“Agreed. I’ve reached out to some contacts but it’s been less than twenty-four hours so I’m not surprised we only have the surface intel right now.”
“Keep at it. In the meantime, have Higgs send down a replacement for Ted.”
“Will do.” King reaches inside his pocket. “Here’s the thing you asked for.”
I take the velvet box from him. “Thank you. Send Violet in. She should be”—I check my schedule—"arriving in the dining hall to check the buffet.”
“Roger that.”
Ten minutes after King departed, the doorbell of my suite rings. I set down the security protocols for the resort and make my way to the door. Satisfaction surges through me when I see Violet standing outside. Opening the door, I usher her inside.
“I brought the tea,” she announces and then frowns when she sees my cup of coffee on the table. “Oh, you already have something to drink.”
“I don’t like coffee. I hate the taste.” King must’ve told her to bring it up. I relieve her of the tray and direct her to the sofa.
“I can’t sit down. I’m on the clock.” She taps her wristwatch. “Smooth will be coming down soon and I need to be—”
“Smooth is otherwise occupied.” I have no doubt that Lennox will be following her around all day.
Violet’s pretty forehead wrinkles. “Either way, I still need to go through my morning checklist.”
“Of course. However, you will need this.” I open my hand and allow the chain to drop down. The diamond encrusted flower attached to it glitters in the artificial light. Violet glances from the pendant to my face and then back again.
“That’s...not mine. Did you find that in the suite? I’ll put it in the safe and have someone start contacting the guests to see if someone misplaced it.”
I move it out of her grasp and slide behind her. “It is not lost.”
In fact, it has never been more not lost than this particular moment, I think, as I swiftly swing the chain around her neck and fix the clasp in place. The pendant falls softly in the valley between her plump tits.
She gapes down at the pendant. “What is this?”
“It’s a necklace that contains a GPS tracker so I know where you are at all times.”
“A what so you can what?” She reaches up to tug the necklace free, but it won’t budge.
“The necklace cannot be removed. The clasp is made by a metallurgist friend of mine who created a process in which when the two metal compounds meet, they are instantly held together and cannot be separated without a high volume heat process which would, obviously, be damaging to your skin.”
“I can’t believe this. Why are you tagging me? I’m not a dog!”
“Of course not.” I stare at her in offense. “Animals are chipped in their ears. I would not harm one hair on your head.” I remove her fingers from the chain. “This will allow me to keep you safe. You can place it under your blouse to hide it if the flashiness of it makes you uncomfortable.”
“That is not why I want to take it off. It’s...just because I kissed you yesterday doesn’t mean you own me.”
I draw back with a frown. “But of course it does.”
Chapter 4
Violet
I give Victor the stare down. It gets me nowhere. I play with the pretty necklace. I don’t think I’ve ever owned something this nice. Would it be so bad to let him track me? It’s not as though I go crazy places. I merely move around the resort. I stop maybe too many times at the ice cream machine next to the pool but that’s about it.
“I shall help you with your check list.” Victor pulls his phone from his pocket. His thick fingers move over the screen as he sends a text, I’m guessing. I thought about those fingers all night after our kiss. I notice he still has the hair tie he stole from me on his wrist. “Smooth is still in her room. Shall we start there?”
“Still in her room?” I jump up. “Something must be wrong.” I start to panic. Well, Mr. Lennox had carried her back to her room last night. They might be in bed together still. He all but paraded her through the hotel as he carried her off to her manager suite. That’s what everyone is whispering around the resort this morning. You have to take gossip around here with a grain of salt. I am going to go find out for myself.
“Calm down, my kotyonok. She is but asleep. No sounds have come from her room.” My eyes go wide.
“You were listening? What if they had been—” I raise my eyebrows to emphasize the rest of what I’m saying.