by Shayla Black
He leaned closer. Her breathing quickened. Every cell in her body seemed aware of him, as if she was water and he was a divining rod.
“I’m okay with that…for now,” Walker finally said.
Tessa barely heard over her beating heart.
“What’s with him?” Josiah said, gesturing to Joaquin. “He hasn’t said a word.”
Finally, the big Hispanic hunk with narrowed hazel eyes and attitude to spare raised a brow. “You better hope you don’t hear from me. If you do, that’s not a good thing.”
Hunter cleared his throat. “Any other questions?”
“Yeah. How soon will we see these contracts?” Zy looked ready to come across the table for an answer.
The brothers shared another considering glance, then Logan spoke up. “We’ll shoot for the next eight weeks. That work?”
Zy shot her a quick glance before he sat back in his chair with a smile. “The sooner the better.”
June 14
Tessa sat on the floor with Hallie on Saturday morning, smiling as she practiced her new skills.
When her daughter rolled from her back to her tummy again, she clapped. “What a big girl!”
Hallie gurgled, holding her head up and staring with eyes looking more green every day. Then the baby lifted her body off the blanket and rocked back on her knees with enthusiastic grunts of excitement.
“What am I going to do when you start crawling? It probably won’t be long before I’m chasing you everywhere.” That notion terrified Tessa, and her baby cooed like she relished that fact. “Go easy on Mom, huh? I’ve never parented before.”
That only made Hallie giggle more.
In the pocket of her shorts, her phone buzzed. She pulled it free, then frowned. What did Hunter Edgington want?
“Hello?”
“Hi, Tessa. I’m sorry to call you on a weekend.”
“I’m assuming there’s an emergency.” Otherwise, he would never disturb her on a Saturday.
“Yeah. We need you this evening.”
“Send over whatever you’ve got. I brought my laptop home to catch up on a few things.”
“It’s not that simple.” He hesitated. “We need you for an op.”
She froze. He couldn’t be serious. “Me? I don’t know anything. I’m not trained. I can’t even fire a gun or—”
“It shouldn’t involve anything like that.”
“Then what?”
“Cutter, Josiah, and Zy are all protecting some VIPs at a wedding. We’re not expecting problems, but they’re being cautious. Because it’s a social event, we contracted some female operators to act as their dates so the guys would blend with the guests. One of them got in a car accident less than an hour ago. It’s serious, and she’s in the hospital. We need you to step in. The debrief starts in four hours. You’ll head straight to the event from there.”
She didn’t know how to respond. “I-I don’t have a babysitter.”
“We’ve got that under control. My sister, Kimber, and her husband are willing to watch Hallie. They’ve got a four-year-old, so the house is already baby-proofed.”
That was great, but… “She can’t attend this wedding instead?”
“Not nine months pregnant.”
No, that made sense. And she already knew that Hunter’s wife, Kata, was due any day, too. Logan’s wife, Tara, had her hands full with twin girls while he was away during his last few weeks of official navy duty.
“And there’s no one else?” But she knew. If they had anyone else, they would have called that woman instead.
“No. Look on the bright side. You’ll get to spend the evening eating a hundred-dollar-a-plate steak dinner and listening to a live band. The guys will have you home by midnight, and I’ll give you a day off of your choice next week for bailing us out.”
Since Hallie had an appointment with her pediatrician and Tessa needed a day to catch up on her laundry, housework, and groceries, taking the offer made sense. “All right. What’s the dress?”
“They’re asking guests to come in elegant attire.”
She still had a couple of fancy dresses left over from her college formal and sorority events. “Text me the time and address. I’ll be there.”
“Thanks. Really. This is one of the first ops my brothers and I are taking point on. We don’t want to screw up.”
Tessa understood. “Of course.”
Four hours later, she found herself in Baton Rouge. Hunter had driven her to the capital himself after helping her drop Hallie off at his sister’s house.
“You’re nervous,” Hunter said. He didn’t ask.
