It didn’t take much guesswork to figure out where Liam was headed, given his earlier conversation with Chen, and Mac was determined to find out what was going on. At the very least it had stopped him from proposing to Caroline; at worst it could expose Liam to dangers she didn’t understand.
But she fully intended to.
Praying that Caroline was well occupied and not watching the doors, Mac sneaked out of the ballroom. She’d gone no more than a few paces into the hall when she ran right into someone, who caught her arms and quickly let her go.
“Mr.—Chen, isn’t it?” she said, flustered.
He bowed. “And you are Miss MacKenzie. Mr. O’Shea told me to expect you.”
“He did?” She tried to see over Chen’s shoulder. “I mean… where did he go?”
“He has important business to attend to, Miss MacKenzie. He asked me to request that you not attempt to follow him.”
“Follow him where, Mr. Chen?” She looked beyond him again, wondering if she could get past. “He’s doing something dangerous, isn’t he?” Something that could get him killed…
She made an exploratory feint to the left, and Chen smoothly intercepted her without appearing to move at all. “It would be difficult to kill Mr. O’Shea, Miss. Very difficult. I know—he saved my life once.”
That arrested Mac’s attention. “He did?”
“And more than mine. The work he does now is very important to those who would suffer otherwise. I beg you not to make it more difficult.”
“What work? At least tell me that much.”
“I regret that I cannot, except that it helps many who are innocent.”
She bit down hard on her lip. “Mr. Chen—I’m afraid Liam is in more danger than—whatever it is he’s doing. I’m afraid someone may be trying to kill him.”
“Mr. O’Shea is aware of that. But I will watch him, Miss MacKenzie. Please do not worry or attempt to pursue. It will only distress Mr. O’Shea.”
Distress him? Distressed about her worrying, or her interfering? But Mac stifled her laugh and thought about Liam getting farther and farther away as Chen delayed her.
“I regret to be asking such a thing of you, Miss MacKenzie,” Chen said solemnly, “but I must have your promise that you will not follow. Until then I cannot go with Mr. O’Shea and watch him.”
Blackmail. Everyone was good at that around here. She had an idea that Chen was dead serious; he wasn’t going to let her past. “Okay,” she said with great reluctance. “My word. But please—”
“Miss MacKenzie, I would die before I let Mr. O’Shea come to harm.”
There was no doubting his absolute sincerity. Mac was startled by the power of her immediate, gut-level response.
So would I, Chen. So would I.
But Chen was already running down the hall, the opposite way from the library. Mac fought an inner battle and kept herself from going after him. She had given her word.
Damn. But there was someone who might be able to shed some light on all this. If anyone had answers, it would be Perry.
She went back into the ballroom cautiously. The dance was winding down again, the couples scattering to the perimeter of the room. There were plenty of men, but none with swirling black capes as part of their costumes. Perry, it seemed, had made his escape.
What he’d said to Caroline during their dance remained a mystery, but Mac assumed he’d been working on her. His talk about “drastic measures” kept ringing in Mac’s mind. If he didn’t contact her again soon…
If Liam didn’t show up safe and sound tomorrow morning…
Her troubled line of thought wasn’t eased when she saw Caroline watching her from across the room—keenly and with uncharacteristic absorption. Mac had a feeling it was not a friendly examination. Her brief period of intimacy with Miss Gresham was probably at an end.
You’ve definitely blown it, Mac. But at least the ball was drawing to a close, and she wouldn’t have to be standing here making nice when she wanted to be pacing in her hotel room, tearing her hair out and swearing a blue streak.
That was the best she could hope for tonight. She was damned sure she wasn’t going to get any sleep.