Audrey stood, grabbed the ladle and shoved the wooden pail of water into his arms. “Keep the water from tipping until I say.”
“Say what?”
She ignored him and took off a sandal and slipped her hand underneath the straps. With the other hand, she held the glossy wooden ladle. “Stand back. Let’s hope Kendra didn’t buy a knock-off brand or these so-called leather soles aren’t going to protect me.” Using the ladle, she lifted a rock out of the bin and used the bottom of the sandal to balance it and keep it from tipping out of the scoop. She spun in a smooth motion and pressed the hissing rock against the middle hinge.
She grimaced, straightening her arms as if trying to stay as far away from the heat even though she practically held it in her hands. “I can’t last much longer. The heat coming off it is—” She bit her lip and moved the rock to the lower hinge. “Pour the water over them now!” She cried out as the rock dropped to the ground. She kicked it in the corner with the bottom of her other sandal.
Despite every instinct demanding they treat the water as a precious commodity, he poured a stream of water onto each hinge. Amazingly, the pin popped up half an inch from each hinge. “How did you know that—”
“Heat expands metal.” Audrey had already flipped over the ladle and stuck the edge of the handle underneath the lip. She hit the scoop portion with her hand and the edge of the ladle worked like a hammer to work the middle pin out. “The metal around the bolt is compressing it so much so that the heat’s expansion forces the bolt to pop upward. The subsequent cool water cools it enough to help us get it out easily if we can just be quick enough.”
Her left hand, the one that had used the sandal to balance the rock momentarily, sported a fiery red splotch along her wrist. Lee reached over and took the ladle from her. “I’ll do the next one. There’s enough water for you to stick your hand in.”
She accepted the pail as Lee worked the pin out of the bottom hinge. They didn’t have the top hinge off, but he was able to move the door off the track enough. The sound of metal pinging the floor echoed inside the sauna. The doorknob budged, and Lee opened the door as it dangled from one lone top hinge. There was enough space for Audrey to slip through into the changing area. Cool air hit their faces and Lee fought to stay upright as the inside of his head started to spin.
He slipped out of their joint coffin and almost stepped on one of a half dozen thin, metal washers lying on the floor. “No wonder the door wouldn’t budge.”
Audrey shoved the second door open.
“Wait.” Whoever had trapped them could be waiting outside to make sure the job was done. Without a gun, and given his weak and disoriented state, he’d never felt so vulnerable. Audrey ignored him and stepped onto the tile as she shuffled toward the pool. He followed her, legs shaking, never imagining a hot, humid room could feel so cool.
She shuffled toward the pool’s edge. “We shouldn’t change our temperature very fast.” She breathed hard. “Even though I really want to jump in.” She pivoted and headed toward a small table in between two lounge chairs complete with a pitcher of ice-cold water.
Lee had never seen anything so beautiful.
She poured a glass and offered it to him before pouring herself one. The seemingly small act of service after how nauseated and dizzy they’d both been spoke volumes.
“I owe you an apology. I promised to keep you safe and—”
She shrugged as she took a small, testing sip. “We worked together and got out. Isn’t that what partners do?” She averted her eyes. “I’m sure Kendra would’ve had a better idea.”
He didn’t answer. Kendra was excellent at her job, but neither of them had ever needed each other and acted accordingly. The truth was, if she’d been here, she probably would’ve already split up, acting on her own hunches, leaving Lee to follow the itinerary to cover their bases. And Lee never would’ve figured out how to get out of the sauna in time.
Maybe he needed to stop acting like he could accomplish the mission all on his own and start treating Audrey like the partner he’d never had. He blinked hard at the radical, out-of-the-blue thought. Those thoughts were the types that came after a near-death experience. He knew enough to not take them seriously until reevaluating at a later time.
They clung to their empty glasses after they’d guzzled two full servings.
“Lee, look.” She pointed at a programmable thermostat attached to the side of the sauna. Two loose wires dangled from the bottom but were twisted together. He approached until he spotted “Err” flashing on the digital screen. If there was ever any doubt, this was no prank.
Someone at the club wanted them dead.
SIX
Audrey stepped out of the bathroom wearing a thick, terry-cloth robe. Never before had she enjoyed a cold shower. The air-conditioning she had flipped on when they’d returned to the suite had done its job and made the cottage downright chilly.
The cloudy glass doors separating the bedroom and living area where Lee would sleep were closed in the event Lee had already returned from the security office. The staff had swarmed the sauna and them after hearing about the “mishap,” as one of the employees called it. They left a guard outside the cottage while Lee went to find answers. Still, she felt the need to call out. “Anyone there?”
Silence. She crossed the room to get clothes from the suitcase except it had disappeared from the spot she’d left it near the dresser. She spun around in a circle, in case she misremembered. Nowhere to be seen. Had Lee come and gotten it? What if he decided their covers were blown and taken off without waiting for her? Maybe Kendra had recovered and they considered her a liability and left her here. Her heart rate sped up at the new thought as she inhaled and exhaled slowly. Ridiculous. There had to be a logical explanation for her missing luggage. It was possible her memory was faulty after a traumatic experience.
