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All that’s left for me to do when he hangs up is pace. It takes an hour for Owen to call me back, and I’m bursting with rage and worry when he does.
“What the fuck took you so long?” I bellow.
“Calm down, mate. Sometimes useful information takes time to gather. Turns out Kitchens commonly flies Chuck Pratchett around the country. Something tells me the good senator has your girl.”
“That’s it. I’m going after him.”
“Not yet. He’s going to be at the ball, and he added a date at the last minute.”
“You think it’s her?”
“Pretty sure since the name she’s using is Monica Chamberlain and Monica is still checked in to the inpatient facility you took her to.”
“Damn it.”
Owen clears his throat and I know I’m going to hate his next question.
“What are the odds she’s with him of her own accord?”
I shake my head. “No. Not possible. He got violent with her once and she put him on her ban list. If Zara is with Chuck Pratchett, it’s because he took her. We just need to fucking find out why.”
“I’ve been digging into him as much as I can, but he’s got roadblocks up everywhere I turn. And I don’t think it’s his doing. He’s got some powerful people backing him. His movements over the past couple of weeks show three trips to New York, one trip to Chicago, and another trip down to Mexico. Interestingly, he’s spent almost no time in D.C., which is strange considering that’s his fucking job.”
I blow out a breath. “The Sin City Suits are disrupting things and have to be stopped. That’s what Renda St. Claire said to my father. Chicago, Mexico, New York… any trips to London in there for the senator?”
Owen curses. “Not that I’ve found yet, but I’ve got a seventy-two-hour period before he showed up in New York the night the mayor was killed that I can’t account for.”
“And it could have been earlier, too. Whatever this is, it was set in motion a long time ago. Start with two months before Ernesto Trentini was killed and go from there.”
“That’s going to take time and right now we have to get ready for the governor’s ball. I’m rethinking having you in the limo. But you have to promise that if you see her you won’t react. Otherwise, I’ll hit you with a tranquilizer dart and lock you in my office.”
It will be hard not to react to the sight of her. Especially if she’s on the arm of Chuck Pratchett. But knowing she’s in danger, I’ll keep my emotions in check for as long as I have to.
“I’ll be fine. There’s no keeping me out of that room. Brief Matteo and Victor for me and I’ll meet you at the hotel.”
Chapter 29
Zara
“Wakey-wakey,Allison.”
I blink my eyes open and groan, trying to remember exactly where I am.
Something happened on the plane. Did we have an accident? I struggle to sit up and my entire body is heavy, as if my limbs are filled with lead.
The fog clears, and I realize he’s calling me Allison. Panic settles in my throat, and I force myself to open my eyes and take in my surroundings.
A hotel room. The curtains are drawn, but there’s a slit and I can tell it’s dark outside. How long have I been asleep?
The decorations seem so familiar. I’ve stayed in this hotel before.
“There she is. I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up or if I accidentally gave you too much sedative.”
My bladder feels like it’s going to burst, and I once again struggle to sit up.
“Bathroom,” I croak. How did I get here? My brain is crawling at a snail’s pace. What did they give me?
Big hands grip mine and pull me up. I manage to swing my legs over the mattress.
