“What do you need?”
“To speak with her.”
“What’s her name?”
“She goes by Rave, but I’m guessing that’s an alias. Can you check reservations for me? She might be a long-term guest.”
While Greg tapped on his keyboard, Sin shifted his attention to Evan. After a few seconds, she returned his gaze. Her rueful smile tore through him.Is she chilly because I didn’t open up about my past?
“I have fourteen guests who have been here for longer than a week,” Greg said, snagging their attention. “Six females. What did you say her name was?”
“Rave.”
“I have one named Gina and another named Rava. A Natasha and a Rebecca. What about Helen or Joy?”
Rave, Rava. Might be her.Could be Natasha, too.“Let’s start with Natasha and Rava. Can you pull up surveillance? I need a visual,” he said to Greg.
After a few moments, Greg said, “Natasha leaves every morning around eight and returns to her room by ten.” He spun the monitor around and Sin ruled her out. She looked nothing like the woman in the video.
“That’s not her. Check Rava.”
Greg reviewed the surveillance. “Most nights, around eleven, she heads to the bar.” Again, he swung the monitor toward them. A buxom blonde sauntered into the bar.
Sin asked Greg to replay it. “That could be her. What do you think, Evangeline?”
“Looks promising. Does she go into the bar alone?” she asked.
After tapping out a few keystrokes, Greg confirmed she drank alone.
“Is anyone registered with her?” Sin asked.
“No.”
“When is she scheduled to check out?” Sin asked.
Greg turned back to the screen. “I don’t see a date. Wait, there’s a note. She’s leaving the day after tomorrow, on the third.”
“That’s her. Evangeline and I will be back tonight. I’m going to need a small salon so we can get her confession on tape. Once that happens, I’ll escort her out.”
“No cops, please,” Greg said.
“Understood.” Sin extended his hand. “Thanks for your help.”
AT TEN FORTY, Sin waited on a sofa in the upscale hotel lobby. From his vantage point, he could see the elevators and the main entrance. At the other end of the building, Evangeline and Sanchez sipped iced teas at a table in the bar. All three were wired and ready. News anchor Alexandra Wilde and her cameraman, Gavin Aviato, waited in a small salon down the hall.
While Sinshouldhave been afraid that Uncle Charlie could strike at any time, he wasn’t. During the day, he faced his demons head on. It was at night that his past got the best of him.
The necessary calls had been made. The only missing player was the woman who’d wreaked havoc with Evangeline’s life.
According to Sanchez, Rava Suknova’s real name was Nadya Osinov. Reliable sources said she’d been sent to the U.S. to gather top-secret intel from Birdie Caraway. Back in September, the FBI had placed her on a watch list, but hadn’t brought her in for questioning.
Eleven o’clock came and went. Eleven fifteen ticked by, but at eleven twenty, the elevator doors opened and Rava sashayed through the lobby. Her bright blonde hair was stacked on her head and her suggestive wiggle caught the eye of everyone she passed. Only Sin was nonplussed.
He followed her into the bar where a smattering of guests chatted quietly in the cozy room. When his gaze locked with Evangeline’s, determination fueled him forward. He would do whatever necessary to put her life back on track.
As Sin eased down on a barstool beside Rava, she glanced over. “Hello, handsome.” Her thick Russian accent caught his ear.
He waited an extra beat before swiveling toward her. “Good evening.”
