Page 58 of Glorious Rivals
“I’m going to Libby,” Nash confirmed.“And I’m dealing Orenin before I do.He needs to know there’s a threat.We can tell him it relates to what happened in Prague without telling him how—should give him an idea of the seriousness of this.His men can search every nook and cranny of Hawthorne Island while the players are here on the yacht.Establish a better perimeter—”
“You can’t tell Oren anything,” Jameson said.“Nothing I’ve said can leave this room.”
“Have youmetAvery’s head of security?”Nash asked Jameson.“And related question: How would you like John Oren to kill you when he finds out there was a clear and present threat to all of us—toAvery—and you never said a word?”
Jameson chewed on that for a moment.“You might have a point,” he said grimly.“But Alice’s name is never mentioned—not to Oren, not to anyone else.”
“We don’t know that it’s her,” Avery pointed out.“Not for sure.”Her hazel eyes made their way to Grayson’s.“But either way, you need to do damage control, Gray.With Lyra.You need to keep her out of this.”
Lyra.Grayson pictured her, wearing his jacket.
“Keep her focused on the game,” Jameson told him.“That will buy us some time to figure out how best to handle her.”
It was on the tip of Grayson’s tongue to tell all of them that one did nothandleLyra Kane, but if Alice wasthatmuch of a threat, for Lyra’s sake and the sake of his family…
I might have to.
Chapter 42
ROHAN
Rohan had to admit: There were worse ways to spend a late night than exploring a yacht with Savannah Grayson.A movie theater, a spa, multiple lounges, each themed to a different jewel-colored tone—Savannah’s gown outshined them all.Even in the dimmest light, it seemed to emanate an almost supernatural glow, like snowflakes in moonlight, like thousands of pearlescent mirrors, each no bigger than the point of a quill.
And even in the dimmest light, Savannah Grayson had her tells: a certain tension in the long, sinewy muscles of her arms, the length of her stride, the exact set of her pale pink lips.
Every time you see Avery Grambs, you start to grieve all over again, and you shut it down.
Rohan said nothing about the change he’d noticed in her the moment they’d stepped onto the yacht, and in return, Savannah didn’t say a word about what he’d told her, back in his room.Instead, they both zeroed in—absolutely, intensely, mercilessly—on the game.
On the hints, at least two of them, hidden somewhere on this vessel.
Together, Rohan and Savannah stepped out of the interior of the yacht and onto one of the decks.
“Now this,” Rohan said, sauntering forward, “is something.”Somethingas in a sight to behold—andsomethingas in an excellent place to hide a hint.Built into the deck, there was a large hot tub, clearly operational, and beside it, there was a pool filled to the brim with ice.
Rohan headed straight for the latter.Nestled among hundreds of thousands of ice cubes were bottles of champagne—dozens of them.Gliding over the deck with long, powerful strides, Savannah cut past Rohan to take up position between the hot tub and the pool.In the faint but warm light of the yacht, Rohan could see steam rising from the surface of the hot tub, like smoke in the night.
Rohan crouched, running a hand over the ice and then latching his fingers around a bottle of champagne.“Don’t mind if I do.”He helped himself to the bottle and thought back to the champagne glasses they’d been given at the beginning of the game.
The next thing he knew, Savannah had her own glass in her hand.How?Rohan’s gaze went to the white, beaded bag dangling from her wrist.A bold move, transporting something that fragile.Savannah was fortunate it hadn’t shattered.
As was he.
“Well?”Savannah demanded.“Are you going to open that champagne or just stand there, staring at the label?”
The label was blank.Rohan did away with the cork and took a swig from the bottle.“Cheers, Savvy.”
Savannah shot Rohan a death glare that made him want to make her glare harder, and then she lowered herself to the groundand reached for a bottle of her own.As she prepared to pop it, she aimed the cork squarely at Rohan’s chest.
“Like a bullet through the heart,” Rohan told her, his voice a low and humming murmur.“And in case you were wondering, love?Yes, that’s a challenge.”
And yes, it was an invitation.
Savannah popped the cork.Rohan caught it.
“Show-off,” Savannah retorted.
“Always,” Rohan agreed, making his way to the hot tub.He crouched and sank his champagne bottle into the steaming water.Eyes on Savannah’s, he pulled it out.“Voilà.”
