With each step they took down the hallway, Liam watched for threats. Having a killer pop out from behind a door seemed a bit too obvious, but he was putting nothing past these people.
They stopped at a double door and the woman knocked. Hearing a man say, “Enter,” she opened it and walked inside.
Liam went in first, followed by Aubrey, then Gideon.
Three anomalies caught Liam’s eye. The room was large, holding a conference table that would seat at least twenty-five. No way a senior partner didn’t have his own private conference room. Why use this large one?
Secondly, and he thought it might explain the reason for choosing this room, several large windows covered one wall. A couple of them had old-fashioned push-out openings. Call him paranoid, but how easy would it be to shove an unsuspecting person through the window? They were on the twelfth floor—instantaneous death.
The third oddity he observed was Hartley himself. In the photographs Liam had seen, the man was a healthy seventy-year-old with a head full of iron-gray hair. He played golf twice a week and was on a tennis team at his club. Research had also revealed that just over a week ago, he’d spent two weeks in Tahiti. Unless it had rained fourteen days straight, the man should have a tan. But Hartley was sickly pale, and when he stood to greet them, his hands were visibly shaking.
Yeah, the guy knew something was about to go down.
Aubrey and Hartley exchanged friendly pleasantries and then both sat at the table. Gideon sat to Aubrey's right. Liam took a chair a couple of seats away from her. He wanted room to observe and be ready to pounce when needed.
Aubrey seemingly listened intently to every word Hartley spouted. Liam’s heart hurt for her. Hearing what her uncle and cousin had left her couldn’t be easy. Considering what Green had left her, she would have some decisions to make regarding his many homes and properties.
He wanted this over for her, for them. They had waited twelve years to be together, and since they’d found each other again, danger had stalked her every move. Waking in the morning with Aubrey in his arms and knowing she was completely safe forever was his dream.
“That takes care of the houses and properties,” Hartley said. “There are several personal items as well.”
“Do we need to review each one?” Aubrey asked.
“Just a few.” He sent a quick glance to the cellphone in front of him and added, “I’ve ordered refreshments.”
Hearing the quiver in the man’s voice, Liam felt every nerve ending in his body go on alert. He exchanged a quick glance with Gideon and saw the acknowledgment in his eyes. Refreshments meant that another person would be entering the room.
And that person would enter with the intent to kill Aubrey.
The cart jangled with fine china and crystal as it made its way down the hallway toward the conference room. Though his heartbeat rarely rose when he was on a job, he felt a little extra blip for this one. He took pride in every kill. There was no point in doing them if you weren’t going to enjoy yourself. Sure, the money was nice, but it was the thrill that caused his adrenaline to surge.
This would be the most elaborate undertaking he’d ever endeavored. Dozens of people would be unknowing pawns in the biggest scene of his life.
As an actor, he loved stretching his creative muscles, and nothing got his blood zooming faster than when he could combine his two passions—role-playing and killing. What a challenge!
The disguise was elaborate and one he wouldn’t want to use on a regular basis. Not only was the costume horribly uncomfortable, he didn’t want to get the reputation that he would go to these lengths for any old job. This was a special hit, and when he pulled it off, there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that he, Promethean, was the greatest ever.
Now to get the party started.
Aubrey’s mind buzzed with facts and figures. Her uncle had been a wealthy man, and because his daughter was gone, the bulk of his estate was going to his closest living relative, his niece. She wanted nothing from him. Everything he owned was tainted by the betrayal of his family and his country.
Becca’s will had been simple, straightforward, and absolutely heartbreaking. When Hartley had read that Becca had left all her jewelry and clothes to Aubrey, she had wanted to break into hysterical laughter. That sounded like something Becca would do as a prank. Their tastes had been totally different, and she thought her cousin was most likely grinning down from heaven at the joke.
She would donate what she could, and the other things, like Becca’s collection of classic old movies and rare first-edition books, she would keep and treasure.
All those things would have to wait until she could think without the veil of sorrow and fear blurring her mind.
At the mention of refreshments, Aubrey went tense, and the entire atmosphere of the room shifted to a crackling awareness. Hartley swallowed nervously several times and shuffled pages in front of him as if he was looking for something. It was as if everyone was holding their breath for the killer to strike.
She heard dishes rattling outside the door, and when a young woman entered the room, Aubrey was a little surprised. This woman didn’t look li
ke a threat. She was the same person who’d led them to the conference room. Dressed in a body-skimming dress of royal blue and stiletto heels, she looked as though she should be on a runway in Milan, not in a staid law firm serving tea and cookies.
“Thank you, Angelina,” Hartley was saying.
“I’ll pour the tea if you like,” Angelina said.
“That’s not necessary. We can serve ourselves.”