“I don’t care what he’s wearing. His ass is mine.” Roman winds around the people in front of us before sprinting down the escalator and across the lobby. Blake and Nick are close on his heels, chasing the unknown assailant. All three men disappear through the automatic doors leading to the expansive gulf front terrace.
“I’m taking Tawnee back up to my suite right now.” Rafael wraps his hand around my upper arm and starts to push me forward.
“No, wait a minute, Raf. I’m a security professional too—I’m your head of security. I should help Roman chase him down and make him tell me why he was after us. We need to know who’s behind this and why.”
“Tawnee, I agree with Rafael on this one. Let’s all go back up to his suite. One of your guys can stay down here and bring my guys back upstairs—with or without an extra visitor.” Silas is a little too calm, making me question if he knows something he isn’t telling. I narrow my eyes at him, looking for any of those clues he promised would surface. “Trust me, Tawnee.”
“All right. Jason, you wait down here for Roman, Nick, and Blake. They can’t get back upstairs without scanning a guest keycard in the elevator.”
“Yes, ma’am. I hope they catch the bastard. If they do, we’ll make him talk. Don’t worry.”
Fucking right, we’ll make him talk.
Chapter 9
Roman
“He got away?” Tawnee stares at me in disbelief when I show up back in Rafael’s suite empty-handed. “How? They built this hotel on a man-made island.”
“Yes, he did.” I want to fucking punch a hole in something. I pace back and forth, more aggravation building inside me with my every step. “We almost had him outside, but he pulled a fast one on us. The fucker in the white dress jumped on a speedboat that was already waiting right there.”
“Which way did he go?” Silas asks.
“Straight out to sea, man, until we couldn’t see the boat anymore. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the whole thing was very carefully staged.” Nick scans the room with his accusing glare, never one to hold back what he’s thinking.
“Staged how?” Rafael sets down his drink and stands to face Nick. I almost laugh—as if Rafael could ever intimidate a veteran DEA agent who spent two years undercover with one of the most notorious motorcycle gangs in the world.
“Staged so that Tawnee would see the very man who caused a wreck, forcibly tried to drag her out of the back of the car, and said her name as he climbed into his car. Turn around and look out of the window right behind you. Do you see a dock out there anywhere? That boat was in that exact spot for a reason. This hotel wouldn’t have allowed that to happen for just anyone.” Nick takes a step toward Rafael, daring the man to challenge him a second time. “I think someone expected Tawnee to go after him. If I were a betting man, I’d say we would’ve encountered a shitload of resistance outside had she taken the bait. They would’ve disappeared into the horizon with her in the boat, and we would’ve had no way to stop them.”
“Are you implying someone in this room is responsible for this? That one of us is a traitor?” Tony steps up beside Rafael.
I stand shoulder to shoulder with Nick and face down both men. “If Nick isn’t saying that, then I am. I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“Neither do I. You know, at first, your accusation really pissed me off. But now, I absolutely agree with you. Someone in this room is responsible for all the bullshit that’s happened this week, and I know exactly who it is.” Tony glares at me with murderous intent in his eyes.
Bring it on, fucker. I’ve faced much worse.
“What are you saying, Tony?” Rafael asks, his eyes wide and his jaw slack as he stares at his right-hand man. “Do you know something about the attack we don’t?”
“I’ve been retracing our steps, trying to isolate the one thing that would’ve given us away. We never give out our itinerary with enough advance notice for anyone to plan a well-coordinated attack like this. There’s only one possible solution I’ve come up with… Roman is behind all of it so he can rush in, save the day, and be Tawnee’s hero again. He’s the one who staged the kidnapping attempt.”
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” I’m about to go nuclear on his stupid ass.
“You’re the only one who received this mysterious message from her. On a private, secure app no one outside of a select few people that you know can access. In a country where we have no means to verify anything you say is true. That’s exactly why you weren’t in any danger when you took off after that man—because you know he’s not really after you. You look pretty damn guilty from where I’m standing.”
