Jackson hated wearinga suit.
Unfortunately, for a formal event like the premiere after-party, he couldn’t skate by with his usual—and much more comfortable—attire of black cargo pants, matching Six Points shirt, and combat boots. His size made it tough to blend in with a crowd, especially one like this, but when he dressed in a well-cut suit, it wasn’t so glaringly obvious.
Plus, it helped hide his gun.
Thanks to a small army of event planners, the ballroom at the Grand Formosa had been transformed into an intimate jazz club, complete with a fully stocked bar, a dessert buffet, and a stage where a band serenaded guests. High top tables surrounded the dance floor, each adorned with a simple white tablecloth and a lit candle in a glass jar. It mirrored a setting from Vicky’s new movie, right down to the color of the candles and the outfits worn by the waiters and waitresses.
Outside in the parking lot, two ambulances idled in case of an emergency. It was standard procedure for events like this to have medical personnel on hand, because no amount of money made you immune to things such as heart attacks and anaphylactic shock.
Jackson hadn’t worked a security detail this tight since that time in the Army when he guarded a diplomatic mission that was visiting a war-torn Middle Eastern nation. Armed Six Points operatives were stationed in teams of two at every point of entry, while plain-clothes agents patrolled the venue in search of problems before they became problems. And in the event shit really got serious, Navarre and Wade had set up a sniper’s nest on the roof.
The playbook for tonight was simple: first and foremost, nobody entered the ballroom unless they were on the pre-approved list. In addition, each operative had an app on their phone which contained a collection of images of what Vaughn Yeager might look like should he attempt to crash the party. If spotted, he was to be considered armed and extremely dangerous, and agents were not to detain him until sufficient backup arrived.
Toward the end of the evening, Nina would fake a medical emergency. EMTs would whisk her away in the ambulance, and hours later, a press release would note her untimely “death.” And in case anybody wanted further proof, Larissa planned to hack the Florida Department of Health and insert a dummy death certificate into their database.
According to Essie, the ruse should be enough to convince Vaughn to inform his boss that he couldn’t execute the contract because the target was already deceased. Or he might try to claim responsibility in order to collect the five million-dollar bounty. That seemed pretty sleazy, but then again, it paled in comparison to killing another human being for cold hard cash.
Jackson switched on his microphone and checked in with the teams stationed throughout the property. All was quiet, but that would change when the movie ended and invited guests made their way to the Grand Formosa. That was how it often worked in the security business: lots of hurry up and wait. Not too exciting, but you watched, and waited, and stayed on your toes, because things could go sideways in the blink of an eye.
As Jackson walked the perimeter of the ballroom, his gaze tracked to Essie. She stood at the bar with Ty Flint and Lola Bell, who were working as drink slingers tonight. To blend with the guests, Essie wore a little black dress that hugged her curves and showed a tantalizing glimpse of cleavage. The tight fit didn’t leave a lot of places to hide a gun, and he couldn’t help but wonder where she’d put it. Maybe later, to celebrate a job well done, she’d let him play Find the Firearm.
As if sensing his stare, her head turned toward him, and even from across the room he felt the heat of her gaze. Always the professional, she gave a subtle nod of acknowledgment that somehow made his whole body hum, and then resumed her conversation without missing a beat.
The ballroom doors swung open and Nina entered the room. Normally, she was a jeans and T-shirt kind of gal, but tonight she wore a vibrant green gown that nipped at the waist and hung an inch or two below her knees. Austin stood by her side, dressed in a charcoal suit that managed to hide whatever weapons he carried. But it was his face that had everybody doing a double take, because his once-shaggy mountain man beard was now neatly trimmed close to his jaw.
“Not one word,” Austin all but growled.
Ty barked out a laugh from his spot at the bar. “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen. Who had the eighteenth?”
“I don’t know; let me check.” Nate whipped out his phone and tapped at the screen. “Hatch is the only person who put money on the eighteenth. Ryan and Navarre both said he’d trim it down, so they’ll split the pot on that pool. The only matter left to settle is whether Nina prefers him with or without the beard. Care to satisfy our curiosity, sweetheart?”
Nina shrugged. “I think he looks great either way.”
“Is that your final answer?”
She cocked a hand on her hip. “It’s the only answer you’re getting.”
“In that case…” Nate swiped at the screen. “Dorcas wins that pool. Way to go, hon!”
Dorcas blew Nate a kiss, Austin flipped him off, and laughter chipped away at some of the tension in the room.
Moments later, Larissa’s voice came through the speakers set up by the stage. “Sorry to interrupt your fun, but the premiere just ended. Repeat, the premiere just ended.”
That gave them ten or so minutes before guests from the theater started to arrive.
And just like that, the mood of the room changed, and every operative slapped on their game face.
“Okay everybody, listen up.” Austin switched on his wireless mic, which let him speak to every operative on duty both inside and outside the room. “You all know the drill. Nobody sets foot in the ballroom unless they’re on the list and their identification has been verified. If anyone tries to get in who’s not on the list, I want to know. If you see Vaughn Yeager, or anyone who even remotely resembles Vaughn Yeager, I want to know. You get a weird feeling, or if something seems off for any reason whatsoever, I want to know. And if for any reason you can’t reach me, you go straight to Jackson. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” Jackson replied, and voices of agreement filled the room.
The barest hint of a smile crossed Austin’s lips. “Thank you, all of you. Now, let’s keep Nina safe. Failure is not an option.”
Two hours later, Essie’sfeet were killing her.
She hadn’t had time to break in her new shoes beforehand, and now she was paying the price in the form of blisters on both heels. In the grand scheme of things, it was a small price to pay. She’d be willing to suffer a lot worse than that if it took the price off Nina’s head.
With the band on break, the noise in the room had lowered considerably, and even though people no longer had to raise their voices to be heard, they still did it out of habit. Ignoring the pain in her heels—her toes had mercifully gone numb a half hour ago—Essie made another pass through the busy ballroom. As she walked by clusters of people, she picked up bits and pieces of gossip from the rich and shameless. Family fights, cheating spouses. Did you see that Theresa’s wearing the same dress she wore to the Grammys? How tacky! Inane chatter that meant nothing to Essie, and she dismissed it just as quickly.
