Page 117 of Eternal Surrender

“We’re leaving.” I picked up the manila folder and pulled her away along the pathway.

With a flick of her wrist she unlocked the doors to the Rover and climbed in.

I quickly joined her. “Start the engine.”

“You’re probably right.” She adjusted the rearview mirror. “I should have given this more thought.”

I threw the folder onto the back seat.

“Just give me a minute to explain, okay?” she said. “The museum’s surveillance cameras were disarmed, but the ones from a building across the street were working just fine. The thief’s number plate is registered to this address.”

I gestured for her to hurry up and start the engine.

Ingrid placed the key in the ignition but didn’t turn it. “Chief Inspector Vanderbilt was conducting a subversive investigation on my case. Inside that file—” She pointed to the back seat. “—I found his invitation to attend a meeting here.”

“Vanderbilt was being summoned,” I realized.

“Looks like my boss is a member of a secret society.” She raised her chin high.

“And Vanderbilt’s the one who put you on this new case?”

“He convinced me that the Salisbury case might be connected to the one at the museum.”

“Is he using you or trying to distract you?” I asked, glancing back up at the building nervously.

“Are we talking about Vanderbilt or you?”

Waving off her comment I said, “But you came to London despite your doubt?”

“I wanted to be near Belshazzar’s.”

I paused, giving her the silence that she deserved.

Ingrid’s door flew open, and she leaped out onto the pavement and slammed the door shut. A loud click signaled she’d locked me in with her remote.

I fiddled with the lock and flung my side door open and flew after her.

When I reached the empty arched entryway, the front door was ajar.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Getting past the security guard at Sovereign’s reception desk was relatively easy.

Though stopping my hands from shaking took a little more effort.

The tranced-out officer pointed at an elevator on the other side of the foyer when asked which direction my female friend had gone. I left him staring out at nothing after our short discussion, where I’d convinced him he hadn’t seen me and that handing over the elevator key was a good idea.

It wasn’t only the premier real estate of the building but also the remarkable luxury of the interior that reflected its vast wealth. Euclidean geometry was incorporated into both the marble flooring and wall designs, with a well-orchestrated arrangement of the circle, rectangle, octagon, square and hexagon all tied together in a richly designed three-dimensional effect. An enormous silk Persian rug in the center offered up the only color.

The credit-sized card slid down the security panel and the lift doors glided apart.

Hesitating briefly, I questioned the sanity of stepping in.

If what Rachel had told us held any truth then these recent poisonings in London were connected to this band of ruthless men, and as I stepped into the lift with my hands balled into fists, I readied myself to confront them.

Despite the smooth descent, the lift felt endlessly suffocating. The last time I’d felt this panicked was when Jacob had locked me in that coffin back at the Mount.

Had I really been such a threat?