Bouncing Betty by Liliana Hart (english reading book .TXT) 📕

finishing touch.” She held up a gold tube and then opened it, twisting the bottom so red lipstick appeared. “You can use it. It matches the lipstick you’re wearing now.”

Esther put the lid back on and then turned the tube over. She pressed it with her thumb and the bottom cap came off, revealing a small set of silver lock picks. “You never know when you’ll need to pick a lock.”

“And a great color,” I said, placing the lipstick in my handbag along with my knife. I took my heart-shaped locket from on top of my pile of clothes and fastened it around my neck. It was a small silver heart and the chain was short and thin, so it rested at the hollow of my throat. It wasn’t as fancy as other jewelry I could’ve worn to accentuate the dress, but it was dainty and feminine and didn’t detract from it either. Besides, I never left home without it.

“You have everything you need,” Esther said. “But never forget the best tool you have is right here.” She touched her finger to my temple. “All you have to do is get through the night. Tomorrow will be a whole new world.”

I nodded and looked at myself again in the mirror, straightening my shoulders. “Dressing to kill is going to have a whole new meaning after this experience.”

Chapter 7

The driver appeared in front of the Smithers’ home at exactly nine o’clock, and I waited patiently as the driver came to collect me. A white fur stole completed my attire, and I clasped my lethal handbag and followed the driver to the car.

The drive didn’t take as long as I’d have liked it to, but it was well past curfew and the normally busy streets of Marseille were empty. There was a light summer breeze from the gulf and the smell of the sea ushered me to the front door of what had once been the Schwartz residence.

I tried not to think of Graham and how it had only been a few short days since I’d hit him with my car at this very spot. The driver escorted me up the walk and up the stairs, and the door opened before I could get there.

It was the first time I’d seen Wagner out of uniform, and I had to admit it would be easier to do my job without staring at the repulsive insignia on his arm. He wore a traditional tuxedo, and his hair was combed back from his face and his mustache trimmed.

“My God,” he said, his mouth dropping open slightly. “I’m not sure this world is meant to hold beauty like yours.”

I beamed at him and moved away from the driver, navigating the stairs myself so I could meet Wagner halfway. “Oh, don’t you look handsome.” I placed my hands on his chest in an intimate gesture and let him kiss me softly.

“Thank you, driver,” he said. “That will be all.”

The driver clicked his heels together sharply and saluted, “Heil Hitler,” he said, and Wagner repeated the gesture.

I kept the smile on my face even as my skin crawled, and Wagner led me into the house and closed the doors behind us. As he’d said, there were two guards in the front entryway of the home, both at attention, neither of them looking in my direction. It was as if I weren’t there at all.

“Absolute discretion,” he assured me, putting his hand to the small of my back and leading me toward the stairs.

I knew those two officers would be dead come morning, and I tried not to think about Graham, Auguste, and John Armstrong breaking into the house without being detected.

“Don’t they get tired of standing?” I whispered innocently. “It must be terribly hard to be an officer.”

Wagner chuckled condescendingly. “They don’t always stand still,” he said. “They walk the property and check the entrances to make sure no one is around who shouldn’t be. It’s a very important job.”

“I can imagine,” I said. “You must trust them very much if they’re your personal guards.”

He nodded and followed closely behind me on the stairs, trailing his fingers along the bare part of my back.

“Considering my recent staffing problems,” he said. “I took the liberty of procuring the services of Jacque Allard. I brought him in from Paris this morning after you agreed to be my guest. He set everything up beautifully so we can serve ourselves. We’ll have no prying eyes and ears tonight. It’s just you and me.”

“I’d like that very much,” I said, ducking my head slightly so he could see my nerves.

When we reached the second-floor landing the space opened up just as Graham had said. I was surprised to see how homey the room was. Wagner had used his time in Marseille to move in more than a few of his personal things. The walls had been freshly painted and rugs put on the floors. The furniture was heavily ornate and dark.

Bookcases filled with books lined the walls, and my eyes were immediately drawn to the large table and the maps that sat upon it. Small figurines and pins dotted the maps, but I let my gaze move over them to the rest of the space. There was a desk and a pair of swords crossed and attached to the wall behind it.

“I’m afraid I spend too much time in my office,” he said. “I’ll confess, I’ve even fallen asleep at my desk a time or two.”

I looked at him coyly from beneath my lashes. “Well, maybe I can keep you from working tonight.”

“A man needs to take a night off every now and again.”

My smile spread and I looked at him boldly. “I said I’d keep you from working. But I’m also going to keep you from sleeping.”

He inhaled sharply through his nose and I turned away from him and headed toward the smell of food. It was my turn to gasp. There were candles everywhere. And in the middle of