I get in just as he and another man break off from his larger entourage to head away from the event hall and up the escalator.
I fish my compact out of my purse and use the mirror to watch. I wait for them to step off before I follow.
It’s impossible not to be in awe of the stunning design of the newest of the Smithsonian museums.
The lights from outside sift through the tiny holes casting patterned, shadows over the entryway. It’s a magical display that’s enough to make me forget why I’m here.
I’m jolted back to reality by the rough grasp of a leathered clad hand around my wrist.
“What do you want?” The man who had been with Annan glares down at me.
Panic blinds me for me a moment before my training kicks in. I glare up at him.
“I’m looking for the bathroom.” I yank my wrist away out of his grasp.
“You passed it.” He points in the direction we’ve just come from.
I look in the direction he’s pointing and turn back with a sheepish grimace on my face. “Oh, I didn’t see it.”
His expression doesn’t soften. “Now you do. Be on your way.”
“Fine. No need to be rude.”
I turn slowly, craning my neck over his shoulder as I do and spot Ozwald stopped a few feet away.
He’s talking to a woman whose face is obscured by decorative topiary. I don’t need a full visual or more than the momentary glimpse my slow rotation affords to know who it is.
That collarbone-skimming perfectly blunt bob is a dead giveaway.
They appear to be having an unremarkable exchange. Until she leans forward to press an air kiss to his cheek and he lowers his head to press his nose to her throat for the briefest second.
“What are you waiting for?” the man asks me, and this time, he pulls his jacket back to reveal a shoulder holster.
My heart leaps in my throat.
“Nothing. I’m just admiring the art. Are you museum security or something?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am. You’re not allowed to be here. Leave. Now,” he says through barely moving lips.
“Copy that,” I say with a mock salute before I turn on my heel and get the hell out of there.
Chapter Thirty-One
Kwame
Late
I’m finally on my way into the museum when I spot Lo coming out.
“I didn’t know you’d be here.”
She reaches up to press a kiss to my cheek. “I didn’t know you’d be here either. I just came to show my face.”
I nod and try to inconspicuously wipe my face where her lips touched. “Right, nice to see you, but I gotta run. See you soon?”
“Wait.” She grabs my arm to stop me from moving on. “Why areyouhere?”
“I had tickets.”
