“I agree, and I must get inside that office again.”
Phoebe giggled as though he’d said something salacious, and they began ambling down the hall. But as soon as they were out of sight of the two brawny guards they quickened their pace.
* * *
Though he was in a luxurious bedroom with the two harem girls, Franco wasn’t a happy man. The two buxom beauties had performed an erotic strip, then kissed and stroked him, but his cock remained uncooperative.
Candace refused to leave his head, then sexy images of her and Manny together began popping uninvited to the forefront of his mind.
“Get me a drink,” he grunted, sitting up waving his arms around. “Get me a drink and…and…pass me my pants.”
While Kate hastily poured him another glass of whisky, Serena picked up his trousers and handed them over.
“You two were fucking great,” he mumbled, pulling a couple of hundred dollar bills from his wallet. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind. And I need food. Where can I find some real food? Not cheese and shit, that’s not food. Real food, like steak, or pasta, or—”
“In the room closest to the castle,” Kate replied, handing him the drink. “You’ll see it on your right when you get close. You can’t miss it, and they have everything.”
“Good,” he grunted, drinking as they dressed. “Hey, walk down with me. I’m not sure I can find my way. I’ve never seen a house with so many fucking halls and and shit.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty crazy,” Serena agreed, handing him his shirt. “We’ll help you down there. No problem, and thanks for the great tip.”
“Sure, honey. Do you two make house calls? I’m staying at the Ritz Carlton.”
“You bet,” she said as they helped him dress. “We’d love to see you again, wouldn’t we Kate?”
“We would, and I slipped our card into your pocket. We almost always work together.”
“Ah, good to know,” Franco muttered as they headed towards the door, but when they started down the hall to the stairs a rush of anger surged through his body. “Fucking asshole,” he muttered under his breath. “The minute I see him I’m going to kick his fucking ass.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Donovan and Phoebe reached the foyer just in time to see Manny walking in through the front door. At his side was a tall, broad-shouldered, silver-haired man dressed in slacks, shirt and a sports coat. Donovan knew expensive tailor made clothes when he saw them, but what truly caught his eye were the stranger’s shoes. The Alligator Leather Oxfords were hard to miss. They cost in the neighborhood of $10,000 a pair, and while the man looked familiar Donovan couldn’t place him.
“Oh, my gosh, do you know who that is?” Phoebe whispered.
“I know the face, but—”
“It’s Alexi Kozlov! The Russian oligarch. He’s been in the news recently. His mega yacht was seen moored off Miami a couple of weeks ago.“
“Holy crap, you’re right!”
“I wonder what he’s doing here.”
As Phoebe posed the question, and Donovan watched the wealthy mobster admiring the castle cake, he could guess the reason behind the oligarch’s visit. The Alexandrite Empress.
“The necklace,” Donovan said softly, pushing the button on his tunic and starting the camera. “Come on, I want to hear what they’re saying.”
Making their way with a group of happy party-goers towards the castle cake, they were able to position themselves just a few feet behind Manny and his guest.
“Take me to the item now,” the oligarch demanded, needing to raise his voice over the noisy crowd.
“Sure, we have to go to my—”
“BASTARD. FUCKING BASTARD!”
Darting his eyes around, Donovan saw Franco charging towards Manny holding a large, gleaming knife high in the air.
“I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!”