Smoke and Sin (The Perfect Gentlemen 4)

And many of the items on her list for this trip were far too private to entrust to anyone else.

“I think I have everything, thank you.” She looked up at the clock. It was far later than she’d suspected. The afternoon had flown by as she’d answered e-mail and approved press releases. Work was good for the soul. “Did everything go all right with the paparazzi?”

Vanessa frowned. “Do you mean did they get lots of pictures of the president and the stick he’s dating? Yes.”

“That stick is one of the world’s most photographed models,” Gus corrected with a grin. It was good to know Vanessa was sticking to the girls’ side. “And she has to be that thin. The camera really does add a bunch of pounds. She’s quite lovely in photos.”

Vanessa wrinkled her nose. “She’s like a scarecrow in person. Don’t get me wrong. I like a slender girl when it’s natural. I don’t get the world today. I wear a size two and I get called fat. They can keep it coming. I’m not giving up pizza night.”

Vanessa was a lovely young woman, vibrant and still full of hope. She made Gus feel old sometimes. “Don’t you dare. You’re gorgeous.”

Vanessa smiled, showing perfect white teeth. “Thank you. I need that sometimes. None of the boys around here want to play with me. Or the girls. Makes me sad. You’re all far too involved in each other. You know it’s like watching a foreign-language soap opera. I get it…but I don’t quite understand.”

“What have you heard?” Gus knew that tone of voice. Vanessa was fishing.

She leaned against the desk. “The rumor is the president told the Secret Service to stop you and Liz from leaving the grounds. Why would he do that?”

Because something was going on that she did not understand, and she had to guess it all came back to Mad. She’d been turning the situation over in her head all morning. It was far easier to think about the mystery of Mad’s death than to remember the terrible drama of last night.

What if Mad had known something? Something bad. Something Zack had felt the need to cover up at all costs. Or what if Mad had gotten into the sort of trouble that had gotten him killed, and Zack was hell bent on protecting the rest of them? But then why the hell wouldn’t he simply tell Liz that he was trying to save her from an eminent threat? She would comply with reasonable requests.

But Zack was a man. And men believed they were noble saviors. Really, they could be so stupid.

The possibilities kept chasing each other around in her head. The truth was, she would only solve this conundrum if she figured out what had happened to Mad.

“I’m not sure. I guess the president knows something we don’t. He’s still getting intelligence briefings,” she replied. There was no reason to bring anyone but Liz in on her sleuthing. Except maybe Zack. Damn but she wanted to demand he answer her questions. Of course if she did and Zack had done something wrong, she could find herself in a concrete bunker ten feet underground in Gitmo. Going up against the most powerful man in the world had its risks.

“Still, it’s odd since the president’s schedule hasn’t changed at all. Just Liz’s.”

Oh, Gus was sure she would be stopped if she tried to leave, too. But tonight, that might be helpful…

“Anyway, here’s the itinerary Liz asked for.” Vanessa handed her a folder. “Did she meet a guy last night? I heard you two went out with some Secret Service hotties. Come on, Gus. Give a girl a heads-up when we’re going to party.”

Oh, but it hadn’t been a party. It had been a very careful laying of groundwork to get close to someone she needed to steal from. She hadn’t gotten hold of Matthew Kemp’s phone and she wasn’t certain that would even be possible at this point. He had probably been warned away from her. And he was a super-careful man.

Then again, a potential assassin would have to be.

“I promise the next time we’re allowed off the leash, I’ll send you an invite.” The door eased open and Liz slipped in, wearing a black Chanel suit and sky-high Louboutins. “Speak of the devil. Vanessa says our fun evening out is already making the gossip rounds.”

Luckily, the way the evening had ended wasn’t. Gus likely had Connor Sparks to thank for that small blessing.

Liz gave Vanessa a smile that didn’t reach her baby blues. “It was fun, but now we’re in full lockdown mode. I’ll be surprised if I leave this house until we go home, so everyone settle in for the week. I sent you both a briefing on what the president and prime minister are scheduled to discuss on Wednesday. I’m up to date on ninety percent of this stuff, but I need some information on the situation with Russia and the gas pipelines. Apparently we’re talking to the PM about the possibility of designing a way to bring American natural gas to Europe and circumventing Russia. I know next to nothing about the topic. Please get me the details before the press starts asking questions.”

“I’ll talk to some friends in Energy. They can send you tons of super-boring reports.” Vanessa breezed to the doorway. “I’m heading out. I’ve got tickets to a show in the West End. Maybe I can find a hot Brit to spend some time with. Bye, you two.”

“Sounds like everyone’s going to the theater.” Liz glanced up at the television on the left wall. Twenty-four-hour cable news flashed on the screen, sound muted.

There was Zack, looking perfect in a tuxedo as he stepped out of a limo. He waved to the reporters as he took the hand of the stunningly gorgeous Mimi. Yes, she was thin, but there was no denying how beautiful she was. Roman walked behind Zack and Mimi, his hand on Darcy’s back as he escorted her. Roman looked grim, but he nodded down at something she said.

Gus stared at the blonde, the woman he wasn’t embarrassed to be seen with. The woman he likely wouldn’t finger fuck on a couch in an attempt to control. No, Gus was sure the extraordinarily uptight Ms. Hildebrandt would be offered the comfort of a bed when Roman fucked her. It would be oh so polite. There would be no shouting or fighting, only gentle moaning—maybe. They would be conside

rate.

How was your orgasm, my dear?

Perfect, darling. Please pass the tea. I require refreshment after that strenuous episode of sexual congress.

“You have a super-evil look on your face. Are you thinking about murdering someone?” Liz asked the question with pure curiosity. “Because I want in. I’ve got some aggression to work through.”

“No, I was thinking about how well Roman and Ms. Hildebrandt seem to get along.” She slanted an acidic smile Liz’s way. “And I’m wondering a tiny bit how hard it would be to replace the lube in his condoms with icy hot. I think I can make that work.”

“Oh, I want in on that, too.” Liz sank into the chair in front of Gus’s desk and stared at Zack, who stood beside his date wearing a wide smile. “They look good together.”

“Nope. She looks way too young for him.” That was the truth. Mimi was nearly twenty years younger than Zack. She also had vacant eyes. “I read an article about her recently. The interviewer asked her what her favorite political cause was. She said Jackie O because she dressed so beautifully. Yep. That’s your potential First Lady right there.”

Liz groaned as she picked up the remote and clicked the monitor off. “I think I’ll stay away from the news for a few hours. I got some of the information you requested. It looks like Matthew’s next break is the day after tomorrow. He’s requested permission to do some sightseeing. But I also did a little digging and discovered that he rented a car.”

“Why rent a car in London?” It was one of the easiest cities in the world to get around. The London Tube was famously accessible to even newbie travelers.

“Maybe because he’s leaving London for the day,” Liz mused. “The question is, where is he going? You didn’t come close to swiping his phone last night, did you?”

The whole evening had been frustrating. Worse, not accomplishing her goal had actually been the least irritating event of the night. “No, and I’m starting to wonder if I’ll be able to dupe it at all. He never let it out of his sight and I’m not even going to pretend I’m skilled enough to lift it out of his pocket. I think I’d have better luck trying to follow him when he leaves London.”