“You son of a bitch!” I lunge at him and slam my fist into his face. When he goes to the floor, I pounce on top of him and keep pummeling until I shut his fucking mouth for good.
Strong arms wrap around my shoulders and drag me off Tony. Everyone in the room stands between us as we continue to hurl insults at one another. I fight against the stronghold my team has on me, wanting to tear Tony apart for even suggesting this is all on me. Tawnee’s life is in real danger, yet his main concern is that I want to play a hero game. He’s a fucking moron.
“Everyone, stop!” Tawnee moves to the center of the ruckus and yells at the top of her lungs.
I mean, it works. Everyone shuts up and waits for her to continue, including me.
“Tony, you’re way off base with accusing Roman. He is not behind this. He had no way of knowing where we were either. He and I haven’t spoken in three years until he showed up here to help us.” She runs her hands over her face out of utter annoyance. “And you, Roman, have no right to accuse my team of doing anything underhanded. You’ve known them all of a few hours now. You may not trust them, but that doesn’t give you the right to doubt them.
“I consider everyone here as a friend. Roman, Silas, Nick, and Blake are not private security contractors. They work for the US government, and they’re here on official business. My team is private security, but we’re all damn good at what we do. We’ve wasted enough time being suspicious of one another. Get your shit together or get the fuck out—it’s that simple.”
She’s so fucking sexy when she takes charge. I don’t know why some men have a problem with a woman giving them orders. I personally find it’s a massive boost to my libido. Maybe that’s because I also picture her—Tawnee—wearing a skintight leather suit, spiky heels, and brandishing a whip she isn’t afraid to use. Shit, I have to get that image out of my head before a tepee forms in my pants.
She walks across the room toward me, and I watch the men move out of her path. While she doesn’t appear to be especially pleased with me, I don’t see that look she gets in her eyes when she wants to hurt me either. That’s undeniably a good sign. When she reaches me, she picks up my hands and inspects my knuckles.
“Are you okay?” Her voice is low, only loud enough for me to hear her now that the crowd has dispersed.
“I’m fine, sweets. His hide isn’t as thick as he likes to pretend it is.” I wink when she finally meets my gaze.
“Do you need to ice your hands?”
“Are you trying to get rid of me? We’re stuck together now, remember? Mano a woman-o.” I waggle my eyebrows at her suggestively, and she finally rewards me with a smile. She can’t resist my juvenile wit and charm.
“Mano does not mean man, so your little catchphrase doesn’t even make sense. However, I remember you chasing that man and leaving me on the escalator when you’re supposed to be my personal security officer.”
“I never would have left you had Silas not been right there to protect you. When you grabbed my arm like that, I knew you needed me to be the strong one even before you said the first word. Then when you told me he was the man who’d tried to grab you, I saw red. If I’d gotten my hands on him, I would’ve killed him right there in front of everyone. You may get a call from the front desk any minute now, telling you to get me out of here because I scared the other guests. They were trippin
g over their feet to get out of my way.”
“Why, Roman? Why after all this time do you care so much about what happens to me? We haven’t been together for a long time now.” She looks down, afraid to look directly into my eyes and find something she’s not ready to face.
But she doesn’t have to worry about that.
Tawnee, time and distance have no influence on my feelings for you. I’ve loved and missed you more every day we’ve been apart. I should have told you forever ago, but I let my stupidity and pride stand in the way.
But I don’t say any of that, because they’re only hollow words. My recent good deeds are nowhere near enough to make up for my prior cruel actions. And professing my undying love right now will only drive her further away. I didn’t make sure she knew how much she meant to me when I had her. Why should she believe it now?
“Ah, sweets, if there’s one thing you should know about me better than anyone, it’s that I’ll always come running when you need me.”
She peers up at me through her lashes, and the spark of hope shining there is unmistakable.
