“Let me in to see her,” I say. “Please, Louise.”
There’s another pause.
“If she doesn’t want to see you, promise me you’ll leave without a fuss.”
“I promise.”
I hear a buzz, and the line goes dead. The gate opens.
Lawrence pulls up outside the garage, out of the line of sight of the gates. The driveway might be long, but the paparazzi and their telescopic lenses... The last thing she’ll want is pictures of me arriving after dark.
I didn’t see anyone, but you never can be too careful. With any luck, they still think she’s in the US.
“Do you want me to wait, sir?”
“No, Lawrence, you can head off.”
If Pen doesn’t want me here, I’ll call a taxi.
He turns the car around and heads back down the driveway.
I inhale and make my way to the front door, ringing the bell. Its chime echoes through the enormous wooden door.
When there is no answer, I ring again and again. Louise said she’s here.
Is she choosing to ignore me?
The door opens to a flushed-looking Pen.
“Hold your horses,” she says, not looking up, her phone pressed to her ear.
“That should be it,” she says into the receiver.
There’s a pause as she listens to whatever the other person is saying.
Her features soften.
“It was the least I could do. Let me know if there are any issues.”
She finally looks up, her body tensing as her eyes lock on mine.
“Elijah.” The words are out of her mouth, surprise crossing her face.
Her attention is drawn back to her phone, to whoever is on the other end of the line.
“Sorry…Yes…Elijah is here.” There’s another pause. “Look, I have to go. I’ll call you later, Kris. But everything seems to be secure.”
Whatever he says to her has my stomach hardening at the look on her face.
“Yes. I will. Take care.”
She disconnects the phone and stares at me.
“What are you doing here?” she asks.
“You weren’t answering your phone.”
Pen’s hair is scraped up in a messy bun. Her face is makeup-free. She’s wearing leggings and a sloppy sweater.
