Page 155 of Lethal Torture

Agatha frowns. Her eyes move between the folder and me. Finally she sits back in her chair and gives a curt nod.

“Very well, Miss Melikov. Tell me this plan of yours.” Eyeing the whiskey bottle, she pushes her cup across the table. “And don’t bother with the coffee this time.”

The restof the day is filled with planning and discussion. By the time we break for a rest in the late afternoon, before everyone comes back to begin the evening’s festivities, I’m tense and wired as a tightrope. The staff file out of my office in the Quartier, leaving me and Luke alone for the first time in two weeks.

“I still don’t like the idea of you dancing on that stage at midnight.” He leans back against my desk, frowning, his arms folded.

“I’ll be fine.” I try not to stare at the corded muscles shaping his white shirt or the long, solid thighs beneath his black suit pants. The long day of conspiratorial planning has breached the silence between us, but we’ve yet to truly lower our defenses. I’ve remained oddly disassociated since watching Sophie’s performance with Kozlov. It was jarring to recognize myself in her calculated coldness, to see her as others must see me. Watching her retreat behind a mask so complete, and manipulate Kozlov with such cold precision, has left me feelingstrangely vulnerable, as if she donned my own mask and left me unprotected against the world.

I watch Luke surreptitiously beneath lowered lids. His protective concern is like a gentle tide washing up against what fragile defenses remain to me. I want to throw myself into the sea of his care, uncaring of where the tide might take me. But some old, stubborn sense of self-preservation still clings to the shore, unwilling to trust and unable to surrender.

And now is not the time,I think, studying Luke’s furrowed brow. Tonight we will both be running the greatest game I’ve ever dared. Whatever personal issues lie between us will need to wait until then.

“Do you really believe you can pull this off without disrupting the entire evening?” I meet his eyes and instantly regret it. Luke’s clear, brilliant blue-green gaze settles on mine like a penetrating laser, cutting straight through me to the longing inside.

“I know we can.” His curved half smile twists the pit of my stomach into a knot of fierce desire. “But before we go ahead, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”

He peels off the desk, and my breath catches in my throat. I’m half filled with longing, half with dread.I’m not ready for this conversation.

“I have an idea,” Luke says. “But it’s definitely one I need to run by you before I pitch it to Mak.”

“Mak?” I’m unsure whether to be relieved or disappointed at the change in conversation.

I’m also intrigued.“Go ahead,” I say.

“Well.” His smile has a hard, calculated edge to it that I find strangely thrilling. “I’ve been thinking about Lowbridge Inc.”

35

LUKE

“Andrew, darling.”Enzo beams into the telephone at the front desk of the Quartier. “Ofcourseyou’re invited, too. By my own personal invitation. Which means that although you won’t be in the audience, youwillhave an exclusive backstage vantage point—which, I assure you, is infinitely more fun.”

He listens for a moment, then gives me the ghost of a wink. “Fabulous, darling. I will see you shortly.” Hanging up on Simon Lowbridge’s private secretary, he gives me a smug look. “You’re not the only one who can charm the birds from the trees, McTasty.”

I give him my best quelling stare and attempt to ignore the sniggers coming from the men of my old troop, who have yet to get over hearing Zinaida’s staff openly address me as McTasty.

“And you think he’ll be prepared to work with us?” I say.

Enzo nods. “Beneath the mousy, sweet boy exterior, Andrew is actually highly ambitious, and quite frankly, a lot more ruthless than he looks. He’s also growing very tired ofLowbridge’s games. Andrew has razor-sharp political instincts. He’s known Lowbridge is heading for a fall for a long time, and he doesn’t want to be dragged down with him. I think he’ll leap at the opportunity for the kind of advancement Zin is going to offer, and he’s definitely got the contacts to get the deal you want over the line.”

“Good.” I look closely at him. “And you’re still comfortable with all this? I don’t want to jeopardize your relationship.”

“Oh, my heart.” Enzo bats his extremely long eyelashes at me and feigns fanning himself. “You canseewhy we’re all in love with him,” he says confidingly to the SAS men behind me, who all snigger again.

Pricks.

“In fact,” he goes on, “all this scheming has taken me and Andrew from casual hookups to something that might actually have a future. He’s definitely got hidden depths,” he adds admiringly. “Not to mention an absolutely huge—”

“Stop it,” I order him. “Right now.”

His eyes twinkle wickedly. “He’ssocommanding,” he murmurs, sotto voce,to the amused men behind me. “But while we’re on the topic of relationships, McTasty,” he goes on, arching his eyebrows at me, “do I sense a détente between you and the lovely Miss Melikov?”

Suddenly I’m aware of the entire foyer of security staff all listening attentively.

“You worry about your client list,” I say with as much dignity as I can muster, “and let me worry about Zin.”

“Just make sure you do.” Enzo points his silver pen at me warningly. Lowering his voice, he puts his head close to mine. “And whatever happens, youcannotlet her run the orgy tonight, no matter how much she insists she can do it. She can’t,” he says, giving me a dark look. “Not anymore. Zin has changed. For the better. She’s not the Winter Queen anymore, no matter how wellshe dances. Nor should she be. It’s time for her to let all of that go and embrace who she’s become.”