Chapter Fifty-Seven

 

Payton walked as slowly as possible, determined not to make anything easy for this woman. “I’m sorry, I don’t recall your name. We met once, didn’t we?”

“Do you really think this is the time for idle chatting?”

“Do you really think this is going to work? There are tons of people around, and Luc has at least one other bodyguard around. They’ll realize I’m gone or they’ll find Paige. She’s Luc’s sister, you know, and an FBI agent. She’s going to get some attention. And Luc—Luc won’t stop until he finds me. He’s like that with the people that he loves. And he can be very, very dangerous. Are you sure you want to mess with him?”

“I’ll do what I must in order to get what I must. What I want.”

“And what is that? Can you at least tell me why you’re doing this? I’m assuming you’re responsible for that whole mess at Luc’s office?” Payton turned to face her, and forced herself to ignore the small caliber weapon pointed at her chest. “What do you hope to accomplish here? You’re going to get caught.”

“Exactly. That’s exactly what I need to do.” The woman’s gaze was steady, calm, collected. That terrified Payton.

“What about your son?” She’d met him, hadn’t she? She may have even danced with him that night. “I met him, I think. Very nice and very handsome.”

If anything the woman’s focus sharpened. “Yes, he is. A far better catch than Davis Lucas. At least my sons understand how business is conducted.”

“And how is that?”

“With dignity and without poaching someone else’s territory.”

“How did Luc do that?” Keep her talking. That’s what she should do. Wasn’t that something Cody had always said worked in these types of situations. Keep the subject talking until help could arrive?

Hopefully help would arrive soon, because she didn’t know how much longer she could keep doing this.