by Lexi Blake
“We’re not here in a strictly professional capacity. We’re just looking out for US interests. That’s kind of my job.”
“Is it?”
He looked left and then right and leaned in closer. “I watch out for my country, if you know what I mean.”
She heard Ten snort. “I do believe he’s going to try to convince you to sleep with him because he’s a spy.”
“Well, you know that’s the only reason I joined up,” Hutch replied. “I was promised an enormous amount of tail.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the ballroom door opening and a group of men in traditional Arab robes and keffiyehs covering their heads entering the room. She turned to get a good look at the new guys. “I thought you were an assistant to Senator McDonald.”
“That’s just my cover. I really work a much more important job. Ah, the Saudis are here. I’ll have to set up a meeting. The al Fareeds are old friends.”
“Really?” That was interesting. They were represented by Ibrahim and Hani. From the reports she’d compiled, she knew they were brothers, both in their forties, and they had taken over many of their family’s business operations recently. Like many wealthy Saudi sons, they’d been educated in the west. They’d both attended Oxford. Ibrahim had graduated with a master’s in world politics. Hani had a degree in business administration. The brothers had been back in Saudi for the better part of two decades and seemed uninterested in anything but business. On the surface, they were perfect family men who eschewed all the decadence their wealth could afford them.
“Yes, good men. Reasonable men, unlike your boss. I think you should really think about changing jobs.” He winked at her. “I can talk to the senator about finding you a place that will really offer you job growth. I think you’ll find Loa Mali is a dead end. Trust me. I know things other people don’t know.”
She didn’t like how certain he seemed. “I’m always on the lookout for a better opportunity. Any smart girl is. Perhaps you could introduce me to your friends.”
She didn’t want Jesse anywhere near the man who tortured him.
And killed her husband. She might be standing in the same room as the man who killed her husband and the only thing she could think about was protecting Jesse from him. She should be ready for vengeance, but all she could think about was what she could lose.
Didn’t Jamie deserve more?
He frowned. “Oh, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. You know how your boss loves women and surrounds himself with them at all times? The al Fareed brothers are pretty much the opposite. They have wives, but they don’t speak, if you know what I mean. They stay in the home and those men don’t party.”
“But they’re friends with the senator?”
“More like business associates.”
“The senator is actually in the business? I thought he was on some committee.”
“He is, but hey, there’s always money to be made. Everyone knows that.” His fingers ran up her arm. “Let’s head back to my room and we’ll talk about it some more.”
“Let’s let Murdoch go insane on his ass,” Hutch chuckled in her ear. “It’s been a while since I saw some blood sport.”
“Phoebe, you are not to leave that damn room. Am I understood?” Ten’s voice held no humor.
Like she would docilely walk away with her would-be rapist. Not likely. Still, she would love to put a bug in his room. She wanted to know what kind of money the senator thought he was going to make while here. No. She would just have to make sure the poor man couldn’t possibly perform. “How about one more drink? I’ll get it this time. I think I want something stronger than champagne.”
He glanced back down at her breasts and she knew she had him. “Of course, gorgeous. A whiskey on the rocks for me.”
She winked his way and started toward the open bar. “I know what I’m doing, Ten.”
She heard him curse but then came a grudging, “Do you have everything you need? Erin? Can you back her up?”
“Already there.” Erin strode up to the bar. She looked more sophisticated than normal. Erin was a boots and jeans kind of girl, but Phoebe could admit that she cleaned up quite nicely. She wore a green gown that was fairly modest, but there was no way to truly cover Erin’s curves. The emerald color complemented her skin. “I’ve got everything we need to have a fun time.”
Phoebe ordered the drinks and almost didn’t see the moment Erin tipped her hand over the whiskey glass and poured the roofie in. “Want to have a threesome?”
Erin grinned. “Oh, and I thought I was going to get through this entire conference without a single ménage à trois with a douchebag I would rather punch in the face than look at. Thanks, friend.”
