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t put it down. She needed the prop. It gave her hands someth
Jerald
thick, fleshy neck. To anyone else in the Royal Hall, he was a pillar of the community. A fa
, he was
the Minister. His eyes kept darting to the velvet rope at the far end of the ballroom. The rope t
rd rotation," a low vo
id warmth of her husband, Duke Elliot Powers. He smelled of sanr leaving Levine. "He's been waiting for this gal
d the line of her spine, a possessive, reassuring weight. "Are you sure about thi
a wolf guarding its territory. He didn't know how she knew. He didn't know she had lived this already. He didn't know that
im the Queen Mother recently acquired a Ming Dynasty vase t
e never did. He just squeezed her waist and walk
mething to a waiter. She saw the waiter approach Levine.
ne all over her white dress near the garden entrance. It was a clumsy, staged accide
all Levin
He slipped under the velvet r
her warm champagne. I
her's suite was silent. The thick car
is back, soaking his dress shirt. His heart was hammering against hi
all device from his pocket-a digital decoder. He had paid a fortune
ic
ht turn
elled of lavender and old paper. The Queen Mother's scent.
sing area. The large, ornate mirror was framed with
d out a button. It looked like a standard tuxedo button, but t
mirror frame. He needed to wedge it right in the center, where it
eft," a voice said
d from his sweaty fingers and bo
un ar
the room. He wasn't looking at Levine. He was looking at an unlit ci
thless. "I... I was just conducting a security audit. Una
said. His voice was s
use
p. His eyes were dead. There was no anger in t
"It's not a camera. It'
ace. He walked over to where the button lay and crushed it under the heel of
ur left breast pocket," El
away, hitting the dresser. "I have diplomatic
litical misunderstandings," Elliot said, closin
us, bubbling sound. "Don't be absu
terial for leverage," Elliot said. He reached out, his hand moving faster than Levine could rea
bound notebook. He flipped it open. Photos. Grainy, zoomed-in photos t
the room seemed to drop ten degrees. He ripped a p
," Elli
ared at h
. His hand clamped over Levine's jaw, forci
ered. "Or I will make sure
the hidden servant's entrance. They didn't look
o the floor, coughing, spitting out wet paper. "The Royal Military Police a
evine wheezed.
"Your family's name will be stripped from every record in this
kle on his sleeve. He waited until the door clicked shut
e lit h
t appear at the top of the staircase. He caug
up of federal marshals entered the ballroom, heading straight for Mrs. Levine
r didn't cease. But the Levine fam
another sip
do
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