“You’ll never be safe with me, Savannah.”
I don’t reply. I’m not sure what to say, what he means. If I’m not safe with him, I’m not sure why Nicolette and Fabienarranged for me to come here, but I suspect he means something altogether different.
“What is it, Thayer? You can tell me.”
When he draws in a breath and releases it slowly, I see the weight he carries and the heaviness that bogs him down. I can’t imagine what it was like watching his father die, with his hands tied, knowing he couldn’t do anything to save him.
Does he fear he’ll lose me, too?
“They’ve found you out. I was afraid it would happen.”
A chilling wash of terror floods me. “They found me?” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “No, not yet, but they know you’re affiliated with us. Lyam’s intercepted messages. It’s no secret that Fabien’s wife has a sister, and it was easy enough for them to track down your whereabouts.” He blows out a breath. “We had a decoy sent back to America posing as you. She was shot and killed last night.”
I blink, trying to process this. It’s as if he’s speaking a language I don’t know.
“You had… a decoy… sent to America,” I whisper.
He nods. “An actress who was supposed to divert their attention from you. It was a whim of Lyam’s and he did it as an afterthought. We had no idea they had actually discovered your identity until we found her dead.”
Someone is dead because of me. I know I had nothing to do with it and didn’t even know she’d been hired, but I can’t get it out of my mind.
Someone died because of me.
“Oh, God. Does Nicolette know?”
“Yes.”
I cringe, knowing exactly how my sister will respond. She won’t like this at all. Hell,Idon’t like it. I hate it.
“Who was it?” I ask, unable to forget that someone died pretending to beme.
“I don’t know. I don’t care. That’s not the point.”
“Icare.”
He gives me a little shake and gnashes his teeth together. “She knew what the job was. She knew the risks. She took them anyway.”
Do I know what the job is? Do I know the risks?
It doesn’t make me feel any better.
“So where does that leave us?” Will he send me away from here?
“That’s a good question. Lyam’s on his way, and we’ll have a conference call with Fabien. We’re heading into the main club area. You’re going to see things you haven’t seen before, and it’s important that you take them in stride.”
“Alright.” I sound even less assured than I feel.
Someone knocks at the door. A minute later, Thayer lets Lyam in.
I stifle a scream.
Lyam’s got a long, thick snake wrapped around his neck like a scarf.
“Relax, Savannah,” Lyam says. “This is Princess. She’s tame.”
He strokes the long neck of the snake. I shudder when it flicks out its tongue.