They picked up the drinks and started to make their way back.
“Phoebe, you get in, you plant a bug and you get out,” Ten’s voice commanded. “Right now Jesse’s working with Simon on something, but the minute he gets back he’s going to look for you. I swear to god this is the last time I take a couple with me on assignment, especially where the male is a possessive caveman. Make it quick.”
Albertson turned and his eyes went wide. “Hey, who’s your friend?”
Erin’s lips curled up in a surprisingly seductive grin. Apparently there was a reason Tag had hired her that had nothing to do with her ability to kick ass. “Phoebe and I both work for Kash, but he’s busy.” She looked back to where Kamdar was holding court. “He’s got enough female attention, don’t you think?”
He licked his lips right before downing the entire glass of whiskey. “I think he’s got more than enough. Come on, girls. Let’s go party like real Americans.”
She caught Theo watching them as they began to walk out of the ballroom. He was practically staring a hole through Erin, but he held his ground. His face flushed slightly, and she wondered what her brother was saying into Theo’s ear. Poor Ten. He was used to his band of merry men who had each other’s backs, and the biggest drama they had was where to buy beer. There was a reason he never worked with couples. No matter how professional, they couldn’t stay cool and collected when the one they loved was in danger. Theo and Erin weren’t a couple, but it was obvious Theo was interested and not in sharing her with some politician.
“I’ve got some good Scotch in my room. Nothing but the best,” Albertson said, starting to slur his words.
“What floor are you on?” Phoebe asked as they walked into the elevator. She needed to get him as close to his room as possible before he couldn’t walk on his own anymore. Even in the hotel, there could be issues with anything considered lewd behavior, including men and women touching in the halls.
“Five. Jeez, you’ve got nice tits, babe.” He stumbled into the elevator and hit the button. Luckily, they were alone. He threw an arm around Phoebe’s shoulders and another around Erin’s. “You two are hot. Are you going to kiss?”
Erin nodded. “I’m so much more likely to kiss her than you.”
He just sighed. “Show me your tits.”
Oh, he was a charmer. “As soon as we make it to your room. I need to relax a little. You can help me with that, right?”
His eyes were starting to close. “Yeah. I can help. You just stick with a winner. I’m a winner.”
His head fell forward and Phoebe groaned under his weight. For a slender dude, he was solid.
“I’m going to need a room number,” Erin said quietly, keeping her head down. “What’s his name?”
“Albertson. He’s going to be listed with the senator’s party,” Phoebe said, doing the same. There were cameras in the elevators.
“Chill, sweetheart,” Hutch said, his voice smooth over the comm. “I believe you will find that the cameras in this elevator and on the fifth floor are going to have a little trouble. You have five minutes and then I can’t stop them from coming back on. You get in and out fast, you understand, Thelma and Louise?”
Ten took over. “He’s in 5105. It’s four doors down from the eleva
tor you’re in. Take a left and move it. I don’t want anyone to remember you tomorrow. That roofie should erase the last thirty minutes or so. If anyone remembers you walking out with him, you were helping him to his room.”
“Understood.” The doors opened and she and Erin started down the hall.
“I think by calling us Thelma and Louise, Hutch was giving me permission to shoot this guy in the balls.”
Erin was way too eager to shoot dudes in the balls. It seemed to be a viable pastime for her. “I think he was trying to tell us to not go over the Grand Canyon in a Thunderbird. Damn he’s heavy. Can you get the key card?”
“I knew you’d make me do the nasty stuff.” They made it to the room Ten had told them to go to. The halls were quiet and they weren’t going to have a better shot at getting through this than now. Erin reached into the completely deadweight asshole’s pants pocket and came back with the key card. She swiped the card and they stumbled through, Phoebe turning and locking the door behind him.
Erin let Albertson drop right to the floor.
Phoebe sighed. “We have to get him to the bed.”
“Why?” Erin was already moving through the room, checking the closets and the bathroom. “He looks so peaceful there.”
