Rafael Summers was standing in the adjacent corridor. Hidden from the main hall. Hidden from Gilbert and Julian's sightline.
He was leaning against the wall, one shoulder pressed to the wallpaper. His suit was custom-fitted, dark gray, no tie, a white shirt open at the collar. He had a lit cigarette between his fingers, smoke curling toward the ceiling.
He looked at her with a small smile.
She hadn't seen him up close in years. He was taller than she remembered. Broader. His hair was darker, his jaw sharper. His eyes were the same. Watchful, patient, unhurried.
She noted where he was standing. The corridor branched here, one passage back to the main hall, one to the service entrance. From where he'd positioned himself, he had a clear view of the door she'd come through. No one inside the main hall had a view of him. He hadn't stumbled across her.
Arianne stopped. "Rafael."
"Arianne." He said her name like he was testing it. "It's been a while."
She said nothing.
