"We're working on it."
I swayed a little when I stood and had to reach out for the back of the lounge chair to steady myself. I figured whatever they had tranquilized me with was still wreaking havoc with my body. Hopefully, it would fade quickly. I needed my wits about me.
I followed the sound of the music as I walked out of the room. My jaw dropped as I slowly turned in a circle to take it all in. Considering the massive wooden door at one end of the room, and the grand marble staircase directly across from that, I could honestly say this was the biggest foyer I'd ever been in.
But this wasn't where the music was coming from.
I followed the music past the grand staircase and down a hallway to a set of French doors. They were open, which explained how I was hearing the music. When I looked inside the room, I found a room filled with plants and flowers. The walls and ceiling were made of glass. It looked like a fancy greenhouse. I think they called it a conservatory.
"Please, come in, Mr. Jenkins. Join me."
I inhaled sharply then glanced around until I spotted a man sitting at a table close to a set of French doors that opened out onto an outdoor patio and pool area. His back was to me. I moved slowly across the tiled floor, checking every corner for anyone who might try and tranq me again.
"You are safe here, Mr. Jenkins."
I seriously doubted that.
I swallowed tightly when I stopped next to the table and the man looked up. "Mr. Atkins."
His smile was wide and incredibly friendly. It was actually a very becoming smile. I suspected this was one of the ways he charmed people so easily.
"I see you've heard of me."
"I saw you once, actually." I sat down in one of the chairs across from Mr. Atkins. "The night you ordered Michael's death."
"Ah yes, such an unfortunate incident."
Seriously?
"You call having someone murdered unfortunate?"
"It's all a matter of timing, you see. Your friend Michael had the misfortune of seeing me with Professor Bradley. As our association was not one I wanted banded about, I'm afraid Michael became a liability and had to be eliminated.
"Wrong place, wrong time?" I asked. "That's your excuse for murdering a man?"
"Oh, I'm not making excuses, Mr. Jenkins. Merely stating the facts." He lifted a carafe and poured some orange juice into a champagne glass then added some champagne. "Mimosa, Daniel?" He glanced at me. "May I call you Daniel?"
"I prefer Danny."
"Danny then." Atkins smiled. "Mimosa?"
"Thank you, no."
"I can promise you there is nothing in them." He grabbed a couple of raspberries and dropped them in the glass before sitting back in his seat. "If you're hungry, I can arrange to have something brought from the kitchen."
"All I want from you is the location of my friend."
"Yes, Mr. Sesay." He casually took a sip of his mimosa as if he didn't have a care in the world. "He is being well cared for by some of my top men, and his continued good care will depend on your cooperation."
I narrowed my eyes. "What exactly do you want from me, Mr. Atkins?" I asked. "You've gone out of your way to gain my attention. Well, now you have it. What do you want?"
"It's very simple, my dear boy. I want you."
"You're not my type."
Atkins chuckled. "You amuse me, Danny. You truly do."
Well, that made one of us.