She stepped over Albertson’s body and prayed Erin hadn’t actually killed him. She wouldn’t put it past Erin to overdose the bastard. She reached into her small bag and pulled out two tiny bugs. “You see anything?”
Erin stepped out of the bathroom, holding a brown pill jar. “He takes the little blue pill. So much for our big stud.”
“That doesn’t matter.” And it wasn’t totally surprising. She moved into the living area of the suite. It looked like Albertson was bunking by himself, which likely meant he really was high up in the senator’s organization. She glanced around, looking for the best place to plant the bugs. There was a small sitting area and a desk with a laptop. “Check and see if that’s password protected.”
She slipped the tiny listening device under the coffee table, placing the sticky piece to the inside. It would capture any conversations that occurred in this part of the suite.
“Sorry,” Erin said, closing the laptop again. “It’s locked up tight. I’m sure Hutch could break it, but I’m not exactly Suzy Hacker. I could smash it if you like. It’s fun to break things.”
Phoebe shook her head as she walked through to the bedroom. She flicked on the light and strode across to the bed. She ran a hand inside the headboard, looking for the best place to situate the device. “You planning on breaking Theo?”
She couldn’t help it. She knew she shouldn’t pick on the redhead, but it was so easy to do.
Erin showed up in the doorway and entered the bedroom, going straight for Albertson’s briefcase that was placed on the bedroom desk. She rifled through it. “I will if he gives me more trouble.”
Phoebe placed the bug and held it to make sure it stuck. “He’s not a bad-looking kid.”
That was an understatement. He was a young Ian Taggart, so Theo looked a little like a Viking god.
“Kid is the vital word in that sentence.” Erin sifted through a stack of papers. “He’s twenty-nothing for god’s sake.”
“He just turned twenty-three. You’re not that much older.” She glanced around the space. They had roughly two and a half minutes before they needed to be gone.
“I’m thirty-four, and I’ve seen more in my lifetime than that little boy has ever imagined. He’s got mommy issues. I don’t need a kid.” There was something hollow about the way she said it, but then she shook her head. “Now, that pretty king on the other hand is definitely on the table.”
Phoebe hoped Ten enjoyed listening to Dale Albertson and the inevitable bevy of hookers he brought to the suite. She checked one last time to make sure it was secure. “Really? He doesn’t make you think of a walking venereal disease? Don’t get me wrong. He’s hot, but he also travels with a harem.”
Erin didn’t seem fazed. “I’m just trying to scratch an itch. I shove a condom on his probably lovely penis and we’re good to go. He looks like a man who knows what he’s doing and he doesn’t look sticky, if you know what I mean.”
“I don’t.” She groaned a little when she realized they couldn’t leave Albertson on the floor. If they were going to keep up the story that they’d been helping a drunk dude get to bed, they should probably actually get him there. “We need to get him on the bed.”
Erin shoved the papers back in. “I’ll get him. So I was talking about sticky dudes and how Kamdar is really the perfect guy for me to play around with. Your boy is a perfect example of sticky.”
“He is not.” Jesse was scrupulously clean. And he kept her clean. She could still feel his hands soaping her body and washing her hair. His fingers had run all along her scalp, relaxing her. He’d even dried her off and made sure she was warm.
Erin stalked out and it only took a second before she walked back in, hauling him by one arm. Phoebe had to give it to her. Erin was a strong woman. “He is stuck to you like glue. When you walk into a room, bam, he sticks.”
He did kind of make sure he always had a hand on her when they were together. It was nice. It made her feel safe. Protected. Loved. She didn’t want to lose it. Didn’t want to lose him. “There’s nothing wrong with that. It just means he cares.”
She huffed a little as she leaned down and then hefted Albertson up on the bed. “I don’t want anyone to care. I’ve done the married thing before. I won’t again. So pretty boy Theo can find some other idiot to play his games with.”
“I don’t think he’s trying to play a game.”
