“Jonathan, I must speak with you.” Claudia stepped in front of me, a silent demand to be heard. “I’m afraid Eden is in danger. The unpleasantness she mentioned has followed her here.”
I moved beside her and watched Jonathan arch a perfectly sculpted brow. “Danger?” He grinned slowly. “How ominous that sounds. Whoever would harm such a delicious creature?”
“You,” she said.
“Me?” His face darkened and twitched with affront and I caught a glimpse of the killer he tried to hide. “I can assure you I would never harm a woman, and certainly not this one.”
“Not you personally, but through your association with a certain individual.” Claudia’s voice rose, projecting to those hovering around us.
He frowned, and his gaze moved over those people in a silent command to go about their business. “Perhaps we should move this conversation elsewhere,” he suggested.
Claudia shot me a triumphant grin. “I knew he would help us. I’ll only be a minute, Eden. Jonathan, can you guarantee she’ll be safe while we’re gone?”
I think he wanted to ask who she thought would hurt me, but thought better of it out here. He already knew the answer, anyway. “Of course,” he said. He turned to me. “If anyone accosts you, there are Ell-Rollises posted along the edges of the room. They each have pyre-guns under their jackets and have been ordered to subdue unruly guests.”
Claudia employed Ell-Rollis guards, as well. Had Jonathan given them to her? They could be in league together. After all, I had to wonder why she wanted to talk to him without me. “You two go on,” I said. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to make a quick trip to the ladies’ room.”
Jonathan’s gaze lingered on me for a long while, classical music floating around us like a gentle breeze, before he led Claudia away. When they disappeared in the crowd, I followed the path they had taken. They passed two half-man, half-lizard Ell-Rollises, then Jonathan scanned his fingers into an ID box. A bright blue light enveloped his hand. A door slid open, and I caught a glimpse of light wood, those red and purple columns, and those fuchsia and yellow bookshelves before the door shut, cutting off my view.
I had to get into that room. But how? Secret door? I blinked. Yes! Of course.
In all of Michael’s homes, he had installed a secret door to every room. He wanted to be able to get inside anyplace at anytime, as needed. I bet Jonathan was the same. Men with something to hide, as well as men with something to find, liked unlimited access. Liked watching and listening when others didn’t know they were watching and listening.
Michael could get to any room in his house through a hidden corridor that began in his bedroom. Jonathan would have that, too. I knew it. Felt it. In his bedroom, he would be able to lock himself away for hours, do anything he wanted, no one the wiser.
I didn’t have long before Jonathan and Claudia finished their chat, so I had to act quickly. During one of our phone conversations, Lucius had given me the layout of this house—just in case. Well, just in case had arrived. I knew Jonathan’s bedroom was upstairs, third door on the left. There were probably guards upstairs, so I’d have to be careful.
I’d need a distraction. Nothing overt, just something to draw attention away from the stairs. I spun slowly around, thinking, gazing, studying. An idea hit me and I grinned. When a waiter passed me with a tray of red wine, I claimed two glasses. There, below the steps, was a woman in a sleek white dress, speaking with several men. Her hair was salon red, her skin sun-kissed, her makeup perfectly applied. She’d obviously spent hours preparing for this event.
Determined, I strode toward her. The different layers of scarves I wore danced at my ankles. Another female passed the group just in front of me, and she was holding her own glass of wine. When I reached her, I tripped her and “accidentally” tripped myself, spilling both of my wineglasses. Both women screamed as red liquid cascaded over their hair, their clothes.
The entire room seemed to turn toward them, intent on finding out what had happened. “Towels,” I said. Several others began muttering about towels. “I’ll get them towels.” Without another word, I slunk up the staircase as quickly as possible.
No one tried to stop me. When I reached the top, I meshed myself behind the wall and into a shadowed corner. Just beyond, I could hear footsteps pacing back and forth. One…two sets, I realized.
I didn’t have time to spirit-walk. Didn’t have time to learn their nuances and sneak around them. Determined, I reached up to remove my hairpins—but I paused, dropped my hands to my sides. Killing them wasn’t necessary, and I didn’t want blood on my dress. I quietly palmed the miniature pyre-gun strapped to my thigh and programmed it to stun. My adrenaline spiked—even as my feet ached. Damn heels.
Say hello, boys, I thought, leaping into action, racing straight for them, not even pretending to be lost. My hair swished back and forth down my back. Immediately I saw that both Ell-Rollises were holding pyre-guns. They were startled to see me and raised those guns to shoot. But they paused when they realized I was a woman, and their scaled, yellow faces darkened with confusion. That pause cost them.
I fired two shots in quick succession. A stream of blue light erupted, nailing one. The second stream slammed into the other. They froze in place, where they’d be locked in stun for hours, unable to move. But I couldn’t allow them to later tell Jonathan what they’d seen, so I fed them the hallucinogens. They wouldn’t know what was real, what wasn’t. They might even be blamed for stunning themselves. I bypassed them and quickly worked at the ID box that locked the bedroom door. A few seconds and two cut wires later, I was inside the room, the door closed behind me. I sheathed my gun.
Before I could revel in my victory, a hand smashed over my mouth and jerked me into a hard, hot body. I recognized Lucius’s decadent scent. Recognized the contours of his chest. I’d felt it that day in the woods, had seen it in my dreams. Still. Grab me, would he? My eyes narrowed. It was time to prove to this man he wouldn’t always get the upper hand with me.
I shoved my elbow into his stomach once, twice. He puffed out a breath, and his hold on me loosened. Spinning around, I kneed him. Hard. I didn’t curb my strength. He dropped to the fluffy white carpet with a pained moan. While he was down, I slammed my fist into his temple, and his head whipped to the side. I didn’t want to break his nose or blacken his eye. Not because I liked him, but because it wouldn’t do for people to know he’d been in a fight.
“Don’t ever grab me again,” I told him quietly.
“Dear God,” he said. There was pain in his eyes, but also respect. And admiration. “You’re in a slinky dress, and you look like a lady. You shouldn’t do that to a man.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes. Always.”
“Good to know.” He lumbered to his feet and massaged his balls. “Don’t ever hurt the boys again. I get vicious when they’re threatened.”
I rolled my eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“Same thing you are, I’m sure, and there’s no time to waste. This way.” He grabbed my hand—I didn’t hurt him this time—and led me to a mural of naked, frolicking couples. He reached out, caressing his fingers between a redhead’s splayed legs.
“What are you—”
The mural parted, revealing a dark entryway. I almost clapped in excitement. I’d been right about the corridor! Lucius tossed a grin (still a little pained) over his shoulder before tugging me inside. The door closed, and total darkness surrounded us. Total silence.
Lucius never slowed as we descended a staircase.
“I hope you know where you’re going.” My words echoed through the small, cramped space.