Her mouth started feeling pasty, but she had to ask. “To do what?”
“Simple. Your last assignment is very simple. Kill Archer Blackwood.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Zoe felt on the verge of losing it.
“Keep your voice down, my dear, otherwise your gorgeous bodyguard will come in and start asking questions you won’t be able to answer. Jamieson couldn’t stop the transaction and it seems that Vasiliev won’t be the winning bidder after all. No way he will accept or even tolerate having a son with that much money at his disposal, especially since he knows about him. What a shame. Sometimes ignorance is a blessing, one that may have kept him alive.”
“I can’t kill him. I’m not a murderer.”
Ellen looked at Zoe with a hint of amused tenderness that made her want to hurl. “You will be a murderer, what needs to be determined is who stops breathing. Archer Blackwood, or your brother.” The reality hit like a ton of bricks.
“If this is a sedative, how... How is Archer supposed to die?”
“Oh, about that, Jamieson was quite specific. You have until sunrise to do it, and to bring proof to the address you’ll find inside the case. And don’t try to fool him, Finch will make sure it’s done. Once he is sedated, you are to stab him in the heart with one of his kitchen knives.”
Zoe choked, but words poured out of her. “And you? What’s in it for you? Is he threatening you?”
Ellen laughed, and it sounded so genuine, it bordered on creepy. “Me? Threatened? Oh no, dear child. But what wouldn’t a sister do for her big brother?”
And with one last look, she was gone.
Mechanically, Zoe took the case and put it in her clutch. The very last trap had locked her in. The only option left was to receive a call from Beatrice, telling her that Lucas was safe and sound, under the protection of Purgatory. Otherwise... Would she be capable of killing a man?
Zoe looked up at her reflection. For Lucas, she would be able to kill herself. And that’s exactly what she was about to do if Beatrice failed because if Archer died her heart and soul would too. The perspective made her want to scream, her body was in total upheaval.
Her entire being was rejecting the idea with such violence, she barely had time to reach the toilet before retching. Tears pouring out of her, she rode the waves of panicked nausea. Her knees buckled and only her hands prevented her from hitting her head on the toilet bowl.
Someone moved behind her, and she didn’t care. Her body was in rejection mode, and there was no choice for her to wait until it got over it. In what felt like hours, but were certainly no more than a few minutes, it finally stopped.
“Zoe. Talk to me.” Kai’s voice was from behind her, but she needed another minute or so to be able to move at all.
“I’m okay. Give me a minute.” Her voice was raw and her throat sore. Kai hovered, obviously debating what to do. Reaching backward with her hand, the big man immediately took her cold one in his. The contact steadied her a little. The door crashed open, and Kai jerked his hand away.
“Zoe!”
She whimpered at Archer’s voice, not wanting him to see her like that. Good that the stall was too small to accommodate his tall frame with her already in it. It gave her a minute or two to gather her wits.
“I’m fine, Archer.” His touch was like a balm, and it helped to slow her galloping heart and clear her head. “Can you give me a paper towel please?”
Again, she reached from behind and grabbed the towel Archer handed her. She swiped her mouth and flushed the toilet before straightening. Barely turning her head, she wiped her eyes and saw Archer crouching at the stall’s entrance, barely fitting in.
His hands caressed her back in a soothing line along her spine, but it was the terrified look on his face that brought her back to the present, away from the nightmare, and forced a smile out of her. “I’m fine. I must have eaten something that didn’t suit me. I tend to have a weak stomach when I’m stressed out.” A lie, but she preferred him thinking it was nothing.
Cool fingers caressed her feverish cheeks and it was tempting to lean into him. Instead, she decided to move. “Help me up. With this dress I’m a hazard.”
“Take your time, love. There’s no rush.” At the sweetness in his voice, tears threatened to flow again.
“You should be with your guests.”
“I’m exactly where I need to be. Don’t be a pain, Zoe.”
She rolled her eyes and tried to push herself up, but Archer circled her waist and almost made her stand all by himself. She was so glad that her stomach was steady again. That was not a state he wanted to see her in. Zoe tried to bypass him, but he remained there, unmovable, while she still didn’t want to look at him.
“I feel awful, Archer, just let me freshen up. I promise I’m alright now.”
Instead of letting her go, he engulfed her in a bear hug, almost squeezing the air out of her. It was nice, and she snaked her arms under his jacket, around his trim waist. Against her ear, his heart was booming hard and fast. He had been scared for her. And she was still so scared for him.
Inch by inch, he opened his arms and let her go, stepping back to let her out of the stall. One look at the mirror made her want to dash back into the stall: raccoon eyes, caky makeup, hair as if she had played with electricity. Archer at her back, she wet a bunch of towels and started fixing the mess before cupping water, swishing it in her mouth and spitting it out. When she looked again, her reflection appeared human again, which was more than Zoe expected. Only then did she dare meet Archer’s gaze. It was hard to read him, but he wasn’t a happy camper.
