“After a long day of travel,” Rhys replied smoothly. “But the evening was enjoyable and informative. I made several promising connections. Thank you.”
His smile sharpened and he dipped his chin, as though the gratitude were his due.
When Rhys’s fingers curled around her arm, and he started them toward the exit, Álvarez made the offer they’d been waiting for. “Before you go, Lucien. I’m having a private exposition at my residence next month.Le Cadutawill be displayed in full. I would be pleased to extend an invitation. If your schedule allows.”
He played it perfectly. Not eager or indifferent. Interested. “Fortunately, my schedule is flexible.”
“Excellent. Then we can discuss it more over brunch in the morning,” Álvarez offered, his smile widening as if granting a privilege rather than tightening a noose.
When he returned to his other guests, Rhys guided her out. Lightning flashed in the distance as the rain picked up.
“Did you know about brunch?” Gaby asked. “Or is this a new twist?”
“It was mentioned. I’d hoped to avoid it if tonight was successful.”
“But now he expects you.”
Their car pulled up, cutting off further discussion. Gaby gripped his arm as they made a dash for it in the downpour, abandoning her role out of necessity on the slick stone steps. They were soaked by the time the driver closed the door behind them.
Gaby shivered, as much from relief as from exhilaration. “We did it,” she whispered, while they were alone in the car.
“We advanced the mission but still have a way to go,” he corrected, but she caught the hint of satisfaction in his voice.
They fell silent when the driver, even wetter than they were, slid behind the wheel.
As the limo pulled away, Gaby leaned closer to Rhys. “What about Leland and Mateo?”
“They’re following,” he murmured.
She twisted to look out the rain-streaked rear window. Sure enough, through the sheets of water, she caught the faint glow of headlights six car lengths back.
Gaby eased back into her seat, drawing a slow breath as the vehicle wound through the rain-swept roads. A tremor ran through her, hope pulsing like adrenaline. Threaded through it, the aftershock of spending three hours as nothing more than a pet on a leash.
She couldn’t imagine a lifetime of that. Yet Natalie was out there somewhere living it. No matter what it took, she refused to abandon her to it. She’d burn the world down first.
Chapter 14
Rain hammered the mountainside as the limo crawled toward their mountaintop villa, sheets of water slashing sideways across the windshield. Palms bent under the force of the wind, their fronds thrashing like warning flags.
“We’ve lost Leland and Mateo,” Rhys said, reaching into his jacket pocket for his phone.
Gaby twisted in her seat, peering through the rain-blurred rear window. She hadn’t seen him look back. He justknew. His instincts were well-honed and almost always right, which she was grateful for, even if it unsettled her a little.
There was nothing he could do about what came next. “No signal,” he muttered, jaw flexing as he checked his screen.
The driver glanced at them in the mirror. “The storm strengthened more than expected,” he said in heavily accented English. “We’re under a tropical storm warning now.”
Her stomach twisted. Tropical storms, even hurricanes, weren’t uncommon in Miami. Central America was an unknown.
“The airport?” Rhys asked.
“Already closed,” the driver said grimly. “But the system is expected to move through quickly. That’s good news, since this area tends to flood.”
She didn’t find anything about this good, especially with the road behind them already disappearing. “How do we reach the guys?” she asked softly, just for Rhys.
“For now, it looks like we don’t.”
When the limo finally stopped, Rhys took the key from the driver. He glanced toward the villa, which was barely visible in the driving rain. “There are lights on. At least there’s power.”
