Chapter 2 #3
“That clip is only hours old,” Victor replied, “and she was filmed from behind. It’s unlikely it informed their approach.
And the billboards are recent, too. While they’re provocative and Ireland is a beautiful woman, deciding to kidnap her based on that alone and then choosing to do so at a highly publicized, high-security event would be incompetent. These men are skilled.”
“What video?” Boudreaux demanded again.
Eva looked at him. “The one of Ireland kicking your ass.”
He stared blankly back at her, clearly unaware of his fifteen minutes of fame.
The commissioner rejoined them, no longer carrying the tablet. “Has your sister received any threats recently, Gideon? Do you know of anyone who might hold a grudge against her?”
“She had words with a man last Friday,” Boudreaux interjected. “His name was Graham. I didn’t catch the surname. He had a woman with him named Gail.”
Gideon glanced at him, startled. “She met with Graham Teller?”
Chris pivoted to face him. “She told you that?”
“I saw it.” Boudreaux’s face was impassive, but his eyes were hot with enmity as he looked at Chris. “He and I were in the same place when she confronted him and had him removed. It’s how we met.”
“You were with Graham Teller?” Chris snapped.
“That’s not what I said,” Boudreaux retorted.
“Removed?” Gideon asked sharply. “From one of my properties?”
Boudreaux simply inclined his head.
“And you are?” the mayor asked him.
“Involved with Ireland,” he prevaricated.
Chris made a low, aggressive sound in the back of his throat. “Don’t forget to mention that you are also a threat to her, McCaffrey. Boudreaux. Whatever your fucking name is today.”
Gideon was briefly shocked by Chris’s belligerence, then reflective.
“They’re both my name.” Boudreaux’s faint accent had deepened considerably as he continued speaking. “And I’m a threat to you, Vidal. Ireland has been insulated from becoming collateral damage in any way.”
“No one can believe you,” Chris shot back. “Everything about you is suspect.”
“She believes me. And she’s the only one who matters.”
“We’ll need to get a statement from you,” the commissioner said.
Boudreaux gave her a long look. “Why don’t you get the statement from Ireland? You have what you need to recover her. That she’s not yet safe is becoming more questionable by the second.”
“Yes!” Elizabeth cried out, spinning away from Daniel. “Where is my daughter?! Why haven’t we found her yet?”
“They’ve pulled into a parking garage,” Victor said, head cocked slightly as he listened through his earpiece. “The team is searching the levels for the SUV. Angus and Rizwan are blocking the exits.”
“Do not engage!” the commissioner barked again. “Units are closing in now.”
Elizabeth clutched her throat and leaned heavily into Daniel. “Oh, thank god!”
“What about you, Gideon?” the mayor asked. “Have you or Eva received any credible threats? Made any business moves or decisions that might anger someone to this extent? Has anyone else in this room had reason to be concerned about their safety?”
Gideon nodded grimly. “Yes, Eva and I have recently had some issues.”
“Gideon.” Chris looked at him, alarmed. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Recent as in a few days, Chris.” Eva came forward and took Gideon’s hand in hers. “We’ve scarcely had time to fully grasp the situation.”
“Why didn’t you cancel the masquerade?” Christopher snapped, joining them in what was becoming a circle. “If you’re in danger, gathering a bunch of people around you is completely irresponsible!”
“That’s not fair, Christopher,” Natalie admonished, joining her husband and linking her arm with his. “You were saying earlier that security was over the top, and the press line was too limited. Clearly, Gideon and Eva were focused on safety. This was probably the safest place Ireland could be.”
“Had she stayed at the event, yes,” Gideon agreed. “We had no idea she’d be leaving early.”
“And that’s something to keep in mind.” Victor took a position beside Eva. “Your sister wasn’t expected to leave when she did, and security was concentrated around the convention area where the ballroom is located, not the front entrance.”
Chris raked a hand through his grizzled auburn curls.
“You were saying before that it seemed like they were prepared for Ireland to defend herself, something she’s well-trained to do, and I would guess most women aren’t—at least not to the same degree.
Is it possible they were waiting for any attractive woman, and my daughter was in the wrong place at the wrong time? ”
Victor’s lips pursed before he replied. “We won’t know for certain until we question the abductors, but waiting for Ireland in the front driveway makes zero sense.
