Chapter 29
Murder So Sweet
The carriage stops, and Nico pulls the window blind aside. The late afternoon breeze blows stray curls across his forehead, and he absently brushes them away as he peeks out. “We have arrived.”
I lean across the bench, kissing him softly. “Be safe. Good luck. I love you.”
A grin bubbles beneath the surface of Nico’s calm façade. “I love you too, Bello. This is very exciting.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t become exceptionally exciting.” I’m still not sure about having him along, but as he pointed out so often, it’s his invitation. We’ve also been training him for this, and I need to trust that he can handle himself. “The plan is we get in, we take advantage of the first opportunity to eliminate Keller, and we take control. Elanil and her cadre should be in position and will support us once the true excitement begins.” I pull up the hood of my Segnature cloak and nod that I’m ready. Nico exits the carriage first, then turns, offering me his assistance. I gather the robes into one hand, struggling to hold thevoluminous fabric in place, and take his extended hand, glad of the help. I quietly whisper, so only Nico can hear. “Fucking hells. How do the Segnature deal with these robes on a daily basis?”
The slight squeeze of my hand is the only acknowledgement Nico gives that he’s heard. I carefully rearrange my clothing, draw the hood further down my face, and pull on the persona of serene Sister Solène as easily as I pull on my shirt. Nico offers his arm, and I take it, letting him lead the way.
We approach the grand marble steps that lead to a wide front patio and an equally impressive set of ornately carved wooden doors. They’re thrown wide, and four men wearing the leaf green and gold colors of House Keller greet the guests. To the trained eye, it’s obvious that they’re all Protectors. Each is tactfully checking for weapons, and beside me, Nico tenses. I gently squeeze his arm reassuringly. We’ve planned for this. Nico is weaponless, but I’m loaded down under my robes. As long as Sister Solène is given the respect typically shown to the Segnatore, then there shouldn’t be any issues.
We walk toward two of the guards, and I hold back, allowing Nico to be patted down first. Once he’s deemed weapon-free, he holds out his hand to me, and we move to enter the house. The second guard intervenes. “Excuse me, but we need to verify that all guests have no weapons.” The guard reaches for the edge of my robe, and I prepare to storm the front door, when a deep voice echoes from the entryway.
“Basil, please do not harass our distinguished guest. It is not often that we are graced with a visit from a Prima.” My blood races in my veins, my gaze locked on the man approaching us. Six feet tall, massive shoulders, short black hair, square, clean-shaven jaw, dark brown eyes. He’s right-handed and heavily armed, as are all the Protectors from House Keller. As members of the House hosting the gathering, they are not required to give up their weapons.
Outwardly, I keep my body relaxed, but I’m ready to move in an instant. Leonardo is an incredibly dangerous man. “Nicolas! I was happy to see that you finally accepted our invitation. It is a shame that your uncle Lorenzo could not attend, but at least we have one Medina representative present.” I stare at Leonardo Santorini and both praise and curse my luck.
“Leonardo. Thank you for the invitation. I am happy that this year I was able to fit your gathering into my schedule.” They shake hands, and I can tell there’s a bit of a strength contest going on. Nico smiles, but there’s a slight tick in Leonardo’s cheek as he struggles not to show pain. Leonardo is the first to let go, and Nico gestures to me. “Leonardo Santorini, may I present Sister Solène, who is newly arrived from Hap and appointed to the Segnature Coven under Prima Alicia. Sister Solène, this is Leonardo Santorini, a Protector of the Onyx Guild, and a representative of House Keller.”
I make a perfunctory bow from the waist but keep my hands tucked firmly into the sleeves of my robe.
“Sister Solène, you do us a great honor by joining our festivities. To have a member of the Segnature Covenpresent to bless our gathering will surely bring us good fortune in the coming year.” I bow again.
Nico’s smooth voice fills the awkward silence. “Sister Solène has taken a vow of silence. She usually remains within the confines of the coven, but since Prima Alicia was unable to attend, she sent Sister Solène in her place. I agreed to act as escort.”
Leonardo is a bit unsure what to do with a guest who won’t speak. “Ahhhhh. Well, I do hope that you enjoy yourselves, and if there is something you need, please ask. Any one of our staff can assist you.”
