Wicked as Lies (Wicked & Devoted #3) - Shayla Black Page 0,36
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?”