“Soleil is a dear friend of mine, and I’ve had to watch her grieve your loss and your sister’s estrangement for many years. I’m looking forward to witnessing the reunion. So, until tonight, then? Shall we say seven? That should give you ample time to go back to the bungalow and change.”
Reaper wanted to call bullshit. Ginny’s father, Jasper, wasn’t the only water engineer on Allerton’s payroll. Even then, there was no reason to make the mother-daughter reunion public. No, either Allerton or Ginny’s parents didn’t want them to have a private meeting.
“Don’t worry. If you didn’t include an appropriate change of dress in your luggage, I’ll have my personal assistant send over a selection of clothes for you both to wear from my private boutique. Agent Collins, feel free to join us.”
“Thank-you. I would love to attend. I’m bored with my own company, and my men can enjoy the night off,” Agent Collins accepted, then stood and motioned for Ginny to get up.
Taking Ginny’s arm when she rose from the chair, Reaper guided her out of the room, then led her to the elevator to push the button, not waiting for Agent Collins to catch up. Wanting to shove him out the elevator when he managed to make it before the doors closed, Reaper restrained himself. He needed to play nice until he was given no choice, for Ginny’s sake. The agent was as dirty as a blackhead pimple. He didn’t know if the other agents were, but he wasn’t going to pop the pimple until he had no choice. He wanted the poison contained to where he could see it, not spread out where one of the newbies could make a mistake that could get themselves or Ginny killed.
“It was nice of Mr. Allerton to have a party for your mother and you,” Collins remarked conversationally as they stepped out of the elevator.
“Very nice.”
Reaper gritted his teeth and gave Ginny a searching look to see if she was serious.
“Can you explain to me exactly the role the FBI is supposed to play here?” Reaper asked bluntly the moment they stepped outside. “From where I’m standing, it seems the only reason you’re here is to facilitate Allerton throwing Ginny under a fucking bus.”
“Gavin, the FBI are only trying to clear up a situation that I could be responsible for. I’m thankful for their help. I want the misunderstanding resolved as much as Mr. Allerton does.”
“Mrs. James is correct. The US is determined to assist in having the artifact returned to Mr. Allerton. Your wife is instrumental to the process of accomplishing that objective. The country of origin has a policy of not taking any foreign aid. Any headway Mr. Allerton can accomplish is a foot in the right direction in establishing a trusting relationship with them, which benefits the US by initiating conversations previously denied.”
“How is she supposed to help when she can’t remember? How much do you remember at that age? Does the FBI know which artifact Allerton claims was stolen?”
“No, unfortunately, we don’t. Which is another concern of ours.”
“Concern? I didn’t see an ounce of concern for Ginny in that office.”
“What are you suggesting?” Agent Collins asked stiffly. “I’m getting tired of you insinuating Mrs. James is in some type of danger. Mr. Allerton has been nothing but gracious in this situation. When the FBI contacted Mr. Allerton, he’d already known about Evangeline being alive; her parents told him. While he hasn’t been very forthcoming with specific details about the artifact, my superiors understand Mr. Allerton’s wariness. He has to take into account the safety of his guests if treasure hunters learn of the value of the lost artifact. We also have to take into consider its disappearance correlated with Mrs. James departure from the island, along with the fact she never returned. When we explained to Evangeline what Mr. Allerton had told us, she agreed to meet with Mr. Allerton to clear up this unfortunate incident. She was given the choice to return to Sherguevil Island or remain on US soil. She chose the former.”
“And to convince Ginny to choose Sherguevil Island, the FBI gave The Last Riders a get-out-jail-free card.”
“We did,” Agent Collins acknowledged with a withering stare, “which directly benefited you.”
Reaper wanted to ream the agent a new asshole but couldn’t because that part was at least the fucking truth. The agent took advantage of the self-flagellation Reaper was experiencing to press on with his agenda. “The easiest way to get Mrs. James homebound is to take the test. With her guilt out of the mix, Mr. Allerton will be forced to reveal more details about the artifact. If the facts Mrs. James has shared are true, I don’t see any reason we can’t wrap this up in the next couple of days.”
Reaper considered the woman he thought he knew. Every day with Ginny, he found out something new. All The Last Riders, including him, thought she was the girl next-door.