He ushers us past the guards, and we waste no time moving further into the grounds. We calmly stroll through the breezeway into the gardens, and Nico nods to other guests as they pass, loudly pontificating about the various statuary and local gardening techniques which might entertain someone who was unfamiliar with Amal. All the while, I surreptitiously pass daggers and knives to him. I grin broadly, thinking about the first day we practiced secreting weapons. Nico had been enthralled and appalled all at once. I’m still not sure if it was due to the sheer number of weapons that I had hidden or where I’d kept them. Now, he’s hiding them effortlessly in inconspicuous spots on his body until he has seven weapons tucked away. We move toward the banquet area, hoping to find Guild Master Keller among the guests.
“I wish I had attended prior festivities. Then we might have some idea of what is typical for the event and what is heightened security.”
That would be helpful, but it’s not necessary. I give his arm an encouraging squeeze. “We’ll figure it out. Just observe and listen to the crowd.”
We mill through the guests, eavesdropping on conversations, grasping at snippets of information. After several tours around the grounds, Nico maneuvers us to a less busy corner. He positions himself against a wall, and I stand at an angle so we can converse quietly while watching for anyone approaching. “I overheard that keeping everyone outside is new this year. In prior years, both the lower floor of the house and the grounds were open to guests.”
“Keller is normally mingling with everyone. Some years he even greets guests at the front doors.”
Nico grins and peers into the dark recesses of my hood. “You have everyone afraid, Bello.”
I chuckle. “Their precautions won’t help them.” I scan the building and catch a flash of movement from an upper window. “There. To your left. Second story, fifth window over.” Nico takes a sip of the drink he plucked from the banquet table and feigns a cough fit. Setting the glass down, he continues to cough while glancing around. I pat him on the back and maneuver us so we have a better view of the window. With a slight tilt of his head, he catches sight of the tall, dark-haired, middle-aged man standing in the window, observing the activity in the garden.
He clears his throat and picks up his glass, taking another sip. “Keller?”
I nod, recognizing him from the lunch meeting in the government district several months ago. “Now to find a way in.” I debate the merits of losing the robe once we’rein the house and decide to play it by ear. “There are three entrances. The door we came through, the one at the other side of the garden, and the one directly past my right shoulder. That leads into a study. If I had a house such as this, and if I spent a lot of time in my study, there’d be a set of stairs nearby to take me to my rooms, which would be directly above. Exactly where our target is standing.” My reasoning isn’t so much a guess as an extrapolation based on my experience with how the Amagi upper class like to plan their homes.
Nico glances up at the window again. “He is no longer there.”
“Then we should move now.” I pull the hood lower over my face, and we stroll around the perimeter of the garden, heading for the house. There are still several guests walking along the paths, so we’re not out of place.
We make it to the study doors without being stopped, and I try the handle. As I assumed it would be, it’s locked. With Nico’s body blocking me from view, I place my palm against the metal and feel the click as it disengages. This time, when I try the handle, it opens. We slip inside, careful to close the door securely behind us before darting across the study and peering into the hall. As expected, there’s a set of narrow stairs, most likely for servants’ use. I take a few seconds to center myself, focusing on Keller, pushing everything else out of my mind. I can’t let emotions cloud my responses. I need to keep my attention on the target and the task at hand.
I creep out of the study, with Nico close behind. We don’t encounter anyone, and I jerk my head in the directionof the stairs. We’re halfway to the next level when there’s shouting from below. Nico spins around, knives drawn, grinning like a maniac. I shuck the robe and sprint up the remaining stairs, two at a time, hoping that Nico can take care of himself. My target is Keller.
Luck isn’t with us, and another Protector peers over the railing, spotting me immediately. “Intruders! Defend Master Keller!” I unsheathe my knives and meet my opponent at the top, just as her booted foot swings for my head. I flip my grip on the knives and block her leg with my forearms, using her momentum to swing her toward the window overlooking the front of the house. Moving with her, I add my weight, sending her smashing through the plate glass with a satisfying crash. Her loud shriek echoes through the courtyard. That should be enough of a signal for Elanil. But just in case, I hurl a lantern through the window, and it lands in the middle of the street with a loud crash. The oil pools, immediately igniting into a large pillar of flame and smoke. Surelythatwill get her attention.
