Gregori dashed toward his office and ran into Roman, Abigail, and Charles in the hallway.
Roman turned toward her. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Tucker. If there’s anything I can do for you, just let me know. And if you ever need a lab, you’re welcome to use one of ours.”
“That’s very kind of you. Thank you.” She smiled. “I’m going to recommend to my father that he befriend you and your people.”
“Excellent.” Roman shook her hand. “And we will do everything in our power to make your trip to China successful.”
“I was with Angus just now, making plans for the trip,” Gregori said.
“I’ll leave you to discuss it. I need to see how my wife and children are doing. Good evening.” Roman inclined his head, then teleported away.
“Wow,” Abigail breathed. She turned to Gregori. “That’s how I’ll get into China?”
“Yes. But before you go, we’ll have everything planned out. It would help if we knew exactly what you’re looking for.”
“Three rare plants that are endemic to the Yunnan province. They’re used in some ancient Chinese remedies, and from my research, I believe they might be helpful in boosting my mother’s immune system. I tried to get hold of some samples legally, but the government wouldn’t allow it. I have the information on the plants at work, including the mostly likely areas for locating them.”
“Good.” Gregori nodded. “That would help a lot. For now, we’re busy selecting the right team, those who have experience in covert missions and know the native language.”
She frowned. “But you’re going, aren’t you?”
“I would like to, but I don’t have any experience—”
“You have to go.” She grabbed his arm. “I don’t know the others.”
“You’ll get to know them.”
“Not like you. I—I need you there. I trust you.”
Trust. He didn’t deserve her trust, not after wiping her memory.
Her grip tightened on his arm. “Please. I’ll feel safer with you.”
“I’ll tell Angus you want me to go.” Did this mean she really liked him? He glanced over at Charles, who was glaring at him. “Before we take off across the world, we need to test how well you can handle teleportation.”
Her eyes widened. “What happens if I can’t handle it?”
“You . . . might get nauseated.” He pointed out the window. “See the gazebo? I’ll teleport you there, so we can see if you can stomach it.”
She touched her tummy and winced. “On a full stomach. Great.”
“I don’t like it.” Charles stepped toward them. “I have to be able to monitor her at all times.”
“You’ll be able to see her through the window,” Gregori assured him.
“Charles,” Abigail said, “we have to know if I can do this.”
“All right.” Charles frowned at Gregori. “I’ll be watching.”
He extended a hand to Abigail. “I have to hold on to you.”
“Okay.” She placed her hand in his.
“Like this.” He pulled her into his arms, and she stiffened with surprise. He heard her heart rate speed up.
Charles’s eyes narrowed.
“And I need you to hold on to me,” Gregori continued. “You don’t want to get lost on the way.”
“No, that would be bad.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
He gazed into her pretty hazel eyes. “Ready?”
She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut.
Everything went black for a second, then they landed by the gazebo. The grass was damp from a recent rain. The air was thick with humidity and the scent of climbing roses.
“You can open your eyes now,” he whispered.
She did, and her eyes widened as she looked around. “Oh my gosh, we actually did it. I hardly felt a thing.”
He waved at the window in the distance where Charles was watching. “Let him know you’re okay.”
“Right.” She waved at the Secret Service agent. “I’m not nauseated at all. Isn’t that great?”
“I . . . sorta lied about that. Mortals usually teleport just fine.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Why would you lie?”
“Because I wanted to get away from all the cameras.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the gazebo. “And away from Charles.”
“He’ll just come after us.”
“He’ll have trouble finding an unlocked door so he can get out here.”
She winced. “This is going to make him angry.”
“It’ll be worth it.” Gregori released her and stepped back. “Finally. We’re alone.”