Page 16

The patio outside was cooler and much less crowded than the dance floor.

I twisted my hair over my shoulder as I slid into a seat at the stone bar and ordered a glass of water.

Laurent leaned his back against the bar, scanning the tables of revelers from behind his Zorro mask, while I scrutinized the groups of laughing people standing around the entrance to the gift shop.

The crowd parted for a gaggle of gorgeous women in rhinestone outfits that left little to the imagination, and my gaze landed on a group of three seated at an out-of-the-way table partially hidden by a potted palm.

The sole woman at the table was slender but muscular, her only attempt at costume a pair of heart-shaped pink sunglasses and a fedora that did little to disguise her identity.

I elbowed Laurent. “There,” I said, nodding my head toward her.

The other two men at the table wore more thorough disguises, but the one dressed as a knight was thin and tall, and the other one was older, salt-and-pepper hair peeking out from beneath the pope hat he was wearing, a simple black mask covering his eyes.

“Do you know those men?” I asked.

He shook his head. “It’s hard to tell with the costumes.”

They were clearly having an intense discussion, leaning forward in their seats and taking no notice of anyone else in the bar.

“But they’ll have to take them off before they leave,” I said. “So all we have to do is wait.”

Laurent signaled the bartender and ordered two glasses of Clase Azul on the rocks. I started to protest, but he shook his head, sliding a card toward the bartender. “We may be here a while, we might as well enjoy ourselves,” he reasoned.

I took out my phone and pretended to check my makeup on the screen while capturing pictures of Allison with the two men.

The bartender slid our drinks toward us, and I raised my glass to Laurent. “Thanks for escorting me.”

He tipped his glass to mine and we both drank.

“I have to ask, but you do not have to answer—” He evaluated me, his eyes unreadable behind his mask. “Why has Tyson asked you to follow Allison?”

“Oh, it’s—” I racked my brain for how to say it without giving anything away. “I owe him a favor, and it’s kind of what I do for a living.”

He raised his brows. “You follow people?”

“I help attorneys get information that could be useful at trial, which, yeah, sometimes involves tracking people.”

He cocked his head. “How did you get into that?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I have all night.”

“Short version, I’m good with computers,” I said. “I used to work in cybersecurity and one of my clients was a law firm. I helped them track down some digital information they needed for evidence in one of their cases, and it grew from there.”

“And you also track people?”

I shrugged. “Believe me, I never imagined it would be part of what I did, but sometimes the information I need can’t be obtained digitally. And honestly, it’s kinda fun.”

“Is it ever dangerous?” he asked.

“It can be.”

“Do you carry protection?” he asked.

I nodded and he drew back, impressed.

“I’m also trained in self-defense,” I added. “But fortunately, I haven’t had to use either on the job yet.”

“Damn,” he said, the corner of his mouth quirking into a smile. “You are kind of a badass, aren’t you?”

I grinned and shrugged, my pride swelling with his compliment. “Don’t worry, I can protect you if we get into any trouble tonight.”

He laughed as on the other side of the patio, Allison rose from the table, shaking hands with the men. We watched as she quickly walked toward the exit, discarding the fedora and glasses on a table by the door before she slipped into the night.

Laurent nudged me, and I turned to see the pope and the knight headed inside.

We grabbed our drinks and followed them past the dance floor into the darkened dining room, across the cheetah print rug to the costume room at the back.

“There’s only one entrance to the costume closet,” Laurent said, grabbing my hand to stop me before I could mount the steps.

His palm was rough against mine as he pulled me into the shadows, where we leaned against the wall outside the door, waiting for the men to emerge. We were standing so close, our hips were touching, and again, neither of us moved to pull apart.

“You have calluses,” I commented inanely.

“I lift some weights.” He opened his hand between us, tracing the calluses with his fingers. “Is worse on my fingers.”

He gripped my wrist gently, lifting the sleeve of my robe to trail his fingers down the inside of my arm. Shivers cascaded all the way down my body.

“From the guitar,” he explained. My breath grew shallow as he ran my fingers along his other hand. “Feel the difference?”

I nodded, allowing myself a glance up at him, again grateful for the masks covering our faces. “What kind of music do you play?”

“Everything. Reggae, rock, flamenco.”

I was too hot, I had to get out of these robes, and now that Allison was gone, I didn’t need to worry about anyone recognizing my jumpsuit. I ripped my hat off, handing it to Laurent as I pulled my sorcerer’s costume over my head. I sighed, dropping it to a chair next to me.

Laurent’s gaze swept over my bare shoulders before our eyes met again. Chemistry like this couldn’t be one sided, could it?

Not that it mattered. Nothing could happen between us.

Movement behind me drew his attention, and I turned to see two men descending the stairs. The tall, thin one was perhaps forty, his light brown hair swept back from his forehead, his nose prominent. The older one was maybe sixty, ruddy-skinned with a paunch and long, wavy gray hair.

“Do you know them?” I asked as they cut across the room.

He nodded. “David Barbier and Charl Michel. They’re both on the city council.”

“The council Tyson’s meeting with tomorrow?” I asked.

He nodded. “I wonder if Allison was bribing them to approve the center.”

“Maybe,” I said, thinking back to the conversation I’d heard between Allison and Cody earlier. But I wasn’t about to share that with him.

He untied his mask, and I did the same. It felt oddly intimate, revealing our naked faces to each other.

“Let’s keep this between us for now,” I said. “I don’t know yet what it means, and I want to find out more before I say anything to Tyson.”

He nodded. “You can trust me.”

Our eyes caught, and I wished more than anything that that were true.