Conner ran his hand, palm out along the wall, his expression still unchanged. If Imelda didn’t know that the conversations in the room were taped, and he was certain she didn’t know, he hadn’t smelled a lie, then that meant her rogues hadn’t told her. Why not? Why hadn’t her leopards warned her? They had to have heard the click as the recorders came on at the sound of voices. There was a faint hum as the conversation was recorded. What were the leopards up to? And why weren’t they protecting her now? They had to have known the recorder would be discovered.

Isabeau. His stomach knotted. Were they after Isabeau? She hadn’t pressed the little panic button built into her watch yet. He snapped a quick commanding look at Elijah, uncaring in that moment if the others caught it.

Elijah waited a heartbeat. Two. He turned and looked toward the door rather casually and then down to his watch. “My cousin has been gone a long while.”

“Your cousin?” Imelda echoed as if she’d forgotten Isabeau.

Conner realized she probably had. She didn’t notice anything or anyone unless it pertained directly to her. Her world was very narrow and self-involved.

“I want her found now,” Elijah snapped at Felipe.

Felipe turned abruptly on his heel and left.

Imelda sighed. “This is insane. The girl is in no danger and there is no one recording our conversations. She’s with my grandfather. He’ll see that no harm comes to her.”

Conner smashed his fist through the paneling, not bothering to find the hidden switch to reveal the audio equipment. It was much more satisfying and dramatic to rip through the flawless wall.

Imelda gasped and spun around to glare accusingly at Philip. “You treacherous worm,” she snapped. “Just who were you planning on giving the tapes to? The police?”

“I imagine you have the police firmly in your pocket,” Marcos said and sank into a chair, pulling a cigar from his pocket. “Do you mind, Imelda?”

She drew in a deep breath and forced herself back under control. “No, of course not, Marcos. Be my guest.” She said it deliberately. There was no escape for Philip. He was a dead man already and he had to know it. He might be foolish enough to try to get his security force to go to war with hers, but he had amateurs for guards. Her men were combat trained. And she had the leopards. No one else had the leopards . . . unless . . . She really looked at Conner, speculation in her shrewd eyes.