Ramos shook his head. “I thought you didn’t want to know. But since you heard... Zack’s the guy who was behind the explosion on the Passinis’ yacht. Now do you remember him?”
“Oh yeah... so you didn’t kill him... I mean... he’s still alive?”
“Yes, but he’s in some trouble, and it’s not over yet.” Ramos was thinking that Manetto might ask for my help, especially since he’d sent Ramos to Paris, then his gaze caught mine. “Uh... you just heard that, right?” I nodded, and Ramos shook his head. “Look, if you don’t want to get involved, I’ll see what I can do.”
“It’s not that,” I said. “Chris might come to Paris if he can get some time off. He just made partner at his law firm, so I don’t know for sure. But if he’s not coming, I guess I could leave tomorrow.” I sighed, unable to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
“No.” Ramos shook his head. “You should stay... I can see that you’re not ready to leave Paris yet. If he doesn’t come, I’m sure Suzette would be happy to put you up for a couple more days, and if Manetto still needs you, he can wait.”
“You think so? I mean... I owe Uncle Joey big time for sending you here.”
“That’s true. But look at it this way. I’m sure you’ll have lots of opportunities to pay him back. After this little escapade, it will probably take you the rest of your life, so what’s a few more days, right?”
I chuckled. “Well... you certainly put that in perspective for me.”
“Glad to help.”
We shared a smile, and my heart warmed. Ramos may be a hitman and a mob-boss’ second in command, but he was also my friend, and I’d never take that for granted.
“Oh, there you are,” Suzette said, coming into the kitchen. “We need to makes plans for tonight. It looks like it’s a formal affair, so you’ll both need appropriate clothing. I’ve got several evening gowns that I think should fit you, Shelby, since we’re close to the same size, but Ramos is another matter. I’ll have to call a rental place and get a tuxedo delivered.”
To Ramos’ chagrin, she found a tape measure in a kitchen drawer, and proceeded to measure his chest, arms, and shoulders even though he told her the jacket size he normally wore. She even measured his waist and pant length, explaining that she wanted to make sure the measurements were right since things were in meters here.
But I also caught that she enjoyed being close to him and bossing him around. I couldn’t really blame her for that, since I liked to do it as well. I sighed. It was hardly fair that he was such a woman-magnet without even trying. Once she got done, she made the call to have the tux delivered ASAP.
Next, she took me to her bedroom, and I tried to keep my jaw from dropping. Her room was like a mini-apartment, with a sitting room and everything. Even the walk-in closet was huge and filled with all kinds of designer clothing.
She took several dresses out and held them up to me before picking three that she liked best. “We’ll start with these.” She hung them up on a stand and waited in her sitting room while I tried them on. “Come out when you’re done so I can see how they look.”
They were all lovely, but glancing in the mirror while wearing the lemon chiffon, halter-top dress caught my breath. “You look stunning in that color,” Suzette said. “And the dress fits better through the waist.” She was thinking she’d only worn that dress once about fifteen years ago, so it was a little smaller than the others, but perfect for me. It was also a classic pattern that never went out of style. “You’re lucky it’s spring, or that color wouldn’t work.”
I could only nod my agreement before she continued. “I’m sure I’ve got some matching shoes somewhere.” She opened a door at the back of the closet to reveal a small room lined with shoes, each placed in separate shoe holders. “Here they are,” she said, pulling some dainty yellow pumps with an open toe out of a holder.
I slipped them on. They fit perfectly, and I let the silky folds of the dress fall to the ground. Feeling like a princess, I paraded in front of the mirror, even twirling around a few times. “This is great,” I said. “Now maybe going to this reception won’t be so bad. Only, I’m a little nervous about ruining the dress.”
“Don’t worry about that,” she said, thinking that if the bomb went off, it wouldn’t matter anyway, and I might as well go out in style. That kind of put a damper on my good mood. Why did she have to ruin everything by thinking that?
