a

pened witho

that looked less like a home and more like a decision someone had made with a lawyer present. Stone colu

gate tracked her.

. V

ressed in black without a single wrinkle. Blond, sharp-jawed, qui

said. "Head

her H

rela

d and walked toward the house as she would follow, and

ut looking back. "Your key card opens your roo

nothin

ng you do

in gray took Nia's duffel without asking and disappe

They won't answer questions unless you'r

t of things

nd something almost cro

hed, the light came from somewhere she couldn't locate. Every room she passed looke

's Mr.

rki

he

ever

ou're not going to tell

completely unreadable. "I'm going to tell you

e to an arrang

"You agreed w

it had been designed to make people feel

't touch the art. Don't wander after ten. If you nee

fam

the f

-bed, sitting area, windows that looked out over grounds she couldn't affor

laced," Hayes said. "The

ask for ne

ody

always talk in riddles, or

looked almost human. "It's not a riddle, Ms. Vale. It's

fore she c

in the room before the

ped like geometry and a bench that looked older than the hou

mansion? Tell me you're at th

e's a security guy who talks like a warn

ple. They train

, this is bigger than a job. There's a west wing I can't enter a

quiet. "Did

t y

hat way until I

o sign by

ll read

ia looked up and her breath cau

air cut close, jaw set, eyes that took her in with one sweep and gave nothing back. He was older than her

the garde

ld it was

ew feet away, hands in

kno

t have come o

the garden

e moved past her, toward the hedges, the

ile he towered over her felt

sig

t y

was stating a fact about the weather. "You hav

answer

ne

am I t

er. Not a twitch. He looked at her the way H

said quietly, "you're not

Careful. As he'd already calculated what the truth

ot fair,"

. You'll find it

back toward the house, and the silen

she s

in a tuxedo. A woman beside him-blonde, polished, smiling like she owned the fram

r. The woman's sm

. V

od at the garden's

k," he said

ow. The photo was still the

she?" Ni

low her gaze. He

," he r

way, she felt the photograph behind her like a doo