five-and-a-half-foot woman with the voice of an angel and the temperament of a lion that I missed it too. “He’s pretending to be me.” Anger at my own stupidity flared.
“Yeah, but you’re not visible when you do perimeter checks.”
“On purpose.” We were not only useless as security if our patterns could be tracked, but we were endangering Sanaa.
“As it should be,” Luna agreed before asking the real question. “So who’s in your past that’s also in hers?”
I didn’t answer.
Two days too late, I was putting the pieces together.
“Ronan?”
Goddamn it. “What?”
“If they brought her back to the States and now Vance is pulling this bullshit…” Luna drew in a deep breath, then exhaled audibly. “There’s only one reason, amigo.”
Fucking Vance had lied to me ten years ago.
“You’re the bait,” Luna clarified.
I silently cursed my own damn stupidity. “I know who it is.”
The door to the suite opened, and Tyler stuck his head in. “Vance and Sanaa are on the move. Go time.”
Stepping out of the service elevator, I turned my comm on as I strode toward the lobby. “Position one, check.”
“Front secure,” Tyler returned through the comm. “All clear.”
“Position two?” I asked.
“Back secure,” Harm answered.
Entering the lobby, I scanned left to right as I headed to the bank of elevators for the hotel guests. “Position three?”
Ty grunted. “The suited fucks are searched, briefed and stowed in the meeting space. Some crazy-ass chick with them tried to grab my junk as I checked her purse for weapons because the useless hotel security took one look at her tits and gave her a pass. You’re welcome for not shooting her.”
Tyler chuckled through the comms. “You sure you’re secure over there, Trigger, or do you need one of us to come hold your hand?”
“Fuck you,” Ty clipped before muttering, “I picked the wrong goddamn decade to stop smoking.”
I glanced at my cell to see if Luna had texted back yet.
He hadn’t.
“Stay alert everyone.” Until Luna could dig up some background, I didn’t know exactly what we were dealing with.
“Did you hear that, Trigger?” Tyler hazed Ty. “Quit flirting with the ladies.”
“Flirting, my ass,” Ty bitched. “I’d rather suck start a pistol.”
Tyler laughed.
The elevator doors opened, and Vance came online a split second before I saw him step out with Sanaa. “Gentlemen, what did I miss?”
“All positions clear,” I answered, hating how his fucking hand was on her back.
In a different dress, her hair now loose, her eyes met mine and she faltered in her high heels.
Glancing down at her as his arm went around her shoulders, Vance dropped his voice, but it still came through the comms. “You all right, darling?”
Barely nodding, her eyes on me, she didn’t give him a verbal response.
I took in the new bruise forming on her neck, and I didn’t think. I reached for my Sig in the holster on my hip.
Sanaa sucked in a sharp breath, Vance looked up, and a hand landed on my shoulder.
“Audience,” Harm quietly warned from behind me, his voice not carrying through the comms.
Brother or not, I wanted to finish what I’d started and pound Vance’s face in. Then shoot him.
“Problem?” Tyler asked through the comms.
“No problem,” Vance answered before glancing at her. “Darling, may I suggest you give my brother a little wave and let him know you’re all right before he shoots me? It’d make for terrible headlines if we step out in the lobby with guns drawn.”
Dropping his hand, Harm moved to my right and spoke only loud enough for me to hear. “Doesn’t matter if she waves or not, she’s already exposed. Focus. Mission objective.” Touching his comm, he turned it back on.
Harm was right, but I still had to force myself to drop my hand from my weapon. The second they’d stepped off that elevator, Sanaa was exposed. We had to keep her moving or get her back on the top floor. Glaring at my own blood, I wondered how the fuck he slept at night.
“Keep it moving, Conlon. Save the tea party for later,” Tyler ordered through the comms. “Harm, party of six coming in from the garage.”
Harm nodded at me, then retreated as he answered Tyler. “Copy.”
Urging Sanaa forward, Vance glanced over my shoulder. “Lobby clear?” he asked through comms.
I didn’t answer him. If it wasn’t, she wouldn’t be here.
“All clear in front,” Tyler answered.
“Back clear,” Harm added.
“Then what the fuck’s the holdup?” Ty asked.
“Approaching,” Vance warned as he walked her out of the hallway and into the lobby proper.