The closet beckoned, and her feet enjoyed walking on the cold wood. In fact, it was hard to imagine ever craving hot temperatures again. She flung open the white door to find a row of dresses, shirts, pants and men’s suits, hanging side by side. On the top shelf of the closet, two suitcases rested side by side as if in the overhead bin on an airline.
Uncomfortable chills ran down her spine. Someone had come into the room while they were gone and taken everything out of their suitcases, Lee’s included. Audrey felt more exposed than ever. She left the closet open and moved to the dresser. Inside the top drawer, the T-shirts and lounge pants she assumed no one would see were placed in neatly folded piles. Had someone laughed when they saw a T-shirt so obviously from a discount store or, worse, alerted someone to a fraud in their midst?
Her eyes drifted to the itinerary on the top of the dresser. They were expected at dinner within the hour. Hopefully, the meeting would happen and then they could leave. She missed her own bed even though it was still on a moving truck somewhere across the country. How could she sleep, though, knowing someone wanted to kill them? Obviously, it wasn’t hard to get in their room, either, if someone had been through her things.
She grabbed a black dress but wasn’t ready to put on the diamond-studded shoes until it was necessary. They had higher heels than the tan pumps. Her arches complained in advance with phantom pains. She dressed and got ready quickly—everything except straightening her hair. A door opened and closed in the distance.
“It’s me.”
Audrey slid open the pocket doors to find Lee seated on the couch. He had already changed before the visit to the security office and wore a hunter-green polo shirt and tan pants. His head rested in his hands, a posture that practically screamed defeat.
“Is everything okay?”
He straightened and crossed to the patio. She followed him outside as he clicked on an instrumental music station to play through his phone. “Apparently they pride themselves on the grounds being swept for listening devices daily, but we need to be cautious.”<
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“They went through our stuff.”
He nodded. “It’s their personal butler service. It’s why we made sure nothing was in our bags. They claim it’s for luxury but someone from the security team escorts the employee who does it. In case there’s something there of concern.” He shrugged. “Add it to the reasons why the club is considered a safe meeting place.”
Maybe for criminals, but she felt the opposite. “What did you find out?”
“It’s a good news–bad news situation.”
“Bad news first. I have a strict policy about that.”
He half smiled and only then seemed to take in her appearance, his eyes widening just enough to be noticeable. She smoothed down the skirt, worried for half a second she’d put it on wrong. “Is this what Kendra would wear to the dinner?”
“Probably.” He turned his attention to the ocean. “I’m not sure I can separate the news into categories. There are security cameras in the hallway. The security guard showed me the footage. We go in the pool room and the employee comes out and then it becomes obvious the footage is looped to show an empty hallway for the next twenty minutes.”
“You’re saying someone hacked the feed.”
“Yes. The benefit is now I know there are hallway cameras. I was able to casually ask, as if concerned for our safety, where the other cameras were located in the resort. There were none in the pool room and there are plenty of appointments on our itinerary that are completely in the dark so to speak. I would imagine the CEO of the Masked Network would know that as well, and would never set up a meeting where he could be captured on camera.”
Audrey picked up Lee’s copy of the itinerary from the coffee table. Aside from one dinner table assignment, they seemed to be identical. She waited for him to continue but he remained silent. “Was that both the good news and bad news? That all sounded like bad news.”
He tilted his head. “The apparent owner of Aislado was so horrified their security system had been tampered with she assigned us a personal bodyguard. He’s waiting outside our cottage.”
“So that’s the bad news?”
Lee raised his eyebrows. “I thought that would make you feel safer. He’s probably retired from some elite special forces.” Lee shrugged. “From a different country.”
“Someone, who is probably a giant of a man, trained to covertly observe, who knows how someone with my supposed qualifications and motivations should act will be watching my every move. And perhaps is trained to use deadly force to keep the best interests of this den of thieves.”
Lee leaned back. “Well, when you put it that way, it’s not as good of news as I initially thought.” He reached for her hand, the same way he had when he’d led her into the hospital. Except his grip was softer. He squeezed ever so gently and the warmth rushed through her bones. This was nothing like the dry heat of a sauna. “I need to apologize. I thought the best course was to keep you in the dark as much as possible. Obviously, I didn’t know Sylvia would be here or I would’ve taken greater care to prepare you.”
She appreciated the admission, but he still seemed too calm for her taste. “Someone is trying to kill us, Lee. Why aren’t you more stressed out?”
“Because we have an advantage most would-be victims don’t.”
“Which is?”
“We know someone’s trying to kill us.”
She wasn’t amused.
“I’m serious. Imagine we’ve received a memo. It gives us an edge. We can’t be caught off guard.”
“We also can’t relax!”
He eyed her. “You wouldn’t have anyway.”
“What would Kendra have done?” The question sounded desperate, her voice higher than intended.
He searched her eyes as if seeing her insecurity, her secret hope that he’d tell her she wasn’t out of her depth, and they would make it out alive and successful.
Instead, he let go of her hand. “I don’t like focusing on what-ifs. Hey, tell me how you knew about that bolt stuff?”
