Still, she couldn't help wondering what they would have done if she'd actually named an off limits destination. Something told her that these men were not always so congenial. They were humoring her because Dominic had instructed them to and like so many other people in Dominic's world, they did his bidding without question.
Knowing that, the paddleboat excursion seemed almost cruel. Abby remembered how confident they'd all been that they'd whip her at Poker and she bit her lip to hide her mischievous grin. Nothing wrong with a little payback.
"I'm going to go change. I think the rental place is open until five," she announced gleefully and was rewarded with a round of dramatic groans.
The walls of the hotel must have been thinner than what they were used to because Abby could hear the men as they cleared the table. One of them said, "I can't believe you told her what people are saying about Dominic."
The other, older guard said, "I can't believe you said you wished you'd met her first. If that got back to Dominic you could kiss your company goodbye. Was the joke really worth it?"
"Who said I was kidding?" Scott asked.
"Don't do anything stupid, Scott," one of them warned.
"I didn't say I'd act on it. I just voiced what the two of you are too afraid to say out loud. That is one incredible woman."
Abby pressed her back up against the door, knowing she should stop listening, but unable to. She sought more than compliments. These unguarded moments could provide her with some insight to what this trip was really about.
"Do you think it's true that he met her this week?"
"Walton has had me following Dominic since he received news about his father. It's true," Scott said and Abby smothered an involuntary gasp with both of her hands.
"Did Dominic know that you were already on his tail before he asked you to come with him?" It gave Abby no comfort to hear her surprise echoed in the voice of the other guard.
"I'm pretty confident that he had no idea," Scott said with confidence.
"Are you still reporting to Jake?" one of them asked him.
There was a long pause before Scott reluctantly answered, "Yes."
"Oh, man, he'll kill us if he finds out."
The sound of feet shuffling was followed by what could have been the slam of a body against a wall. Abby's hands shook against her mouth, but she could not force herself away from the rest of the conversation.
"He's not going to find out." Scott's easy manner slid away, revealing the cold voice of a man who didn't make idle threats.
"I don't want to be buried in some Chinese rice field," the man said in defense.
"Will you shut up?" Scott threatened, but in a lower voice as if just remembering Abby's presence in the other room. "There is no one who could tell. You two have as much to lose as I do. Jake won't go up against Dominic. There is no one who would tell him. So stop worrying."
Abby stepped away from the door, suddenly a lot less sure of what she was going to do that day.
Stopping on the highest part of the Seventeen Arch Bridge, Abby leaned between two white lion statues and looked across the peaceful Kunming Lake at the ornate Long Corridor that wound along the shoreline. The sheltered passageway had led her most of the way from the Summer Garden's East entrance to the Marble Boat where she'd taken the Dragon Ferry to the small island behind her. The weight of her thoughts had dimmed the pleasure of walking beneath the thousands of ancient paintings. She'd stopped at each of the season pavilions along the way, but even their beauty had failed to hold her interest.
Lucky arch number nine. I could use some of your luck today. A masculine and powerful number in China; nine symbolized both fortune and safety on a bridge that some said looked like a magical rainbow from a distance.
As Dominic had instructed, Scott and his men had retreated a slight distance when she'd claimed a headache, but their presence was a constant reminder of how vulnerable she really was. Did they suspect that she had heard them? If so, how far would they go to stop her from revealing their secret?
She had to tell Dominic—and soon, but she had no idea how he would respond to the news. Because I barely know him. Her stomach flipped uncomfortably at that thought.
What kind of business was he involved in? For all she knew, it was illegal and Jake was collecting evidence he could use in his own plea bargain when the Feds came for them.
Criminals didn't discuss their plans with government officials. Did they?
They do if the officials are also involved in the deal.
When one of the guards had said that Dominic would kill them—had he meant figuratively, through their careers, or actually help them go into the light kind of kill? Did she really want to find out while she was in a foreign country with no money, no passport, and no friends to help her get away if the situation turned ugly?