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He pressed his cheek against hers. “We’re lucky we’re not stuck with city drones,” he murmured.
“Oh, stop it. Someone will see.” She pushed him aside. She and Alejo hadn’t slept together since the day she’d revealed her nature, but he still flirted with her sometimes, when he wanted to get his way. He didn’t want her anymore because he knew what she was. Well, the same could be said for her. The idea of sleeping with someone who took money from terrorists no longer excited her. She felt sick that it had ever excited her at all.
Alejo stepped a few paces away from her, smoothed his hair again. “You’re no fun.”
“You’re a tease.”
Alejo laughed at that.
“What exactly did you want to talk about?” She smeared the chèvre artfully on the center of the plate. “You don’t really think my drones are infected with this—broken programming?” She pitched her voice low. Bianca was still playing the concerto, and the melody jumped around the house.
“I just want to make sure.” Alejo shrugged. “Will it really be a huge burden for you to run out there and check on them? I’d hate to see all your hard work wasted.”
He’d hate to see all his hard work wasted. Marianella knew that by now. Still, Marianella always loved any excuse to visit the ag dome. Even if she didn’t think her drones were in any danger of broken city programming, she nodded as she lifted the cheese plate.
The music faded away, and applause rippled in from the main room.
“You know you can check on the drones yourself,” she said. “I gave you access.” He’d insisted on access, but Marianella didn’t mention that.
“I know, I know. But you’re so much better with them than I am. I’ll miss something, I’m sure of it.”
“Yes, you probably would.” She smiled to show she was half-teasing. “I really don’t mind so much. I’ll go tomorrow.”
“Thanks. I do appreciate it.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh! Before you run back out to the party—I’ve got one last question for you.”
Marianella turned around, still holding the plate of cheese and crackers. “Yes?”
“The Midwinter Ball—”
Marianella sighed. “I know, Alejo. I told you, I’m already making plans to attend.”
Alejo held up two hands and pretended to cower in apology. “I know, I know,” he said. “We talked about it a few weeks ago. But I want to know for certain—”
“I’ll be there,” Marianella said. “I swear to you.”
“It’s the biggest event of the year.” Alejo gri
Marianella knew it wasn’t her social life he had in mind. Still, she laughed and shook her head before leaving the kitchen. In the cool, dark hallway she reminded herself that she was the widow of Hector Luna, an aristocrat from the mainland, and nothing more. She certainly hadn’t built an agricultural dome with a man who took money from terrorists.
By the time she was back in the main room, she almost believed it.
“Is everything all right?” Luciano smiled at her as she deposited the cheese plate on the bar. “You were gone longer than I expected.”
“Alejo wanted to talk to me.”
“Mr. Ortiz?”
Marianella nodded. She thought she heard a disapproving lilt in Luciano’s voice, but it was impossible to know for sure, and when she looked at him again, he was still smiling. She gazed out over the party. Bianca stood beside the theremin, surrounded by admirers. A knot of husbands lounged by the doorway, smoking cigarettes. And Eliana Gomez pressed herself into the corner like she was trying to be invisible.
“Eliana!” Marianella cried. “Oh, I almost forgot about her, the darling.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No, no, that’s not necessary. I just didn’t mean to leave her alone.” Marianella left Luciano and cut across the room to where Eliana stood sipping nervously out of a glass of wine. When she saw Marianella, she looked relieved.
“This is a great party,” she said, clearly lying.
“I didn’t mean to be so long in the kitchen. I’m sorry.” Marianella had slipped almost completely back into the role of Lady Luna now, and as she whirled Eliana around the party, introducing her to potential clients, she felt herself finally settle into it. The moment Marianella had seen Eliana on her front porch, clutching the envelope with her documents, Marianella’s life had started up again. That documentation revealed what she was. It revealed all the details of her schematics. She’d thought about burning it so many times—once, she’d even held it over an open flame—but she always stopped herself. If her nature were revealed and she could produce no documentation, she would be killed without question. With the documents, she would only be deported.
And that was why Marianella had invited Eliana to this party. Eliana had recovered the documentation and not looked; or if she had looked, she hadn’t acted on it. Marianella suspected she hadn’t looked. Anyone who knew would report her or blackmail her. Or sell her out to Ignacio Cabrera, as her late husband had apparently done.
Marianella shoved the thought aside, storing it for some other time—tomorrow, after the party, in the harsh light of day. Eliana Gomez deserved her attention now. There was no amount of money Marianella could give Eliana to repay her for saving her secret, for keeping her secret. The least Marianella could do was bring her some new business.
CHAPTER NINE
ELIANA
“I have just one more person I’d like you meet. Is that all right?” Lady Luna led Eliana through the maze of party guests. The lights were so bright in the house, brighter than Eliana remembered from the last time she was here. Maybe she shouldn’t have had the third glass of wine.
“Sure, that’d be great.”
Lady Luna beamed. They’d spoken to three people already, two women and a man. All three of them had the glossy, aristocratic bearing Eliana was used to seeing only on television, but they’d been polite enough to her, and they’d taken her business card and tucked it away as if they intended to use it later. Eliana knew it couldn’t hurt, having her name out in this crowd. If they all paid as well as Lady Luna, she’d be out of Antarctica within the year.
“This is Eveline Quiroga.” Lady Luna stopped in front of a middle-aged woman in a slim green dress, streaks of gray in her dark hair. “Eveline, you remember that matter we were discussing a few weeks ago? I have someone who might be able to help.”
Mrs. Quiroga turned her gaze to Eliana, who had the urge to shrink away but didn’t.
“You can call me at my office,” Eliana said, handing her a business card. “Whatever the matter is, I work quickly and discreetly.”
Mrs. Quiroga looked over the business card and then slipped it into her handbag.
“A woman investigator,” she said in a cool, sophisticated drawl. “I suppose that fills a niche.”
Eliana plastered on her politest smile. “I’ve been told it does.” She was used to being condescended to, and by people far more practiced at it than this Mrs. Quiroga.
“She does excellent work,” Lady Luna said brightly. “I can personally vouch for her. I’d be happy to speak about it with you sometime.”
“Is that so?” Mrs. Quiroga looked at Lady Luna and then back to Eliana. “I’ll think about it. Excuse me.”
She floated off into the party, wineglass held up. Eliana wanted another drink, dizziness be damned.
“I’m sorry about that,” Lady Luna said.
“About what?”
“Oh, you know, Eveline. She’s like that with everyone, at least until they prove themselves to her. I should have warned you.”
Eliana laughed. “I can handle it.”
Lady Luna sipped from her glass of wine, gazing out over her party. She seemed different this evening, more glamorous and less flighty. Classy, that was it. She was classy tonight. In certain ways Lady Luna reminded Eliana of her own mother, who had faked sophistication on several different occasions during Eliana’s childhood. And like Eliana’s mother, Lady Luna seemed to be faking her classiness, or at least some of it.