Page 80 of Stuart Woods' Golden Hour

Teddy exited his room. “Where’s Tessa?”

“The production company picked her up thirty minutes ago. I’m guessing she’s in hair and makeup by now.”

“Lead on.”

Another production assistant from the shoot was waiting for them in the lobby.

“Mr. Barrington, Mr. Barnett, I drive for you,” he said, taking time to pronounce the English words. “Come.”

“One moment,” Billy said. He went over to the reception desk.

“May I help you?” a woman manning the desk asked.

“I’m Billy Barnett.” He gave her his suite number. “I’m heading out for a shoot and—”

Her eyes lit up. “The commercial with Tessa Tweed and Mari Chen?”

“That’s the one.”

Mari Chen was a half-Japanese, half-Chinese Australian pop singer who had rocketed to stardom thanks to a talent for writing powerful songs with catchy tunes, which she sang in multiple languages. She was also a House Dione brand ambassador.

“I wanted to go watch,” the woman said, “but no one would trade shifts with me.”

“If you’d like, I can get Tessa’s autograph for you.”

Her mouth opened in surprise. “Really?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Thank you. Could you maybe get Mari’s, too?” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “She is my favorite singer.”

“No promises, but I’ll see what I can do. May I ask a favor of you, too?”

“Of course.”

“I’m expecting a woman named Monique Ortega. You’re holding a room in her name. When she asks for me, can you please give her the room key and tell her I’ll be back later?”

She beamed. “I am most happy to do this for you.”

He thanked her and rejoined Peter and the PA.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “I’m ready to go now.”

“This way,” the PA said, then led them out of the hotel.

29

Danielle Verde ditched her stolencar five blocks from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

There had been several times in the last twenty hours when she’d thought she wouldn’t even get it out of Romania, let alone all the way to Budapest. That she had seemed like a miracle.

After her communication with Rick La Rose the previous evening, she’d grabbed a taxi and headed for the airport.

On the drive, she’d purchased a ticket for a flight to Budapest leaving in two hours, thinking she was in the clear.

Everything fell apart after she was in the airport security line. As she and the others plodded forward, she spotted one of the men who’d gassed her car about to go through one of the X-ray machines.

She immediately left the line and headed for the exit. She was almost to the door when someone behind her yelledher name. She sprinted outside and jumped into a taxi that had just dislodged its passengers.

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