He nearly tore the door of the hinges during his hasty exit, but when he reached her side of the vehicle and helped her out with a gloved hand, he was steady as a rock, his expression blank, even bored. Good boy.
The night was colder than usual, and he wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her warm. Voices called out to them. “Who are you wearing, Noelle?” “Are the two of you dating?” “How’s the baby?” “What does Corban Blue think of you seeing another man?”
Without a word, Hector tossed his remote for the car to the valet. A remote that would bypass the voice and fingerprint controls, allowing someone who wasn’t programmed in to operate the panels.
They ascended the steps, and Noelle tossed an easy smile this way and that. She made a mental note to download every newspaper in the city tomorrow morning. A little computer magic, and she’d replace Hector’s tux with a bunny suit and her dress with skin, and tease him, make him laugh.
God, she adored his laugh. The undertones were still rusty, still gravelly, but much easier to evoke now than when she’d first met him.
When they entered the foyer, Noelle claimed a glass of bubbly from the waiting waiter—a Mec whose skin pulsed with the happy glow of pink—uncaring what anyone thought about her feeding alcohol to her bun in the oven. She scanned, but caught no hint of Phillips.
The crowded ballroom was something out of a fairy tale. A domed ceiling seemingly carved from solid gold, with intricate symbols framing the sides. The chandelier in the center was tiered, each tier wider than the one above, thousands of crystal teardrops cascading into a shimmery waterfall.
Alabaster columns opened into separate rooms, some with tables of food, some with artwork on display, some with lush, fragrant gardens. No matter where you stepped, soft music played in the background, blending with the sound of idle chatter and clinking glasses.
“Ava’s happy I dragged you to this rather than her,” she said to Hector. “She always hated these things.”
He snorted, relaxing into the conversation. “I more than hate it.”
To be honest, Noelle would rather be at home with the man she adored, snuggled up, watching TV, making love. Would that stun Hector? Horrify him? Or actually tempt him? “So … what if our guy doesn’t show?”
“He will. AIR hasn’t approached him, so he’s probably relaxed, thinking Gordman hasn’t given us his name. And won’t.”
“True, but—” From the corner of her eye, she spotted her mother and brothers making a beeline for her. Damn it, they’d told her they weren’t coming because they were too embarrassed by her disgraceful pregnancy.
“Will you excuse me, Hector?” Heart drumming, stomach clenching, she looked back and forth between her man and her family. “I’m going to run to the ladies’ room.”
He frowned at her, didn’t appear to believe her, but all he said was, “Don’t be long.”
“So commanding,” she tsked under her tongue and took off like her heels were on fire. After placing her empty glass on a passing tray, she made sure her family noticed her change of location and followed her.
As she prepared herself for war, she led them to the far end of the room. Double doors opened into a gorgeous marble statue garden. No one meandered about, the air perhaps too cold and damp. Hadn’t stopped the vultures out front.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
The unfamiliar male voice came from behind her, and she whirled. Someone had shut the doors before her family had reached her. From the shadows of one of the statues stepped the handsome guy she’d seen in Alfonzo’s, when she and Hector had interrogated Brenda Marks.
He wore an expensively cut tux, polished loafers. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said again.
“And why is that?” She didn’t see a weapon on him, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Her fingers reached past the side-slit in her dress and closed around the butt of her pyre.
The moment she touched the handle, he disappeared from view—only to materialize behind her and grab onto her wrist, shocking the hell out of her.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “No weapons.”
Threat! Throwing her head back, she nailed him in the chin and he released her.
She spun, aimed—only to watch him disappear once again. “Coward,” she growled. “You want to play, because I’ll play. Prison rules.”
“Damn it, woman. I’m not going to hurt you. Had I wanted to do so, I would have. I’ve had numerous opportunities.”
He’d spoken from her left, but when she turned, he’d already moved on. “Who are you?” she demanded, still not seeing him.
“Mia Snow’s informer. For now, you can call me Anonymous.”
His voice had come from the right this time, but again, when she turned he was nowhere to be seen. Her heart thundered in her chest. “You’re also an otherworlder.”
“Part Arcadian, to be exact. Now, then. I’m going to appear in front of you, and if you fire at me, I’ll dodge, easily, and take off. You won’t get to hear the tidbit I’ve got for you.”
Indecision battled with curiosity inside her, but in the end the curiosity won. She lowered her gun to her side. “Start talking. If I don’t like what you’re saying, bad things are going to happen to you.”
A warm chuckle rose. As promised, he appeared in front of her. She studied him anew, noting details she’d missed at first glance. His eyes were the same electric blue as Mia’s. In fact, Noelle thought, frowning, the two shared similar facial features, too. The same sloped nose, the same cut cheekbones, the same full lips. It was like looking at a taller, penis-toting version of the AIR captain.
Were they… could they be… related?
No way, she decided next. He’d said he was Arcadian. Had proven it with his abilities. Mia was human. Right?
“I’m emailing you an address,” he said. “There you’ll find another of Phillips’s victims.”
“And the vic is… ?”
“His competition. A year ago, he treated Gerard Hendrick to the same pyre-fire as Bobby Marks. I watched him.”
Was that so? “And you never reported it, even though you’ve been helping us? Why would you omit a detail like that?” Their investigation would have gone a lot smoother and a lot faster.
“Because Phillips is mine.” Hard tone, determined. “I don’t like him, and I don’t like what he’s doing. When I see an opportunity to cut at him, I take it, as long as I know he won’t be captured.”