Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 101840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Worrying about that was ridiculous, of course. I was embarrassed by my own decision, but I was also known for being curious and adventurous, even when those things got me into trouble.
Curious Cat is never content and all that.
“Ready for the first session?” Locke asked the room when we finished the meal.
Everyone nodded and began leaving the table.
He turned to me and lowered his voice. “Remember, there are no electronics allowed in the game room. If I need anything, I’ll send someone to get you, and if something comes up at the office, Minnie will call you to come find me.”
We walked back toward our suite so he could gather the special case that held his personal game board and pieces.
“What can I do to help you in the meantime?” I asked, trying to reduce his stress and remind myself of our original agreement.
Once we were behind the closed door, he turned me to face him. “Remember what I told you. I need you to be my eyes and ears—”
“Take a breath. I got it.”
Locke moved to the buffet-type cabinet on the far side of the sitting room, where his game case was. “Okay. Thank you.”
He opened his case, revealing an old wooden game board and a neat collection of intricately carved pieces. I moved closer to look at them since I hadn’t had a chance to look at the set yet. “Holy fuck,” I breathed. “Those are incredible.”
Each piece was unique and obviously handcrafted. The wood was smooth and worn after generations of handling, but the designs and faded paint were still enough to see how special they were.
I’d never seen anything like it.
He smiled and peered down at them with obvious pride. “Aren’t they? This set dates back to the late 1600s. My ancestor commissioned it from a French craftsman. Al-Qadiri’s set is even older, and Harlan’s is solid gold and jewel-encrusted. It travels with armed guards because it’s technically part of the Crown Jewels.”
“Will I get to see them?” I asked, suddenly wondering how different the game experience was using boards like this instead of the simple practice sets we’d used two nights before.
He closed the case and nodded. “Of course. You’ll be in and out of the game room as needed. Just remember to leave your phone outside. The guard will remind you.”
After he left, I sat down and tried to get my thoughts in order.
Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe this was purely a gathering of oddball Paxis enthusiasts.
If every other player was as obsessed with the game as Locke was, to the point where they all carried game sets that were museum-level specimens like his, then it made sense that the only kind of people he could enjoy a game with would be other old, wealthy enthusiasts. Especially since they were the only ones who could afford the kind of security traveling with these game sets required and who had two weeks of disposable time to spend on something so… quirky.
I changed into my swim trunks and pulled my assistant clothes on over them before heading to the pool to do reconnaissance.
If there was one thing I knew about a group of rich, bored spouses, it was that they were often an amazing source of intel.
Maybe one of them would help me figure out what the fuck Locke Maris was doing in a house full of some of the world’s most influential people.
21
LOCKE
I had to force myself to concentrate on the game when my brain was intent on wondering what the fuck Santi Alvarado was playing at by flirting with Jett.
Santi was a playboy. He had a history of fucking anyone and everyone—which was, of course, none of my business. Unless he attempted to fuck with what was mine.
And right now, Jett Davis was mine.
“Locke, your move,” Ted said, nudging me with his elbow.
My grandfather’s words came unbidden. If you’re reacting, you’re already losing.
I cleared my throat and reached for my requesting pawn before touching my negative pawn.
The game moved quickly after that, the moves coming from muscle memory. Unlike the straightforward version of the game I’d taught Jett, each piece and hand movement, each feint and counter, meant something extra when the Paxis Council played.
I wondered idly what Jett thought of the assortment of players gathered here. Had he recognized Esteban Alvarado’s name? Did he think it strange that Nanda, the spiritual healer, was keeping company with a supposed cartel leader? Or that I was keeping company with either of them?
When the council had first formed centuries ago, it hadn’t been with the intention of becoming peacekeepers. A spirit of competition and a desire to prove themselves against other elite Paxis players from around the world had driven them together.
But meeting one another had opened their eyes to the problems outside their spheres of influence. They’d realized that where governments failed, they could use their private resources to affect change on a global scale. And where overt diplomacy was impossible, they could strategize through silent negotiation on a Paxis board.