She almost rolled her eyes. Confirmation she was there only because she looked like Kendra. He hadn’t been interested in her as a person or he would’ve realized how. “You can’t get a doctorate in engineering without picking up a few principles. I just put them into practice and hoped it would work. The more important question is who tried to kill us? Is our cover blown?”
Lee shook his head. “This isn’t the MO for anyone in the Masked Network. It seemed...juvenile, almost.”
“Juvenile or not, it was effective.”
“Almost.” He sighed. “We are surrounded by criminals. Maybe someone fears if the Kimmets joined the Network they’d eat into their money-laundering territory.”
“Your covers have their own enemies?”
“The bottom line is I don’t know yet, so my gut tells me to continue with the mission.”
“Sylvia knew our schedule would include sauna time. She’d seen our itinerary.”
Lee shook his head. “It’s crossed my mind, but it doesn’t make sense she’d try to take us both out.”
His phone vibrated, and he pressed a button to silence an alarm. “It’s almost time to go to dinner. Remember to keep things light, talk about the amenities here or the view, but if she asks any specific questions, give short answers without any hesitation, even if you don’t know what Kendra would’ve said. And stand by it.”
For the next twenty minutes he went over Andrea and Lee Kimmet’s fake backstory. They met at law school and developed a growing interest in money-laundering schemes. He listed their supposed favorite books and movies and hobbies. Lee stopped every couple minutes, though, as if sure she wasn’t paying attention.
“I’m looking these things up, but the browser on this burner phone is slow. I can’t just say I love the true crime genre without knowing any authors or plots.”
Lee stood and pointed to the door. “We’re out of time. Remember, your name is Andrea Kimmet. If someone talks to you, try to figure out what they’re expecting of you or simply mirror them. When you’re asked a question don’t hesitate but don’t talk too much, either. And if Sylvia asks, please tell her we’ve made up.”
“Do you care if she doesn’t like you?”
His pallor seemed to turn gray. “You have no idea.”
It seemed so out of character that she wanted to ask if Lee had been in a relationship with Sylvia before but he rushed them out the door. As they approached the main lodge, her feet decided not to cooperate with the three-inch heels and she tipped to the right, knocking Lee momentarily off the path. He regained his balance and grabbed her elbow just in time to prevent her from gaining some grass stains.
A man in a black suit—that had to be specially tailored to account for his giant trunks of arms that probably could snap a spine in half—appeared seemingly out of nowhere. “Are you all right, ma’am?”
“Yes, yes, I think so, thank you.”
Lee guided her into the building. “I think we’ve just met the bodyguard. From now on, no more heels.”
“No complaints from me,” she said, even though her cheeks heated at the frustration in his voice. Of all the things she thought she might fail at in taking her sister’s place, she didn’t imagine she would be bested by footwear.
They arrived at the dining room. The entire back wall was glass, much like the cottage. If she’d gone to a place like this for fun, she would have no need for conversation. Just set her in front of the view. The host escorted her to a table set for two in the far corner. Each table, and there was probably only fifteen total, was placed a good ten feet apart, likely to promote private discussion. The host waited for her to be seated before placing the napkin on her lap and pushing her into the chair.
“Ah, you beat me here.” For her part, Sylvia looked gorgeous in a teal and copper dress. She practically glided to the table as she flashed her brown
eyes at Lee, but she didn’t acknowledge his presence.
“Sir, we have your reservation at the next table,” the host said.
Lee bent over as if to kiss Audrey’s cheek but whispered, “Hopefully, I’ll have the meeting and we’ll be gone by dessert. Just keep things light.”
Audrey gulped. She’d never been alone with a criminal antiquities dealer before. She’d heard rumors that dealers like that made their money from terrorists, but she probably shouldn’t start the conversation by asking about that. Lee left, and Audrey wasn’t sure whether to smile or not at Sylvia.
Kendra didn’t seem the type to offer smiles to everyone. She’d likely be confident and secure and not worry about what anyone else was thinking. Nothing mattered but the mission.
Sylvia picked up an empty glass and twirled it. “I heard there was a mishap in the sauna.”
“You know about that?”
Sylvia set the glass down and looked around as if searching for someone. She raised a hand and waved before looking at Audrey. “They’re trying to keep it hush-hush, but you should know by now that no one can keep secrets from me.” Her eyes held a hard edge Audrey hadn’t noticed before, and it was all she could do to keep from shivering. The woman was into art, though. That was all. Nothing to fear.
“I have to tell you, Sylvia, that while I hate to turn down the chance to connect, I’m not sure it’s the best idea to sit apart from Lee. We actually came here on business.”
The woman’s radiant teeth flashed. “A chance to connect? Is that what you call our dealings? Don’t worry, I already told you. I know about your upcoming meeting.” The coldness returned. “Don’t mistake me for a small fish. My money can easily make or break your business.” She fluttered her eyelashes. “But you’re too smart to forget that.”
Audrey turned her attention to the silverware, straightening it even though it was already perfect. Business? So Kendra didn’t talk about personal matters with her. Did Lee set her up? He had to know that Kendra’s relationship with Sylvia wasn’t for social reasons.
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