Page 52 of A Touch of Treachery
“I have a few final details to sort out, but everything will be ready tomorrow,” Henrika replied.“Everyone will meet in the lobby at eight a.m.to go to the demonstration site.”
All three paramortals grumbled at the delay, but Henrika ignored their discontent and gave everyone a bright smile.
“For the moment, you are free to do as you please.Explore the resort, go skiing, get a massage.But I expect you all at my party tonight.Eight o’clock sharp in the grand ballroom.The theme is Casino Night, so wear formal attire and be prepared to play a few games of chance.”
Henrika glanced at first one person, then another.All the paramortals gave reluctant nods, including Desmond and me.“Mr.Finkley will show you out.I have work to do.”
She drained her champagne, set the empty glass on the fireplace mantel, went to her desk, and sat down.Henrika hit a few keys on her laptop and focused on the monitor, ignoring us.
Oriana left the library without a backward glance, as did Steig.Niles stared at the worktable full of beakers and burners, his gaze flicking from one thing to the next as though he was cataloging the items to concoct his own formula.Then he too left.
Bryce stepped forward, along with the two guards, forming a wall between Desmond and me and Henrika.All three men put their hands on their guns, and Desmond and I couldn’t get to the other woman without getting shot.
Frustration surged through me, but I climbed to my feet, as did Desmond.He eyed Bryce like he wanted to try his luck and tackle the other man, but I cleared my throat.This was just the start of the weekend’s games, and it wasn’t time to make a move against Henrika.
Desmond stared at Bryce a moment longer, then turned his back to the former cleaner and held out his arm to me.Together, the two of us walked out of Henrika’s library, leaving our enemies behind—for now.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
DESMOND
ThetwoguardsfollowedCharlotte and me out of the library and watched while we got into the elevator.The car glided down and deposited us in the lobby.
“We need to check in with Joan,” I murmured.“Fancy a walk outside?”
Now that we had left Henrika’s penthouse, we were free of the electrical field that had disrupted our comms, but I doubted the devices were working, since I didn’t hear Joan, Gia, or anyone else asking for an update.But I could clearly see the black domes of several security cameras in the lobby, and I had no doubt Bryce had someone watching us.
“Of course, darling,” Charlotte replied, raising her voice for the benefit of anyone who might be listening.“Let’s take in the sights.”
Arm in arm, we ambled through the lobby as though we were just another couple seeing everything the resort had to offer.We did a lap of the first floor, peering into the shops and restaurants.I made a mental note of all the corridors, as well as the entrances and exits.Charlotte glanced around, doing the same thing.
Next, we went outside.This part of the hotel featured several wide stone terraces that stepped down the slope and ended in a lawn that rolled all the way down to the lake.Tennis courts were situated off to the right, as was a golf course, although no one was playing, given the brisk January wind.Copses of trees dotted the lawn before spreading out and forming dense woods that flanked the hotel like armies of tall pine soldiers.
Even though it was just after five o’clock, the Winterfest charity event was already in full swing.Hundreds of people roamed around the terraces, eating, laughing, drinking, and talking.Dozens of game, food, and vendor booths had been set up on the lawn, and people were tossing rings onto bottles, eating cotton candy, and browsing through displays of soaps, lotions, and jewelry.
Charlotte and I stopped on the topmost terrace and looked out over the crowd.
“These people have no idea they’re giving their money to a monster,” she murmured.
“I thought you said this was a legitimate event to raise money for cancer research.”
“It is, which makes me even more curious about why Henrika is hosting it.The tax write-off is nice, but we both know she’s not going to all this trouble out of the goodness of her heart.”
I snorted.“Henrika doesn’t have a heart.Just a cold black diamond where it should be.”
A bright glint of glass caught my eye, and I spotted Joan sitting at a table on the terrace below us.A steaming cup was at her elbow, and she was staring into a silver compact as though she was powdering her nose.She tilted the compact to the side so that the glass glinted at me again.
“I see Joan.”
Charlotte nodded, but she didn’t look in that direction.“Find out if she has any new intel from Gia and Diego.I’m going to study the resort grounds and try to figure out where Henrika might be storing the formula.”
“Meet back here in thirty minutes?”
She nodded again, then slipped her arm out of mine and moved away.
I didn’t see Oriana, Niles, or Steig on the terraces, but I was sure they would be exploring the resort just like Charlotte and I were.The other paramortals might ostensibly be here to bid on the Redburn formula, but they would also be trying to figure out where Henrika was hiding it, so they could steal a sample instead of coughing up the cash to buy the explosive outright.
I set off at a slow, ambling pace, as though I was enjoying the crisp winter day and the beautiful scenery.A passing waiter offered me a hot chocolate, which I took, although I didn’t sample the sugary drink.I wound my way down a set of steps at the far end of the terrace, then strolled back to the center where Joan was sitting.She’d put her compact away and now had her phone held up to her mouth, as though she was talking to someone.
