Becoming Rain (Burying Water #2)(87)

That’s a little surprising, given the people milling about the rest of the clubhouse. But this isn’t a bathhouse with hidden, steamy alcoves, I remind myself. This is safe, neutral country club territory.

Still, the hairs on the back of my neck rise. If not for the wall of windows opposite me, overlooking the green, I’d be more than a little concerned.

Elmira dives off the edge with the sleek movements of a well-trained athlete and swims the length of the pool before pausing, her eyes trailing over my one-piece. “It’s warm enough.”

Okay.

Inhaling a lung’s worth of chlorine-scented air, I dive off the side and into the deep end, reveling in the feel of the tepid water. When I emerge, I find Elmira waiting for me, treading water in the center of the expansive pool. “So, how have you and Luke been, Rain?”

It could be my paranoia, but the way she says my name . . . “Uh . . . we’re good. Great, actually.” What is it exactly about this woman that puts me on edge like this?

“Yes, Aref says that you and Luke are growing much closer.” She adds, almost as an afterthought, “Luke told him, at dinner the other night.”

I highly doubt that Aref and Luke were talking about our relationship, but I play along. “At Corleone’s?”

“Yes. That’s right.” She says nothing else, waiting. She’s fishing. She wants to know what I know, what Luke has told me. Maybe she’s here at her husband’s bidding. The deal’s in motion and he wants to know who can identify him, should things go sideways.

I’m not giving her anything. “I’m glad Luke feels that way.”

“Did he tell you that he and Aref struck a deal recently?” She mentions it so casually, as if we were drinking cappuccinos at a café patio and talking about our husbands’ legitimate jobs.

I was counting on her knowing. The question is, what can I get out of her? “He mentioned it, yeah. I didn’t get many details, though. Luke’s still pretty tight-lipped.”

A small, amused smirk touches her lips. “I took you for a woman who would do whatever she needs to get what she wants.”

It’s an art, speaking as Elmira does. The average person would miss it. Or, if they were already paranoid, they’d stumble and stutter over their words, giving her the answers she’s looking for without uttering a word.

But I know how to search for the crack in her armor. “Like you?” I volley back. Elmira is clearly more than just arm candy. Does she actually help run their empire?

She smiles. There’s something that looks like respect. Does she realize that she’s finally met her match?

That’s why her next words are so jarring. “You need to get him to back away from the deal.”

I swallow my shock. “Why?”

“There are things in play now. Plans that began some time ago, before Luke ever became involved, and when they come to fruition, there will be no room for Luke in them. The less involved he is, the better.”

My heart is pounding against my chest as I digest what I begin to realize is more warning than threat. “What things?”

The creak of a door introduces several ladies, chattering and laughing as they enter the pool area in their bathing suits. When I turn back, Elmira has begun her laps again. I guess our conversation is over, for now. I trail her in the next lane, using this time to process.

There are things in play? What plan? And who does it involve? Obviously Aref, but who else? Have Aref and Elmira figured out that there’s a full FBI investigation underway? Aref sure as hell isn’t playing on our side or I’d know. And she can’t know who I am, or he wouldn’t have gone through with this deal to begin with.

I almost wish I had worn a wire today, so that I could talk through this with Warner. Then again, nothing would have been captured while in the pool.

It finally dawns on me.

This meeting spot was a very intentional choice on her part.

I eye her black-capped head as she glides over the water with a smooth breaststroke. Elmira suspects that I’m wired. Or she’s at least afraid of it.

We continue our laps for a good twenty minutes, until my arms are sore and my breath is ragged, and I still haven’t figured out what angle she’s playing here, what benefit there is for her in warning me.

“Hey,” I call out as she pulls her lithe body out of the water and grabs her towel. The only sign that she’s tired is a slight pant. She peels off the cap to let her long black hair cascade over her shoulders, and then crouches down beside me as I hold myself over the side of the pool with folded arms.

“If you care about Luke, get him to back away from this deal. It won’t end well for him otherwise,” she says, her words hard and slow and unmistakable. “Aref likes Luke. But he loves money, and he’s a businessman who keeps all of his doors open.”

My mind begins spinning with possibilities. “Is one of those doors Vlad?”

“Enjoy the pool.” She stands. “And trust that I’m saying this for your benefit. And Luke’s.” I watch her stroll toward the change rooms.

Trusting that woman is the last thing I see myself doing.

I wait five minutes before ducking out, hoping that I might tail her.

She’s already gone.

“Come on, just one episode!”

“Why do you like this show so much? You don’t even get to see anything. They blur all the good stuff out!”