But it was true. If I couldn’t find Cypher at the reception and stop him, that bomb would go off, and I was going to die a horrible death.
Chapter 13
Six-thirty came long before I was ready. The reception started at seven, and Gabriel wanted us to be some of the first to arrive. I’d spent more time than I should have fixing my hair, but if I was going to die, I wanted to look my best.
I removed the curling iron from the last uncurled section of hair, and pulled it toward the back of my head, leaving wisps to curl around my face and neck. Fastening it up with at least half a box of hair pins, I finally got it to look right and hoped it wouldn’t fall out before we got there.
As I slipped on the diamond earrings Suzette had loaned me, a knock sounded at my door. I hurried to open it and found Ramos standing there. My mouth went dry, and my breath hitched to find him looking like a Greek God in a tux, with his face cleanly shaven, and his dark hair slightly curling. A wavy lock fell over his forehead, kind of like Superman. He even smelled good.
I totally missed his thoughts about how I looked, but it must have been okay if his slow, appreciative smile had anything to do with it. That smile about did me in, and it served to heighten his magnetic manliness. In this state, I couldn’t seem to think straight and blurted the first thing that came to mind.
“Holy hell.”
That caught him off guard, and he chuckled, which snapped me out of it, and I felt a blush spreading up my neck. “Uh... I’m almost ready. Let me get my wrap.”
He still chuckled with mirth as I joined him, thinking the look on my face was priceless, and yeah... he was totally hot. He’d have to fight off the women all night long.
“Don’t get cocky,” I said, smacking him on the arm.
He shrugged, thinking that no matter what else happened, having me by his side at this social event was a rare treat, and a far cry from his normal life. It was sure to be an adventure, so he planned on enjoying every minute of it.
Hearing that helped calm my nerves and I figured that I might as well try to enjoy myself too. I managed to stay calm until Suzette came from the library wearing a long, black dress, and carrying a couple of guns.
“Your glock,” she said, handing Ramos the bigger gun, along with a clip of ammo. She put the smaller pistol in her purse and snapped it shut.
“I guess we’re ready to go,” she continued. “Gabriel will have our earpieces for us once we arrive, and we’ll test them out then. Remember Shelby, if you see Cypher, whatever you do, don’t approach him. You’re there for eyes-only, and you’re not to engage.”
“Yeah, got it,” I said. “But if he sees me, won’t he know something’s going on?”
“Hopefully, that won’t happen, but if he does, just remember that your main focus is to find the bomb so we can stop it. If you get any kind of premonitions at all, let us know. Gabriel has haz-mat specialists on hand to defuse the bomb, so everything should work out.”
She was thinking that nothing ever worked out the way it was supposed to, but she knew how to improvise and hoped I could handle myself under pressure. If not, Ramos knew it was his job to keep me safe and get me out of there before the bomb went off... or Cypher tried to kill me.
They thought Cypher might try to kill me? Why didn’t anyone mention that before? My stomach tightened, and I had to take a few deep breaths to calm down. If I made it out of this alive, I swore that I would never do anything like this again.
We emerged from the mansion to find Suzette’s driver, Louis, waiting beside the car. He greeted us with a smile and opened th
e doors. Suzette sat in the front seat beside him, while Ramos and I slipped into the back.
We drove off, and a wave of dread passed over me. I knew with sudden clarity that, as fun as it was to dress up and go to a fancy reception at the Luxembourg Palace in Paris, France, right now, I wished I’d never left home.
Twenty minutes later, our car pulled up in front of the palace entrance. While Louis helped Suzette out, Ramos got out and reached in for my hand. “Babe,” he said, pulling me up. “Your hands are freezing.”
“Yeah, they tend to do that when I get nervous.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he reassured me. “This will work out, you’ll see.” He held my hands for a few seconds, then offered me his arm. I took it and held on tight. As confident as he sounded, I couldn’t quite let go of my apprehension.