“Roman—”
“Tawnee—”
Fucking Ralph.
The invisible fetter holding her to me is broken by the sound of his voice interrupting our very private conversation. The moment is gone, and I’ll probably never know whatever she was about to say to me, thanks to him.
“Yes, Raf?” She turns her back to me and faces him, which I’m sure was his intention.
He strolls across the room to her, not speaking but keeping his eyes trained on her. Yeah, we get it, dude. You just used your strutting peacock swagger to hold her attention. Whoop-de-freaking-doo. We’re all so fucking impressed. I don’t even bother trying to hide my disgusted expression.
He wraps his arms around her shoulders and pulls her closer to him. “It’s been such a long and trying day for you. Why don’t you lie down in the spare bedroom and sleep here tonight? I’d feel so much better knowing you’re close to me and safe tonight.”
I really want to tear his arms off his body and shove them up his ass right now.
“It’s probably best that Roman and I head down to my suite. Silas, Nick, and Blake can use your extra bedrooms for tonight. It doesn’t really make sense for all of us to play musical chairs with our belongings, especially this late in the evening.”
“That sounds like a perfect plan to me.” I beam with pride at Raf.
Roman—one. Raf—zero.
“Don’t you need to go back to your hotel and pick up a few of your things?” He’s trying hard to get rid of me for some reason.
“Give me your room key, Roman. I’ll grab what you’ll need for tonight and tomorrow, then we can assess our next steps.” Blake steps up beside me and extends his open palm.
Have I mentioned how great my best friend is?
“Perfect. Thank you, Blake.” I retrieve the keycard from my wallet and hand it to him. “We’ll be in Tawnee’s suite when you get back, so stop by her room on the way up.”
“I’ll go with you, Blake. I can grab Silas’s and mine too.” Nick takes Silas’s room key from him.
“Raf, do you mind giving them your extra room key? They’ll need it in the elevator to get back up here. I have a master key, but I’d rather hang onto it, if that’s okay.” I’m glad Tawnee remembers the minor but vitally important details. I’ll be tucked away in her room and not even thinking about where my coworkers are in just a few minutes.
“I don’t mind at all.” He’s lying—he minds a lot. When he fishes his wallet out of his pocket, he removes the cards and hands one to Blake before putting the other two back in their place.
“You keep multiple room keys on your person at all times?” My brows draw downward, and the corners of my eyes tighten. I know Tawnee would have strongly suggested otherwise.
“Why wouldn’t I? I never know when I’ll need to ask one of my staff to fetch something from my suite.”
Fetch? Does he think they’re his dogs now?
I may be overly biased against him. Or maybe he’s just a douche.
“Nick and Blake—be sure to bring back one of our business suits. There’s somewhere else we need to be tomorrow that calls for us to look nice.” All heads turn to Silas, who has been unusually quiet during this entire exchange. “Tawnee, you’ll need to join us too. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”
“Sure thing, Silas. I trust your judgment.”
“Let’s meet in the lobby at nine in the morning and go from there. Rafael, you should be safe with the rest of your security team here. But I still wouldn’t recommend leaving the hotel grounds just yet.”
“Even though that’s exactly what you’re doing with Tawnee and Roman tomorrow?” Tony counters. “After you’ve said they’re both in danger?”
“Yes.” Silas backs Tony down with his don’t-fuck-with-me expression.
Most people don’t understand Silas when they first meet him. He has two modes: all-business and all-family. When he’s in all-business mode, he gets shit done. He rarely smiles, he’s lethal when needed, and every move he makes is thoroughly calculated. When others say, “it’s just business,” they’re justifying a decision that hurt someone else, rationalizing to relieve their own guilt. But Silas doesn’t feel guilt over anything business-related. That’s why he’s earned the right to command respect at the agency.
When he’s in all-family mode, no one from Langley would even recognize him because of the differences in his personality. He laughs, he plays practical jokes on family and friends, and he lets his daughter put makeup on him for their afternoon tea parties—it’s almost as if he’s an entirely different person.
