*Riding South spoilers below*
Trapped inside Tenney House and at the mercy of his father, Camilla and South are forced to face their greatest fears in order to bring down the Gentleman's Network--an organization that trades in secrets.
But in order...
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The footsteps continued, then stopped again. Keys rattled. Then a low, wet cough.
I eased my phone out of my purse, thinking I should call someone but not knowing who. According to our plan, South was still inside a storage closet, and taking a phone call wasn't an option.
His friends were all doing their part to distract our guests and provide cover.
I had to handle this myself. I had to be the lion South believed I could be.
The next sound that echoed inside the bathroom was a creaky door and the rustling of a plastic bag.
The lights flicked back on, and I collected my courage, tiptoeing forward and peering around the tiled wall.
It was the evening janitor. Lucinda. I nearly laughed at myself, taking in Lucinda's familiar face as she rounded the corner, pushing a cleaning cart. I eased myself back towards the sink—feeling utterly foolish—collecting my shoes and toeing them on.
I gave her a quick, "Good evening," before walking quickly towards the door. She didn't reply, only fumbled in her cart, looking for something. I knew she was hard of hearing, so I kept moving.
There were two minutes until I needed to meet South outside McGilvary's office. In fifteen minutes, South and I would be back downstairs waiting for NCIS to arrive with backup.
Then, at last, this whole charade would be over.
I slipped my phone back into my purse and finished walking the few quick steps towards the door.
"Just a moment, Ms. Isley," called Lucinda's soft voice from behind me. I turned, pausing and forcing a smile as she shuffled over. "I've got something here for you."
I startled, confused. "You do?"
"Yes, ma'am. This nice gentlemen asked me to give it to you. Fine looking fella, too." She let out a chuckle then offered me the manila envelope she had tucked under her arm.
Suspicion prickled as I took the envelope and studied it. It had been sealed shut with clear packaging tape, and on the front was written: To Millie.
"Thank you, Lucinda," I said as sweetly as I could. Unable to look away from the neat, slanted handwriting on the front. "Who asked you to give this to me?"
Lucinda shrugged. "I wouldn't know him from Adam. Never seen him around the club before." She let out another wet cough. "But, he told me to tell you, 'What once was lost, now is found.'"
