Page 95 of Promise of Destruction

The housekeeper trails close behind him.

“He found them.” Elaine says in a rush. She sounds like she’s run the whole way here, but Declan looks perfectly collected as his eyes take me in and then slide to Dimitri, cold, calculating, assessing the situation.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes,” I manage. That’s all I can get out before my throat tightens, the air starting to feel like it’s being restricted. The sight of Declan makes it hard to deny the awful thoughts I’ve refused to give any mind.

“You found her?” Dimitri’s voice is skeptical, and his eyes are even more so. “Already?”

“Earlier you seemed to believe I was taking too long. Now you don’t believe I’m done?”

Dimitri glances at me and then stands, closing the space between him and Declan. Dimitri is a big man, but he doesn’t diminish Declan’s presence. My boss/stalker is still imposing, and his green eyes are devastatingly gorgeous and dangerous, particularly as they sweep over me once more before turning on Dimitri.

“Is it true?”

Declan lifts his hands in either a shrug or a call for worship. His face is smug enough that I’m guessing it’s the second.

Elaine interjects herself into the space between the two men, commanding Dimitri’s attention.

“I saw it.” She rushes out. “Rhea is in Dubai. I took a picture of the coordinates.”

She thrusts her phone into his chest. After a moment, he blinks like he’s been pulled out of a trance and takes the phone into his hand to look disbelievingly at it.

“Have you gotten ahold of Remy?”

“He didn’t answer my call.” Elaine’s voice is full of panic, and though I know none of these people, I feel tense with their lives hanging in the balance.

“I’ll call him on my way.” Dimitri says.

His own phone chimes, and I imagine he forwarded himself the picture from Elaine’s phone. He’s halfway across the porch, apparently ready to go at this exact moment.

Elaine opens her mouth to call after him but is cut off by the ringing of Dimitri’s phone before a single word can fall out.

Dimitri answers promptly. Either the man on the other end is yelling, or Dimitri is deaf and has his volume on high.

“You have news?”

“Evers found her.” Dimitri confirms quickly.

“Where?”

There’s a moment of panic while he tries to figure out how to break the news. “Rhea is in Dubai.”

“Dubai?” I hear the voice parrot the word, confusion immediately turning to rage. “FuckingShah.”

“It makes sense.” Dimitri nods despite the fact that the person on the other end of the call cannot see him. “Of course, Boulder Tech would be capable of locking us out. They locked Evers out of his own code, but he broke it easily.”

“I sent Simon to pick up Evers. If he’s even left to come back, he’s hours away at best.” The man on the other end blows out a loud breath that sounds like a hiss. “I’ll have to fly public.” I can hear movement in the background, buttons clacking on a keyboard, car keys jostling. It paints a frenzied picture.

Normally, that’s the sort of sentiment I’d mock, but I realize how that may be an inconvenience when you’re used to having your own jet to take you anywhere you want anytime you want.

Declan also remains silent, his hands in his pockets.

We have no business here. Whatever this is, however he’s tied to these people, his part is over. But we haven’t been explicitly dismissed so we’re still here, Declan standing there looking like he’s bored, and me sitting awkwardly on the patio chaise, my knees pressed together and my heart in my throat.

I have never left the states until today—or, rather, yesterday—but I am fairly confident that it’s a long flight. Europe to Asia, with a few seas between them.

“You might wanna hold off.” Declan warns.