“Well,” Jason said, “that was a first for me.”
She laughed. “Me too.”
“You were amazing, by the way,” he said. “You’re scary-good at this subterfuge stuff.” For better and worse.
“You’re no slouch yourself.”
Not true. He was an introvert at heart. One who’d learned to talk to people when they talked to him, and to loosen up with the people he trusted, but he rarely made the first approach. Even with women, it had always been far easier to let them come to him. He’d been lucky enough that they usually did. It wasn’t until he’d met Emma that he wished he had better moves.
He squeezed her hand as they entered the high-ceilinged lobby of the Turaco, featuring gallery-framed photos of a colorful bird on the walls and white marble floors. Despite the late hour, most of the overstuffed couches were occupied.
“The turaco is Switzerland’s national bird,” Emma said tugging him toward the elevators.
He studied the nearest picture of a bright blue bird in flight. “Really? It looks like it belongs in a South American jungle.”
“I know, right?” The elevator opened and she stepped inside, still holding tightly to his hand. “Apparently, it’s native to the Alps and some parts of Africa.”
The doors closed as she pressed the B button, and he relaxed, grateful to be safely out of sight even for a moment. As far as he could tell, they hadn’t been followed. “How do you even know that? About the bird?”
She shrugged. “I looked it up last time I was here.”
He shouldn’t have been surprised. She’d been like that in college too. Sponging up interesting facts about everything and everyone she encountered. It was why she’d been a good interviewer and journalist. She did her homework and then kept digging. It surely helped in her current role.
“What’s on the Basement level?” he asked.
“A club that’s open until five a.m. Not a great place to whip out a computer, but perfect for blending in until we figure out our next step.”
He cleared his throat. “About that…”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
AS HOTEL TURACO’S elevator rumbled downward, Emma released Jason’s hand and crossed her arms, the look on his face making her nervous. “What?”
“My teammate, Todd, is right next door at the Richter. I’d like to talk to him.” He shoved his hands into his front pockets. “Maybe have him meet us at the club.”
“You trust him?” she asked.
“With my life.”
The elevator stopped with a soft bounce. She took Jason’s arm as the doors opened, but dropped it after confirming the hallway was empty.
They stepped into a dimly lit corridor covered in red-and-gold striped wallpaper. Thick red carpet led to a massive arched door topped with a neon sign announcing BAR UNDINE. Even without the sign, they could’ve easily followed the heavy bass thump of house music coming from behind the wooden door.
Facing Jason under a gold-plated sconce, she said, “What can Todd do for us?”
“He can get a team to look into Renfro. Especially Valerie. She’s magic on the web.”
Emma couldn’t hold back her skepticism. After all, Dallas was pretty damn magic too, and he’d been thwarted several times. Plus, she didn’t trust this sudden change of heart on Jason’s part. “That’s illegal.”
“So is murder.”
“You’re not worried about what they’ll find?”
“OfcourseI am.” He started to run a hand through his hair and stopped when he touched the wig, giving an irritated grunt. “I also don’t see a good end to this unless we take some action.”
Emma shifted from one foot to the other as she weighed his words. “How can I trust that you won’t destroy or change any proof your team finds? Or cover for your brother?”
His expression shuttered, and his voice came out flat. “If you trust me so little, why are you even with me right now?”
