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“Sorry, I forgot,” I lied, knowing that with her uncanny ability to read people, she might be able to tell that from my voice.
“You’re nervous,” she pronounced. “What’s going on?”
“Just getting antsy about TJ returning, which reminded me about the comms. I’m sorry I didn’t put it in as soon as TJ left. It’s a weird thing to remember.”
“It’s okay,” she said softly. “We know we’re expecting a lot from you. I just let the team know what happened. Everyone’s glad you’re okay. TJ is running a few minutes later than expected, but he’s fine.”
There was a knock at the door. I sucked in a breath and froze. It couldn’t be TJ, so it would be Luka’s men checking up on us. We’d known this was a possibility and had prepared for it, but my stomach twisted nonetheless.
“You’ve got this,” Kessler said. “You know what to do. Stall, and if that doesn’t work, go into the cover story, and if that doesn’t work—”
“The second cover story,” I whispered. I glanced toward the bathroom where the shower was still running and hoped at least one of our stories would hold up to scrutiny.
“Yes?” I called.
“Draga, it’s Luka.”
I’d expected someone on his staff, not the man himself.
I forced a smile, hoping to put sweetness and light that I did not feel into my tone. “What is it?”
“I need to speak with you. Please answer the door.”
“Um, I’m not really decent.”
“There are bathrobes in the closet if you need one,” he said, “but I must insist.”
Adopting the Alpha Team’s motto, I muttered a quiet “fuck me.” Out loud, I said, “Hold on a minute, please.” I noisily rustled around in my bag, pulled several strands of hair out of my chignon, and tugged at the bottom of my T-shirt as I opened the door, hoping it looked like I’d just dressed.
As expected, Luka was outside my door. He had two rather large and unfriendly looking men in black suits with him. This was not a friendly visit, despite Luka’s grin as he observed me, from my messy hair and flushed face, down to my apparently hastily thrown-on clothes and bare feet.
“I apologize for disturbing you,” Luka said. “But I’m checking on all my guests, making sure no one needs anything. And also requesting that you stay in your room until we have the power restored. The alarm system is malfunctioning, and you could inadvertently set it off.”
“Thank you for the warning.” I leaned against the doorjamb, blocking the entrance. “We’ll stay put.”
“Might we have a word with Mr. Russo, as well?” He peered over my head.
“He’s in the shower, but I’ll let him know.”
Luka grinned again, but this time, he bared his teeth and didn’t bother to pretend to look friendly. “I’m sorry, but I must insist.” He glanced at one of his men and inclined his head.
The man pushed the room door wider and walked past me, directly to the bathroom.
“Stop! That’s rude. TJ is...”
The man stepped into the bathroom and back out. “Empty.”
I turned toward Luka, who was glowering. “I can explain,” I said.
“Mr. Russo’s absence or you lying about it?” Luka asked.
“Both,” I said. “When the lights went out, he got concerned and wanted to check things out for himself. He was in the military, and he still has that protective instinct.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. “And you lied because...?”
“Because you’d just said we should stay put, and I just...” I shrugged, “worried you would be upset, I guess.”
“That all sounds very reasonable. Let’s check on Mr. Russo, shall we, and make sure he didn’t run into any problems in the dark.” Luka held out his arm to me. Behind him, his two henchmen stared at me, waiting.
