Page 128 of Pandora's Pleasure

Theo was hunched beneath an umbrella and getting soaked, his voice almost drowned out by the driving rain.

“Hurry, come in,” I said, opening the door wider. “Put your umbrella there.”

He shook it outside first and then rested it in the corner.

“Let me take your coat.”

“I’m fine.” He followed me toward the kitchen. “I have a key,” he admitted. “Didn’t want to scare you.”

“It would have been fine.” I watched to see if he glanced toward the red door. At least he was polite enough to feign no interest at what went on downstairs.

“Damien’s not here.” I headed over to the coffeemaker.

“Figured.”

“Let me get you a hot cup of java. Unless you’d prefer tea?”

I reached for my phone on the countertop.

“Don’t look at that right now.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I need you to trust me. Do you think you can do that?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Can you pack a bag? I can help if you like.”

“Where are we going?”

“We have a place in the city. Damien will meet us there.”

“You still share a place with him?’

“It’s where we host meetings when we don’t want to bring people to our homes, and for times when the office is too formal and hotel lobbies are too public.”

He’d mentioned the place once. Told me something about Madeline staying there while she was buying a home. “Did he say why we have to go there?”

Theo’s frown deepened. “I don’t need coffee. Best if you turn it off, actually.”

After unplugging the coffeemaker, I tried to figure out what he wasn’t saying. “I’ll call him.” I reached for my phone again.

“We need to go, actually. Right now.”

Theo hurried me upstairs to the bedroom and watched me pack. I gathered my toiletries from the bathroom and stuffed my clothes into my bag, all the while going over a thousand different scenarios as to why we had to leave so suddenly. I longed to question Theo, but he was insistent we talk on the way there.

My heart was thundering and my hands were trembling. I’d been ushered out of places with little notice before but usually I knew why—a security threat or a last-minute meeting that meant we all had to cut our day short and hop on a plane somewhere. Once your father enters politics your day becomes fluid.

After locking up the house, Theo drove us across the city.

To my frustration, our conversation did not cover why this was happening.

By late afternoon, we arrived at Ten Ten Mass, a tall building in the heart of Washington D.C. We walked through the lobby and Theo thanked the bell boy for helping wheel my suitcase into the elevator. He told him we would continue on alone, both of us ascending rapidly to the top floor.

“How long will we be here?” I asked. “I’m cooking for us tonight. It’s a surprise.” I’d searched out a recipe and ordered the ingredients. I was excited since it would be the first time I’d done anything like this for Damien.

“Sounds nice.” Theo reached for his keys.

Pulling my suitcase along, he ushered me out of the elevator and along a swanky private hallway. We reached the front door and with a turn of his key, Theo let us in.

Once inside, I stood in the sparse living room feeling confused.