Page 98 of Pervade Montego Bay

“If you see Louis tell him I’m happy to wait.”

“For what?”

“To talk to him.”

“Everything okay?”

His snide smile revealed crooked teeth.

I let out a steadying breath, realizing this was not the first time he’d bothered Louis. James would be rattled to hear this man was sniffing around the house. Louis had a series of rules to abide by, which was to keep off the press’ radar.

Trevor sidled up to me. “Looks like Louis has a girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Pretty. Red dress.” He nodded to the house. “She followed him in there.”

I walked away.

Trevor called after me. “Haven’t I seen you around here before?”

Ignoring him, I entered the house without looking back. The potential damage a journalist could do was far reaching.

Once inside, I used my phone to connect with my counterpart AI and shot the photo of Trevor its way.Boom,that fucker would be analyzed by sunup and we’d have a detailed profile. It was the kind of intel that could ruin a life…a weaponized trick of modern tech.

I could never get over how gaudy this place was with all its magnified shininess. It was like someone went shopping in Harrods and if they saw an item that burned a hole through their irises they added it to the décor. Though the antiques were tasteful and balanced out the gold embellishments—almost.

This was where they’d tucked Louis away. I fucking hated the elite—but it could be argued I was one of them. My bank account would give millionaires a hard-on. The money I earned on the stock-exchange was all legal. Admittedly, I may have an advantage due to my unusual brain power, but why the hell not? If there was a pattern involved, I was your man for figuring it out. Even when it came to bitcoin. I crushed ownership of that crypto-currency and it was fun to play around with. A lot of good could be done with that much liquid cash.

This place wasn’t Louis. He loved the earthy tones of nature. It was like caging one of those exotic parrots I’d seen flying over James’ home. Louis was forever trapped inside this cursed place. James was right, he’d inherited the key to enforce that family’s wishes to keep Louis contained.

I punched in James’ number and snapped my phone to my ear.

He answered on the first ring. “Xavier? This is nothing a glass of rum won’t solve. Me and you talking it out—”

“I can’t find Em.”

He was silent for a moment. “Where are you?”

I looked around, frustrated. “I don’t know. All the rooms blend into one. Where are you?”

“In the chapel.”

“This place has a chapel?”

“I thought you stayed here?” He sighed. “Meet me in the foyer. I’ll get the entry and exit points closed down as a precaution. Where did you last see her?”

“When I was with you earlier enjoying the view. She was on the lawn.”

“Right.”

“Some guy told me he saw her come into the house. She was following Louis.”

He hesitated. “She was with Louis?”

“Apparently.”

“Who was this guy you talked to?”