The hard line no one wants to cross with Silas is questioning his commitment to his job, his country, his decisions, and especially his family—friends included. That seems to be a family trait because his brother is the same. Both men are my unsung heroes. The people I secretly wish I could be more like. But with all my character flaws, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
“Well, now that that’s settled, maybe we should say goodnight and let these fine people get some rest.” I take Tawnee’s hand in mine and pull her out of Raf’s embrace. I’ve watched him paw at her long enough.
My actions are as transparent as glass, which is why I refuse to acknowledge the dumbfounded expression on her beautiful face. In my defense, I don’t mean to be a self-absorbed asshole who wants what he wants and pursues it with a vengeance. But that’s also who I am, so I’m going with it for the time being. If Tawnee were to tell me she needed me to be something more, that would be different. I’d do everything in my power to be what she wanted because losing her the first time made me face my faults. Not that I’d dare claim to be perfect… but we are matched perfectly.
Raf cuts his eyes to look directly at me for the first time since the moment we met, but there are no warm and fuzzy feelings in those cold, dark eyes. He’s severely pissed off—probably because he’s not getting his way, but mainly because he’s not getting Tawnee. He steps toward her, puts his hands on her face, and gently kisses her forehead.
Right fucking in front of me.
Blake grabs my arm, stopping me before I even realize my body is in motion. I guess one round of fisticuffs isn’t enough for me tonight.
Shit. Now I’m thinking about fists and cuffs in an entirely different light.
“Sleep tight, beautiful. I’ll dream of you tonight.” Raf’s intimate whisper to Tawnee makes me want to punch him even more.
“Goodnight, Raf.” Tawnee tries to act casual, but I can detect the subtle changes in her tone. His display of affection is out of the ordinary.
So… his majesty is threatened by the old Ro-Man.
Good.
“Come on, Tawnee. I’ll tuck you in and get you some warm milk to help you fall asleep.”
Blake covers up his snicker with an unconvincing cough, and I’m especially surprised to see Silas fighting a smile while he stares
at the floor, suddenly refusing to make eye contact with anyone. As for me, I’m all smiles while saying goodnight to everyone on the way out of the multilevel, royal suite.
Dude must have more dollars than sense to pay that much for a hotel room.
We reach the elevator bank, and I press the down button, whistling a happy tune while we wait. Tawnee pulls her hand loose from mine, folds her arms over her chest, and cocks one hip out to the side—then glares at me.
“What?” Innocent. Oblivious. Charming. All at once. That takes real talent.
“I feel like a fire hydrant.”
“Okay, I’ll play along. How does a fire hydrant feel? Hard as steel? Holding back a lot of pent-up energy? Ready to squirt and shower someone with all that wetness inside?”
“Like every damn alpha dog in the surrounding vicinity has hiked his leg, pissed on me, and marked his territory without even the common courtesy of first asking if I enjoy golden showers.”
My eyes bug out of my head, and my jaw drops open. “Are you into them?”
“No!”
The elevator bell dings, the doors slide open, and she stomps inside with her arms tightly closed over her body. She moves to the far back corner on the opposite side from the buttons and glowers at me from under her heavy brows. I push the button for her floor and face her as the car begins to move.
“Tawnee, come on, sweets. I’m sorry—forgive me. I didn’t mean any harm—just trying to make you laugh. I swear I was kidding about that. Couldn’t you tell?”
She draws in a deep breath, blows it out on a long sigh, and releases her arms to her sides. “Yes, Roman, I know you were only kidding. But sometimes I need you to be serious. When I say something bothers me, you should know that it really bothers me. I need to know that you hear and understand me.”
“You’re absolutely right. Again, I’m sorry. So, if I’ve interpreted this correctly, you’re saying you don’t want me to compete with Rafael for your attention or affection. Does that sum it up?”
HARD LINE Page 9