Page 59

But I do think a lot of it.
As he sits in silence, I fix myself a drink. When I return, he’s still there, staring at the same spot on the floral wallpaper.
Time to get something on the table. “Did you… do you have an interest in Simona?”
His expression is unreadable when his cold, slate eyes drop to mine. The silence is brittle as ice.
I won’t blink. “Seems like it would be better if we knew where you and I stand on this. Not that I plan on giving her up. You’ll have a fight on your hands.”
He runs a finger along the inside the collar of his t-shirt. “Sprite—she’s a badass. What man like me wouldn’t be attracted to that? Of course I think she’s hot. But I’m damaged goods. The kind no woman wants to deal with.”
I slosh my drink around and watch the gold liquid come dangerously close to the edge. “I feel ya, brother. That’s why it surprises the hell out of me that she’s down with… whatever this is.”
“You’re good for each other.”
Tossing back the whiskey, I contemplate that. “Let’s hope so, I’m just thankful she’s in one piece.”
“I second that. Now, how are we going to keep her that way?”
I scrub my hands over my face. “First things first, we need to figure out who put the reward out for her.”
“Dickhead’s digging around to find out about the other two people with bounties. I say we grab one of them and use them as bait.” Andre pushes his empty glass across the coffee table and rises. He stretches, yawns like a big bear.
I’m nodding as a big ass grin spreads on my face. “I like the way you think, you big, bad mother fucker.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
It’s chaos in the sitting room when I walk out. I heard noises, but I had NO idea this is what was happening. Oh jeepers.
The room is filled with… all of the Agile Security and Rescue Team. Cole, Sierra, Roark, Mako, Andre, and Scotch.
In the center of the hive is a coffee table covered with French breakfast food in every conceivable form.
Looks like a party that I didn’t get invited to. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Eating. Talking. Waiting for the princess to wake up,” replies Cole with a big sarcastic grin on his face as he walks by.
Scotch’s eyes follow me as I cross the room. I bump him with my shoulder when I pass. “Hey, you.”
His expression softens but still feels distant as he lays his muscular arm around my shoulders.
“What are all of these crazies doing here?”
“Besides eating everything in sight?”
I grin. “Well, that’s par for the course.”
“They came to help.”
Even though I knew that's why they were here, I’m still dumbfounded. “But this isn’t a paying case.”
Marshall steps into the room from Andre’s half of the suite. He’s hanging up a phone call as he walks in. An expression of relief softens his hard eyes. “Simona. Damn, woman, it’s good to see you. I was beginning to wonder if the doctor there was lying about you being in that bedroom. You slept half the day away.”
I cut my eyes to Scotch. “Someone didn’t wake me up. When did you get here?”
“Landed just a couple of hours ago. Came as soon as we could.”
“You shouldn’t—”