Under Surveillance. Gayle Wilson

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СКАЧАТЬ This is a highly respected organization.”

      For a second John thought Cabot meant the Phoenix. It was unlikely that reference was to the agency, however, since most of their clients learned of them through the same kind of discreet word-of-mouth Griff had just alluded to. And if not the Phoenix…

      He reached out, pulling the folder toward him. When he opened it, the heading at the top, in Snow’s neat handwriting, was enough to let him know Cabot’s warning had been an understatement. His low whistle was an unthinking reaction to how respected the organization this file referred to actually was.

      “Exactly,” Griff said. “You do have a tux, I assume.”

      He didn’t, but he wasn’t going to admit that to Cabot, who probably owned a dozen.

      “Of course,” John lied, wondering how quickly he could have one fitted.

      “Then I suggest you start with the enclosed invitation.”

      John slipped the heavy cream rectangle out of its envelope, quickly reading the information embossed on the front.

      “It’s quite legitimate, I assure you. And rather costly,” Cabot added, and he should know. His background was exactly the kind of silver spoon stuff that would get someone invited to those kinds of events. “It will allow you a foot in the door. Strictly for observation, of course.”

      “Once I’m in, what exactly am I looking for?”

      “I’m not sure. What caused Ethan’s concern is outlined in the file. As I said, this may be nothing, but I’ve learned to trust the instincts of my people through the years, especially those of someone like Ethan. If something about that group caused him concern, that’s reason enough for me to want them checked out. Besides, the food is usually superb.”

      If someone as wealthy as Griff considered the dinner to be “costly,” then it damn well should be good, John thought.

      “Oh, and there’s an auction,” Griff added as John rose, holding onto the file he’d been given, “so watch your body language. I’m not sure we have enough in the budget to cover any unexpected purchases.”

      “What’s on the block?”

      “Celebrity dresses, I believe. You should be safe there,” Cabot went on dryly, his eyes falling once more to the paperwork before him. “I doubt they’ll have anything in your color.”

      Chapter One

      Although Kelly Lockett knew to the last person how many patrons crowded the ballroom of the downtown hotel, she could see almost none of them. Their faces were lost in the darkness beyond the glare of the spotlights directed at the podium. She waited a moment for the applause to die down before she lifted her hand, gesturing for silence as if she had been doing this her entire life.

      Actually, she had avoided such functions like the plague. They were the kind of thing Chad loved, so she had always let him handle them. Thankfully, he had turned out to be incredibly good at it.

      So good that she couldn’t hope to fill his shoes, she thought with a swell of anxiety. Then she reminded herself that trying to take her brother’s place wasn’t why she was here.

      “On behalf of my brother,” she began, speaking over the remaining splatters of applause.

      Before she had gotten the last word out of her mouth, the clapping began again, growing into a thunderous ovation. First the men in their tuxedos and then their elegantly gowned companions began to stand all over the huge room.

      Her eyes stung at the strength and duration of their spontaneous tribute. She bit the inside of her bottom lip, determined to get through this evening without crying. So far, all her tears had been shed in private. She didn’t intend to make a public spectacle of her grief tonight.

      She waited, not attempting to speak until the noise had died down again and the only sounds in the vast ballroom were of people settling back into their chairs. Her eyes had apparently adjusted to the dazzle of light because she could identify some of those seated at the nearest of the small, round tables. Their faces were turned expectantly up to the dais where she stood.

      She had made a point of speaking to most of them before dinner, and as much as she dreaded it, she would mingle with the crowd again after the auction. That was another talent Chad had had. Making people feel welcome. Making them want to participate and to feel good about what they were doing.

      “Thank you,” she said sincerely. Whatever her own motives were for being here tonight, her brother certainly deserved their applause. “As I had started to say, on behalf of my brother, I would like to welcome you to the eighth annual Lockett Legacy Dinner and Auction. As you know, Chad was a tireless fund-raiser for a number of causes, as well as being a true philanthropist himself. This particular event, however, always held a very special place in his heart.

      “For one thing, this is the only one of the many organizations to which he devoted his time and considerable energy that bears our family name. For another, the charities to which you have so generously donated each year were chosen by him personally. This foundation was Chad’s baby, and I thank you all for continuing the good works he believed in so much.”

      There was another round of applause, this one more perfunctory than the last. That was all right. The first had been for her brother himself, from his friends and colleagues. To Kelly it had been the far more important response.

      “As you know, this year we have a very special auction arranged for you. This, too, was Chad’s brainchild, and he worked tirelessly to acquire the items you see around the room.” She paused a moment, allowing the audience to focus once more on the glass display cases that lined the walls. “I know he would want me to again thank the donors for making these beautiful garments available, and I do. I should also remind you that because we want to raise as much money as we can tonight, we have accepted a few prebids from some very serious collectors. You’ll have plenty of opportunity, I promise, to open your checkbooks and outbid them for anything that catches your eye.”

      Polite laughter followed the remark, just as the citation in parenthesis on her note cards had said it would. No one who had seen them expected those prebids to be overruled. They had been allowed only on the rarest and most valuable items of tonight’s collection, and they had come in from all over the world. Kelly, along with everyone else associated with the Legacy, had been pleasantly surprised at the amounts.

      “I rather fancied the off-the-shoulder black dress that belonged to Princess Diana,” she continued, following the script she’d been given. “I even thought about breaking open my piggy bank to see if there was enough there to make a down payment.”

      More polite laughter at what could only be classified as a very lame joke, given the Lockett wealth. And that, too, was okay, Kelly decided.

      She had been able to relax a little as she mouthed this nonsense, and the urge to cry for how much better Chad would have done this had finally passed. All she had to do now was give the last of her professionally written introduction, and then the actual auction would begin.

      Once it had, she would have a chance to catch her breath. Maybe even to grab a glass of the champagne that would be flowing freely as an inducement to bidding. There was only this one last hurdle to get past.

      “Unfortunately, that one didn’t fit. A height issue,” she said. More СКАЧАТЬ