Reaching the ballroom, a crowd had already assembled. Tables of appetizers and several bars were spread among displays of antiques. Crystal chandeliers gave off low light. Easels showcased pricey paintings and more hung on the walls, some with their own spotlight.
Savanna was taken in. While Korbin searched the throng, she stopped at a display of beaded jewelry that had once belonged to an Indian woman. There was a story about her printed on a plaque. She moved on to some paintings, studying each one. A floral painting caught her eye, an abstract with varying splashes of soft yellow, orange and green. It would stand out in the right room but not overwhelm.
Korbin leaned closer to her ear in the din of voices and classical music. “There’s Demarco.”
Three men stood near the opposite wall, a five-by-eight painting looming above, the outer edges of spotlights highlighting a bald spot on one and the fine show of gray on another. The one in the middle was the youngest, with thick brown hair and the look of a bulldog, except he had a really long nose. The one to his left was taller and thinner, more of a Great Dane.
“Demarco is the older one,” Korbin said.
The near-forty, slightly graying man. He was fit, trim and about the same height as the Great Dane. She immediately picked up that the two he spoke with didn’t belong here. She couldn’t say why. Demarco looked every bit his part as host and tomorrow’s auctioneer of this collection of rare pieces. The other two wore no ties and held themselves like construction workers. Legs apart. Paws around the top of champagne glasses.
Friends of Damen’s?
Demarco leaned in, speaking almost harshly, and then shooting furtive looks as though occasionally remembering where he was. An elderly couple passed and Demarco put on his auctioneer face to greet them. The two men he’d been talking to moved away, going to stand at a tall cocktail table and observe the crowd.
The elderly couple moved on and Demarco turned to some new guests.
“Let’s go say hello.”
Savanna meandered through the crowd and waited for Demarco to notice them. His smile vanished.
“Excuse me,” he said to the pair of women he’d been talking to.
The women glanced toward her and Korbin, and then took their flutes of champagne and went to a nearby statue.
“You’re awfully bold coming here,” Demarco said. “Hotel security might recognize you.”
“Your wife said you’d be here tonight,” Korbin said. “I hope you don’t mind our impromptu visit.”
“It’s a public event.”
“How’s Damen?” Korbin asked.
With a smirk, Demarco said, “He was released from the hospital this morning. Not very happy with you, I’d imagine.”
“He’s got no reason to be.”
Savanna looked around. If he’d been released, he was probably back in Denver by now.
“You must be Savanna Ivy.” Demarco offered his hand. She put hers in it and he bent to give her a top kiss. “I’ve heard all about you, especially lately.”
“Not uncommon, I’m afraid.”
“You don’t look like you’ve been kidnapped.” He gave her a complimentary once-over, not at all insulting, and then sent a mischievous glance to Korbin. There was a playful side to this one, even though a lot of danger surrounded the reason she and Korbin were there. “Well taken care of. Like a rare gem.”