Page 84 of Sapphire Storm

“No. It’s the hotel operator. Rachel called.”

Donnie’s eyes widened.

Several hours later, they were winding theirway through dark, serpentine suburban streets in Donnie’s SUV, not too far fromEthan’s complex. Their destination was a parking lot off Laguna Niguel Lake, acompact reservoir in the hills just above Irvine. It was almost one in themorning, and Rachel had informed them the number she’d given them was for aburner phone.

“This is some cloak and dagger shit, man,” Donnie said.“Makes me wish I brought my gun.”

“Let’s try to remain Orange County about this, Donnie.Perhaps a raised voice. Maybe a passing threat of litigation.”

The lot was empty, and Donnie took care to park outside thehalos of the nearest sodium vapor lights. The reservoir was bordered by low, dustyhills with almost no trees, beyond which the uniform rooftops of surroundingsubdivisions were visible in security-light cast silhouettes.

Rachel had asked to meet at a picnic table and benches onthe shore. At that very spot, two shadows awaited them, one about Rachel’sheight and with a baseball cap on its head, the other taller, larger, andbulkier and running one hand through his hair over and over again. Not Roman.Ethan figured they must have used some secret passageway to get out of theCastle, given the media that was now camped outside on either side of PCH.

“The idea here is to let her do the talking,” Ethan said ina low voice. “It worked pretty well with her earlier.”

But when they were paces from the bench, the taller, bulkiershadow turned. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Ethan made out a familiarmustache, the same one he’d seen earlier on the security footage from the Wyman,and suddenly he’d clenched his fists at his sides and could feel his jawworking.

“Who the hell’she?” the bodyguard barked.

“Who the fuck are you, Mustache?” Donnie shouted back. “I’mwhoever I want to be. This isn’t your drug deal.”

“That’s not how we’re starting, boys,” Rachel said in a firmvoice.

A silence fell, and Ethan saw the admonishing finger she’d raisedwas actually pointed at the large man next to her. “Hank, do you have somethingto say to Ethan?”

It sounded like the man was cursing under his breath. “Thedirection, initially, was to find out where Roman took the Bentley. It’s gotanti-theft tracking. When I found it, she wanted to know what he was up to, soI sent her pictures of you guys in San Diego.”

“Her being Diana?” Ethan asked.

Hank nodded. “She recognized you.”

“That’s becoming a refrain. From what, exactly?” Ethanasked.

“She has a file. Roman’smomhad a file and nowDiana’s got it. It’s old. It’s about you and his dad. A PI put it together,like, I don’t know, a lot of years ago, when Roman was a little kid. His momwas keeping it in one of the AC vents at the house in Victorville. When theystarted the remodel, the contractors found it and brought it to her. Then theshit hit the fan with Scott’s sex tape, and the direction changed.”

Hank studied the dirt at his feet.

“Keep going,” Rachel said.

“Shit,” Hank whispered, then he raised his head. “Thedirection was to tell Roman that if he didn’t come back to the Castleimmediately, and if he didn’t agree to go along with the new marriage plan, shewas going to send the file to Sapphire Cove. And anywhere else you might applyfor a job. For the rest of your life.”

Ethan heard Donnie’s sharp exhalation next to him as if froma great distance. All he could feel was that sudden, last-minute yank of thewind catching the parachute behind him and Roman the day before. He was hearingthe ruffling sounds it had made as they’d sailed out over the sunlit sea.

“He got real upset,” Hank continued, “because he said therewas a time in your life when someone tried to get back at you by sending abunch of personal stuff to your parents and that it really hurt and if ithappened to you again you’d… Anyway, he got real upset.”

Ethan’s head was spinning like it had that morning, and hefought the urge to reach out for Donnie’s support to stay standing. A deepbreath helped, but it made for a loud sigh that filled the shadows, alertingeveryone around him that this news had rocked him sideways.

He didn’t leave to break my heart,Ethan thought.Heleft to protect it.

“Anyway,” Hank continued, “I didn’t realize how seriousyou’d gotten. I wasn’t prepared for him to break down like that.”

Donnie said, “Blackmail tends to have that effect onpeople.”

Hank shook his head and raised his hands as if the wholething was awful but entirely beyond his control.

“Keep going,” Rachel said.

Hank sucked in a breath as if whatever he had to say nextwould be the worst revelation of all. “Look, she’s lying to the kid, okay? Iwas supposed to tell him that if he pulls off this big announcement interviewin two weeks, she’ll let him talk to you. See you, even. But it’s not going tohappen, all right? She just switched grooms. She’s not going to risk anotherheadline before the wedding.”

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