Page 72 of Trick's Trap

The image of the woman in question hiding behind the couch with a crying Maggie flashed through her mind.

“She’s thinking about it,” she hedged, fingering the phone. The voice was silent, but she knew he was there.

“In fact, I think Peyton wanted to talk to you about it some more. She said there were some ground rules you needed to agree to.”

Liam smirked. “Of course she did.”

“She wants to see you in her office. Trick, too, but I forgot to tell him that. Maybe you can pass that on for me?”

Peyton’s office was on the ground floor—a windowless room filled with trained security officers.

The elevator opened, revealing the rear lobby area.

She hurried out, turning back at the corner. “I would go now while Peyton is still in a good mood.”

Liam smiled at her—a heart-stopping grin that warmed his entire face. He resembled Patrick so much when he smiled it hurt to look at him.

“Thanks for convincing her for me. I appreciate it.”

“No problem,” she replied faintly, waving as he disappeared down the hall leading to the back offices.

“You’re almost out of time,” the voice reminded her once he was gone.

Tahlia flinched. She swallowed hard and headed for the basement stairs.

She didn’t know how the voice learned so much about the hotel’s internal security measures, but he had the guard’s rotations down pat. He’d managed to find the one tiny moment when the men were changing shifts, leaving through the same basement door she used when she left for Monaco.

A wave of dizziness swept over her as she opened the door. There was a black sports car with tinted windows waiting in the alley.

“I am a lucky penny,” she reminded herself.

Neck stiff from holding her head high, she climbed into the passenger seat.

Chapter 29

Trick hung up the phone with a satisfied smile. His surprise for Tahlia was starting to come together.

It took some wrangling, but he’d managed to get one of the Casino de Monte Carlo’s old poker tables shipped here. It was going to be the centerpiece at their wedding reception. The entire event was going to be modeled after the casino Tahlia had fallen in love with.

Copies of the casino’s over-the-top chandeliers were on their way. He was also having the event company send him red-patterned upholstery samples so he could pick chairs that fit the theme.

He reached for a pen to make a note when the door swung open. It swung so hard it banged into the wall. Maggie and Peyton burst inside, falling all over each other in the process.

“Get away from the window!”

The hired assassinwas incongruously handsome. He had thick dark hair and straight Roman nose. His features weren’t any one nationality or race, but a distinctive scar ran from the end of his right eye straight back to his hairline.

He was so calm, pulling away from the curb with a friendly little nod and a charming smile.

What the hell?At least the goon in New York had been a predictably evil-looking jerkwad. This guy acted like he was a long-lost friend.

Tahlia sat silently, her limbs weak with shock and panic. She couldn’t seem to calm her racing heart. The man looked familiar. She realized he must have been staying at the hotel as a guest, so he could watch her.

She quickly lost track of their location. It was too difficult to scan for street signs when her entire body was trying to shut down.

“You should buckle up,” he said solicitously.

Her head pulled back as she stared at him in disbelief. “Why? Aren’t you driving me to the docks or some lonely warehouse district to put a bullet in the back of my head?”

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