Suzette took his other arm and, with reluctance, I somehow got my feet moving toward the entrance. The security guard studied our invitation, then ushered us through a side door which led down a short hall to a series of small rooms. In the first one, Gabriel’s lieutenant awaited us. He gave us each an earpiece and told us how to wear it.
We tested them out and heard Gabriel’s welcome voice on the other end. “Glad you are with us. So far, all is calm, but I don’t expect it to last. We have gone over the grounds and every inch of the palace and have found nothing. If Cypher is still committed to this, he has not yet made his move. Keep alert. We will hear everything you say, so if you see him, or get anything, just share it and we will know immediately what to do. Now... let us find this bastard and end this once and for all.”
Gabriel’s little speech strengthened my resolve and helped sharpen my focus. He was right. I was there for a reason, and I had to believe we would succeed. My mind-reading ability was a powerful asset, and it was time we caught this guy and scored one for our side. This terrorist was not going to win. Not if I could help it.
We followed the lieutenant down a long hallway which met up with the main entrance, where he left us to continue into L’Hotel du Petit Luxembourg. Here, an usher greeted us and took my wrap along with Suzette’s.
Next, we turned up a beautiful staircase adorned with a stone balustrade, and walls aligned with mirrored arches emphasizing their height, to the Great Salon which looked out over the garden. Several beautiful chandeliers hung from the high ceiling. A large banquet table sat at one end, and the other held a raised platform where a small string orchestra played.
The beauty of the room washed over me, sending a little thrill down my spine. Ramos expertly guided me to the far end of the room, where I could observe the crowd. Suzette parted ways with us, greeting several people she knew, and speaking in flawless French. I tried to follow her thought process and glanced at Ramos with worry tightening my eyes.
“Do you think I’ll understand his...” I was about to say ‘his thoughts,’ but Ramos shook his head, and motioned to his ear. My breath caught with shock at what I’d almost done. Yikes! What was I thinking? I almost spilled the beans to the entire French Intelligence community... and Suzette as well. That was just stupid.
“I’m sure you’ll get something,” Ramos said, focusing his thoughts on premonitions for my sake.
I let out my breath and nodded. “Yeah, thanks. Okay. So how do you want to do this? Should we wander around or just stand here for a while?”
“Try to act natural,” Gabriel said, shocking me with his voice in my ear.
“Right,” I agreed, knowing I needed to channel my inner-spy. Or maybe I should think about it as an under-cover-cop operation. Yeah, I could do that.
I heard Ramos thinking, buffet table, so I nodded, and we started in that direction. I kept my senses alert for any thoughts in English, while we stopped to admire the delectable assortment of pastries, bread and cheeses, and all kinds of hors d’oeuvres.
I might not be able to stomach much, but I knew there was room for a macaron or two. After my third cookie, we continued to the other side of the room, where I kept my eyes and ears open for any sign of Cypher. He had to be here, right? But it blew my mind to think he could actually get past all the security. Maybe I’d gotten it wrong?
“If you were Cypher,” I asked Ramos. “How would you get in?”
He thought about it before answering. “I’m sure there have been all kinds of deliveries today. Maybe he’d slip in with them. Or a groundskeeper could gain access. How about the cleaning crew? There are many possibilities.”
“Then we may not find him here, in the actual reception room, right?” I asked him.
“I wouldn’t rule it out. For the... item... to do the most damage, it would need to be here, where there are the most people.”
“That is true,” Gabriel said. “We have already checked the air ducts and ventilation system and found nothing. Unless he got by us somehow, but I do not believe it possible.”
By now, Ramos and I were standing near the small platform where the string quartet and harpsichord played. I loved the sound of violins and cellos. Combined with the beautiful harpsichord, it reminded me of the concert at Sainte-Chapelle I’d attended just a few nights ago.
Was this the same group who had performed? They were really good. Off to the side of the stage, a speaker and microphone with a podium were set up, probably for later when the host or hostess wanted to say a few words.
