Page 31 of Marked By Moonlight

“A glass for you?” I offered.

He shook his head, and when he turned away, I guzzled down a glassful. My mind spun. Why had Celeste secretly met with Marius? How was she involved in whatever was going on? Worse, was she still involved with Marius? Had he been playing me all along?

One thing was for sure. This day was turning out to be a hell of a roller coaster, and I sensed several more loops looming. Where the hell was the exit?

“What will your next project be?” Gordon asked, more out of politeness than interest.

Celeste had thrown me off so badly, I spent the next ten minutes blabbering about paint, leaks, and faulty plumbing just to return to an even keel. Then I gradually steered the conversation back to what I‘d really come for.

“Gen mentioned that you needed a favor,” I said as casually as I could. “Maybe I could help you with it since she’s delayed.”

“How sweet of you.” Gordon’s light tone was a little forced, like the tight smile I replied with.

“We’re always happy to help. It’s the least we can do after all you’ve done for us.”

He nodded sadly. “I know your father would have done the same for me if things had been different.”

Things would have had to have beenwaydifferent, since Gordon didn’t have children. He wasn’t the one who’d died young in a tragic accident either, but I appreciated his sentiment.

Then I caught myself. Just how genuine was that sentiment? Given what I’d recently learned about his business interests… Well, I found myself questioning everything.

But no. Gordon was my father’s dearest friend, and he’d always been incredibly generous to Gen, Dora, and me. He might be involved in shady business dealings, but I had no grounds to suspect his affection.

“Well, I’m happy to help,” I said. “And knowing Gen, well… You might have been better off asking me in the first place.”

Gordon flashed an indulgent smile that said,Oh, that Gen. Such a firecracker! Someday, she’ll get her life together.

I shared his hope, if not his optimism.

“I would have asked, but I know how busy you’ve been,” he said.

He also knew I was the responsible one — and the one who practically lived on his doorstep.

“I’d be happy to help. And truthfully, I could use a little break,” I said.

From working on the châteauandfrom my guests, but I left that part out.

“I can imagine,” he said, pasting on a smile.

I waited. And waited. “So…the favor?”

He began pacing. Back and forth, back and forth through shadows cast by the spaces between each of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Uh-oh. The last time I’d seen Gordon pace this much had been when he’d considered the idea of sending a group of “bodyguards” to live and “train” at the château — a plan peppered with lies and deceit, as I’d come to discover.

“To be honest, I hesitated to ask Gen in the first place,” he admitted.

Hesitated because he knew Gen would mess up, or hesitated because it was dangerous and illegal?

“Particularly since it’s a task with potential for certain…complications,” he continued.

My mind filled in the blanks with arms dealers, mercenaries, and million-dollar masterpieces.

“Maybe it’s just as well she can’t do it,” I said.

He moved his head in a yes-but-no motion. “Perhaps, though it could also be a unique opportunity.” He looked at me, and I could sense the gears of his mind turning.

“Opportunity? How so?” I asked nervously.