Evianna picks up on the strain in my voice and locks her arm through mine. “Let’s go to the other one. Across the room. Barry’s over there. We’ve butted heads off and on this whole project. He’s one of three employees Noah hired before me. Well, the only one left.”
“Who were the others?” I keep my eyes mostly closed as she leads me across the large space.
“Sundar and Raja. I don’t remember their last names anymore. Sundar took a job at Google not long after I came on board, and Raja moved back to India after a family emergency.”
We have to stop four times before we reach the bar, and Evianna introduces me to some of the developers who worked on Alfie’s code. Most are already tipsy, but friendly, and I shake hands, try to make jokes, and listen to Wren and Evianna’s running commentary about the layout of the room.
High-top tables are spread around the edges of the space, but there’s a dance floor in the center, and a long table off to the left with a very large sheet cake surrounded by gift bags.
The pop of the Champagne bottle makes Evianna flinch, and I give her hand a squeeze. “Relax, darlin’. We should get some food, see if we can find a free table in the back. Let people get used to us standing in one spot. Then, we’ll leave our glasses and plates, maybe even your purse. Like we’re coming right back.”
She presses a glass into my hand, and when we find a table, I nuzzle her neck. “Noah rubs me the wrong way. And Priya is nervous about something. Lauren idolizes you, and Barry is drunk off his ass.”
“I hired Priya. She’s the sweetest woman you’d ever want to meet,” Evianna replies. “And I’m pretty sure Barry was drunk at 10:00 a.m.”
“Is anyone watching us right now? Be my eyes, darlin’. Check the whole room. Slowly. Try not to be obvious.”
“Noah’s chatting with Cyndi, his assistant. Barry and Walt are at the bar with the bright lights getting more beer. Priya and Alice are laughing over something.” She goes around the entire room, and I commit every detail to memory. In my ear, Wren asks the occasional question—last names, descriptions, how long they’ve been working at Beacon Hill.
For two hours, we try to slip away, but every time, one of Evianna’s coworkers comes up and engages her in conversation. I stick to our agreed upon story—I own a think tank a few blocks away, and we met at a single’s mixer three weeks ago.
Nursing my glass of Champagne, I wish I had something stronger. Having to wait this long sets my nerves on edge, and if we don’t get out of here soon, we’re going to lose our chance.
“Incoming,” Wren says. She’s watching the entire party through the small camera in my glasses, and two seconds later, Noah comes up to us.
“Evianna, we shouldn’t keep the troops waiting any longer,” he says. “You don’t mind, do you Dax? If I take your lovely date away from you for a few minutes? We only have the room until midnight, and we can’t cut the cake until after Evianna gives her speech.”
“Go, darlin’. I’ll be right here, watching you.” I grab her around the waist and haul her against me, slanting my lips over hers in a searing kiss. Just before I pull away, I score my teeth along the shell of her ear and whisper, “If I leave right now, he won’t notice I’m gone. I can be back before you’re done with your speech.”
Her fingers tighten on my arms, and I can feel her panic. “I don’t like it either. But you’re in a room full of people. With Wren in your ear.”
She’s pulled away from me, and I want to punch her boss in the face. Or maybe the balls. But as her warmth disappears from my side, she calls out, “I won’t be long, baby. If you can…get me another drink while I’m up there?”
“Break a leg,” I reply. As I turn, I murmur, “Good job, darlin’. Gives me an excuse to walk away. And you’ll hear me the whole time.”
“Wren? I need you.” My cane sweeps across the floor until I reach the elevator, and I feel around for the call button.
“Right here, boss. Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“No. It’s a terrible idea. But it’s been hours. I want to get Evianna the fuck out of here.” Finding the button for the fifth floor, I jab it with more force than necessary, then wince. “You’re going to have to guide me. I have no idea what I’m doing here.”
“I have her passwords. I can get you through this.” Wren’s voice holds an odd note, nerves, I think. Or maybe I’m projecting. The idea of leaving Evianna in a room with someone who wants to kill her makes my skin crawl, but I can hear her congratulating her team—though Wren’s turned down her volume a bit to avoid distractions.
The elevator doors slide open with a ding, and I take two steps forward, then turn around in a slow circle, giving Wren a 360-degree view of the room.
“Okay. You’re good to go. No one here. Head to your right, approximately thirty feet, and there’s a door with an electronic keypad lock.”
When my cane finds the door, Wren blows out a breath over comms. “Okay. Enter seven-six-two-five-nine-one.”
The door beeps, and after a metallic thunk, I’m in.
“The server you want is all the way in the back. Be careful. It’s kind of a maze in there. Stick to the far left wall, and watch the cane.”
Evianna announces Barry’s promotion as I reach the back corner of the room, and in my ear, cheers and applause break out all around her. Noah’s voice cuts through the din, and his condescending tone bleeds through comms.
“I really don’t like that guy,” Wren says. “But he’s a flippin’ boy scout. Not even a parking ticket.”
“Wren, focus. Where am I going next?”
