Matthias brought the Packard to a stop at the gates of the club. He did not need the icy frisson across the back of his neck to warn him that they were too late.
It was four o’clock in the morning, a half hour after closing time for the Paradise. There were only a handful of cars left in the parking lot. Most belonged to the late-night staff but one stood out from the rest—Vincent Hyde’s limo.
“This is not good,” Luther said quietly. He opened his door and got out. “There should be two security guards in front. They don’t go home until the rest of the employees have left for the night.”
“He’s inside,” Matthias said. “And he’s in control of your fortress.”
“How the hell—?” Luther did not finish the question.
Matthias reached into the back seat and grasped the handle of the heavy suitcase that contained the Ares machine.
“This is what he wants,” he said. “It’s our only bargaining chip.”
Luther’s jaw tightened but he said nothing more.
The big wrought iron gates that protected the lush gardens and the front entrance of the club were unlocked. Matthias and Luther went through them and walked to the front door of the club.
Raina met them in the grand foyer. There was no one else around.
“He sent me to bring you both into the main floor of the club,” she said. Her eyes were shadowed but her voice was cool and unnaturally calm. “He told me that you are to give your guns to me and that you must remove your coats so that he can be sure your holsters are empty. He wants the Ares machine.”
Matthias handed her his pistol and took off his jacket. Luther did the same.
“What’s the situation inside?” Matthias asked.
“He’s in the private booth on the mezzanine level,” Raina said. “He’s holding a gun on Amalie.”
“Shit,” Matthias said softly.
“That’s not all,” Raina said. “He’s got a cylinder of poison gas. He says that if we don’t do exactly what he tells us to do, he’ll release the gas. It’s some kind of nerve agent that will kill everyone within range in a matter of minutes.”
Luther looked at Matthias. “You were right. Jasper Calloway wants that cipher machine very, very badly.”