My Darkest Shadow

Chapter 38

Hanging off a ledge and looking down at the ground far beneath me had been one of the most terrifying moments of my life. Death loomed in that factory, taking Madeline and nearly getting its hold on me. Yet I'd had some understanding of the enemies I faced in that place. Their goals were transparent. 

The men in Kael's company were a different kind of villain. They glared and mumbled into their coms, watching over me and acting neither friendly nor malicious. Their intentions were murky. In a way, they scared me more than anything had in the last twenty-four hours. Everything about them exuded the confidence I had come to recognize in seasoned criminals, those who tormented for a living and didn't let another's pain alter their course.

If not for Kael, I felt certain they would have dragged me around by my hair with a gun shoved into the curve of my back. Kael wouldn't allow them near me, and fortunately for me, they obeyed him.

As we exited the car, he made a swatting motion with his hand when one of them moved toward me. Even the idea that he'd want to assist me was disconcerting. After all, there was nothing wrong with my legs. I tucked my injured hand deeper into my blouse and felt every eye boring into my back as we took the red carpet into the elite hotel in downtown London. Two men stood at the door in pristine uniforms. Their broad smiles made them stand apart from Kael's group of men who never wore the expression.

Maria would have loved the lavishness of the place. Cream marble from floor to ceiling, massive live floral arrangements, and crystal chandeliers were all standards she had set for accommodation abroad. Two of the men moved to the front desk while Kael and I headed toward the stairs.

We hit the bottom step and needles began to prick up my spine. The feeling of unease only increases as we climbed. Everywhere I looked black clad guards hurried to their post of duty. No tourists lounged in the lobby or checked in at the front desk.

"Where are all the other guests?" I tried to keep my voice low. A hotel filled with only Kael's thugs was disconcerting.

"You're here!" The woman's voice came from the other side of the split staircase.

Dressed in a black pant suit, the woman radiated professionalism and poise. Just seeing a seemingly normal person lessoned my angst.

She came to where we stood on the other side of the stairs. Half way up, we stopped to wait for her. I searched Kael's expression for annoyance at the interruption but failed to read him. It was a good sign that he hadn't ignored her. Perhaps she was a friend.

"You must be Caraleena Harper." She smiled at me but didn't offer a handshake.

Kael shifted beside me to rest one foot on a higher step. "Gwen, she's going to need clothes. Everything actually. You can manage sizing? Have that to her within the hour."

Gwen smiled as her bright green eyes moved over me. "Certainly. I've seen her now."

"Very good."

Gwen turned to go before I could mumble my thanks for whatever clean garments she produced. More guards had descended on us during the thirty seconds we stood on the stairs. Again, one of them moved to help me and Kael waved him off.

"Fareau is here to see you, sir," the man said. "He's been waiting half an hour."

Kael yanked at his collar. A couple buttons popped toward the top. "Let's go then."

Silently I followed, wondering whether my nausea was due to exhaustion, hunger, or rising trepidation. Cold looks from the men around us were constant. Kael seemed oblivious and preoccupied with the meeting ahead of us.

Upstairs, the hall was as quiet as the lobby. No guests wandered the halls or watched television behind the closed doors. The air conditioning blasted from vents in the walls and left my skin like ice. We walked past rows of rooms, down the hall, and to the room at the far end.