Page 40 of Exposed
“She’s doing well. My dad said she’s stabilized, but we’ll know more tomorrow.”
“Good. If you want to send something, call Wendy and she’ll put something nice together.”
She smiled and straightened. “Thank you, I’ll do that in the morning. Can I get you a drink?”
Bang, bang, bang!
Sharp raps on the stateroom door echoed through the suite.
“That’s Hector.” His hand dropped away from her. “He’s pretty upset. It’s probably best if you don’t come out.” He slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him.
Her stomach churned. Hector was on to her. Had Tony said something? He must have. Tomorrow, they had plans to go snorkeling. She’d planned to stay behind and search Carlos’s computer for clues on the job he had in San Juan.
She had to find out what she could. Their time was limited.
CHAPTER 13
Distaste swirled inNate’s mouth. He dropped onto the luxurious king-sized bed in the opulent master suite that he’d never be able to afford on his salary. He lifted the remote and snapped through the channels, but nothing pushed Maddie from his mind.
He’d just sent her across the hall to wait for a fucking murderous criminal. Not to mention one that was on a hell-bent rage to avenge his friend’s death. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sat up. He couldn’t lie down. He’d called Dylan twice since Carlos had entered, waiting for him to pick something up on the audio bug that could send Nate across the hall to tear Carlos to shreds. Dylan had only caught the tail end of their conversation, and Carlos had said Hector had arrived.
Which didn’t make him feel any better.
His phone vibrated on the nightstand and he lunged for it. His fist bumped the lamp and it toppled to land against the wall. He swiped his thumb across the screen.
Maddie.
I’m fine. But Carlos hinted Hector has something against me. I think Tony must have told him something. They’re talking in the living room right now waiting to hear from security. They got a little heated, and I think it was about me. But they’ve settled now. I’ll tell you more tomorrow.
He massaged his temple. Christ. That wasn’t good. Tony having suspicions was one thing, but with Tony disappearingand Hector’s senses on alert… they were sitting ducks. They’d have to be extra careful.
Which was going to be next to impossible. If tension had been high between him and Maddie before sex, there was no way it’d be calmer now.
Not when images of her naked, panting, and coming on the dining room table flashed through his mind every ten seconds.
He hadn’t even asked if she’d slept with Carlos. He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed over the lump that had formed in his throat. Maddie wouldn’t do that, but if it came down to her blowing her cover…
He moved his thumb over the screen in response.
Thanks for letting me know. Get in touch in the morning when it’s safe.
He hit send and fought to drag a breath through his tight lungs. All the years he and Ethan had been friends and he’d had to stifle his attraction for her. It had been six years since the first time he’d met her. And although they hadn’t spent much time together in the beginning, in recent years there had been family functions he’d attended, or the occasional drink or dinner out. Until that had become too uncomfortable for him.
And then he’d seen her at her sister’s wedding and had nearly nailed her in the hotel room.
Had he done it then, he would have saved himself nine months of hell and would have been able to be with her. Dylan was wrong. He wouldn’t have been able to fuck her once and get her out of his system.
His phone buzzed in his hand and he glanced down at the screen.
Ethan.
Sonofabitch. Of course he would call, wasn’t that how life went? His thumb hovered over the decline button. He gritted his teeth and swiped to answer. Best not to avoid him.
“Hey, dude. How’s it going?” He forced a brightness to his tone from some depth within him.
“Good. Did you get my text?”
He rubbed his hand over his hair and stood. “Nah, sorry bro. I just got in. What’s up?”