Hydromancist (Seven Forbidden Arts 4)

She glanced over her shoulder at Tim.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he said.

Cesar moved through the frame, dragging her along.“Let’s go.”

Though Cesar was a neat pack of muscles, she bet she could have his ass flat on the floor once she got him alone, but not without blowing her cover. That was, if she still had a cover. As long as she didn’t know what was going on, she had to play this out. She had no choice but to let herself be manhandled by Cesar for now.

Chapter 9

Tim’s house in San José was nothing like the condo in Puerto Viejo. It was a two-story, Colonial style mansion with wooden rails on the terrace and a tile roof. Antique furniture and priceless rugs decorated the interior that smelled of wood polish. Cesar stood in the corner of the lounge while Maya sat on the sofa. His stance was tense and his eyes fixed on the windows at her back. They’d been like that for almost an hour, with Cesar refusing to talk to her or let her out of his sight.

“What’s going on Cesar?”

She’d asked that question ten times already, each time hoping for an answer that never came.

He sighed. “I already told you, you have to wait for Tim. It’s not my place to say.”

“You all but dragged me here, and I want to know why.”

He only rolled his eyes.

“That’s not very manly, you know,” she said.

“What?”

“Rolling your eyes.”

“I’m glad I’m not Tim,” he said under his breath.

“So you said the first time we met.” She crossed her arms. “I’m tired of waiting here. This party is getting boring.”

She began to get up, but Cesar took a step toward her. “I’ll tie you up if I have to.”

Just for how long was she supposed to sit here, waiting, while Tim enjoyed his fancy dinner? With only a flip-knife in her purse, it would be tricky to get out. Guards patrolled the street and the residence garden. She’d counted six men, armed to the teeth with automatic rifles. Risky, indeed, but not impossible.

“Want something to drink?” Cesar asked, also for the tenth time.

“Fine, I’ll drink something if you get it for me.”

“Help yourself from the drinks tray.” He jerked his head to a mobile bar laid with decanters and glasses. “But no alcohol.”

“I have to go to the ladies.”

What she needed to do was plant the bug before someone found it on her. Or before she had to fight her way out of the government residence.

“I won’t tell you again, I can’t let you out of my sight, and Tim will have my head if I watch you pee. So, the answer is hold it.”

She leaned back against the Renaissance style sofa in defeat. She’d have to wait to see what this was all about. If need be, she’d take Cesar as a hostage. Anyone could see Cesar and Lee were like family to Tim. According to her file on Tim, Cesar had been in his employ for the last ten years and Lee for eight.

“How did you and Tim meet?” she asked.

Cesar studied her as if he contemplated whether to answer. Finally, he said, “I was working for a guy I couldn’t stand. A bad guy. I hated the job, but it was survival. Tim gave me a chance to get out.”

“How come you’re so loyal to him?”

“Tim’s a good man. I respect him. He stands for something I can believe in.”

Cesar approved of Tim’s shady dealings? “Here I thought it was only the money.”

“Snicker all you want, Maya. You don’t fool me. We both know money means as little to you as it does to me.”

“Why would you say that? You don’t know me.”

He raised an eyebrow in challenge. “I know.”

“Doesn’t your job permit you to have a family, or are you just not a committing kind of guy?”

He shrugged. “It’s got nothing to do with the job. I haven’t found the right woman.”

“If you do, will you leave Tim’s employ?”

He answered without reflection. “No. Tim saved my life. I owe everything I am today to him.”

“How?”

He pulled a hand through his hair. “I don’t like to talk about it.”

“Fair enough. Are you and Felicity an item?”

Cesar’s eyelashes fluttered. It was a slight movement, but she didn’t miss it.

“She’s a good girl,” he said.

“You like her.”

Cesar didn’t reply. His phone beeped. He glanced at the screen. “He’s here.”

The announcement made her stomach contract into a ball. She wasn’t looking forward to defending herself against Cesar and Tim’s guards, and especially not against Tim, should it come to that.

The door flung open, and Tim walked through it with Lee and Frida on his heels. He stood in the center of the room, simply staring at her without speaking. She moved to the edge of her seat, ready to move.