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I had to hand it to him. He never outright said we were engaging in illegal activities.

Everything was rumor, speculation, and innuendos.

What surprised me was how good he was at it.

The Clay I’d met and conversed with several times struck me as someone who would forget to avoid slander and libel remarks.

He’d never been circumspect when he’d speak to anyone.

He was a hothead who often spouted whatever came to mind.

“I can see why you’d want to get them closed down, but Clay, if they’re really what you say they are, are they untouchable?” Gianna asked.

“They think they are, but I’m not resting until they’re rotting in prison. Those snobbish bastards think they’re so much better than the rest of us. I’ll show them,” he muttered darkly.

“I wish you luck. It’ll be a hard road. Thank you so much for explaining it to me. I had no idea.” She turned partially away from him.

“Hey, no need to rush off. Why don’t you stay and hang with me? Later, we can grab a bite to eat and get to know each other better.” He explained smoothly as he grasped her forearm to prevent her from leaving.

She placed her hand on his shoulder. I stiffened when he grabbed her arm, but more so when she ran her hand up and down the lapel of his coat.

She smiled at him. “I’d like that, but unfortunately, I have a prior engagement, which, if I don’t hurry up and leave, I’ll be late for.

Can I take a rain check? If you give me your number, we can arrange to meet another time. ”

He almost dropped his cell phone, jerking it from his coat pocket so fast. They exchanged numbers and chatted for a few more minutes, and then she walked off. I had to see him watching her ass the whole time.

“Meet you in the suite. And you can stop grumbling under your breath, Rian,” Gianna said softly.

I hadn’t realized I was doing it. “I’m not taking my eyes off you until your sweet ass is safely in the suite. Reign and I will circle back. Stay alert, just in case.”

“I will, crazy man,” she laughed.

As she made her way back, she greeted guests, exclaimed about the beauty of the surroundings and the resort, and smiled.

Automatically, people smiled back. Her good mood seemed infectious.

By the time we made it to our floor, I couldn’t stand it any longer.

She was ahead of us. I rushed up and grasped her arm.

I whirled her around. As soon as she faced me, I latched onto her mouth and kissed her hungrily.

Reign passed us and muttered jokingly, “Can’t take you two anywhere. Why are you embarrassing me this way?”

His remark made Gianna and me laugh, which ended our kiss.

“Fucker, I should beat you for breaking that kiss,” I growled.

He kept walking but added a whistle. Wrapping an arm around my woman, we continued on our way. As soon as we were inside our suite, Gianna shed her outerwear.

“Oh God, the fire is going. I’ve got to thank Monty. It has to be his doing. I swear I’m frozen. How can people live in this for months and years? You know, I need to go back and find Clay,” she said as she hurried over to stand before the fireplace.

“Why would you do that?” I asked.

“So I can shoot his ass for making me go out there and stand in it for so long.”

“While tempting, you’re staying here. And what was up with touching him at the end? I almost came out there and punched him. It was bad enough that he got hold of your arm,” I muttered. I went to the bar to pour us a whiskey. It would help her warm up faster, or at least feel she had.

“Believe me, it wasn’t because I wanted to.

He made my skin crawl. He’s a definite narcissist with, I’m not sure what, other mental diagnoses.

But one thing is for sure: he detests your family.

His animosity seems to be too much for being fired.

Was there something else that went on while he worked here that you didn’t tell me about? ”

I took my time thinking over what she asked.

I brought two tumblers with me. I’d indicated when pouring to Reign, but he shook his head no.

I figured as much. He was officially on duty.

I handed one to her. Gianna took it and followed me to the couch.

After we sat, she snuggled close to me. I had no objections.

“I can’t think of anything that occurred to make him more antagonistic. I’ll ask Monty if he knows of something I don’t. Why did you touch him if he made your skin crawl? Please tell me you didn’t give him your real phone number.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, I didn’t give him my real one.

If I see him again and he mentions not getting through, I’ll lie and say I must’ve entered it wrong.

However, I have an ‘in’ if we need it. And the reason I touched the turd was simple.

I planted a small listening device on the underside of his coat collar.

Now, we’ll hear everything he says whenever he’s within ten feet of his coat.

” She smirked, then took a drink of her whiskey.

“Damn, where did you get a bug?” Reign asked.

Her eyes twinkled as she answered. “You should really pat people down before they get on that private plane. You never know what they might bring with them.”

All three of us laughed. When we were done, I asked. “How are we to listen to him?”

“It feeds into a program that I can access via my tablet. It’s stored in the cloud, which means it’s backed up and can be accessed or listened to whenever needed. We’re leaving tomorrow, so I had to find a way to hopefully get information while we’re back in Florida.”

“I love the idea, but what if he caught you? He could’ve hurt you. The Clay I know is nothing like the man you met. He’s quick-tempered and prone to violence. I have no doubt he doesn’t care if you’re a woman,” I told her.

“And I was prepared if he did, but Rian, I’ve been taught by the best how to pick a pocket. It comes in handy when planting a bug on someone, too. Papà told us if we ever did it for nefarious reasons, he’d beat us raw.”

“Dare I ask who taught you how to do that?” Reign asked.

“There was this older couple we lived next to for years who were Romani, what many people refer to as gypsies, though they preferred not to be called that. Anyway, they had a colorful upbringing, and they were taught how to pick pockets. Have you ever seen movies where they show Romani learning to do it, and they have to be able to get whatever they’re after without ringing bells attached to the clothing used on their subject? ”

I shook my head no, but Reign nodded his.

She continued. “Dragos and Penella, at Papà’s invitation, taught us how to do it.

It was clear it would be used only in certain situations, and we’d be told what those were.

They cover a mannequin in various pieces of clothing, and then you must slip your hand in and retrieve a wallet without ringing any of the bells.

If you do, it means your target will likely feel your movements, and you’ll be caught,” she explained.

“Alright, I’m not saying I need it for a life of crime, but I can see, as in today’s situation, where it would come in handy. You’ve got to teach me how to do it,” Reign entreated.

“It might not be bad to teach others, including the Hounds. After we get home, I’ll see what Alistair thinks,” I mused.

“I’ll be happy to teach anyone who wants to learn,” she offered.

“Good. Now, I have a suggestion that has nothing to do with Clay. Since we’re leaving tomorrow and all we’ve done since arriving is stay holed up inside and work, I want to take you to the slopes. Do you, by any chance, ski?”

“No, I don’t ski, and if you put me on them, I’ll break my neck. I assume you do,” Gianna said.

“I do well enough.”

“Oh, don’t listen to him, Gianna. He does better than alright. He could’ve been a professional skier if he wanted. His parents claim he got on skis at four years old and was off the bunny slopes almost immediately,” Reign told her.

She gave me an accusatory glare. “And that’s ‘alright?’ We have vastly different definitions of what alright means, Rian.”

“I was raised not to brag, unlike him,” I gestured to Reign, who only smirked. “We’re not going to ski. I just want to take you up and let you see how breathtaking it is from up on the mountain.”

“As long as I get a warm fire, a hot bath, and hot chocolate afterward, and my feet don’t touch a pair of skis, then I’ll go,” was her response.

We waited for half an hour before leaving. This delay allowed Reign to ensure that everything was ready for us. I wanted her to enjoy Aspen enough to be willing to come back with me, and not only in the summer.