Page 53 of Before and After

She headed inside. I had no visuals inside the guestrooms. I tapped my fingers on the table. I didn’t like having her out of my sight.

“I’m pretending to put towels out, but I already cleaned the room earlier. Did I mention these guys are pigs?”

I imagined her moving around. A second later, I saw her as she dumped some towels in the cart and hurried back into the room.

“Planting the bug now.”

My muscles tensed. I waited in silence.

Minutes ticked by.

“Allie?”

“Dammit, it’s not sticking.”

“Is the back cover completely off?”

“Yes. God, trust me to get a dud bug. Hang on.”

I tapped the table some more. Then I saw a text message pop up on my phone. I almost ignored it. It could wait until Allie was out of the room. But then I saw it was from Sierra.

One of the ESG took a tumble. They’re heading back to the hotel.

“Fuck. Allie, abort. The guys are on their way back.”

“What?” She cursed. “No, I can get this in place.”

I slapped my hands on the table. “Allie!”

“I’m planting this damn thing.” There was more cursing.

With a curse of my own, I grabbed a new bug off the table and sprinted out of the office. “I’m coming.”

At the end of the corridor, I walked swiftly through the lobby toward the stairs. Just as I got to the stairwell, I saw the ESG enter the lobby, one of them limping. The blond asshole Blake had an arm around him, helping him.

I shouldered through the door into the stairwell. I took the stairs two at a time, moving fast. A moment later, I sprinteddown the hall and used my security key card to open the empty room beside the ESG’s rooms, then pushed Allie’s cart inside.

When I reached the ESG’s room, I touched my own earpiece. “I’m coming in, Allie.”

I unlocked the door and eased it closed behind me.

She stood near the desk, holding up the bug. “It’s not sticking. I thought about hiding it somewhere else.”

“I’ve got another one.” I took the base off. “We’ve got to be quick. I saw them in the lobby.”

She paled. “Oh, God.”

“Here.” I handed her the bug.

She crouched and slid under the desk, then she pressed the bug to the underside of the wood.

Then she straightened. “Done.”

I grabbed her arm and hurried toward the door.

Voices in the hall.

Hell. “They’re coming.”