A Brilliant Deception by Kim Foster

Author:Kim Foster
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-6018-3066-1
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2015-06-23T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Six

Singapore

In the small executive airport where private charters came and went, there was a surprise waiting for us: Templeton, in the flesh, at the arrivals gate. He wore a linen suit and was sitting in the colonial airport underneath fans circling lazily overhead, surrounded by potted ferns and sipping tea from a china cup.

At the sight of him, my heart squeezed. He was a warm, welcome sight in a foreign land. After a round of hugs and handshakes, Templeton got down to business. “All right, darlings, I have a hotel reservation for us. Here, Catherine, give this to the driver.” He handed me a card.

I looked at the small rectangle of heavy card stock. My eyebrows lifted. “Raffles? Not exactly low-key, is it, Templeton?”

He grinned like the cat who’d eaten a canary. “When you’re a group of film producers, you don’t need to be low-key.”

“Ah.”

“Besides, no self-respecting Englishman would stay anywhere else when in Singapore.”

We gathered our bags and made our way to the shiny black Bentleys waiting outside. The tropical heat of Singapore hit me immediately, wrapping around me like a warm blanket.

My stomach tightened as I watched Felix. If he made even the slightest slip, I wanted to see it. I needed to know what was going on with him, what his secrets were, what his agenda was.

Our car pulled up to Raffles: precise rows of windows and carved pillars decorated the gleaming white building, topped by gracefully curved terra-cotta roof tiles. The hotel was surrounded by lush green gardens, perfectly manicured lawns, and softly rippling palms. The air, heavy with the fragrance of blossoming rhododendrons, was like thick honey, late-afternoon sunlight warming everything to a golden glow.

Once we were settled in our individual rooms, we gathered in the bar downstairs as the sun was setting. The iconic Raffles Hotel Long Bar was every inch gleaming mahogany and graceful rattan; bamboo ceiling fans gently stirred the air, creating a pleasant breeze.

“Have a Singapore Sling,” said Ethan as I slid onto a bar stool beside him. “This is where it was invented. At this very bar.”

I ordered, then sipped the cold, sweet cocktail. “Where’s Felix?” I asked, looking around, attempting to maintain a casual tone, although I felt anything but. I glanced at Jack, who looked unconcerned.

“He said he had to go out,” Jack said. “Wanted to get some supplies in town or something.”

I nodded, keeping my face neutral. But the cocktail soured in my stomach.

“Oh, there he goes now,” Ethan said, gazing out the windows that overlooked the front lawns. I turned my head quickly, squinting out at the twilit outdoors, to see Felix walking briskly away from the hotel. “Did you want to talk to him?” Ethan asked.

I glanced at Ethan, Jack, and Templeton, who were looking at me with curiosity. My eyes shifted to Jack, in particular. Felix was Jack’s brother. Was there a chance Jack was in on it, whatever Felix was up to? Even if he wasn’t, how would he feel about me

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.