enthusiastic applause. The clowns, the animal trainers in pink, the magician, and the rest followed. The baritone in the ringmaster’s suit took a bow and strode off. The first act was over, and the intermission began.
Soft music filtered in. People got up and began mingling, some drifting to the tables, others to the stage. Half of them could kill me, and the rest would put up a serious effort.
Avoid Benedict, get to Cristal, get her to confess, and go home. Don’t screw this up or we would never find Halle.
A stunningly attractive woman jumped to her feet and crossed the stage, heading straight for us. Petite, with a perfect figure, golden skin, and a wave of glossy black hair, she seemed almost elflike, otherworldly, as if she had stepped out of some fantasy painting. I caught sight of her face. It was perfect. Too perfect, with the same flawless coldness as Augustine.
I knew her. Natasha Popova, Illusion Prime from the Russian Empire. Alessandro’s fiancée number three.
“Do we have a problem?” Linus asked.
Alessandro put his fork down. “No.”
Natasha crashed to a halt at our table, her eyes blazing. “You! How dare you show your face?”
Alessandro smiled.
Natasha spun to me. “Are you with him? You shouldn’t be with him. He’s a liar. Everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie. He isn’t who he says he is. His family is—”
“Do I need to remind you why you ended our engagement?” Alessandro asked, his voice carefree. “Perhaps you would care for another demonstration, right here?”
Natasha froze for a furious second. Fear flickered in her eyes. She spun on her heel and walked away.
Alessandro’s expression turned dark. “See? No problem.”
And that wasn’t weird. Not at all.
I rose to my feet. Both Linus and Alessandro stood up.
“Where are you going?” Alessandro asked.
“Cristal is on her third glass of wine and they refilled her water. She’s going to have to visit the bathroom and I want to get there first.”
“I’ll escort you,” Alessandro said.
“Play nice,” Linus warned.
We strolled through the stage toward the back of the Grand Foyer, where a hallway led to the women’s restroom. We turned a corner, and suddenly the hum of the crowd and the lights receded. We walked side by side. The women’s bathroom was almost halfway down the hall, past a couple of doors presumably leading to other smaller rooms. We were completely alone.
I leaned against the wall by the bathroom. I would step inside as soon as we saw her coming.
We waited.
Minutes ticked by. My skin was on too tight.
Maybe I had miscalculated, and Cristal had a bigger bladder.
Another minute. Two . . .
She wasn’t coming. I started back to the Grand Foyer. At least I could see where she was.
“So, about this business of me lying,” he said.
You’ve got to be kidding me. “What about it?”
“Care to explain what you meant?”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now.” I felt like I was running on the edge of a sword as it was.
Alessandro fixed me with his stare. Magic flared around him, flashing with orange for a fraction of a moment. “I’m afraid I have to insist.”
I stopped and crossed my arms on my chest. “Or what?”
“You’re just going to throw it out there and walk away?” The stalking killer was back in all his glory. “A bit cowardly, don’t you think?”
“Fine, let’s talk about it. When Benedict’s goons chased me into that mall, I beguiled four of them. As they cheerfully murdered their friends for me, they told me this charming story about how they killed a lawyer in his own home. They put a gun in his mouth, pulled the trigger, and left him for his wife and daughters to find. They killed him with no remorse, collected their payment, and then went about their lives, fishing, saving for their kids’ college, and doing whatever else hired killers do in their off time.”
“And you think I’m just like them.”
“That’s precisely my point. You’re nothing like them. At first, I thought you might be, but it made no sense. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You’re a Prime from one of the oldest and most respected Houses. You have a noble title. You’re smart, funny, handsome, charming, and rich. If you see a fast car you want to drive, you buy it. If you find a woman you like, you seduce her. You could be anything. Every door is open to you. The world is your playground.”