Page 78 of Hunters and Hydrangeas

“Right. But first, tell Richard what you’d like to drink.”

I give the butler a tentative smile, wondering how he’ll react. “I’ll have a bottled water.”

“Same for me,” Noah says.

Cassian holds up his hand. “Make that three.”

Alfred gives us a knowing look. “How do you tell your host you don’t trust him without telling him you don’t trust him?” He cackles, annoyingly jolly this evening. “Richard, please get them three unopened, not-spiked bottles of water.”

“Yes, sir,” Richard says dourly.

As he turns, his eyes catch on mine. He looks better than he did the last time I saw him. Dare I say…younger even.

As soon as he’s gone, I whisper to Noah, “Do you recognize him?”

“I do.”

We follow Alfred, listening as he brags about his yacht. Taking advantage of Cassian asking our host about something called anti-fouling paint, I say quietly to Noah, “I don’t think Sophia listened to you. He’s looking pretty vampirey to me.”

“I noticed that as well. The question is, what is Alfred doing with Sophia’s hired help?”

“Do you think Alfred knows we’ve met him before?”

“I doubt it.”

“Could Richard have something to do with Sophia’s disappearance? Did he double-cross her?”

“Or is Sophia in on all this?” Noah muses.

“If she is, it’s awfully careless of her to leave her butler hanging around while we’re going to be visiting.”

“Your drinks,” a man says from right behind us.

I whirl around, the picture of nervous guilt. Three expensive bottles of water and one martini are perched atop Richard’s tray, condensation glistening in the deck lighting.

18

“Thanks.”I step forward to accept my water, irrationally nervous.

It’s not like he heard us—we were talking too quietly for even a vampire to pick up on what we were saying. And if he did, what difference does it make? Richard knows we’ve met before.

Noah takes his water, and then Richard walks past us, off to deliver Cassian’s drink and Alfred’s new martini.

I share an uncomfortable look with Noah and then open my water, making sure the seal is intact. Alfred was right—Noah warned me on the way over not to eat anything and to drink only bottled water. He didn’t want Alfred to slip me something…like Cassian is planning to do to him.

I take a sip of my drink, pausing when I notice writing on the bottom of the bottle. Quickly, I secure the lid and flip it over, eyeing Alfred to make sure he’s distracted.

Written in a fine-point permanent marker is a phone number—a familiar phone number.

Playing stealthy, I unlock my phone and scroll through my contacts until I find the number Sam entered. And it’s amatch.

Sam just put “Someone Who Can Help” as the name, but now I know that someone is Richard. Which means he probably didn’t betray Sophia.

Nudging Noah, I show him the bottle and my phone. He nods, understanding, and opens a new text message.

Alfred laughs loudly, clutching hold of Cassian’s shoulder and nearly doubling over. Whatever it was that Cassian slipped him, it must have been potent—and it looks like it’s already working. My conservator must have put it into his drink just before we got here.

I turn my attention to Noah’s phone, smiling briefly when Alfred glances back to make sure we’re still walking behind Cassian and him.

---