The panel disengaged beneath the press of her hand. It opened and she yanked a small key from a hook. Quicker now, she left the control room and moved toward the end of the short hall. There, a false wall hid a small door that she opened using a key. She was closing it behind her when the first explosions rocked the house.
Determined, Eva kept her steps directed and steady-as steady as she could in the butter suede heels. There would be time enough to rage later. She paused in the twisty corridor she took to her destination as another cache of explosions rocked her surroundings. Dust and debris misted all around.
Eva started forward again once the ground ceased moving beneath her feet. Yes, there would be time enough later for rage and rampage.
First on her list-her new list- would be her dear sisters. Persephone...she thought. That quiet voice inside her head, was right. Maeva who, in her desperation and challenged mentality, had sought what she’d known. She’d gone to Persephone and the little bitch had convinced her to tell all. Persephone... even though she knew all that was at stake, all that the perverse Shannon was involved in… She’d given her that and Persephone had betrayed her. Now she didn’t feel so bad about what she’d cooked up for her with Sondrio Tesano-not that she’d really ever felt bad about it…
Black Hawks...the Tesanos, her thoughts shifted. No one; aside from her own sweet and scandalous family perhaps, would dare to pull together that kind of muscle to come after her.
Still, they failed.
Triumph tugged at her shapely mouth. The bastards couldn’t kill her- they didn’t know who they were fucking with. Oh, but they were about to.
She reached the end of the corridor, entered a new code and sprinted into the garage that housed vehicles for the security teams. In disgust, she ripped off the once pristine sweater she’d sported over a beige silk tunic shirt and matching slacks. She let the garment fall and climbed into a black Hummer.
Once the engine turned over, Eva took a moment to steady her breathing. Oh yes...they were about to know who they were fucking with. She closed her eyes, envisioning Persephone in the dark of her mind.
You took my mother. You took my chance at settling scores with those pricks who used me. You’ve taken Maeva. She opened her eyes.
“That’s the last thing you
take from me, little sister. Now, I take from you.”
***
The evening’s dinner party seemed to be a revival of that morning’s breakfast. Persephone surveyed the guests mingling with drinks in hand following the spectacular meal. Thankfully, the table chatter had elevated from the earlier drivel. Business seemed to be the favored topic. Apparently, many of the fat cats on hand were under the impression that their new boss was of a mind to relieve them of their cushy positions among the numerous holdings in the Tesano framework.
Persephone figured the group felt more at ease presenting their concerns to Hill as he’d gone through the day without threatening to break anyone’s neck. She gave herself a mental pat on the back for making that possible. She had, after all, encouraged the man to take out his frustrations on her in a manner of speaking.
Heat and arousal bloomed as memories rose of his visit to her room before dinner. Her cheeks burned. The things one had to do for the sake of peace…
She’d been milling about the immense dining room, nursing a drink while she observed the crowd. The chefs had promised an electrifying dessert and suggested their hearty eaters take time to walk off the entree before the final course was served.
As with all the social gatherings that weekend, women were in high supply. She’d known she hadn’t witnessed half as much of the ‘uninhibited’ aspects of it while she’d been there. She knew she had Hill to thank for that. He’d remained true to his decision for her to remain close.
Her next turn around the room, put her in direct line of him then. He was seated in one of the black Chesterfield chairs arranged in groupings of four in various spots around the dining room.
Laughter exploded at mixed intervals among the guests, but not with as much intensity as among Hill and the men he conversed with. Persephone shook her head, marveling at how easily he played them. Then, she realized why it was so easy for him. The crowd was intrigued by the brilliance of his glow and too entranced to do anything other than draw near and nearer still. Once danger hit home, it would be too late to retreat.
Hill turned his head then and sent a lazy wave in her direction. His focus remained fixed on her even as his cohorts jostled for more of his attention.
“Ms. James?”
Persephone turned to the waiter who’d approached and, absently, she set her untouched drink to the tray he carried.
“From Mr. Tesano,” the waiter handed Persephone a folded note before he moved on through the crowd.
Persephone opened the card and scanned the five words typed there in a romantic font. ‘Your room. Wait for me.’
His timing was perfect. Dessert would be served shortly and everyone would be busy gorging themselves. Persephone smiled, but didn’t turn back to Hill to acknowledge her acceptance of his request. Heat bloomed once more in the vicinity of her cheeks and she suddenly wished for her drink.
The sheath dress, with its scooping bodice,
emphasized her curves and toned limbs. It was a bewitching creation
and she couldn’t wait to get out of it. She took another look at
the note and then set out to follow its instruction.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
She’d selected a powder blue shift to wear beneath her dress that evening. The item was a work of lace that was snug in fitting and erotic in the message it sent. Even so, Persephone was considering climbing into bed totally naked when she heard the knob turning. Wearing her most inviting smile, she waited… and then laughed at her own stupidity.
“Mr. Tesano...your note was quite to the point.”
“Well...words take time and we’ve had so little of that this weekend, haven’t we?” Sondrio closed the door and leaned back against it once he’d twisted the lock.
“And you think now is the time?”
“For talking?” Laughter carried on his query. “Not a chance,” his molten brown eyes held a lurid boldness as they swept her curvy proportions, lingering on her chest and the shift’s scalloped hem.
Meanwhile, Persephone was weighing her odds of grabbing one of the four weapons she’d packed for the trip. Two were still packed in her luggage-the other was in a dresser drawer. Unfortunately, Sondrio had just come to lean against it. Her best chance waited in the night table drawer next to the bed. She didn’t think moving to the bed was the best idea then.
“No, Doctor James, I certainly don’t plan to spend our time with talk- not about business anyway.”
“Hmph,” Persephone fixed him with a bold stare of her own. “And did you ever intend to talk about business?” She kept her hands at her sides and then weighed her odds of taking him off his feet. He wasn’t as tall as Hill, but he still had several inches on her own height. His weight was sure to be a challenge as well. She could tell that it was all muscle-not an ounce ran to fat.
“Business was on the agenda...I had an arrangement with Eva,” he confided, “She’d run recon missions on those research facilities and report back to me on the inventory. She was after something specific but having that info on the inventory allowed me to pinpoint who it was going to and connect with them and offer to beat my family’s and Shannon’s price once I controlled it.”
“And Shannon? You promised to tell her where he was.” Persephone hoped to keep him talking, hoped he’d move from the dresser so she could grab her gun.
“For a price,” He kept his place near the dresser. “She’d use her resources to clear Shannon from his mountain and my family would have to go through me if they hoped to continue that lucrative end of their business.”
“And she’s confident you know his precise location?”
Sondrio laughed. “Oh yes- she sure is! I got it straight from the horse's’ mouth. I’m sure you know by now that my uncles are linked to the elusive Mr. Shannon- my uncles Vale and Gabe that is. The others are too busy trying to dictate over the family and keep us on the side of right,” his eyes slid over her again.
