Gemma pulled the hat down around her face and ducked through the crowd, hoping to go unseen. If Jewel showed up, she could be with the gamers and out to take her find. She needed to change her look and fast.
Jewel would have to wait.
Four hours later, she exited the high-end salon, staring at herself in the window. She hardly recognized the person staring back. Her mousey brown hair, laced with gray, was now a beautiful auburn color, cut in a fashionable style that framed her face.
Her once thick-framed glasses were replaced with contact lenses, and her attire of choice, pull-on stretch pants and a large, oversized sweatshirt, were replaced with a pretty floral summer dress.
“Damn,” she whispered to herself. “You don’t look half bad.”
Gemma knew that Jewel would be long gone, but she walked toward the café just to be sure. She’d intentionally told her to meet her there near closing time, which would ensure that it was empty. But Parisians were known for keeping the cafés open long after closing if there were guests inside.
As expected, it was closed. Turning, she made her back toward the hotel, hoping that even if she ran into her followers, they wouldn’t recognize her. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be that easy.
“Lenora? Lenora Palmer, is that you?” asked the man.
For a moment, she panicked, wondering who on earth could possibly know her real name in Paris. She just stared at the man as he smiled. He was nice-looking, about her age, and had a wonderful smile.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know you,” she said, trying to go around him. Behind the man were the three people she’d seen earlier who were looking for her.
“Lenora? It’s me. Dean Wedder. We went to school together. I’d recognize you anywhere. You’re still beautiful.”
The three pursuers turned and stared at her, but only for a brief moment, then turned toward the crowds. They didn’t recognize her. They didn’t know it was her. She smiled at Dean and stepped forward, giving him a hug.
“Dean! Of course, I’m so sorry. It’s such a pleasure to see you again.”
“Same,” he laughed, shaking his head. “Please tell me you have time for drinks and dinner.” Absolutely perfect, she thought to herself.
“For an old friend? Anything.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“You are a very lucky woman,” said the man sitting across from her. “Men whom I have great respect for asked me to be lenient with you. Since you’ve returned the photos and videos, I won’t kill you.”
“Did they tell you that I was here?” she asked with a suspicious glance.
“No. I figured that out all by myself. You forget the resources I have at my fingertips. Why were you standing in that alley by yourself?” he asked.
“I was waiting for a friend, but she didn’t show up.”
“I see,” nodded Nahm. “Does this have anything to do with the treasures stolen from the dig site?”
“I don’t know anything about that,” said Echo. “I didn’t know there were items taken from the site. That was someone else.”
“Your friend,” he said, picking at the imaginary lint on the pleat of his trousers. He looked up at her with a stern look and then back down at her trousers. “You already know that I’m a very powerful and wealthy man. I control a great empire, and I do it all legally.”
“Yeah, right,” she snorted. He glared at her, and she closed her mouth, immediately ashamed of the outburst.
“Call your friend. We want those treasures found and returned to where they belong.”
“I don’t even know what it is,” she said. “Besides, the number she called from doesn’t even exist. It was a throwaway phone or something. I tried calling her back, but she didn’t answer.”
“You’re a woman who enjoys money,” he said calmly. “You don’t have to respond to that. It was rhetorical. You like money and enjoy obtaining it in any way possible. I’m going to give you a way of obtaining a great deal. Five million dollars if you locate your friend and bring her to me.”
Echo stared at the man, then up at his bodyguards, who glared at her as though she were already dead.
“Five million? American dollars?” she asked with doubt.
“Yes. American dollars. I want the woman and what she has.” Echo tilted her head. “If you bring her to me with the items, you will be a wealthy woman and perhaps find a more respectable occupation.”