollis stepped toward me and extended his hand. “Thank you,” I told him cooly. Game face on. Sweet, air-conditioned air became hot and fragrant with the smells of summer and horses. My nose twitched as I stepped outside.
The Ell-Rollis didn’t speak. He did smile at me, revealing razor-sharp yellow teeth. The smile seemed out of place on his lizardlike features. He must have been ordered to greet me with a welcoming grin.
Agent Luc jumped beside me and sat, my ever-watchful guard. At least she didn’t fall asleep. As if she had heeded my warning, she eyed the Ell-Rollis warily.
With absolutely no expression on her face, Claudia closed the distance between us and folded me in her arms. For show? Most likely. I didn’t welcome the embrace, but I did tolerate it. She stood a few inches shorter than me, forcing her to stretch on her tiptoes when she kissed both of my cheeks.
“Welcome,” she said, her voice cultured, refined. Her eyes were brown, and up close I could see the freckles scattered over her nose.
“Thank you.” I smiled sweetly, not a single hint of falsity. I hoped. “I’m very happy to be here.”
“Let me look at you,” she said, releasing me and stepping away. Her dark gaze drifted over me, slowly taking my measure in a full body once-over. “So much gold. It’s stunning, really.”
Want to check my teeth? Perhaps tag my toe? I gave her a wider grin. “Thank you. That’s nice of you to say.”
“Did someone tinker with your DNA,” she asked innocently, “or are all Rakas as glittery and golden as you?”
“We’re all like this, I’m told.”
“I’m simply eaten up with jealousy. You must look at yourself in the mirror a thousand times a day.”
“Yes.” The answer of a princess.
“We’ll make sure no one tries to de-skin you. I’ll take measures to protect you.” She patted my cheek, just as I sometimes did to my dog. “You and I are going to get along famously, I’m sure. Giles,” she called over her shoulder. She even clapped her hands together. “Take Miss Black’s bags to the Yellow Room.” To me, she added, “Yellow will blend so nicely with your golden skin.”
“I won’t need my bags taken to the Yellow Room. I have an apartment in the city.”
“Nonsense. I want you to stay here. No reason for you to travel back and forth.”
Oh, no, no. “I prefer to stay at my own place. That’s one of the reasons I moved away from my father.”
Claudia’s brown gaze sharpened, and she inched toward me in a subtle I-am-in-command-here pose. “I prefer to have you here. With your dog, of course. It’s welcome to stay, as well, and will have more room to run and play here.”
“I’m sorry, but I must insist—”
“And I must insist that you stay.” Her eyes gleamed with determination.
“That was not part of our arrangement,” I said, striving to maintain my calm. Should I throw a fit?
“I’ve now made it a part of our arrangement. If that’s a problem…”
Then she would find another interpreter. I’d lose my cover. Why such insistence that I stay? I wondered, fists tightening. Still, I gnashed my jaw and didn’t offer another argument. Studying the apartment, oiling the secret door, had been for nothing. Great. “The Yellow Room sounds lovely.”
The moment I spoke, her expression softened, and she grinned happily. Her teeth were white, perfectly straight. “Wonderful. I knew we’d get along. Giles,” she called again.
A tuxedo-clad Genesi appeared behind her. His race possessed wrinkled gray skin that folded over in layers. I’d killed a Genesi once. A female. She’d emitted some sort of humming energy that tinkled like bells as she fought me. Those bells had grown in volume and had nearly burst my eardrums by the time I finished her off.
Without looking me in the eyes, the Genesi walked stiffly past me and to the car, hefted my bags in his arms, then pivoted on his heel. I allowed this without protest. Most of my weapons were hidden securely in everyday toiletry items. Even if he searched my things for hours, he’d never find anything out of the ordinary.