Page 68 of Oath
“You really want them to beat you up, don’t you?” I pitched my voice low as I opened the clutch to pull out a tissue even as I popped a few of the beads off the top of the clutch. With the tissue, I made a show of dabbing at the corners of my mouth before I drifted toward a refuse and dropped the tissue and a couple of the beads in there.
“They’re going to do it anyway,” O’Rourke said with a shrug as he returned the champagne flute to me and I handed him two beads in a pass that was almost smooth.
“Ah,” I said. “So baiting them to make sure it hurts more is the goal.”
“He doesn’t have to bait me,” Legend said easily. “I’m happy to just do it.”
“Focus,” Voodoo said with a faint click in my ear. “Keep the chatter to a minimum. We have to be able to hear.”
I was pretty sure the chatter was for them, but I wouldn’t mind ignoring O’Rourke. Unfortunately, that wasn’t in the cards for this. We drifted from gallery to gallery, shifting so that we were always with another group of people. I dropped beads in more than a few pockets, on trays, and even on benches near the paintings.
There were two kinds of beads—one for the cameras, and one for mobility. O’Rourke was better at the second, though I felt pretty damn good about my part.
“Darling…” O’Rourke threaded an arm around my waist and pulled me to him. The only thing that saved him from me tossing the champagne in his face was how he angled himself toward the work on the wall rather than me.
“Hmm?” I tilted my head like I was being flirty as he motioned to the hunting scene above. At least, I was almost eighty percent certain it was a hunting scene. There were dogs, horses, and a bunch of aristocracy all done up in their red coats and finery.
“Target one is here and acquired,” O’Rourke said, leaning his head down toward me so that his lips brushed my ear but not quite looking at me. “Seven o’clock, muddy brown hair, square jaw.”
“Got him,” AB said in my ear. “He’s moving. Get ready to follow.”
My pulse jumped and I twisted away from O’Rourke abruptly to put my champagne flute on a passing waiter’s tray of empties that he was bussing to remove from the venue.
“If you don’t mind,” I said with a genuine smile. The waiter gave me a quick nod and was already gone.
“What we really want to see,” O’Rourke was saying as he caught my hand and motioned ahead, “is the next wing.”
“You’re clear,” AB said following a click. “I’ve got him heading for an exit at the rear of that next gallery.”
My heels clicked along the marble floor as O’Rourke and I made the most indirect, direct beeline after the target. I motioned as if to sneeze and flicked another bead off the bag so it bounced to slide right under a map that told us where we were in the museum.
“Bugs are live.” AB continued. “I’m accessing their system. Standby. We may have to make some noise.”
“Better if we don’t have to,” O’Rourke commented, then he dragged me to him and swung us around so my back was to the wall. Dipping his head as though he were about to kiss me, he murmured, “Don’t kill me.” The words were a whisper across my lips.
“You have three seconds to explain,” I warned him.
“Target two is also here and he was waiting for target one.” O’Rourke didn’t look at all bothered as he slid his hand to my throat?—
“Stop. Fucking. Touching. Her.” Legend’s words were a snarl and the hand O’Rourke had been about to touch me with only hovered. For all that he loomed over me, nothing of him was actually touching me.
“They know what I look like,” O’Rourke responded easily enough, as though utterly unperturbed by the threat. “This way we can avoid an ambush of our own.”
“Hmm.” I leaned against the wall, head tilted so I could keep an eye on him. Unfortunately, with his height and bulk, it made keeping an eye on the others a challenge. “Let us know when we’re clear, AB?”
“Got you, Gracie.” AB promised. “Security cycle shifting in ninety seconds. Hold tight.”
Despite the order, O’Rourke was already moving and he had my hand in his. If I didn’t follow, I’d end up on my ass or worse. He walked like a man who didn’t care about orders—straight to the staff hallway near the Roman gallery. He glanced once over his shoulder.
I followed. I had to.
“O'Rourke,” I hissed under my breath. “AB said hold.”
“And I damn near died to get this code,” he retorted as he keyed in a code to the staff entrance.
The keypad blinked green. The door clicked open.
“O'Rourke—”
