opportunity to change her mind. Which was why I stood back, my patience measured, and waited.
Sexual tension hanging in the space between us, she stared at me a beat longer. Then my beautiful Songbird averted her gaze and lifted her dress.
Except she didn’t just lift it.
The girl who’d become a woman grasped the hem and pulled the material up slowly, making a meal out of her striptease.
I both loathed and salivated over it.
I didn’t want to know where she’d learned the art of seduction. It made me want to kill any man who’d ever touched her. For the same reason I didn’t watch her music videos or clips of her on stage, I didn’t watch the rest of her striptease.
Pulling my cell out, seeing three missed calls from Harm, I shot off a text.
Me: Occupied. Suite off limits for one hour. Keep everyone out. Sitrep?
He replied almost immediately.
Harm: Copy. Sitrep can wait.
My dick hard, adrenaline pumping, I’d waited over a decade for this moment. But if the Marines had taught me anything, it was that you didn’t wait for vital information.
Dialing, I looked up.
And lost my fucking concentration.
Lace thong, full hips, bare back—Jesus. Dark, possessive thoughts fucking consuming me, I didn’t know how the hell I was going to be able to let her go after this.
The call connected.
I issued Harm an order. “Give me the sitrep.” I reminded myself I couldn’t keep her. I couldn’t live in her world where men lusted after her and paparazzi and fans decimated her privacy.
“The two extra L&A guys reported suspicious activity on the loading dock,” Harm replied. “Ty and Tyler checking it out.”
“Elaborate,” I demanded, taking in every inch of her as she stood waiting with her back to me.
“Unscheduled delivery van. Produce order a day early. Driver said the weather coming in had him doing double duty today before conditions deteriorate tomorrow. That’s not why I called.”
I didn’t have time for this. “Continue.”
Harm inhaled. Then, “What if it’s not a man we’re looking for?”
Male, female, animal, in that moment, I didn’t give a fuck what we were looking for as long as we found it. “If you’re going somewhere with this, speed it up.”
“The courier was approached by a woman.”
“Already established.”
“What if it wasn’t a woman?”
Fuck. Fuck. “Hold.” Hitting mute, I strode toward her and stood at her back. Letting her feel my body heat for a single second, I swept her hair over her shoulder and pressed my lips to her neck. Then I issued an order. “Stay. Just like this.” Without waiting for a reply, I walked back out to the suite and went straight to the balcony for privacy. Strong winds whipping against the building, I stood back from the railing and unmuted the call. “Talk to me, Harm.”
“I should be in the lobby. I’m useless up here.”
“Not what I meant, and you’re crucial up here.” I trusted him more than Ty and Tyler, both to keep Vance out and to have a watchful eye.
“Today was off, and I keep thinking about something.”
I had no argument for that. “Agreed. Continue.”
“Four of us have been here for two days, five including your brother. None of us have seen anything. It’s simple math. We’re missing it or we’re looking for the wrong thing. Statistically, five people on site all looking for the same thing, Luna watching security feeds, Trefor’s outfit doing whatever they’re doing behind the scenes—it doesn’t add up. The more likely scenario is we’re looking for the wrong thing.” He paused. “What if the woman wasn’t a courier like the man?”
“The likelihood of a woman building and setting the bombs is slim to none.” Not in this country. Not in London. Not statistically. “The MO doesn’t fit.”
Harm dropped his next statement, and it hit like an IED. “Men dress as women.”
Goddamn it. Instantly, I remembered the woman in the garage who was then in the lobby. I couldn’t fucking believe I’d missed it. “All right, listen up. There was a woman in the garage who was let out of a sedan who I later saw sitting in the lobby before she headed toward the restrooms. Straw hat concealing the face, beach tote, a print dress that was full-length. Get with Luna, tell him to check the feeds. I want to know where she went and what she did. Have Vance talk to hotel security and bring Ty and Tyler up to speed. Get them back in the lobby, along with Vance. I want all eyes on this. Let’s