Page 39 of Temptation and Treachery
“Okay, let’s go.”
She clutched the door handle. “Shouldn’t we wait until he’s gone?”
“What if he’s calling for reinforcements?”
Now she wanted to puke. “Then what should I do?”
“If you don’t feel safe, you don’t stop. In our case, we go inside, with our reinforcements.” He opened the door. “And because we’re not sure about Mr. Cell Phone Guy, I’m going to be on your left so he’s in my line of sight while we walk.” They crossed the parking lot while Gatlin pretended to listen to her intently. “Looking good. He’s backing out of the space.”
“How do you know he’s not a threat?”
“I’ve had people monitoring every call from this area.” He swiped the card to get in the side door, putting a hand behind her shoulder to lead her inside. “Stairs. Second floor.”
“Every call?” How was that even possible?
“Every call. He was arguing with his wife. She thinks he’s messing around with his secretary?” She raised her brows as she rounded onto the next flight. “She’s wrong. He brought one of her friends.”
They emerged to find a familiar-looking handyman working on a nearby window. He nodded, pulling a key to let them in.
“Got a reply.” Gatlin drew the phone from his pocket.
“Oh.” Wide-eyed, she leaned in, reading the response. Good girl. I’ll see you shortly. Whoever it was sounded just like her father—short, sweet, and to the point. Gatlin typed out Let me know when you’re here. I’ll meet you in the plaza behind the hotel. He hit send as they went in the room.
Inside, a dozen men were in a rush of activity around the large suite. Rio looked up from loading his bag when the door opened.
“We got a reply.” Gatlin held up the cell then shoved it in his pocket.
“Yeah, Damian reports the phone’s on the move.”
Gatlin acknowledged with a nod, yanking his shirt over his head. “I’ll clear the room.”
Celeste sidestepped as men filed past her on the way out, each of them wearing a dark uniform and bulletproof vest covered by a button-up shirt, their head gear and weapon in the bags they carried. This was how they moved around town without calling attention to themselves.
“You’ll be safe here,” Rio assured her. “Holiday will be outside as a precaution.”
Celeste nodded. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Why don’t you try and get some rest.” His eyes shot to a bedroom door. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Seriously? You expect me to just stretch out and nap?”
“It’s a stressful situation, you’re pregnant, and you didn’t exactly get a good night’s sleep.” She couldn’t argue with any of it. Rio dropped a kiss on her lips. “I’ll be back.”
“Be careful.” Celeste’s stomach tightened as he followed Gatlin out the door. Oh God. How could women watch their men go out into danger every day and stay sane. What was she going to do until they came back? And who would they find? Some faceless person Oz employed? Someone who’d obviously turned against him without him realizing it. What if they didn’t catch him? She wrapped her arms around herself, her nails dragging across her elbows. Oz would end up paying for the atrocities this man had committed in his name. The courts would surely crucify him. And she, the only one in contact with the imposter, the only one that could have figured out something was wrong, had missed any possible clue. Did Mexican courts have due process? Did he have any rights? What he needed was a lawyer.
She turned to the desk. Leonard. As much as her conscience rebelled at the thought, she’d have to call her brother. But when she picked up the receiver, she got no dial tone. Pressing and releasing the button a couple of times didn’t help. Then she checked behind the phone, where the wire should be plugged in. Nothing. “What?” Bastards. They left her with no way to call out.
Dashing into the bedroom, she found another dead phone. Anger pinched at her stomach. The world was revolving around her, and all she could do was watch things happen. The sheer helplessness made her want to scream, break something against the wall, or pitch it out a window. With a headache building behind her eyes, she went to the bathroom, hoping to find a pain reliever. Instead, she sped up when she spotted a phone built into the cabinet beside the toilet.
Relief coursed through her as she reached for the receiver. Don’t do it. She paused. What she was about to do was a step from treasonous. She bit her lip, curling her fingers into her palms. But for her father to have any chance of making it through this, he needed a lawyer. And the only person she knew who could make that happen in Mexico was Leonard. Don’t do it. She picked up the receiver and dialed his number, waiting while the line beeped. Don’t do it. “Come on. Come oooon.”
“Bueno?”
“Leonard,” she said, relieved. “It’s Celeste.”
“Victoria? Where are you?” he asked, switching to English.
She didn’t have time to explain everything. “I’m at a hotel. Father’s been arrested. Can you get him an attorney?” Then it occurred to her, considering their father’s tendency to be prepared. “Or does he keep someone on retainer?”