Finding nothing more, we moved on, giving polite smiles to the people we passed, who I figured were mostly undercover cops. A few minutes later, Suzette joined us, and we headed to the banquet table again. This time, my stomach had settled enough that I took a little plate and filled it up with an assortment of goodies.
A doorway connecting into another room was set up with several small tables, so we all trooped inside and sat down to eat. None of us spoke much, but that was because we all knew Gabriel was listening. I glanced at all of the people in this room, listening intently, but heard nothing to cause alarm. Of course, it was mostly French... so that was a huge handicap for me.
By the time we went back into the main reception hall, more people had arrived, and the place was packed. I scanned the crowd, zeroing in on the thoughts I heard in English. The thought from someone that the group seemed a little strange caught my attention, and I focused back on him. He was somewhere in front of me, and on the right side near the doors, but I couldn’t see him. His thoughts continued that there were a lot of people here, but not the dignitaries he’d expected, and something was wrong.
I moved closer to the front of the room, hoping to locate this guy. Before I could, the music stopped, and the host moved toward the podium. Then I heard this same person’s thoughts, only this time a tendril of satisfaction along with a surge of expectation over-rode his concerns. He was thinking that he’d finally fooled us all. Once the microphone turned on, all hell would break loose, and he’d make his move.
The host reached up to turn on the microphone.
“Stop!” I yelled. “Don’t turn it on.”
The host jerked his hand away, and startled gasps came from everyone in the room. Then their gazes turned toward me, and anyone standing nearby moved away, creating a little pocket of space around me and Ramos.
Several things happened at once. “What is it?” Gabriel shouted into the earpiece. “Allez, allez! I am coming to you.”
Special agents posing as dignitaries moved the host away and surrounded the microphone so no one could get to it. Gabriel burst through the door and motioned me toward him. Thoughts from the man I’d been listening to slammed shut. But not before I heard a few swear words, along with the thought that sent a chill down my spine. It’s her, the bane of my existence. She needs to die.
I reached Gabriel’s side and told him what I’d heard about the microphone, but left out the part about Cypher wanting to kill me. Still, I kept an eye on the crowd to make sure Cypher didn’t come anywhere near me. Of course, it helped that Ramos stood guard at my side, and I knew nothing would get past him.
Gabriel to
ok immediate action and had the sound system unplugged, then examined the microphone, following the chord to the speaker. Most everyone in the room that I could understand thought the speaker was just the right size to house a bomb.
An agent produced a screwdriver. With each screw that he removed, the tension in the room ratcheted up, until everyone watched with bated breath to know if they were right. It kind of surprised me that no one ran scared for their lives, but then I realized that most of these people were agents of some kind, and not about to run from anything.
Then it hit me that Cypher wasn’t running either. What was up with that? If the bomb went off, wouldn’t he die, too? I glanced around, trying to pinpoint his location, but couldn’t find him anywhere. Maybe he had slipped out and I’d missed it? But that didn’t seem right, since I still felt his malicious presence in the room. We needed to catch him, but I had to find him first.
My attention went back to the bomb as the last screw came out of the speaker. The agent gently pulled the back panel away and caught his breath. Sure enough, a white canister sat inside, right where the speaker should have been, with a timer showing the seconds ticking away, along with several wires. The whole room gave a collective gasp along with lots of loud thoughts. Like everyone else, I took a step back.
The time left on the bomb said eighteen minutes and counting. Gabriel barked orders in French, but I caught the gist of it since he was thinking of men dressed in bio-hazard suits. Finished with that, he turned to the room in general. “Évacuez la salle,” he said, and began to usher people out.
I got the evacuation part, which was fine with me, but something about this didn’t seem right. If there were eighteen minutes left on the clock, then turning on the microphone wouldn’t have set it off, right? So what was that all about?
As people began to leave the room, I knew my chance to find Cypher was slipping through my fingers. I glanced over the heads of the crowd, but I wasn’t tall enough to see much. I turned to rush out the door, but Gabriel caught my arm.
Devious Minds Page 23
