Fury's Goddess

And then she got out and followed Pradesh into the building.

Chapter 4

They took an elevator with padded leather walls up to the penthouse office suite where the doors glided back to reveal an incredible party already well under way. “And here I thought we’d be early,” Annja said quietly. To her relief, the attire at the party seemed predominantly Western.

And she wasn’t the only one wearing a slinky black dress and heels.

But the once-overs and glares started almost immediately. Annja rolled her eyes. All she wanted to do was get out to the development and see the crime scenes.

Now she had to play nice. Or at least she had to convince the gold diggers that she wasn’t here to hook Dunraj.

Frank, at her side, whispered, “You can almost smell the money in this room. It’s tangible, for crying out loud.”

Pradesh seemed remarkably at ease with the environment. He might not have come from money, but he wasn’t out of his depth here, either.

A waiter came by carrying a silver tray with glasses of champagne. Pradesh helped himself to two and gave one to Annja.

Annja sipped the bubbly. It must have cost roughly a thousand dollars a bottle, judging by its flavor. Frank grabbed one for himself, and Annja was relieved when he didn’t knock the tray over.

A DJ was set up in one corner of the cavernous reception area. A few lights were flashing in time to the lounge music. But the volume wasn’t so high that Annja had to raise her voice to be heard. A few guests closer to the DJ swayed back and forth to the beat.

Others were helping themselves to small plates of appetizers set out on a grand wooden conference table. There was food from a number of cultures. Fresh sashimi, Indian specialties, a carving station and much more. Without a doubt, this party had cost a fortune.

Then Annja spotted him. She’d had no idea what Dunraj looked like before they’d arrived, but as soon as she laid eyes on the man, working the room as effortlessly as a politician, she knew it had to be him.

Dunraj looked to be about forty-eight years old. His hair was a little long, swept back in frosted waves off his face. His tanned skin was smooth, and judging by the cut of his tuxedo, he must work out quite a bit. But he wasn’t flexing his guns to impress anyone. His understated manner said enough.

She glanced over at Frank. There was no way the kid measured up. He looked as if he’d been wrestled into a straitjacket and then sent out to dance in public.

Painful for him and painful to have to watch.

Dunraj seemed to be working his way across the room. With each person he met, he would either shake their hand or give them a peck on the cheek. Annja could sense the waves of charisma rolling off him.

No wonder the women here are going bonkers, she thought. He’s an incredible specimen.

Pradesh was at her ear. “He’s coming to see you. Try not to gawk.”

Annja shot him a look. “I don’t gawk. Ever.”

But Pradesh only smiled. “That’s what they all say, Annja. You haven’t yet met the man. I’d reserve judgment.”

Annja sipped her champagne and watched Dunraj continue his arc toward where they stood. If he was trying to get to Annja, she would never have guessed it. Dunraj took his time. He never appeared hurried or impatient. It was as if he knew the world would only be too happy to wait for him.

But eventually, he seemed to materialize out of the crowd directly in front of her. His smile was the first thing she noticed. It gleamed. Annja blinked and she would have sworn that time slowed down. Like in the movies.

She blinked again. Get a grip. You don’t go faint at the sight of men, not even one as obviously evolutionarily superior as this.

“You must be Annja.”

Annja allowed him to sweep her hand up and then she felt his lips barely brush the back of her hand. His eyes bore into hers. The effect was potent and Annja had to take a quick breath before she could respond.

“I am,” Annja said, surprised at how husky her voice sounded. “You must be Dunraj.”

“I hope you’ll forgive me for throwing this welcome party for you and your colleague here.” He turned and shook hands with Frank. “You must be Frank. Very glad to meet you.”

“Hi.” Frank pumped Dunraj’s hand a little too hard. But at least he didn’t say anything embarrassing.

Not yet.

Dunraj refocused on Annja. “I understand you’ve come to our wonderful city to investigate the horrible deaths that we seem to be plagued with.”

“I’m not investigating it yet. I’m here at this party. But yes, that’s the purpose of our visit.”

“No time for pleasure, then?”

“How do you mean?”

“We have some incredible tourist attractions here. Gardens created by kings. Fabulous restaurants. Are you sure your trip doesn’t allow you to see those first? Perhaps put this unfortunate business aside while you acclimate. I’m told I’m an excellent tour guide.”

“I don’t doubt that for a moment.” Annja smiled. “And I have no doubt Hyderabad is a wonderful place. I’ve been impressed so far with what we’ve seen. And the police are obviously very efficient.”

Dunraj turned to Pradesh. “The police are fantastic here. And Pradesh is perhaps the finest of them all.”

Pradesh bowed briefly. “You are too kind, sir.” But while that might have sounded humble, Annja noticed that Pradesh didn’t bow too low. She liked that.

“Nonsense. You’ve always proven to be an excellent civil servant. Your adherence to duty and honor is something to be greatly admired.”

The compliments and praise seemed to come as easily to Dunraj as breathing. Annja wondered how much of his day was spent serving up platitudes.

Not that there was anything necessarily wrong with that. Dunraj obviously needed the gift of gab to accomplish his mission. And the praise didn’t seem insincere.

“Are you comfortable at the hotel?”

“The hotel? It’s fine. Nothing wrong with it that I could see.”

Dunraj put one hand on her shoulder. It was just a touch. A warm one. “You know, we have much nicer hotels elsewhere in the city. I could make some phone calls if the hotel isn’t quite to your liking. Get you and your traveling companion here into a nice suite, perhaps? It’s no trouble whatsoever.”

“The hotel is fine,” she repeated firmly. “I’ve been sleeping on the floors of forests and jungles for years. I’m used to far less comfort when I travel.”

Dunraj nodded. “I’m sure you must be. What a fascinating job you have. I’ve seen all of your shows many times over, and you’ve always impressed me with your candor and knowledge of subjects that most of us simply know nothing about. You’re able to convey the educational background of your assignments without talking down to your audience. You have a talent, Annja, you really do.”

I’m not the only talented one in the room, she thought. But she merely smiled. “Thank you very much for saying so.” She sipped her champagne. “Which episode was your favorite?”

“Pardon?”

Gotcha. “I asked which episode you liked best.”

Dunraj smiled, never breaking eye contact. “The one where you were in Scotland chasing down reports of the Loch Ness monster. I really need to visit there in the autumn and experience the pleasure of drinking a beer in a pub with the peat smoke and so forth, like you did in that final segment. You were able to show that Scotland has a charm all its own, even without the Loch Ness monster.”