Chapter 16Serena waited at the window, beyond it a wall of jungle that threatened to encroach upon the small clearing behind the hotel. In between boabs and palms, glimpses of surf peeked through the foliage.
The Emperor's guards had just left, having inspected the room and its lone occupant with the meticulousness of crime-scene investigators.
Hotel servants set out the buffet behind her, then departed.
Serena felt rather than heard Papa Zambrano behind her.
“Child …”
She turned into his arms, and he covered her with kisses, weeping without reservation and apologizing profusely. A tear slipped down her cheek, and finally he pulled back, held her face between his hands, and beamed at her.
“You have become much more than I could ever have hoped, Serena,” he said breathlessly. “The per
