Not One Clue_ A Mystery - Lois Greiman [63]
Sensing my mood like a mean-spirited clairvoyant, Laney raised one brow a quarter of an inch, then turned to follow the direction of my horror. She flickered her gaze over the crowd for a moment before her face lit with newfound joy.
I wanted quite desperately to plead for her silence, to waylay Solberg, to …
But time had run out. He was beside her in an instant. Fortunately, he failed to do so much as glance my way. Laney was all-consuming. “I didn’t see you at the door,” he panted. “I was worried.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, turning toward him with a smile that melted all comers. Sergio and the others seemed to be gone. Perhaps they had dissolved in her effervescent presence. “I saw that Fani had arrived and wanted to say hi before she disappeared.” We watched his face in tandem as he turned toward me. “I don’t know if you two have met.”
He glanced at me distractedly. “Hi.”
I didn’t bother to respond, but it hardly mattered; he had already turned back toward Laney.
“You didn’t have any trouble with the doormen, did you, Angel?” he asked.
“No,” she said, smile beatific. If I hadn’t known her better I would have thought she didn’t have a mean bone in her stunning little body. “Everything was fine. No problems. You’ve met Senator Rivera, haven’t you, Jeen?”
“Sure.” He gave the senator a brief nod before turning back to his obsession. “But I think there may be a bit of a miff with security,” he said, and glanced behind him.
Laney’s smile faltered a little. “What’s that?”
“I, umm … I’m not sure they believed I was with you,” Solberg said, and just then I saw two burly guys in suits striding toward us. Solberg looked as pale as an anemic onion but stood his ground.
Burly One and Burly Two slowed slightly as they saw Elaine, then stopped six or so feet away, looking as if they didn’t know if they should salute or pass out.
“Ms. Ruocco!” said the first one, eyes wide, jaw lax.
The other was slightly more controlled. “I’m sorry, Ms. Ruocco. Security’s usually tighter. But this guy’s so skinny. He slipped in between us and dashed off before we could—”
“Kevin,” Laney said, and smiled at the speaker. “And Greg, isn’t it?” she asked, shifting her gaze from one to the other. They stared at her in immediate infatuation. Laney never forgot a name. She probably still sent birthday cards to the midwife who had brought her into the world. Solberg, on the other hand, frequently forgot who I was.
The bouncers were still staring at Laney. The larger of the two looked as if he was going to cry.
“I’d like you to meet my fiancé,” Laney said.
For a moment the oversized duo looked confused, then disbelieving. Then they both looked as if they were going to burst into tears.
“I’m sorry …” Kevin cocked his head a little, obviously not buying such a wild tale. “I thought you said …”
“Kevin, Greg, this is Jeen,” she said, and tucked a hand behind J.D.’s scrawny biceps. And fuck all if Solberg didn’t look as if he was about to cry.
I resisted rolling my eyes.
“I’m sorry … I just …” Greg glanced at Kevin as if to make certain the world was still round, that the Earth still revolved around the sun, that there was still a God, then he tilted his head a little. “The music … it’s kind of loud.” He flickered his gaze to Solberg, as if to reassess, but nothing about his following demeanor suggested he thought himself out of line. “And I sustained a little hearing damage in Baghdad. I’m pretty sure I didn’t hear you right.”
“Gentlemen,” said the senator. In retrospect, I don’t know how he kept a straight face. Had I not been absolutely certain I was about to be dragged from the room by security myself, I would have been on the floor in stitches. “I believe there’s been a misunderstanding.