I tried not to smile at the backhanded compliment.
“Before you go, join me on the balcony. I insist. Raven, you too. It’s a view of Cognito unlike any you’ve ever seen.”
When she unlocked the glass door and opened it, a blast of cold air ruffled her cream-colored pantsuit. Though her silk blouse only had thin spaghetti straps, not a single goose bump appeared on her arms as she stepped onto the balcony and the icy wind blew back her hair.
Viktor stiffened, arms at his sides.
“Isn’t this absolutely delicious?” Lenore rested her hands on the curved metal railing, which ran atop a glass wall. “You should see it at sunrise. It’s my favorite time of day, when purple and orange paint the sky. It’s almost like you’re a god in the heavens. I don’t know why I never considered living here before. I somehow thought a stuffy old mansion would suit me, but those are the old ways.”
I leaned over the railing and searched for Christian. We were too high up, and I couldn’t see the street very clearly. “I’m glad our stuffy old mansion can’t kill us.”
She turned toward me. “Pardon me?”
I needed to be tactful in Viktor’s presence. “I’d be worried about inviting someone up here who was my enemy—someone I didn’t trust. That’s a long drop.”
She tipped her head to the side, blond hair rippling in the wind. “That never occurred to me.”
Bullshit.Lenore did away with perceived enemies, and here she was, pretending she didn’t have any. She must have had scores based on the number of people Christian had killed for her. Lenore had put herself up in a high-security building, assuming she was untouchable.
“Your guard seems”—I observed Fletcher carrying the dustpan into the other room— “eager to please.”
“One simply doesn’t have a guard stand around and do nothing,” she said with derision. “I’ve had a guard or two in my past, and I have always expected more from them than just protecting me.”
“If you will allow me to use your facilities before I leave?” Viktor asked.
Lenore pointed inside. “Straight down the center hall, last door on the right.” She waited until he was inside. “Poor man. I never realized his weakness was women. All this time, I thought it was Keystone. It’s truly quite pathetic for a man his age to be pining over what will never be.”
I rested my arm on the railing. “Speaking of pathetic, where did you and moneybags meet? The gas station? You work fast.”
She inched closer. “I thought you would be more interested in my new guard. He comes with an exceptional background.”
That stung, but I was shivering from the cold, so it was easy to mask my emotions. “If you think that guy won’t land you in trouble, you’re dumber than you look.”
“You have some nerve speaking to me this way.”
“Cut the shit. We both know where we stand,traitor.”
Her eyes flicked down to my chest. “How are you enjoying your necklace?”
“Almost as much as I’m enjoying my loyal man. You’ll never know that kind of loyalty, Lenore. You can’t buy it no matter how much money or how much dirt you hold over someone. And I know that deep down, that pisses you off. Or else you wouldn’t be making such a flagrant attempt to intimidate me by keeping Fletcher at your side. I know you buried me. I’m done with all the secrets and lies. I’ll play nice because I have to, but you’ve made an enemy for life.”
Lenore’s imperious demeanor suggested she thought herself a goddess, and I just a mere mortal she could toy with. “The only enemies I fear are the ones who hide their contempt behind a smile. If I know where you stand, you’re no longer a threat. Merely… an annoyance.”
I glanced inside at Fletcher approaching Viktor with his jacket. Alarmed, I reached for the door handle.
Lenore captured my arm, her eyes narrowing. “Did Christian tell you about our arrangement?”
I jerked my arm free since she only had hold of my jacket. “Christian keeps his promises. He won’t hunt you down and kill you.”
She gave a sardonic smile. “And what about you, Raven Black?”
“I could have shoved you off the ledge five minutes ago.”
Lenore drew closer, her perfume stripped off by the frigid wind. “Don’t pretend it doesn’t sting. You look dreadful, like a deer seconds before a car strikes it and leaves its dead carcass on the road. Sleep well.” As we walked inside, her tone became genial. “Of course! Come back anytime you like, Raven. I’m certain you’d love the view in the daytime.”
Fletcher stood on the other side of the room, his hands clasped. When he waggled his eyebrows, my stomach knotted.
Lenore and Viktor entered the hall and exchanged private words.
