Page 53 of His Wall

He was standing in the middle of the room like he had been invited.

Conrad Weiss.

My hands dropped from her.

The blood went out of my face. I felt it go.

She saw my face change. Her hand came off my hair and onto my chest and she said, "Julian. What's wrong?"

"Stay here."

"Julian — "

"Stay here. Please."

I crossed to the door. I pushed it open. I stepped back into the warm bright room.

Declan had already seen him.

He was 20 ft. from Conrad with his jaw a hard line and a champagne flute he had already set down on the nearest tray. Nolan was at his shoulder. The two of them looked at me as I crossed, and we converged on each other at the back of the bar without a word.

"How did he get in?" Declan said.

"Doesn't matter," Nolan said. "Get him out."

"I've got it. I'll walk him out," I said.

Declan looked at me.

"I've got it."

Declan signaled the head of security at the door with two fingers. The man nodded once and stayed where he was.

I walked across the room to Conrad.

He turned to face me as I came up. The grin he had worn for sixty years. The cut of the suit. The pale blue eyes, completely steady.

"Julian."

"Walk with me, Conrad."

"Of course."

He set his glass down on the nearest table. He gestured toward the doors. "After you."

But I let him go first.

The walk through the ballroom was the slowest crossing of my life. Past the table where Soleil was wiping cake off Lena's chin. Soleil saw us and her hand paused. A look of concern crossed her face. Past the bar where the bartender's eyes flicked to Conrad and back to the glass he was polishing. Past the open doors out into the elevator lobby where the hush of the music finally cut.

The lobby was empty. The brass elevator panel. The marble floor. The long mirror at the end of the lobby that gave back our two reflections.

Conrad stopped two steps from the elevator.

He turned to face me.

"She's lovely, Julian. The assistant."

I did not answer.