Page 85 of Steinbeck
He smiled and put his hand to her face, his thumb against her cheek, caressing it.“The first time I met you, I think you said something like ‘Come with me if you want to live.’”
“Good advice.”
“Promise me.When this is over, you’ll take it.‘Come with me if you want to live.’”
His eyes shone, and she could see all the way to his heart.Steady.Honest.Determined.
Aw,what else was she going to do?She put her forehead to his.“I promise.”
* * *
“I’m not sure how this happened.”
Steinbeck stood in front of a mirror, straightening his tie, and glanced at his cousin Colt across the shared bedroom of the penthouse accommodations that Logan had secured.
Colt wore a pair of suit pants and a white dress shirt, his jacket lying on the bed.He looked up from his phone.“Which part?The penthouse, tonight’s gala, or maybe just the fact that you showed up with a spy?”
Steinbeck cinched the tie and turned to Colt.“She’s on our side.”
“She’s a Swan.They’re not affiliated with any side.”He stood, pocketed the phone.“But if you think we can trust her...”
Steinbeck tugged on his shirtsleeves.It had been a hot minute since he’d worn any sort of monkey suit.Probably Boo’s wedding, in truth.When he’d danced with a disguised Emberly.The memory, now that he knew whom he’d danced with, stirred heat inside him, the sense of needing her back in his arms.
Needing?Really?
“We can trust her,” Stein said.“I’ll be right out.”He walked to the balcony doors, opened them, and stepped out to a small balcony with an arched portico that overlooked the expansive view of the Hudson waterfront.To the south, roughly three miles away, situated on the Hudson River, the glass of the Javits building glinted in the fading sunlight, reflecting the twilight onto the darkening water.The sounds of the city chaos below were muted this high up, leaving just the scent of the river, the loamy autumn breeze stirring the night air.
Stein drew in the smells, lifted his gaze to the horizon, past the jutting of lower buildings, the glistening river, and even the Jersey shoreline, to beyond.Emberly’s soft“I promise”hung inside him, along with Judah’s words:“Jesus was still calling them to believe.To trust in His power to do great things.”
He gripped the railing.I’m trusting You, Lord.
Then he exhaled and headed back into the living room.
An oversized oil painting of a New-York-in-autumn street scene with a couple walking in the rain hung over a massive marble-faced fireplace.White bouclé sofas faced each other, and two-story gray-plaid drapes framed the expansive windows that overlooked the massive rooftop patio.Edison bulbs lit up the stone surface and stone planters that held boxwoods and hydrangeas and fruit trees.The doors hung open, stirring a fragrant breeze into the room.
The penthouse, from what he’d seen of it, could host a small army, or maybe just the cast ofThe Avengers.Which felt like an apt comparison when he walked into the room.
Steinbeck spotted Colt standing with a formally attired Director Logan Thorne, his brown hair almost military short.He also stood with another man whom Stein had met back during his overboard adventure in the Caribbean.Stein approached and held out a hand to the man with dark-blond hair, a little curly at the edges, the look of a warrior in his eyes—“Tate.How are you?”
“Good.I guess we’re meeting Declan at the gala.”
“He called,” Steinbeck said.“The display is set up.We’ll sneak away during the dinner and check security before tomorrow’s exhibition.Any word from London and Shep?”
“The last I heard, they were planning on bringing Luis to a new location.Not sure where,” Logan said.“They might just be off-grid at that location.”
The entire thing had Stein’s gut in a knot.“They need to be warned that Luis could be compromised.Emberly’s sister is trying to confirm any financial transactions between the Bratva and Luis.”
“Emberly?”Colt said.“You’re talking about Phoenix?”
“Yes.”Stein shoved his hands into his pockets.He probably needed to remember that they were back on the job.Even if tonight did feel like a party.
A smile crested over Colt’s face as he looked past Steinbeck’s shoulder.Stein turned to see a woman walk in.Her long blonde hair hung in waves around her face, and she wore a floor-length, pink, shimmery halter dress, her green-blue eyes fixed on Colt.He stepped out to meet her, holding out his hand.
“That’s Taylor Price, his girlfriend,” said Logan beside him.“She’s a biochemist.Works loosely with the Caleb Group.Goes by Tae.”
But Stein only had eyes for the woman who came in behind her.Her long dark hair parted in the middle and was tied back in a sleek French knot.She wore a stunning green silk dress with a draped plunging neckline and a three-strand pearl choker along with matching drop earrings.She was petite and elegant, and he had the sense that a panther, her beautiful green eyes latched on him, was stalking up to him.
“Um.”He swallowed.
