“I understand your concerns,” Czar said and waved them to the chairs. “But I think we can handle this group of con artists. We’ve had a little bit of practice in that area. Since they seem to be working out of San Francisco, that even makes it easier.”
Ice got the silent message and led Soleil to the armchairs that had been set up in a loose semicircle. The other members sat as well, with the exception of Reaper and Savage, who separated and positioned themselves in the shadows near the walls where they just seemed to blend in. Maestro remained behind Steele, draping himself against the wall as well. It was no coincidence that Absinthe sat on the other side of Soleil.
Ice found himself looking around the room. There were twenty of them now, fully patched, not a big club as clubs went, but every man there had been trained from childhood in the brutal schools, as assassins. They were all looking for a new life and trying to figure out the rules of society. They knew they’d never fit perfectly, but they were doing their best.
He started the explanation, of everything Soleil had told him about meeting Winston, his trying to groom her as well as cut her off from anyone who knew her and guide her toward his approved list.
Code interrupted to ask for the names on the list and anything she could remember about their jobs. Soleil answered, her voice a little shaky, but she complied. There were several she hadn’t mentioned to Ice. A detective. A judge. An assistant police chief. A medical examiner. A highway patrolman.
The club members exchanged long looks. The ring was well set up. She gave every name easily and described each man.
Czar nodded to Absinthe, and Ice found himself tensing. He kept his gaze from traveling to Reaper. Absinthe had questioned Reaper’s woman, Anya, and it had been a disaster.
“When you answer, princess, make sure everything you say is the exact truth,” Ice said.
Soleil frowned. “Why wouldn’t I tell the truth?” She sounded genuinely puzzled.
“Soleil, why would you be able to remember these men so clearly?” Czar asked. “You say you met them at fund-raising events. The events must have been crowded.”
Ice found himself holding his breath. His heart accelerated until it was pounding hard. He wanted to snatch Soleil up and run with her. Soleil ran her palm down his thigh, keeping her other arm right where it was so Absinthe could loosely wrap his fingers around her wrist. His touch was light, but it was deadly. She didn’t ask why he was holding her wrist, or why the room suddenly became filled with palatable tension, she just rubbed her hand up and down Ice’s thigh as if to soothe him. He fell even harder. His heart did that weird clenching thing, and if he could have, he would have kissed her.
“Winston insisted I memorize all the names of the men he wanted me to befriend. We attended four events in the two months I was with him. I had to know those names. Winston would quiz me on them, to make certain I knew who I was supposed to talk to. I needed to put names with faces, so I looked them up on the Internet, and I also, at each event, made certain to study them before I went over to them. I didn’t want to make a mistake.”
Absinthe let go of her wrist and nodded his head. Ice continued the story with her lawyer’s “accident.”
“They would have arranged the accident when the highway patrolman was on duty so he could pronounce it an accident,” Steele mused. “The medical examiner would concur. They would all be useful in making murders look like genuine accidents.”
Czar indicated he wanted Soleil to tell the rest. Absinthe once again took her wrist. She glanced at him this time and then to Ice as if for reassurance. He nodded his head and placed his hand over hers, pressing it into his thigh muscle.
She told them how Winston hired a lawyer and she was upset about it. She thought it was too soon, and she needed to interview the lawyer herself so she could feel comfortable with him. Kevin oversaw her trust and the financial portfolio that was maintained for her. She lived on a very healthy budget, but if she ever needed anything, she had only to ask. She was so uncomfortable with the new lawyer she officially terminated him. That infuriated Winston, as had her refusal to marry him.
Absinthe nodded and some of the tension in the room dissipated. It didn’t for Ice. The churning remained in his gut. As long as Absinthe had his hand on Soleil, he was going to be nervous. If Czar touched on anything Soleil didn’t want others to know, she could be hurt if she chose to lie.