I open a new page in my notebook and begin to write, listing out potential ways to make this happen. From the videos I’ve watched and photos I’ve seen, he has security personnel, but usually only a couple standing guard along the outskirts of the room. It shouldn’t be too difficult for me to blend in before slipping past them.
As I’ve done more research and made more plans, I’ve realized something: I’m not killing with reluctance anymore. I’m fueled by vengeance and bloodlust for all the people who have made this world a terrible place. Turning corrupt,powerful men into helpless victims is a challenge I’ll happily take.
My hand cramps from gripping my pen by the time I have everything written out.
His speech will be held in the Grand Ballroom of one of the largest and most expensive hotels in the city. I study the layout of the ballroom and the hotel on their website, hoping my assumption that he’ll stay there for the night is correct.
In my research, I also note that Senator Abbott’s wife and kids are rarely seen at his events. Probably for the best, considering what I intend to do.
I close my notebook and head downstairs once I feel content that my plan will work. Ambrose is in his usual spot by the fireplace with a book open in his lap. The flames throw shadows across his face, and I’m struck by how beautiful he is. After our kiss and our heartfelt conversations, it’s become harder to ignore the way his gaze makes my stomach swoop and his touch sparks against my skin.
“I have a question,” I say, perching on the arm of the couch.
“Yes?”
“You say I can only be away from you for a day or so before it becomes a problem, right?”
He hesitates. “It’s not an exact amount of time, but approximately, yes.”
“Well, in that case, can I interest you in going somewhere with me this weekend?”
Closing his book, he pins me with a questioning look. “Where to?”
I explain my plan to go to the city that’s a few hours’ drive away and that I have my next target in mind, but that I’d prefer to scope everything out the night before. He listens silently as I explain my desire to kill the senator, though I getmore worked up as I list all the vile things he’s said over the past few months.
“So, will you go?” I ask when he’s silent after my unintended monologue.
“I will. But only if I can go to the event with you,” he says.
“Deal. Just stay out of my way.”
CHAPTER 31
“When one with honeyed words but evil mind persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.”
—Euripides
The marble floors of the hotel lobby click beneath my heels as I find a seat with a clear view of the entrance. The hotel lives up to its photos, with ornate fixtures and an elegant atmosphere that makes me feel entirely too out of place sitting in the lobby, even in my dress and heels.
Hours pass, and I sip coffee from the small cafe next door, trying to make it last as I watch a steady stream of guests and staff pass through the lobby. But as time ticks by, I begin to wonder if I was wrong, if he isn’t staying in this hotel. From what I found online, he had stayedhere last time he was in the city, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’d stay here again.
Just as I’m beginning to doubt my entire plan, Senator Abbott sweeps through the doors, accompanied by two security men in dark suits. He’s shorter than I imagined, though his waxy skin is folded into wrinkles at the edges of his beady eyes and corners of his lips from a career of feigned smiles. He carries himself with the same self-importance I’d expected from a man like him.
The necklace’s magic hums through my veins as I walk to the ATM beside the front desk, willing the attention of anyone who looks this way to pass over me.
I strain my ears as he approaches the check-in area, keeping my head down but my senses alert.
The receptionist greets him warmly, and he hands over his credit card while making small talk, looking and sounding every bit the typical politician.
“We have you in the twentieth-floor suite,” the receptionist tells him as she hands over the key card. “We hope you enjoy your stay, and please don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s anything you need.”
“Excellent,” he responds.
I fight the urge to approach him now and end this today, but I remind myself to be patient. It will be more impactful to carry out my plan after his speech tomorrow, when his guard is down and his ego is high.
Once he disappears into the elevator, I gather my things and walk the few blocks to a run-down motel where a flickering neon sign in the window advertises, “We Accept Cash.”
Thankfully, Ambrose booked us separate rooms, so I don’t have to worry about him being a nuisance tonight. But with the day still ahead of us, I knock on his door and listen as his footsteps approach from the other side.
