“In the morning, we’re meeting Feng and John Rudder for brunch.”

“Rudder must want your answer before the San Francisco meeting.”

“He does. But we need specifics for the negotiations.”

Alone in my room, I stepped into my walk-in closet and texted Denton with the two updates.

He responded. I learned this morning Aria had been nabbed. How did M find her?

Dad called her, and she traced it. Eli is transporting her to the penthouse. Dad must be out of his mind.

Sure of it. What does M want you to do?

No idea. If I fail, I’m dead. I won’t let M hurt her.

I know. It’s the price you’re willing to pay that scares me.

What would you do?

The same.

I dressed to please Marissa, weary of the power game, and now Aria had been brought into this horrible evil. My niece’s innocence, a necessity for positive emotional growth, must be protected no matter the cost. Marissa’s testing plagued me. I’d set up Lance, unwillingly, but my role in his murder made me an accomplice. No more deaths. Not while I breathed . . . but how could I protect Aria? When had Marissa encountered such a callous approach to life? Even an animal fought for its young.

Lee and Jess drove us to our “errand,” which I interpreted as business, and whatever that entailed. We stopped at a Miami-based dinner club known for its South American cuisine and parked in the back near the rear door marked Deliveries. According to the marquee, the restaurant opened in three hours. A Lexus pulled in on the right, and a man and woman exited. She looked to be in her late forties, the man much younger. A bodyguard?

“Lee, keep the car running,” Marissa said. “Jess, you’re with us. Be alert. Shelby, watch and listen.”

The moment we stepped from the car, the woman unlocked the delivery door and gestured for us to enter. We followed her to a plush office furnished in rich mahogany and vibrant red and turquoise. Two leather chairs were positioned in front of a desk.

“Please, sit.” The woman gestured, but she trembled. “Lynn, who is your guest?”

Marissa nodded for me to take the chair on her left, and we obliged. Jess and the other man took positions near their charges. The situation seemed surreal, as though I were a part of a movie cast.

“This is my associate, Ellie Whyte,” Marissa said. “I’m training her to take over some of my accounts.”

“Mine?” The woman tensed.

Marissa smiled. “Of course not. We’ve been friends for too long.”

The woman relaxed. “You and I have made a good living.”

“I look forward to the restaurant’s expansion. I’ve studied the plans and financial picture.” Marissa crossed her legs. “I approve the project going forward, with one stipulation.” She paused like she’d done with me, intimidation tactics. “You’re behind in payments, and the situation isn’t improving.”

The woman’s jaw tightened. “After the economics of late, I needed to recoup my losses.”