was still close and ready. When she reached the next level, the Whisper Floor, her gaze swept to the left, then the right. No one there. She edged closer to be sure. Her body was tight with tension. She began a slow search of the floor. There were plenty of places to hide on that level, especially if a person ducked back beneath the heavy architecture and the arches that jutted so far out—
Movement.
Slight. Furtive.
Lacey surged forward.
And almost slammed into Elizabeth Radcliff. The other woman’s eyes widened with surprise. “Lacey!” She sounded thrilled. Elizabeth pulled Lacey in for a tight hug. “After last night, I was hoping to see you!”
Lacey discreetly hid the knife she’d palmed.
“That scene in the ballroom was absolutely terrifying.” A shudder worked over Elizabeth’s body. “The lights went out and the gunshot boomed like fireworks.” She released Lacey but stared at her with wide eyes. “Last night, Jonathan and I just wanted to escape the ballroom as quickly as we could.”
“I think a lot of people wanted to escape.” Wasn’t that a normal response to danger? To flee?
“This morning, though, when I started thinking about the horrible scene again, I realized everything might not have been as it seemed. You’re involved.” Elizabeth bit her lower lip. “What I meant is…you…you’re here undercover, aren’t you?” Her gaze darted to Lacey’s hand. And the ring there. A tinge of sadness entered her voice as she said, “You’re not really engaged.”
Keep up the cover. “My engagement is quite real, but, yes, I’m afraid I am involved.” Truth and lies. Crap. She was becoming just like Dex and not in a good way. “I think the shot was aimed at me or at my fiancé.”
Elizabeth sucked in a breath as she studied Lacey’s expression. “OhmyGod. Do you have a suspect?”
“Someone is in custody, but the investigation is ongoing.” That was all she felt comfortable sharing. “What are you doing up here, Liz?”
“Jonathan asked me to meet him here. Said he had a surprise for me.” Her left hand waved vaguely around the alcove. “The staff kept assuring us everything was safe, but I’ve been nervous up here by myself. I keep looking down for Jonathan, but I can’t find him anywhere.” A despondent sigh. “He should have been here fifteen minutes ago. Wherever could he be?”
Lacey frowned, wondering the same thing and then—
A fire alarm started shrieking.
***
They’d left her alone. Heather Madding twisted her hands in the cuffs and tried to figure out what the hell she should do next. The guard who’d been inside the room with her had been called away moments before. No doubt, he’d be back soon. Or maybe Dex would be striding into the room. Making more of his threats.
Except she knew Dex didn’t just threaten. He promised. And if he said he’d toss her into some godforsaken government prison and the rest of the world would forget about her…
I can’t let that happen.
She might have to make a deal. As the minutes had ticked by and she’d considered her options, Heather had realized that there wasn’t going to be an easy way out of here. She’d been told that her boss would have her back. After all, he’d supplied help when she’d needed it with moving Roman the night before.
Damn Dex! Leaving her alone this way was one of his manipulative tricks. He wanted her to think and worry and spin in her own mind.
The door opened. She tensed. “Look, I want to—”
Keys were thrown on the table. “Get the cuffs off. Put on this coat.” He lifted the puffy, black coat in his hand.
She frowned at that coat. It was familiar to her. She was certain that…wait, Lacey Amari had been wearing that coat when Heather had shot at her. Fumbling, she unlocked the cuffs and then grabbed for the coat. Sure enough, there was a freaking bullet hole in the front of the thing. “I don’t get it.”
“You wear her coat. You pull this hat down over your head as much as you can. Your hair is similar to hers, and you’ve got a similar build. Just keep your head down and you follow my orders.”
There was a scarf inside the coat.
“Pull that up over the lower part of your face. If we’re lucky, no one will even notice you, and if someone does…”
She was already sliding on the coat. “They’ll think I’m Lacey.”
A nod. He turned back to the door. Peeked outside.
“Where are all the agents?” she asked.
“Distracted. Don’t worry. They’re