Masked Possession. Alana Delacroix

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СКАЧАТЬ was here to present a plan, not get a date. Not like it mattered. The guy was the equivalent of a freaking king. These were men who were used to supermodels and movie stars. Normal women like her wouldn’t even cross their radar and there was no point in trying.

      Even if she was interested in Eric Kelton.

      Which of course she was not, since he was a masquerada and she wanted absolutely nothing to do with them. It was hard enough to make things work with a regular guy, let alone with a man who had lived for centuries, who had money, power, and could make himself look like an Adonis. She couldn’t trust a person like that and without trust, there could be no relationship worth having. Even if she had a chance. Or wanted a relationship, which again, she didn’t. Sex and love had disappeared from her life the night the knives slid through her.

      She gave herself a mental pinch. To work. There were two desks in Eric’s library, one covered with a bank of dark monitors and the other aggressively bare. Caro chose that one, unnerved that both men simply watched her as she padded across the room. Walking suddenly seemed like an awkward thing to do and she cursed herself for forgetting that sneakers made her move like a short sasquatch. She hadn’t felt this ditzy around a man since she was a teenager.

      Naturally, one of her shoes squeaked. And the lace was loosening.

      She took a firm hold on herself. Estelle had a phrase that she always used when she felt under pressure and it floated through her mind now.

      Bitch, I’m fabulous.

      That relaxed her. Time to focus on being a good little PR person and get her laptop booted up and the deck on. When Eric came up and looked over her shoulder, she tried not to notice how his arm pressed against hers as he leaned in. His heat radiated through her entire body, making her feel almost drugged. Having him that close made her heart race. She prayed her voice would stay even when she spoke.

      “That’s Belize,” he said, looking at the image on her screen. “The Great Blue Hole.”

      “That’s your grave,” she said.

      He leaned in closer and spoke in a low voice in her ear. “You certainly know how to get a man’s attention. I’m listening.”

      Was he flirting with her? She couldn’t deny that he could make her bones melt with a single sentence. Reluctantly, she moved away as Stephan joined them. Concentrating was already difficult but to go through the details with Eric close would be damn near impossible. In ten minutes, she laid out the plan. The Alex masque would be on a yacht for a pitch on a new eco-tourism business venture he was considering. The yacht would sink. Everyone would escape but him. Simple but effective.

      Stephan held up a hand. “Then others will be at risk?”

      “They’ll actually be our people, a mer dive team. They’ll be fine and they’ll assist the masquerada who is impersonating Alex.”

      “Will I physically be involved or on board?” Eric asked.

      “No. The goal here is not to have a body that can be found. Too much trouble. We’ll have masquerada impersonate the Alex masque at key points to get the necessary proof. A few photos should do it.”

      “Masquerada?” Eric frowned, his dark brows forming wicked peaks. “My people?”

      Caro eyed him cautiously, unsure of what he meant. The guy was the Hierarch but she didn’t know what that meant in the day-to-day running of things. This was one of the times she wished Julien was around. The man might be obnoxious, but he was also a master at identifying nuances of power plays that went right over her head. “We have masquerada on this project. They don’t know who the client is, unless they know you are also Alex.”

      “No, we keep it tight.”

      “It’ll be fine, then. We’ve also set the teams up in cells, so neither will know of the other’s work.” He looked satisfied and she nearly sagged with relief. She’d never been good at the politics.

      “You have my permission.”

      “That takes care of Alex, but what about the other masques?” Stephan asked.

      “Luckily, those are easier to deal with. None of them have tight bonds with neighbors or friends. Family emergencies, new jobs across the country and for the older woman, Alberta, a heart attack in bed.” Caro brought up the next slide in the deck, which outlined the planned disappearances for the other four masques.

      Eric watched her with hooded eyes, and she wondered how he felt as she discussed the deaths of the masques he’d invested so much into. Maybe she should try to be a bit more empathetic. Try was the operative word. Generally, she had the sensitivity of a stick.

      “A car accident for one of them,” she added. “In a distant city.”

      Eric grinned at her, causing long creases to run down his cheeks. “I thought that was too— What was the word you used with Julien? Pedestrian?”

      She laughed. “Once he approved the Belize sea trip, I felt generous.”

      Some device on Stephan buzzed and he moved away to whisper into it. Taking Eric aside, he muttered something, which Eric sharply negated. Stephan left the room with obvious reluctance, glancing back over his shoulder before finally shutting the door.

      Caro felt a surge of nervous exhilaration at being left alone with Eric. Her eyes lingered on the long sofa. When she turned around, she caught Eric’s gaze, his storm-cloud gray eyes lit by the sun streaming through the windows.

      “Would you like to take a seat near the fire?” he asked. “I can light it for you.”

      “One of the chairs here is fine.” She felt unaccountably flustered, as though he could read the naughty thoughts she had about that comfortable-looking sofa.

      After ushering her over politely, he offered some water from the chilled carafe on the side table. “Stephan’s been called out, but we can go over the details of your plan. The bones seem good. What’s the timeline?”

      She sipped the water. “We can have it ready in thirty-six hours.”

      “That will do. Where do I have to be?”

      “Here. Toronto. As Eric Kelton you’re not associated with any of the masques so you should continue with your usual schedule. Do you have an assistant?”

      “Stephan takes care of it with his team.”

      “We’ll work out the logistics with him.” Caro congratulated herself for handling the conversation, if not well, at least without embarrassment.

      “Excellent, I can…” he stopped and a strange look came over his face. He stood.

      Alarm filled Caro. “Eric? Is everything all right?”

      “I’m fine.”

      He wasn’t fine, Caro realized. She rose to her feet as he collapsed. It took only a second for her to reach him and she gasped in horror to see the parade of features flash across his face. She recognized some—Alexander figured prominently—but there were countless others. My God, are these the masques he’s been over the years? There must be dozens. More. Hundreds.

      Even СКАЧАТЬ