“It’s always a game, Phoebe. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
A minute and a half. She would have to figure out Erin’s damage another time. “Time to head out. We need to get back to the party. The cameras come on soon.”
Erin nodded and pulled the covers over him. “Let’s do it.” She turned and then stopped. “Shit.”
Phoebe turned and saw what Erin was looking at. Right there on the dresser was a newspaper. The Dallas Morning News. She recognized the issue. It had a picture of the husk that was Sanctum after the bombing and a shot of Jesse Murdoch in all his blond glory.
Phoebe stepped up and looked down. The article was marked, certain information circled, and even worse, there was a notepad beside it with two names written on it. Ian Taggart and Tennessee G. Smith.
She heard the sound of Erin’s phone as it took one and then two pictures, and then she felt a tug on her arm. “Time to go.”
She let Erin lead her out of the room, her heart racing.
Someone was on to them.
* * * *
“I’m not a complete moron,” Jesse said as he pushed through the doors into the suite.
Simon closed the doors behind them. “Funny, because you do seem to be acting that way. Were you or were you not about to accost your girlfriend in the middle of the ballroom?”
“I wasn’t going to accost Phoebe. I don’t really know what that means. But I was going to castrate that son of a bitch.” He knew how to do it, too. He’d castrated a couple of bulls in his time. The trick was to do it quick, before the damn thing knew what was happening. He wouldn’t be cruel when he did it. He would be as humane as possible, but that little pecker wouldn’t be rubbing against Jesse Murdoch’s girl again.
“Yes, cutting that man’s balls off would absolutely have helped our mission,” Simon replied drolly.
“He was looking at her breasts.” Those were his breasts. He took care of those breasts. He loved them and rubbed them and sucked them, and they were fucking his.
“I believe that was the point of putting them on display. She was trying to get attention so you and I could look around and attempt to uncover your former torturer. And her dress is quite modest by Western standards.”
“Well, by my standards, he was looking at her breasts.” He knew he was being stubborn, but the idea of that man getting his hands on
Phoebe made him sick. She was precious. She shouldn’t have to get pawed by some man who didn’t love her.
He was the only one who got to paw her, damn it.
“I doubt he’s looking at her breasts now,” Simon replied.
Jesse sent his partner a nasty look and forced his way into the control room. “Where is she?”
Hutch had a Red Vine licorice sticking out of his mouth like a cigarette. His setup was neat, but it was obvious the man had a sweet tooth. Besides the pack of Red Vines, there was a dish of Tootsie Rolls and another of peppermints. He reached up and pulled the licorice out as he frowned, pointing at the bank of laptops he had going. “She’s fine. Well, I’m pretty sure she’s fine. I had to work a little magic and get those cameras to go wonky. The guys in security are probably flipping out by now.”
Ten stepped in, a bottle of water in his hand. “Their time’s up. Bring the cameras back online. Security can buy that the system has a glitch for only so long. They’ll be on their way to fix it if we don’t get them back online.”
Phoebe was out there and the only thing protecting her was the camera blackout. “No. Wait until she calls back.”
Hutch ignored him, hitting the button that brought the cameras back up.
Phoebe and Erin were in the elevator, speaking animatedly. Hutch hit a button that put their comms on speaker.
“How much had that guy had to drink?” Erin asked.
Phoebe shook her head. “Enough that he was disgusting. Someone should talk to the senator about him. That was embarrassing.”
Jesse breathed a sigh of relief. Their heads were turned up as though they couldn’t care less if a camera caught them. Just two women who had been hit on by a jerk. They’d still done the right thing by making sure he got to his room.
Ten put a hand on his shoulder. “She’s a pro. You have to let her do her job. You can’t pull the caveman act on her. She’s smart and quick and she can take care of herself. I did you a solid by having Weston get you out of there.” He leaned over and touched a button on Hutch’s system. “You two come on up. We’re good for the evening. We’ll let Murdoch sift through some of the footage and see if we’ve got a lead on anything.”