“As all get-out. Is it that obvious?” Though she hadn’t liked leaving her daughter with unfamiliar people, Kimber had been incredibly sweet and reassuring. But the fact Tessa was on an op totally blew her mind.
“To most, no. But I’m learning your little tells.”
That was hardly a shock. Not much made it past Hunter or his brothers.
“What more can you tell me about this mission?” she asked as her heels clicked across the parking lot in the humid evening as he headed toward the swanky hotel.
“Kendra Waxman is the daughter of one of Dad’s former clients. A couple of years ago, she was traveling with some doctors through Mexico to help render aid in South America, and she was taken hostage by the Tierra Caliente cartel. The colonel and some of his cohorts eventually got her out. Now she’s getting married. Her father is a prominent doctor in the state. The groom is a senator’s son. The guest list is a who’s-who of medical and political figures across the region.”
“That’s the reason for the bodyguards?” It seemed unlikely a bunch of suits would open fire at a wedding.
“Not…exactly. I’ll explain when I tell the others.”
“All right.”
He gave her a cursory scan. “You clean up nice. You’ll fit in with the crowd.”
“Thanks.” She’d finally lost the last of her baby weight, so this old dress fit again.
The double doors swished open as they approached the hotel. Inside, the air conditioning in the elegant lobby was set somewhere between arctic and meat locker. Tessa shivered as they headed to a bank of elevators and rode to the tenth floor, then crossed the carpeted hallway in silence. At the last door, he knocked twice.
Cutter pulled it open, wearing a classic charcoal suit and a crisp white shirt. “Come in. Everyone is here.”
“Excellent.” Hunter guided her into the spacious suite.
She didn’t see Zy. Tessa didn’t want to be disappointed. After all, it would be better for them both if she didn’t spend time with him. But she wanted to. Weekends—the days of the week she never saw him anymore—always seemed so long.
Josiah stood from a plush chair and approached, hand outstretched to their boss. A pair of gorgeous women she’d never seen fell in around him, one a brunette with shrewd dark eyes. The other was a blonde with great hair, a perfect pout, and a very capable air. She latched herself onto Josiah and smiled through the introductions. In the next moment, the brunette in the little black dress sidled up to Cutter and threaded her arm through his. Was she calling dibs on her “date”?
Whatever. If only two guys had been assigned to tonight’s op and they already had two female counterparts, they didn’t need her.
When she started to point out that fact to Hunter, Zy strutted around the corner dressed in a gray tailored suit and a black shirt, adjusting a sleek houndstooth tie.
Wow. He looked absolutely stunning.
Their eyes met. Her heart stopped. Her body pinged.
Zy’s stare lingered on her silver off-the-shoulder dress, traveling down her body and hugging every curve the satin did.
“Hi,” she murmured to break the tension.
That jerked him from his stupor. He whipped his gaze to Hunter. “This is your idea of ‘finding someone’?”
“Yeah.”
“No.” Zy stomped to their boss, shaking his head emphatically. “Fuck no.
”
“The client’s instructions were clear; no one comes stag. We’re short a female, which Tessa clearly is. What’s your objection?”
Zy clenched his jaw. “She’s not trained if shit goes down.”
Hunter looked furious at being challenged in front of the team. “But the rest of you are. In the unlikely event something happens, all you have to do is get her out safely with the clients. Yes, it’s an extra body to guard, but if you can’t handle it, let me know. You’re replaceable.”
Under his breath, Zy cursed.
“Why don’t you debrief us?” Cutter suggested.
Hunter talked through people and recommended positioning. Josiah and Cutter, who had already walked the atrium where the wedding would take place, along with the ballroom space for the reception, agreed with Hunter’s assessment. Then he passed around images of the bride and her parents, reiterating the information about the mission to Mexico during which she’d been rescued from the drug cartel.
Tessa risked a glance at Zy as he studied the photos. He still looked pissed. Or was that grim? “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Something you want to share?” Hunter asked Zy.
