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Matthew froze.
What the hell washedoing here? He should have been at the set with everyone else.
Whereas Matthew was shocked, Ben didn’t seem at all surprised and walked straight toward him, looking bothconcerned and happy to see him. “Matthew, how are you? How are you feeling?”
Matthew forced himself to smile. “Okay. Um, a bit sore, I guess.”
“I’ll bet.”
When Ben’s gaze paused on Matthew’s face, Matthew subtly turned his head so that his bruised side was less visible.
“Here to see someone?” Ben asked.
Matthew’s mind was still reeling with so much anger at coming face-to-face with Ben that it took him a moment to register the question. When he did, he inwardly cringed. He hadn’t expected to run into anyone and hadn’t prepared an answer as to why he was at the hotel. “No. I, um...”
His eyes caught sight of a sign on the wall, next to the elevators:mission spa • third floor.
“I was going to the spa. They have a steam room. I thought it might help me feel better.”
“That’s a smart idea. A little steam should loosen you right up.” Ben cocked his head, as if just thinking of something. “Listen, I need to get to the shoot soon but was going to grab a bite to eat first. If you’d be willing to put off the spa for a bit, I’d love for you to join me.”
Matthew felt like gagging at the offer.
Having a meal alone with Ben Bacchetti had neverbeen an item on Matthew’s bucket list. But just like with accepting Stacy’s phone call, Matthew worried that if he said no, it might look suspicious. So he used every ounce of his willpower to keep smiling, and said, “I’d be honored. Thanks.”
40
Neno added the audio file to the new footage of Rebecca and played the clip one more time. Everything looked and sounded as it should.
He glanced at his phone for what felt like the millionth time in the last hour and grimaced. Still no update from Kordo.
Had something happened? Had the person who’d been following Kordo caught up to him? Was he right now divulging where they were holding Rebecca Novak? Would he be so quick to fold?
Neno took a deep, steadying breath. No.
Kordo may have been apprehended, but he wouldnever talk. Neno knew Kordo had been in worse situations and hadn’t broken. A few American moviemakers would never be as threatening as the butchers back home.
Neno had been hoping that after a few hours of hiding out, Kordo would have been able to shake whoever his tail was. His absence threw a wrench into the day’s plan.
They were supposed to deliver that evening’s video on another thumb drive. But that meant someone would need to take it to Vulin, and with Kordo unavailable, that was no longer possible. There was no way Neno would let Pavel do it. Pavel was the worst kind of stupid. The kind that thought he was smarter than everyone else.
Neno going himself was out of the question, too. He might not like Rebecca, but after Pavel’s behavior with her earlier, and the multiple comments he made about her to Neno and Kordo, there was no way he was leaving him alone with her. It could turn out to be a disaster.
Which left sending the video via email once more as the only choice.
Janic would not be happy about the change if he found out. He had been the one who told them to leave thumb drives at various places throughout the Novaks’ home.
“The more you can scare Novak, the greater his grief will be when his wife dies,” Janic had said. “And I want him left shaking and destroyed. Do you understand?”
Neno had, and that was why he made the executivedecision to leave his boss in the dark about the switch in plans. It was better this way.
He glanced at his phone again. Still nothing from Kordo.
Where is he?
With a frustrated grunt, Neno snatched up the phone and tapped out his colleague’s number. He’d give him one more chance. If he didn’t answer, maybe Nenowouldtell Janic about the change of plans and blame it on Kordo.
Better him than Neno.
