Hunting for Silence

18. Memorable Moments

The three of us proceeded in a tight group towards the grand stairs that obviously led to the upper levels and the best boxes in the opera, our heads lowered. It wouldn't be smart to be recognized too soon, in case any of Dalgliesh's goons were here. Once we reached the top of the stairs, Mr Ambrose nodded to Claudette in her male costume.

'You'll find the items you need in the third bin down the hall in the west corridor. If that little snake of a saboteur didn't do as told and they aren't there, signal us by coming to the royal box and knocking on the door three times short, one time long. Understood?'

'Oui, Monsieur!' Grinning, Claudette gave a mock salute. She was obviously having the time of her life. 'Do I get a bonus for this?'

'Yes. A bonus of one tailcoat and one pair of trousers from Paris's foremost fashion designer, completely free of charge.'

'Sacre bleu! How generous. You take my breath away.'

'I'm in a generous mood, so you can keep it. Get to work.'

Hand in hand, we stood there and watched Claudette bustle away.

'Maybe we shouldn't have involved her in this,' I murmured.

'Why not, pray, Mr Linton?'

'Because she could get shot or arrested!'

'Do you know another Parisian with sufficient acting skills we can trust to keep their mouth shut afterwards?'

'Well, I don't think we can trust her to keep her mouth shut entirely—'

'Except for when she's singing.'

'Oh. Well, in that case, no I can't think of anybody else. But still—'

'Adequate. Then that is settled.'

Taking a tighter hold of my arm, he started to steer me down the corridor, and I let him, because, honestly, I had no bloody clue where we were supposed to be going. We took a turn, and then another one, climbing another set of stairs. The farther we went, the more luxurious our surroundings became, and the more guards were everywhere. I had to keep myself from jerking back the first time I saw a soldier in the uniform of the presidency armies. Lord Dalgliesh's personal lackeys were everywhere, and they made my skin crawl. Another one was just coming around the corner, and I felt my mouth twist in disgust—until I saw his face.

'Crap!' The word escaped me as a hiss.

Mr Ambrose froze. 'What is it, Mr Linton?'

'I've met him! He knows my face!'

Mr Ambrose froze. 'Are you certain he will remember?'

'The way I smashed the butt of my gun into his ugly mug was pretty memorable!'

'I see.'

He was on me before I could even blink. Grabbing my shoulders, he whirled me around into an alcove, blocking out the light from the corridor.

'What the heck are you doing?' I hissed. 'Don't you realize we'll only attract more attention if we try to hide and—mmmmph...'

My words were abruptly cut off when his hands slid up to take hold of my face, and his mouth came down on mine.

Holy...

Thank God for violent criminal kidnapping thugs in the service of megalomaniacal evil masterminds! You are fabulous! The world needs more of you!

'Are you satisfied with my deception techniques?' he murmured against my lips. 'Or do I need to get more inventive?'

No! No, please, or I'll have a heart attack.