He passed the images to Josiah beside him. “Nothing important. I met the doctor a long time ago. I doubt he’ll recognize me.”
“Any negative history between you two I should know about?”
Zy shook his head. “Last time I saw him, I was a snot-nosed sixteen.”
If he was from California, how had he met a prominent doctor from Louisiana as a kid?
“All right.” Hunter shrugged. “If you have anything to add to that later or it becomes a problem, let me know.”
“Sure.”
“During Kendra’s rescue, we extracted the drug lord’s wife, Valeria,” their boss went on. “He suspected she was pregnant when she vanished, and he wants her back. A few weeks ago, Kendra received a threat, telling her that if she didn’t disclose Valeria’s location, there would be ‘problems.’”
Which sounded like code for I’m going to hurt you.
Tessa frowned. “Does the bride know where to find this woman?”
“No. As soon as my dad got Valeria safely into the States, he secreted her in a safe house far from here. He’s told no one, not even my brothers and me, the location. So even if Montilla’s thugs hunt Kendra down, she can’t tell them anything. They probably suspect that, but they’re rattling her chains and blowing smoke, just in case. We’re here as a precaution.”
Maybe, but the notion was still terrifying. The last thing Tessa wanted was to tangle with a drug cartel.
“Use your comm as needed,” Hunter instructed. “I’ll be the eyes in the sky.” At her frown, her boss sent her a tight smile. “Meaning I’ll be remotely monitoring the cameras Logan and Joaquin installed everywhere except the dressing rooms and bathrooms.”
The guys asked a few more questions. Josiah’s “date,” Ashley, seemed impatient to get on with it since she cocked her weapon, tucked it into a thigh holster, then all but dragged him to the door. With a shake of their heads, Cutter and Rebecca followed the pair.
Zy turned to her, and he didn’t look pleased. Then he glared back at Hunter. “If something happens to Tessa, there won’t be a hole deep enough for you to bury yourself in.”
She gaped. Was he crazy, threatening their new boss? “Zy—”
“If something happens to her, it will be on you,” Hunter snarled back. “I won’t fucking be there. Now go do your job.”
Beside her, Zy looked ready for a fight. Since he needed this job, too, she grabbed him and hauled him toward the door. “I’m fine. The others are leaving us behind. Let’s go.”
He cursed as he led her out of the suite and slammed the door behind them. “This is bullshit. I don’t want this for you.”
“I’m a little scared, but we’ve got this.” She hoped.
“Stay close to me.”
She nodded. If anyone would protect her, it was Zy.
The ride down the crowded elevator slipped by quickly. Cutter, Josiah, and their respective female operatives affirmed their identities and cover stories, then they agreed that none of the couples should seem to know the others.
“How did you meet Dr. Waxman?” she asked Zy.
He looked reluctant to reply. “Through my dad.”
Small world. “Was he one of the doctor’s patients or something?”
“It was business.”
End of conversation. His tone told her that was all he intended to say.
The car stopped. The ding indicated they’d arrived at their destination. Once the elevator doors opened, she and Zy filed out, his arm around her waist as he brought her close to his side. His nearness filled her up like a big drink of water after a long, hot day. She knew the situation might get dangerous and she should stay alert, but damn, it felt so good to be close to him after months of nothing but passing waves and casual conversations.
Tessa had been hoping that getting some space between her and Zy would take the heat off her crush, but no. Her feelings for him were still a blister on her heart.
Behind them, Josiah and Ashley veered left, ostensibly so she could smoke in a corner of the outdoor space before the ceremony. Cutter and Rebecca drifted off to the right, circulating with other guests admiring the scenery.
“What do we do?”
“Hang back here so everyone leaves us the fuck alone. We’re here to observe, not integrate.”
“Okay.” She took in the people and surroundings as he stopped her short of the crowd waiting to be seated for the ceremony. But she didn’t know what to search for. What did danger look like?
