Jin heaved a sigh of relief when Flick exited the archive room with a charming smile and a minute to spare. He didn’t have to worry about her anymore, but he was still worried about Arthie. When he was certain Eleanor Thorne wasn’t about to reemerge again, he left the cover of the alcove and joined Flick by the accent wall, her sweet sunshine scent soothing his nerves almost immediately. It took everything in him not to pull her into his arms.
The chutes rattled with the markers hurtling through, and then Laith was inside, stalling near the alcove beneath the dormer where the guard’s toxin-induced catnap would begin wearing off at any moment.
Matteo needed to hurry up with that distraction.
A voice rose from the doors. At last, Jin thought, nearly forgetting the painter was in disguise when a blond man in tinted specs began insulting the vampire beside him in Matteo’s voice.
“Nice suit, old boy. Does it come in men’s sizes?”
Ouch. It was no wonder Matteo saw no need for violence. His jibes were brutal enough. Jin gave Laith a nod.
Laith flexed his limbs and began his ascent to the mezzanine, but everyone was looking at Matteo, too riveted by his audacity to notice a hooded human crawling up the wall.
When Matteo had made the suggestion back in Spindrift, none of them had believed an argument over style could distract anyone, but Jin stood corrected. There was good sense and then there was affluence.
“Who are you? Do you know whom you’re speaking to?” the other vampire hissed at Matteo.
Jin was only half listening. He was watching Laith. They had seconds before the guard woke. Seconds before he sounded the alarm.
“I do indeed,” Matteo intoned solemnly, leaning toward the other vampire. “Someone who left his fashion sense in the grave.”
There was a scuffle of shoes out on the steps and raised voices. And then Laith was finally out of sight and everything was quiet.
Jin waited. Flick made a sound.
“Do you think he’s all right?” she asked, eyes locked on the shadows of the mezzanine.
“Done and dusted, love,” Jin said, guiding her deeper into the Athereum. The room would be a lot louder if Laith hadn’t reached the guard in time. “Time for phase two.”