There was no expectation that she would be there at any point, let alone at that time.
While the valets sometimes leave unoccupied vehicles in the drive momentarily if they’re backlogged parking cars, no occupied vehicles are allowed to remain idling for longer than it takes to load luggage onto a bell cart. ”
Eva glanced at him. “You’re saying that SUV couldn’t have been there long. Minutes at most.”
Her father nodded. “We’ll check and see if they were circling for any length of time, but yes, they couldn’t just sit out there indefinitely waiting for a pretty girl to snatch. And there are countless other places in the city that are much less risky hunting grounds.”
Christoper scowled. “In one breath, you’re saying they anticipated Ireland’s specific skills, and in the next, you’re saying they couldn’t plan on her being where she was snatched.”
“Ronan knew she would be there at that time,” Alina exclaimed, turning away from the window to face everyone. “He told her to meet him at the airport at midnight, which meant she’d have to leave fairly quickly to get there in time.”
Gideon’s gaze briefly met Chris’s. They shared an instant understanding. Everyone turned toward where Boudreaux stood…
…and realized he was no longer in the room.
Ronan walked briskly down the hall, pushed open the door marked “Staff Only,” and returned to the service elevator they’d ridden up in.
He rocked on his heels and whistled as he pushed the call button, striving to look both unhurried and unsuspicious.
There were cameras everywhere, and security was already alerted to both his presence and their boss’s hostility toward him.
The doors opened quickly. He stepped inside, read the various buttons, and hit the one that would take him to the laundry.
Then he hit every button for every floor after it.
His foot tapped impatiently as the car moved between floors.
He had seconds—moments at most—before Cross and Vidal realized he’d stepped out shortly after the police commissioner rejoined them.
When the elevator reached the laundry and the doors opened again, he was hit by humidity not too dissimilar to what he was familiar with back home.
But unlike the earthiness of the heated, moist air of Louisiana in summer, the laundry smelled heavily of bleach and starch.
Large rolling bins filled with white linens were everywhere, while huge washers and dryers churned and spun industriously.
Overhead, large canvas bags of linens rolled along on hooks hanging from conveyor tracks.
Ronan walked quickly through the massive space, pulling off his dinner jacket and tossing it into one of the bins.
He used his bowtie to restrain his hair and tucked the tail into the collar of his shirt.
When he turned a corner and saw racks of guest laundry in plastic sleeves, he took a moment to find a suit jacket near enough to his size and removed it from its hanger, sliding his arms into it as he continued searching for another elevator.
“Excuse me,” a female voice called out, turning his attention to a row of housekeepers in gray uniforms who were folding towels. “This area is closed to guests.”
He made his accent as thick as molasses. “I swear I’m as lost as can be!” he exclaimed, with a frustrated toss of his hands. “And I’m only two whiskeys into my evening, so I can’t even blame my lack of direction on booze. Are there any ice makers in this hotel?”
She shot him an arch look. “There’s ice in your minifridge, or you can call room service. They took the machines out during COVID.”
“Well, hell. I’ve been wandering around for nothin’, damn it.
And I’m not sure the elevators are working.
I waited so long between cars, and the same one came up full every time, so I took the stairs and ended up all turned around.
I’d sure appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction.
My wife’s probably given up hope of me coming back and left our room for the lobby bar instead. ”
He finished with a sheepish smile and felt a surge of triumph when the woman’s mouth curved in response.
“You’re lucky security’s too busy to hunt you down yet.
” She dropped the towel in her hand and rounded the table.
She was somewhere in her mid-fifties. Small and trim, with her dark hair contained in a net and big gold hoops dangling from her ears.
“There are cameras everywhere. I’ll show you to the guest elevator before you spend the night explaining yourself. ”
“I appreciate you,”—he read her badge—“Jennifer. Truly.”
“Where are you from?” she asked, as she led him through a gauntlet of tables piled with freshly cleaned linens awaiting folding. The area was busier, with several staff members actively loading, unloading, and wheeling laundry about.
“Mississippi,” he lied. “Biloxi, to be precise. Ever been?”
“Can’t say I have, no.”
“You should give a gander sometime. Right on the Gulf. Great seafood. Gambling if you’re inclined. And a lively nightlife, although nothin’ like what you’ve got around here. Seems like there’s somethin’ big going on in the hotel every night, but especially tonight.”