Rachel and I are still sitting across from each other.
“You didn’t know who Lucca Marino was when she first showed up with James at the Derby party,” she says.
I shake my head. “If you remember correctly, I mentioned he showed up with a woman. I didn’t comment on whether or not I knew her.”
This is why I tell the truth as often as I can.
Rachel gets up from her chair and smooths down her skirt. “Well, this seems like it’s all wrapped up in a neat little bow.”
I shrug. “I’m just relieved it’s over.” It’s not over. Not for me. While I’ve dealt with one of the threats against me, it’s the other one that poses the greatest danger.
She grabs her briefcase and heads toward the door but doesn’t open it. “Yes, me too. I’d hate to think you had anything to do with that woman’s death.”
Looking right at her, I say, “If there’s one thing you can believe to be true, Lucca Marino was the woman in the room with her that day.”
We watch each other for a few seconds, then she slips out of the room without another word.
While Rachel gets to walk away from here without a thought, I’m facing a different situation. My departure won’t be as smooth as my arrival.
I pull the new clean phone from my bag and call Devon once I’m out in the hall.
“I’m clear with the police,” I say, as soon as it connects.
“Good,” he says. “Now let’s handle the other problem.”
“Ryan was here when I arrived. I need him gone. Can you help with that?”
I can hear the familiar clicking sound that means he’s hammering away on his keyboard. “What’s he wearing today?”
The image of him forms in my head. “Jeans. Blue Oxford button-down.”
“Okay, I’ll call the hotel security and report him for suspiciousbehavior. It won’t stick for long but should probably give you enough time to get out of the building. Switch to the Bluetooth earpiece. I want to be on the line with you.”
I dig the small flesh-colored ear bud that Devon designed out of my bag and sync it to the phone. I pull my hair out of the ponytail and slide the earpiece inside my right ear. It matches my skin tone and having it hidden behind the curtain of my hair should make it hard to spot.
I shove the phone in my back pocket and head out into the hall. The fact that Devon has insisted I keep this line open when I’m walking into the lion’s den hits me hard. He’s making himself vulnerable right now for me.
“In case I can’t say it later, thank you for everything. Thank you for being my friend.”
He clears his throat. “We’re not doing that shit right now. Head in the game. Just start walking if you need to. It’s never too late to bail.”
I push the metal bar at the end of the hall that leads to the stairwell. The concrete room is damp and dark and my voice echoes off the walls. “I’m headed down.”
When I get to the lobby level, I push open the door slowly and peek out just in time to see two uniformed hotel security guards approach Ryan. They move closer to him, saying words I can’t hear while he glances around the big area. They motion to him to follow them, but he argues, still paying more attention to the elevators than the men in front of him.
They grab him, one on each side, and he momentarily seems to put up a fight before relaxing in their hold. As they escort him away, he throws one last look behind him.
As soon as he’s gone, I slip out of the stairwell and whisper, “Moving to the exit.”
“I’m tapped into the street cams so I’ll see you as soon as you clear the doors.”
The closest exit is a door that lets out on the side street. I’m steps away when I hear, “Hey, Lucca.”
I spin around and freeze when I see who it is.
“Fancy seeing you here, George.”
“Get him on the street,” Devon says in my ear. “I don’t have eyes on you in there.”
