Long Hair didn’t say anything as he scanned the matrix bar code on the back of the card with an iPad. Harley couldn’t see what it displayed, but Long Hair scrolled down and back up, studying whatever it was as a burly guard ran a handheld metal detector over the older man.
“I do now, Mr. Caron.” Long Hair gave him a cool smile. “As well as everything else I’d ever want to know about you. Have a nice evening.”
Caron looked like he was tempted to say something, but then appeared to think better of it and stepped past Long Hair. Harley applauded his common sense.
She tried to stay relaxed as she and Misty moved forward through the line. Jestina’s makeup was top notch. There was nothing to worry about. That didn’t keep her heart from thudding extra fast when she finally stood in front of Long Hair. The scar on her chest from where the bastard had stabbed her started to tingle.
When Long Hair scanned her invitation, she peeked over the edge of the iPad to see what was on the screen. Crap—not only did it show Abella’s photo, but where she was from, what schools she’d attended, even her blood type. It was the picture that worried Harley the most. At the bottom of the mountain, they’d simply crossed her assumed name off a list, but this was an entirely different situation. What if her makeup wasn’t good enough and this a-hole realized she wasn’t who she was supposed to be? They’d kill her and Misty for sure.
Long Hair looked up from his iPad to study her closely while the guard ran the metal detector over her entire body. Harley tried to project an air of calm, entitled confidence as Long Hair scrolled through the info on the screen. Thank goodness she and her teammates hadn’t attempted to bring weapons up here. That would have gotten them in trouble regardless of how good their makeup was.
“Ms. Herrera,” he said slowly, drawing out each syllable much more than necessary before glancing at Misty. “And your plus one.”
His gaze snapped back to Harley, his expression verging on suspicious. The scar on her chest burned even more, and she tensed, knowing things were about to go to hell in a handbag in another minute. She tensed, ready to take the guy down before he could say a word—or disappear.
“Have a nice evening,” he said suddenly, offering her the card, then holding on to it longer than necessary before letting go, his eyes still locked with hers.
She resisted the urge to shudder.
Creepy much?
“Seamus,” a woman’s voice said from Harley’s right. “Stop torturing the potential buyers. Boc wants them inside so we can start the auction as soon as possible.”
Harley turned to see a pretty woman in her late twenties or early thirties, with long, silky, dark hair, walking toward them with a smile, a man at her side who looked so much like her that he had to be her brother.
“Oh, come on, Brielle,” Seamus said with a laugh, motioning Harley and Misty through. “Can’t a man have any fun?”
“When it holds up the boss’s profits, then no. Nothing gets in the way of business. You should know that better than anyone.”
Several other men arrived with iPads in hand, presumably to help Seamus check in the other guests. Harley quickly hurried past, Misty at her side. As they did, Harley glanced over her shoulder at the tall, slender woman. So, that was the woman who knew how to find supernaturals. Harley sniffed the air, trying to see if Brielle smelled supernatural. If she was, she didn’t have a distinct scent Harley could pick up. Maybe Brielle was human. Either that or Harley’s nose had decided to stop working again. It seemed the only thing she could consistently smell was Sawyer. Which, while very pleasant, wasn’t so helpful right now.
Harley and Misty followed a red carpet toward the main building, bright lights illuminating the stacked-stone construction, terracotta roof tiles, and stone archways over the windows and door. But as breathtaking as the Holy Trinity Monastery was, it was the well-armed men positioned around the area that captured her attention. Most were facing outward, alert for exterior threats, but it was hard to miss the ones focused on the people arriving on the tram. If things suddenly went to crap, the men would probably fire at anything that moved, including the potential buyers.
“We need to get our hands on one of those iPads if we can,” Misty whispered. “With all that information on there, it’s almost a certainty they’re connected to a central server of some kind. If I can get in there, I could get everything we need on these people.”
Harley nodded. She’d watched Misty merge with a computer before and while it was amazing to see, it was also more than a little disconcerting.
“Misty and I made it through another checkpoint up top,” Harley said softly into her radio, then quickly explained about Seamus and Brielle before telling them about Misty’s idea.
“Sounds like a plan,” Jake replied. “But be careful. And stay away from Brielle. We have no reason to think she knows you’re both supernaturals, but let’s not give her a reason to suspect you.”
“We’ll be searching for where the captives and the monks are being held,” Sawyer added. “I’ll also find a place to stash your weapons.”
Harley didn’t respond to his comment about the weapons, mostly because she was too focused on how good it felt to hear his voice. A weight she hadn’t known was there lifted off her chest, making breathing a bit easier now.
The large room she and Misty stepped into was the quintessential image of what Harley expected a medieval monastery to look like, right down to the beautiful wall murals, soaring ceilings, and rough flagstone floors. She supposed it was the main chapel, though it was difficult to tell for sure since there wasn’t any sign of all the usual religious items that’d almost certainly been there before Boc took over. All that remained now was a large rectangular space with a raised dais at one end along with several dozen tallboy cocktail tables draped in black fabric here and there. Longer banquet tables on either side of the room held a buffet of assorted food and beverages that smelled delicious. And expensive.
The murmur of conversation grew louder in the room as more people began to fill the space. Harley glanced around to see Forrest and Erin casually chatting with Mr. Caron and several other well-dressed excuses for human beings. Everyone knew what was about to happen in here in a few minutes and no one seemed to care. They merely drank their expensive champagne and ate their dainty hors d’oeuvres.
“I’m going to see if I can find one of those iPads,” Misty whispered, drifting away to disappear down a side corridor.
Harley pasted a smile on her face as two middle-aged women dripping in jewelry came over to chat. Her Spanish accent wasn’t the best, so she had to be careful not to slip up. It was hard making nice with a group of people who got enjoyment from purchasing a supernatural creature. She couldn’t help wondering what they’d say if they knew she was a werewolf. Would they scream and run away or demand to be allowed to bid on her?