Page 29 of A Touch of Treachery
Even among paramortals, phasing was an unusual power, which Gabriel put to good use.He’d told me more than one story of how he’d rescued a kidnapping victim simply by walking through whatever obstacles stood between him and the person he’d been hired to save.
“Nah,” I replied.“Being able to walk through walls is way cooler than hearing lies and seeing shades of danger.”
Gabriel grinned.“You’re right.Walking through walls iswaycooler.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at Gabriel, who stared right back at me.Several seconds ticked by, and the only sounds were the scraping of knives on plates and the gurgling of the coffee pots.
Gabriel’s smile twisted into a scowl.“Has anyone ever mentioned you have an excellent death stare?”he groused.“Like you are calmly plotting the most vicious and painful way to murder me with my own fork.It’s disturbing.”
“It’s not a death stare.It’s anI’ve-had-a-really-shitty-daystare.So do us both a favor and come clean about Germany.You’ve been hemming and hawing and trying to bring it up for weeks anyway.”
Gabriel sighed.“How did you figure it out?”
“For starters, I wondered why you told Desmond that Elsa Eisen invited you to her castle, but you never told me that.”
He scowled again.“Because you would have heard it was a lie.Damn synesthesia.”
I shot my thumb and forefinger at him.“Exactly.Why wouldn’t you fill me in like you did Desmond?That was one of the things that made me suspicious.”
Gabriel arched an eyebrow.“Oneof the things?What were the others?”
“You didn’t text me that you were coming to the Christmas Eve party, you showed up at the very last minute, and you weren’t on the official guest list.”I ticked off the points on my fingers.“Plus, as far as I knew, you had never had any dealings with Elsa Eisen, so why would she invite you to such an important shindig?If Elsa had really been interested in hiring your company for protection, she would have done itbeforethe party, not during.”
I crossed my arms over my chest again.“Everything indicated you came to the party of your own accord.Now, are you going to tell me why?Or do I have to start digging into you like you’re the latest criminal I’m tracking?”
Gabriel gave me a rueful grin.“How long would it take you to figure out my route to Germany?”
“Maybe a day or two.Depending on how discreet and careful you were with your travel arrangements, rental cars, and hotels.Everything leaves some sort of paper or electronic trail, especially a spur-of-the-moment holiday trip to a remote German castle.”
He shook his head.“Have I ever mentioned you thinkwaytoo much, Char?”
“Frequently.Now, quit stalling and answer my questions.”
Gabriel stared down at the tabletop for a moment, then looked up at me again.“First of all, I want you to know that I didn’t mean to or want to lie to you.Things just happened so fast.”
Truth, my inner voice whispered.
“But you’re right.Elsa Eisen didn’t invite me to her Christmas Eve party.”He drew in a breath, then let it out.“Nemesis did.”
Shock jolted through me.“Who the fuck is Nemesis?”
I’d thought Gabriel had come to the castle to watch my back, which would have been thoughtful, if annoying.I hadn’t realized another player was involved.
Gabriel told me he had been in Frankfurt, Germany, wrapping up an assignment, when he’d gotten an anonymous call from a woman calling herself Nemesis who said that Desmond and I were going undercover at Tannenbaum Castle and that we might need Gabriel’s help.
“I thought I could find my mystery woman on my own, but no luck so far,” he finished.“I’ve had my best folks trying to trace her texts and calls, but they’ve come up empty.Nemesis knows what she’s doing.”
“And you’re sure the voice on the other end of the line wasn’t Henrika Hyde?”I asked.
Gabriel shook his head.“I had the same thought after Katarina Tanetsa and her mercenaries tried to rob the guests—that Henrika was playing some sick game with me, you, and Desmond.But I’ve listened to a dozen voice clips of Henrika online.She’s definitelynotNemesis.Besides, why would Henrika send me to help you and Desmond stop the mercenaries she’d hired to steal the Nutcracker Ruby?It doesn’t make any sense.”
No, it didn’t, especially since Katarina had claimed that Henrika put a bounty on my head.Henrika had wanted me to die in Germany, so she hadn’t sent Gabriel to come to Desmond’s and my rescue.
I tapped my fingers on the tabletop, my mind spinning in a dozen different directions.Gabriel’s tech gurus were top-notch, and if they hadn’t been able to find the mystery woman, then I had my work cut out.But maybe texts and calls weren’t the only clues she had left behind.
My fingers stilled.“Why Nemesis?”
“What do you mean?”Gabriel asked.
