Smoke and Sin (The Perfect Gentlemen 4)

“Yes, I’m scheduled to go out to the sanatorium tomorrow while you’re meeting with the prime minister. Kemp has time off the day after, and Gus wants to follow him.”

“I’ll stay on top of the esteemed agent,” Connor offered, voice acidic. “And I’ll keep you in the loop. I will sit Gus down in the morning and let her know she’s important to this operation. Then you can sneak away, and she’ll think you’re in meetings with Zack and the PM. If you run late, that’s how it goes.”

But he must be back by bedtime or Gus would know he’d lied. The hospital was two hours outside London. He had a room at a local bed and breakfast, but if he had to he could drive back and be in bed with Augustine that night. She didn’t have to know a thing. He could keep the spirit of his promise and protect her at the same time. She would understand that Connor was the better bet to follow Kemp, especially now that the agent knew she wasn’t currently single. As long as they kept her updated, she should accept that. He would even let her research the man from the safety of Everly’s suite. Since Gabe’s wife was a hacker and had long ties to law enforcement, she would be an excellent resource for Gus.

It also didn’t hurt that Everly was a badass who knew Krav Maga—and her way around a gun.

Yes, this could work. “Excellent. I’ll get what we need from the hospital in the morning and return tomorrow night.”

“Liz will keep Gus busy and out of danger,” Zack said. “I’ll make sure they’ve got a lot to do over the next few days. She won’t have time to notice you’re gone.”

“All right. That gives us time to see what other stones we can upturn before we have to deal with any announcement about a potential pipeline. No one will expect anything on that before the end of the week. Tomorrow, all you’re scheduled to discuss is European relations and the reaffirmation of NATO ties.”

“I’ll look into the FAA problem and see if there’s anything we’re unaware of that could bite us in the ass,” Connor promised. “And I’ll enlist Thomas’s help to keep an eye on Kemp. I don’t have to tell him why. He won’t ask and he won’t confront the guy.” He turned to Zack. “We’ll get through this week. Once we get back to DC, we’ll sit down and decide how to move forward.”

They would decide if they could move forward. He could see it in Zack’s eyes. He was already wondering if his smartest move was to simply step down before these bastards had too much on him and he no longer could.

“Connor’s right. Stop overthinking this, Zack. Concentrate on the next few days and leave the rest to us. The water’s not boiling yet. We have time,” Roman promised. “But for tonight, I need to go and make sure Gus isn’t enlisting Liz in some plot against us.”

Zack huffed out a laugh. “Yes, you should do that. She could incite a rebellion.” Then he frowned. “Does she still suspect I killed Mad?”

“No. She knows better now. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her,” Roman swore.

Zack nodded his way. “It’s about damn time.”

He turned and walked out, hoping he could untangle this situation and keep all his promises.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Gus closed the door to the room she previously occupied and glanced back at Liz. “Did something else happen? Did you see anything odd before you got that envelope? Or after I left you?”

Liz sat on the bed with a sigh. “No. I had an incredibly awkward meeting with the president. I kept it as unemotional as I could. When we finished, he walked me back to my room and I slammed the door in his face. I definitely locked it, too. As for the secret tunnels, I had no idea. This is my first trip here.”

“Do you think the Secret Service knows?” The Secret Service didn’t change with the presidency. As far as she knew, Matthew Kemp had been working on a presidential detail for four years. Zack had only been the president for three. “Did the prior administration come here in the last two years of his presidency?”

Liz took a deep breath. “I doubt it, but I can find out for sure. Do you think Kemp left that folder on my bed?”

“It makes sense. I really think he’s involved in this mess. I want to know in what way and how deep. Now that you and I are away from prying male stares, let’s find out what he jotted on the notepad on his nightstand. Do you have a pencil?” When she’d gotten dressed, Gus had shoved the sticky notes she’d taken from the stack in Kemp’s room into the pocket of her jeans.

Liz crossed the room and dug through her purse. “What happened earlier? When you didn’t come back, I was terrified. Then a few minutes later Kemp got up and said he was going to the bathroom. I texted you like crazy.”

Gus rolled her eyes. “Roman happened. He and Zack returned while I was sneaking down. He spotted me, got suspicious, and followed. We were stuck in the closet while Kemp made a phone call. We were damn lucky he didn’t catch us hiding under his suits.”

“I knew something had gone wrong when Zack showed up and acted like a caveman. He doesn’t want me but no one else can even look my way. Asshole.” She approached, a slender pencil in her hand.

“I don’t think it’s a case of Zack not wanting you. My emotional radar isn’t faulty. He’s always been interested. I’m telling you, something is going on with these men. We got a taste of it tonight, but I guarantee there’s more. I’ve been around that group long enough to know when they’re plotting or covering up something.” Gus gripped the pencil. “Now I have to wonder if it isn’t related to Mad’s murder. It would be so like Mad to have stumbled into a situation he shouldn’t have just before it exploded. Is your computer up?”

Gus pulled the sticky notes from her pocket and lightly traced the indentations with the soft side of the pencil. What Kemp had written with a somewhat heavy hand slowly became clear as she jimmied the pencil back and forth.

“No, but I’ve got my phone and I’ve got a browser open, if you’re trying to look something up.” Liz tapped to unlock the device. “What is it?”

“An address. Kemp wrote this down in his room. Can you look this place up for me?” She handed Liz the note. “I’m starting to think everything going on is connec

ted, and I don’t like the intersecting lines.”

“You think the blackmail is only part of the story? That Zack and the others are hiding the rest?” Her face was illuminated by the glow of the phone’s screen as she typed with her thumbs.

“Yeah, there’s more. Something bigger. I suspect someone is trying to manipulate Zack. Why else do you blackmail the president? And did you notice that no one else in the room seemed terribly surprised by the fact that someone sneaked into your room?” At Liz’s nod, Gus charged on. “But whatever’s happening is deep, insidious. When Kemp was on the phone, he muttered something about getting information and eliminating a target. I think his destination is that address, and if I follow him I might get some answers.”

Liz frowned. “It’s a mental hospital two hours north of London.”

Gus nearly groaned. “Homewood Sanatorium, right?”

“Yeah. Why does that sound so familiar?”

Gus tried not to shiver at the implications. “Because it was in our oppo research.”

During Zack’s campaign, one of the first things she’d been in charge of was finding any and all dirt the opposition would likely dig up on Zack and use against him. She’d compiled a file on Constance Hayes.

All their problems pointed to Zack. That meant trouble. Serious trouble. What kind of dangerous game were the boys playing?

Liz set the phone down. “That’s right. Frank Hayes stashed his wife there when she had her breakdown. They registered her under an assumed name, Jane Downing. The information never came out during the campaign, but I remember everyone worrying that someone would question Zack’s fitness for office, given his mother’s history of mental illness.” She frowned. “But why bring this up now? The next election is over a year away, and why wouldn’t the opposition save this for an October surprise just before voters hit the polls?”

“They’re looking for more fodder for blackmail? Because they want Zack to do something now? I don’t know. But you’re right. Why now? Dirt like this doesn’t matter as much in a reelection campaign. Zack’s already proven he can handle the job.” Gus’s mind was whirling. “If Kemp is planning a visit to the sanatorium during his leave day after tomorrow, I need to get there first. I need to figure out who he’s talking to and why.”