“Yeah,” David piped up with a snort, “Father saw and banned you from the courts. He said he’d never seen anyone who lacked coordination as badly as you.” He snickered.
Ouch. Maybe she had been a gangly teenager, but she’d wager she was coordinated enough now... Stop. Just stop. You’re getting distracted.
Instead Dani looked at Katie, who pressed her lips together and then nodded.
“David, why don’t you and Katie show me how it’s done then? The sun’s shining, and from what I saw the court’s in good shape. Why don’t you two go off and play a game? I’ll go and change and watch from an upstairs window. It’ll give me a better view. Then I’ll come down and play.”
David straightened up and grinned at Katie.
Katie looked ill, but nodded anyway.
Of course, she’s terrified. That’s normal.
Right?
Except, Dani’s gut seemed to be trying to tell her something else. She just couldn’t figure out what it was.
DANI WATCHED THE GAME from her window. David and Katie used to be very evenly matched, but Katie had kept up with the game while David hadn’t. Through the open window she could hear them talking, David growing more and more sullen as the game went on. Dani sent a prayer that he wouldn’t run off in a snit when he started losing. C’mon, David, don’t wimp out on me now...
She bounced in place, amping up her adrenaline, getting ready to move.
She wouldn’t have long. Bless Katie for catching on. Dani just hoped she was good enough to pull it off, and Luke wouldn’t be in the shower.
She backed up to the door of her room, keeping an eye on the tennis match unfolding before her. David missed the point, so Katie had the serve. David seemed to be refusing to let her serve, his body language clearly demanding a “do-over”.
Damn it, not now! She wished that she could have warned him, gotten him in on it, but he hadn’t been picking up on the chess conversation. And after the events of the other night, she didn’t dare say anything in the open.
They played another set. Although Katie tried to make it look good, to keep David’s attention, he was outmatched. Reluctantly, and with more than a little pique, he tossed the ball to her.
Katie raised her racket and looked to the house, to Dani’s window. She raised her hand and hoped Katie would see the signal. Then, stretching as far as she could, Dani gripped the doorknob which she’d already unlocked as silently as possible, all while leaning toward the window, trying to see what was going on outside. Katie tossed the ball into the air and brought the racket overhand, hard, smashing the ball as hard as she could.
It flew well over David’s head, and he didn’t even try to stop it. The ball sailed out of the court just as Dani flung open the door. The guard’s head hit the wall as the window downstairs shattered under the impact of the ball, and Dani went racing down the hallway.
The guard on Luke’s door had fallen for the alarm and had already left his post. Dani burst through the door into the sitting room after fumbling for only a minute with the hairpins which had served her so well on her own door. Luke was coming out of the bedroom, looking confused, trying to see what the alarm was all about this time.
“RUN!” Dani shouted, and grabbed his wrist. Thankfully, Luke was quick on the uptake and took off after her. He followed her down the main stairs, jumping down them three, four at a time in a breakneck speed that would have severe consequences if he were to miss one.
At the bottom floor, he turned and ran to the left, to the front door.
“NO!” she cried, and took off after him. “Wrong way—that’s where they’re all gathered!”
Luke wasn’t listening; he spun across the tiles and ran to the office door, barely getting it open before diving through it. He leapt, throwing himself to the floor and the accent rug that lay beneath a small table holding a vase. He peeled up the rug and grabbed the USB stick and jumped to his feet.
“It’s been here the whole time?” Dani gasped, wondering why she hadn’t thought of that before. How many times had David been over this room and missed it?
“I’ll explain later!” he said, and peeled out of the room again. She barely got ahead of him as the alarm shut off. They only had minutes at best.
She motioned for him to follow and ran into the kitchen, skidding on the tile and vaulting over the island. He followed, if a little less gracefully. She made it to a small door in the back of the kitchen, the place were deliveries and vendors came unobtrusively so as not to disturb the residence.
She pulled the door open just as he hit the doorframe hard, and rebounded, rubbing his shoulder.
“Go right, stay down, take the left into the alley. Once you’re in there, they can’t see you from the house.”
“Come with me,” he said, breathing hard, looking to the kitchen and the house beyond. There were voices, people talking angrily. Somewhere a door opened and closed.
She wanted to leave. Damn, but she wanted to leave. But what about David... Katie... what would happen to them if she just up and disappeared? “I can’t.” She shook her head. “David, Katie...”
“Katie?” He stopped. “She knows I’m a cop!”
“I know! How...”
“I told her.”
It made sense. They hadn’t been able to talk about it last night. Dani had been too afraid the room was bugged. She shook her head. So far Katie hadn’t said anything. So far as she knew. This wasn’t the time or place to debate the matter. “Look, you need to get out quick! Just go. Bring help. I can’t go, not now.”
Luke looked at her, at the kitchen. They could hear voices. People were returning to their posts. Any minute now there would be a cook, an assistant coming through the door. It was only a matter of time.
“GO!” she hissed at him.
He grabbed her, kissed her hard. Her heart stopped, and for a moment she melted against him. This... this was why she was risking everything. For him. Only for him.
Then he turned and bolted out the door. Keeping low, close to the shrubs. In a minute he’d be away. Safe. She’d done her job.
Now to keep from getting caught.
Dani closed the door as quietly as she could and ducked back up the servant’s stairs, just missing coming face to face with the cook, who was talking loudly to one of the other servants about spoiled children who make work for other people.
Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, she took the stairs two at a time. They led to the side of the house her room was on. She could slip back before she was noticed. In theory.
She raced up the stairs as quietly as she could and paused on the second-floor landing. Two men were walking down the hallway and she had to wait for them to pass.
“...wouldn’t mind that duty...” one of them said.
“That’s probably why you don’t have it,” the other one said. “Messing with the boss’ niece isn’t a great idea for continued health. Or life.”