Page 30 of Stealing Iris

Here goes nothing. I get up a little too fast, pushing my heel down on the stilettos and catapulting myself forward. Tino’s arms come around me, keeping me from hitting the floor. He steadies me, making sure I’m upright before releasing me. My face is burning. I must be redder than my lip color at this point.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been in running shoes for too long.” Being a gentleman, he holds out an arm, walking me to the door as Conny goes pounding down the steps. He’s right, though, we’re out in the middle of nowhere. It’s dark, but brush is growing a few feet past the SUV waiting close by. Mesquites surround us so I figure we’re still in Texas, somewhere.

“Let me go out ahead so I can help you down,” he offers.

I look over his shoulder at the steep stairs. Oh, I can easily see myself stumbling down. I’m not sure if I should hope to keep my balance or break a leg so we’re forced to go back to civilization.

Wetting my lips, I ask, “Think I can hold onto your shoulder as you step down?”

“Of course, if that’s easier.” I place my hand on a solid shoulder. If I miss a step, I doubt I’ll get past him. Still, he takes the steps one at a time, letting me get my footing before moving on.

“Is this another way you’d get somebody home safe?” I chuckle nervously.

“It’s definitely a first.” While I can’t see him, this time the smile is in his voice.

Once we’re safely on the ground, he offers his arm again. His attention is on Conny, like a pit bull knowing which person is sure to cause a problem.

Leading me around to the driver’s side, he opens the back door and helps me settle in. “Thank you.” I hope he understands it isn’t just for helping me into the vehicle.

“Buckle in.” The order is unmistakable. He pulls the belt from the side and hands it to me. Closing the door, he slips in behind the wheel and speaks into his phone. “On the way.”

The drive is an ordeal. Not the actual road—it’s about what you’d expect from a city street, only narrower. My stomach is flip-flopping with every mile and every turn that gets us closer to Dante. Up ahead there’s bright spots popping through the branches. Then the top of a house comes into view, stretching to show the length of the building as we come around the bend. The place is huge, much bigger than I imagined even with all the cars and the plane. We stop in front of the stairs, and the pit in my stomach widens. Conny jumps out while Tino steps out and opens my door in one smooth move.

“We’re here,” he says into his phone then tucks it into his pocket to offer his arm.

“Will you be in there…at the party?” I stumble across the question as we go around the SUV.

“Yes.” He searches my face.

I glance around the back of the vehicle, slowing down so Conny can’t hear. Meanwhile, Tino follows my line of sight. “Can…can you keep an eye on him?” I plead in a whisper.

His gaze shifts to me, watching out of the corner of his eyes, while he still faces forward. He barely nudges his head in acknowledgement. In fact, if I hadn’t been so focused on him, I would have thought he’d just been walking.

With some of the concern off my mind, I can finally take a step without praying I won’t fall on my face.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

DANTE

I glance at the door—again. What is this, the millionth time? I know the exact moment they landed. Add to that the twenty minutes to reach the circular drive and they should be here. Yet the giant, hand-carved, wooden door, hasn’t opened.

“Dante.” Eric D’Santo comes up to me, scotch in hand. With his expensive haircut and tailored suit, he’s every bit the well-groomed businessman I summarized in his profile. “Glad you were able to work me in.” He made a last-minute deposit, and we chartered another plane so we could get him here on time. Considering the size of the D’Santo empire, even what’s known to the public, it’s well worth the trouble. Our people can clear up half a dozen issues to begin with, and that’s just the low-hanging fruit.

“Eric, glad you could join us.” We shake hands. The firm, confident grip tells me more about him than anything I pulled up on his background check. He isn’t an overbearing ogre, like some, and he isn’t a whiny little bitch looking for a position of dominance. In fact, he’s very self-assured, as if things roll on around him without his being a part of them, and he likes it that way.

“I’m sorry for the last minute change,” he apologizes. “But I had to make sure you’re legitimate.” He takes a drink. “I made a couple of discrete inquiries, but information on your group is hard to come by.”

His words put me on alert because obviously, someone talked. “True, but then if we were easy to find, we wouldn’t be effective for you, now would we.” In my business, as a facilitator, I’m a very well paid go-between. People need discreet services, and we matched them with people who cater to those needs. “So, you must have excellent connections if you’re able to get the information you wanted.” Only people very high up in criminal society even know we exist. When it comes to vetting them,very few make the cut.

He chuckles, extending a finger away from his drink as he cocks his head. “All I got was a recommendation to accept,if such a person exists,” he adds.

“Excellent. I’d hate to lose a client over something so trivial.” Because the contract they sign calls for the client to be cut off if it was ever known they did business through us.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. In the distance, past two groups who decided to stand in my line of sight, the door opens. I glance over, completely missing what Eric said. The tightness in my chest is back. She’s here. Conrado comes in first, his red, silk shirt hanging over wide-legged jeans and the boots he’s so fond of. He looks across the room as if he’s found the lost city of gold.

“Some time with you later or before we leave tomorrow.” Catching myself, I turn back, in time to hear some of his request. “To discuss a certain situation I need dealt with.”

“Of course, Eric. Of course.” Placing my palm on his arm is meant to convey reassurance. I slip, missing everything my client said. “If you’ll excuse me, I have someone I have to speak to.”