Page 70 of The Saint

The hallway seemed to narrow, but that was just a guess based on the sound of their footsteps changing. Amelia raised her arms out. Her fingertips brushed a wall. She’d expected cinder block or peeling paint, but the surface was smooth and cool to the touch.

Finally, Beth paused. She cracked open a door. A slice of dim light beckoned them out of the darkness, but she didn’t lead them through the threshold. “This is your last opportunity to leave unscathed, Amelia.” Beth shifted in front of the door and blocked the light as if protecting them from untold horrors. “We can head out. We’ll go have a good meal and too many drinks. You can toast Hailey and celebrate what you knew of her—”

“Open the damn door, Beth. I’m not changing my mind.”

Camden snickered.

“To be honest,” Beth admitted, “this is what I would have done too.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

They walked into a softly lit corridor. It was nothing she’d expected of the rusty old warehouse, which had been left abandoned to decay. The air wasn’t dank or musty. Surprisingly, it was clean and smelled faintly of sandalwood.

The corridor opened into a large area with ceilings that reached to the top of the three-story building. Gothic chandeliers hung throughout the large space. Well-stocked shelves of liquor were arranged in a striking array. Its row of expensive bottles perched regally in front of mirrors and lorded over an ornately carved bar that could easily seat fifty people along its expanse.

“Whoa,” Camden murmured under his breath.

Amelia’s sentiments exactly.

Beth flipped two concealed light switches. Running lights illuminated a portion of the bar and the chandeliers.Whoa again.The gorgeous room was breathtaking and immense, but despite its size, the space was intimate and protective, as though the deepest of secrets could be shared within its walls. Dark, thick curtains draped the walls and flanked oil paintings hung against the stately wood paneling, fueling its expensive, exclusive—illicit—vibe.

Beth waited until they’d soaked up the room then directed them. “We’ll go this way.”

Their footsteps echoed as they crossed the cavernous space. To fully appreciate their surroundings would’ve taken hours.

“What is this place?” Amelia tried to take it all in while keeping pace with Beth. “Like a gothic country club?”

“Something like that.”

Her mind sifted through the possibilities and landed on black-market art auctions. The Hailey who Amelia knew would never attend illegal sales. But the CIA version of Hailey might.If that was the case, Beth had been wrong. A black-market art sale wouldn’t be scandalous enough to wreck her opinion of her sister.

They reached the opposite corner of the empty space and headed into the mouth of another dark hallway. The light faded behind them as Beth surged into the darkness. She moved through the space as though she’d done so a hundred times.

Camden walked by Amelia’s side, his hand resting at the small of her back. She inched closer to him and imagined melting against the large barrel of his chest. He was her safe place, not just because of his size or comforting touch—it was the energy that radiated from him, the chemistry that connected them. She felt they were meant to walk through that space together.

They rounded a corner. A rogue strip of light crawled from under a door. Beth strode up and knocked. This was the point everything would change. Amelia sensed the tension and leaned into Camden. The back of his hand brushed the back of hers, a silent reassurance that she would be okay. Nothing would jump out of that office door. She’d survived men chasing her and lived through jail, innocent and trapped. Still, her heart hammered so loudly that she was positive Beth and Camden could hear its drumbeat.

“Yes, come in,” a woman called.

Beth opened the door, and the office light momentarily blinded Amelia. She blinked as she followed Beth into the office where everything would change. The woman behind the desk would probably be the person to drop the bomb and destroy what Amelia understood of Hailey and Jonathan. Amelia swallowed over the sharp panic in her throat.

“Thanks for seeing us on such short notice.” Beth gestured to Amelia. “This is Hailey’s sister. Amelia Stone.” Then shegestured to the woman who stood on the other side of the desk. “Amelia, this is Esme Van Alstyn.”

Amelia had never met someone that so immediately matched their name. She shook Esme’s hand. The woman was older and unconventionally beautiful. Her dark eyes were as black as they were bright. She wore deep mauve lipstick the color of red wine. Heavy gray and silver streaks threaded her dark hair in such a distinctive way that Amelia wondered if they had been precisely placed by an expert stylist. Her handshake was strong like a military man’s yet soft, almost sensual, in the way she wrapped her hand around Amelia’s. “Lovely to meet you.”

Esme’s velvet voice was magnetic. Amelia inched closer even as part of her wanted to hide.

Camden didn’t seem to notice and shook Esme’s hand with his typical gruffness. “Camden Brooks. Titan Group.”

Esme’s eyebrow arched. “Interesting.”

Strange that Camden’s employer was interesting. Amelia had learned what Titan did from her conversations with Camden, but Beth and Esme’s reactions had imparted what needed to be read between the lines. Titan Group was exclusive and connected.

Amelia realized she was the odd one out. Camden, Beth, and Esme—even Hailey and Jonathan—all had a connection and knew the stakes even if they didn’t know the specifics. She, on the other hand, was staring over the edge of a cliff when everyone else had parachutes and was ready to jump. Beth’s and Camden’s warnings replayed in her mind. Her throat tightened as though someone was slowly tightening her parachute around her neck like a noose. She tried to clear her throat. It didn’t help.

“Camden,” Beth said. “Why don’t we let them—”

Amelia grabbed his arm. “No. Stay? Please.” She hated the pathetic note of begging, but the woman in front of her made Amelia’s insides shiver.

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