“How’s Hallie?”
Of all the things Zy could have asked, he’d inquired about her daughter. Tessa would be lying if she said that didn’t warm her heart. “Good. She’s getting big.”
“I’ll bet. No sign of Asshole?”
“Cash is in rehab. His dad came to visit me around the first of May. He wanted to apologize and meet Hallie. Apparently, he was just hearing about his granddaughter for the first time.”
“Do you believe him?”
She nodded. “He lost his wife last year and he has no other family, so he was really happy to meet Hallie. He said she was the one thing his son had done right. And he paid me the back child support Cash owed.”
“I’m sure that helped.”
“Yeah.” Tessa dropped her voice. “Do you know anything about this cartel?”
Zy looked tense and scanned the room as if he expected problems. “They were the assholes who tried to kill us all back in March. No one got a good look at us…I think.”
That possibility clearly added to his worries. “You know, if we’re supposed to be a happy couple attending a wedding, we’re failing. You’re tense.”
His gaze sliced across the room one more time before he pasted on a smile. “I know.”
“What are the odds—really—that these thugs will make a scene at a high-profile wedding?” Tessa couldn’t imagine that an illegal business would want to put themselves on law enforcement’s or the public’s radar.
“Slim. I wasn’t worried at all until you walked in the door.”
She sent him back a plastic smile, then added a laugh for onlookers. “They won’t attack simply because I’m here.”
He nodded and brought her closer. “You’re right, but I’ll be more worried if they do.”
And nothing she said would talk him out of that.
“So, has your apartment improved any?” Tessa changed the subject.
She hadn’t asked in a long while since it only reminded her that he was no longer at her place.
“Nope. Still a shithole. I only signed for six months, but I can break the lease without penalty in another thirty days. I’m thinking about moving away from the frat kids and keggers, maybe to the north side of town.”
Closer to her? Yes, but not because of her. That was ridiculous. After all, there
was no them.
“I hope you find someplace great this time. It should be easier since you’ll be less rushed and you know the town better.”
“Yeah. That’s the last time I take advice about my living situation from Trees.”
She laughed. “I’m surprised you didn’t move in with him.”
“Then you haven’t seen where he lives.”
“No. I assumed he had some bachelor pad somewhere.”
Zy scoffed. “More like a fortress. He’s prepping for martial law or civil war, whichever comes first.”
“Is he paranoid?”
He sent her a sly grin. “He would tell you he’s cautious.”
It sounded more like crazy to her, but the world was full of different people who believed different things. Who was she to judge?
“I guess we should find our seats for this shindig.”
With a caress down her arm, he took her hand. “Yeah.”
She already knew from the debrief that Josiah and Cutter would take up positions on either side of the back of the garden to have eyes on most of the atrium. If any of the guests had come for nefarious reasons, those four would intercede. She and Zy settled toward the front, in the fourth row, to be closer to the wedding party.
The processional started. Kendra looked ethereal and misty-eyed as she walked down the aisle toward her husband-to-be, who seemingly had eyes only for her. Tessa’s heart panged with both yearning and envy. She wanted that for herself, with a man who not only loved her but whose life wouldn’t be complete without her.
Maybe she was fooling herself. How often did that happen in a Tinder-dating culture?
Beside her, Zy took her hand, his thumb absently brushing her knuckles. Shivers skittered through her body. She could definitely fall for him. Hell, she was halfway there, but even during his difficult goodbye the night he’d left her place, he’d never mentioned feelings, just sex. Just wanting what he couldn’t have. Sure, he’d been annoyed with Hunter for bringing her here tonight, probably as much because he felt protective as he was worried she’d screw up his op.
After a twenty-minute ceremony full of pomp, the newly married couple kissed and made their way down the aisle together, smiling at each other with happiness and promises of tomorrow. As an usher walked the bride’s mother out the back of the atrium, her father followed. When he caught sight of Zy, his stare snapped around. Zy cursed under his breath.