Travis’s place was at the end of a very long and narrow cobblestone street lined with flowers that seemed too bright for nature and palm trees that stretched as tall as the eyes could see. It was like entering a tunnel but there was no light at the end of it.
The limo paused at the extremely large gates where the driver waved something at the man at the booth. The man came out and the rear window went down. He looked in the back, at me, and then nodded. He returned to the booth and the gates opened for us.
Travis’s house took my breath away. I didn’t want it to, but it did. It was so much more impressive than the one I had to sneak into as a child. It was beyond sprawling, with many wings and beautiful balconies, shinning white and gold under the lights. The dark clouds billowed above it. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the skies opened above it and Satan came fluttering down on black wings.
The limo climbed up the long, sweeping driveway and stopped in front of the door, where the carpeted steps led up into the hall made of granite and marble. It was like a Hollywood movie premiere and there were beautifully dressed people everywhere. The driver held the door open for me.
I smiled in thanks and got out, saying, “This is pretty big for a dinner party.”
“Oh this is only the cocktail pre-party. The dinner party is for very special guests. It comes later. You should feel privileged that Mr. Raines has invited you, Miss Willis.”
I studied the man, someone’s father or grandfather, who seemed to have no problem working for one the most vile men in the country. Maybe that’s what you had to do here to survive. Maybe these people were no different from me. Trying to turn a blind eye to what they knew was wrong, shielding their hearts, trying to live another day.
I walked up to the door, getting curious but pleasant glances from Veracruz’s elite. The men admired my breasts, the women envied my dress. A bodyguard, the man I recognized as the bouncer from The Zoo, had a list and was checking names.
“Your name?” he asked.
“Eleanor Willis,” I said. “I didn’t bring my passport.”
“That’s okay, I am just checking.”
I smiled at him. “Oh good. My friend Connor Malloy might be coming here later.”
“Is he on the list?”
I peered over at the list. “He should be.”
The man scanned it. “Doesn’t have his name here.”
“Well, I’ll speak to Travis about it. He’ll be an American, tall, black hair, tattoos, glasses. Like a hot muscly nerd.”
The man nodded absently not really caring. “Check with Travis please.”
Then he looked at the next person coming up the stairs. I moved past him, chewing on my lip. I had no idea if Camden would show up here, how he’d get away from Javier, how he’d even figure out where I was. But if it did happen, I hoped I would give him just a little bit of help, maybe a few seconds bought.
Suddenly a woman all in black appeared in front of me, waving a metal detector. “Miss, we need to check you.”
I nodded my thoughts racing to my necklace. My nipple ring beeped first, prompting another somewhat embarrassing explanation considering this woman was in her late fifties and seemed disgusted by the whole idea. Then the necklace beeped. The woman rang the detector over it again and then lifted it off my collar bone, feeling it underneath.
I held my breath, trying to seem normal, trying to act like everything wasn’t resting in her hands. It didn’t say poison on the capsule but I still had a feeling it would get bad for me. At the very least she’d confiscate it thinking it some sort of drug and then what did I have. My only hope was that drugs weren’t so taboo at a party in a drug lord’s house.
But the woman pressed the necklace back into my neck and smiled at it. “Precioso,” she said and let me go.
I got far enough away from her before I exhaled loudly, letting it all out. That was close. I was in and I was okay but I didn’t know for how much longer. I needed to hold it together.
Too late for that.
The crowd parted and Travis Raines appeared in front of me in a tuxedo, his bodyguards on all sides of him.
He smiled at me and raised his arms to showcase the house. “You came, Miss Eleanor Willis. What do you think of my house? Isn’t it the loveliest house you’ve ever seen?”
I pasted a smile on my lips and the next thing I said wasn’t a lie, “Yes, it’s the nicest house I’ve ever seen.”
“Good, good,” he said and clapped his hands together. “Since you are new here, let me show you around and introduce you to the guests.”