The Mexican either did not notice Harleys sarcasm or did not care to acknowledge it. He gave a modest shrug. I would call him, but you see, he is in a meeting. Very important people. Like signs in hotels.

Do not disturb, Callaway answered, unraveling the riddle.

Yes! The dark-haired man snapped his fingers, smiling. Do not disturb. But if you have a message…

Hes stalling, Harley thought. But what was he stalling for? What was he hiding?

Had Harley been in the drivers seat, she would have thanked the man for his time and driven through the gate without waiting for permission. But since Callaway was driving, she could only try to communicate her sense of urgency with her eyes.

Callaway, however, looked past Harley at their new friend, ignoring her. Sir, he said, your boss isnt under any suspicion at this time, but you do have to consider the optics.

The man frowned doubtfully. Optics?

How it looks, Callaway explained. If he wont let us inside… He shrugged. It suggests he has something to hide. Simple as that.

The mans face remained as still as stone. Several moments passed. Then he said, As I said before, my boss is in a meeting

Before he could finish, a black Mercedes with tinted windows rolled through behind him, leaving the compound. Harley opened her door, wanting to stop the vehicle, but Callaway grabbed her arm.

No search warrant, he hissed.

We need to know whos in there! Harley whispered back.

Its out of our hands.

Harley watched the Mercedes crest the hill behind them, then disappear, leaving nothing but a haze of dust in the air. The Mexican shaded his face and smiled at them, unperturbed.

A knot of anger hardened in Harleys chest. She was tired of waiting.

Callaway, she said in a low voice, if you dont put this vehicle in drive in the next three seconds

Before she could finish this threat, she heard a garbled, electronic sound. The dark-haired man pulled a radio from the back of his belt and held it to his ear, nodding as he stared after the departed car. Then he stepped away from the truck.

The bosss meeting is over, he said. You see him now.

Here goes nothing, Callaway muttered as they drove into the compound.

Harleys mind, however, was on the departed vehicle. Who, she wondered, had been in that Mercedes? What secrets was this billionaire hiding?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

As Harley stepped out of the truck and took in the billionaires villa, she felt as if she had entered a foreign country.

Displays of opulence greeted her on every side: the row of luxury vehicles parked at the edge of the wide, cobblestoned courtyard; the regal palm trees staggered around the courtyard, lending a bit of respite from the harsh sunlight; the massive, columned villas whose wings stretched out left and right, embracing a pool half the size of a football field.