She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I did it so he’d feel like he could trust me.”
“Did it work?”
“It did. He told me he worked at ALPHA, but Z fired him. He mentioned how much the group has grown over the years, like he keeps up with it.”
“The Director could have told Hirzog about ALPHA.”
“I still don’t think he’s The Bomb Maker, but he’s on my radar.” After a beat, she said, “I ruled everyone else out.” She updated him on ATF agent Nina Roy.
“Follow the white rabbit,” he said. “That’s Hirzog.”
“I did see something. After lunch, I said goodbye to Peter in the hotel lobby, but he circled back and took the elevator upstairs. First, I thought he parked under the building?—”
“There is no underground parking.”
“I know. Turns out, he was meeting someone.”
“A woman.”
“No, a man.”
“Who?”
“Jerod De Clerq, my friend from ATF. The one at the dinner party who told Peter to stop obsessing over you.”
SIMONE
“Doyou think they had a meeting there?” Luciano asked.
“My gut says no,” she replied. “That’s a pretty upscale hotel to hold an off-site government meeting.”
“You think they’re lovers?”
“Why else would you meet someone in a hotel guest room in the middle of the day?”
“Would either confide in you?” he asked.
She hesitated. “Hard to say, and I’m not sure its relevant. I just found it intriguing.”
Stuart pulled up to the gates of Luciano’s home.
Luciano unrolled the window, rattled off a code, said hello to his guardsman, and they drove onto the property. Today, the yard was bustling with workers. Several were blowing leaves while others were manicuring the gardens. Being there felt familiar and comforting. Never did she imagine she’d ever be back. Stuart parked at the fountain.
As she and Luciano collected her bags, Stuart said, “I’ll be in the gym if you need me.”
They all went inside.
Stuart headed toward the lower level as Luciano escorted her down the hall and into his office. It had been redone since Coltonhad lived there. He’d removed the dark paneling, had the walls painted white, and hung an oversized piece of abstract art. The room felt open and airy, and filled with natural light.
Her gaze floated over the desk and executive chair with the built-ins behind them. Nearby stood a small conference table with four chairs. A large white sofa took up real estate in the center of the room, but it was the second desk near the French doors that caught her eye. That one stood completely empty, the first had a closed laptop on it.
“Take whichever desk you want,” he said.
“Have you always had that second desk?”
“No, I had it moved in here for you, but if you need your own space, you can work next door.”
Her heart expanded in her chest.He did that for me.
