“Got it.” I nod, checking my bag for the fake ID and wad of cash that Kieron had gifted me upon walking out the beach house door. Kieron pulled up to the front door of the hotel and didn’t turn to look at her, staring straight ahead with the car still running.
“Check the ear piece works, pretend you’re paying me.” He ordered, and I whispered check, hearing his affirmative that he could hear me.
I leaned forward and set some bills down in the front seat to fool any of the security watching that he was just a driver.
“Anything goes wrong, you run. Do you understand?” He says right before I open the door.
“Nothing is going to go wrong.”
“Talia,” His voice was strained and almost desperate. The pulse point in his neck was jumping with his heartbeat and he rolled his shoulders back. I knew he didn’t want me doing this, he was very vocal about his opinion after all, but looking at him now, I realize that it wasn’t just that he was protective of me. Kieron was scared. He was genuinely scared for my safety and because he couldn’t physically be in there with me, he didn’t feel as confident.
“I understand.” I say, looking down at my bag like I was looking for something. I just needed a few moments to make him feel calmer. “I promise you; I will do everything in my power to walk out of this building and back into your arms.”
There was a brief pause, but then I heard him exhale. Sighing out his stress. “I know.”
I open the door and step out, ready to take this awful family down in any way I can.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Kieron
Watching her walk away and into the lion’s den, without me, was excruciating.
I’m going to fucking explode from adrenaline and rage from not being able to be there with her. Fuck, I’m supposed to put myself in between her and any danger. What the fuck was I thinking letting everyone talk me into this?
The leather of the steering wheel groaned under my hands and my gaze snapped to where my fists were clenching around the wheel tightly.
“Fuck,” I whisper and pull out of the parking spot to make my way to the coordinates Bryan had sent earlier to a location where I could see into the 360-degree, glass window, enclosed ballroom at the top of the hotel building.
And yeah, I had to scale the building where he sent me in order to get on the roof but, I hadn’t worked out properly in a bit. My fingers and nails were all cut up from climbing on the bricks and drain pipe, I shoved myself over the ledge with my backpack, I waste no time in getting into position to stand guard.
The rooftop is cold as shit and I’m in for a long night. I pull the binoculars out of my bag and get it focused.
It was a terribly filled room, a surveillance nightmare, and it looked stuffy, even from here. All gold decorations and fake, plastic flowers on big foldable, circle tables where people were talking, probably making boring small talk. I’m partly glad I’m not in that room. It looks boring as shit.
I have a Bluetooth earpiece in, and double tap on it, connecting my earpiece to Talia’s.
My ear is filled with the cluttering sound of muffled background conversations. Loud enough to force you to raise your voice, but dull enough that you couldn’t really hear the individual words that other speak.
“Hey baby,” I murmur, and try to search for her in the crowd of people. Her red dress makes it easier to spot her. That gorgeous woman. “You’re looking damn fine. Best looking girl in the room, easily.”
“Aw, shucks. Thanks, handsome.” Her voice comes through muffled, but there.
I do an overlook throughout the room, getting a location on exits, people, finding where Trent was standing by Garzino in, of course, the middle of the fucking room. Surrounded by dozens of people. But this could be a good thing; the more people they were surrounded by, the less likely they would notice Talia.
“Garzino Prick and Trent are in the middle of the room, far from you. Garzino Senior is at the far end of the room. Joseph, is to your right about midway to Trent. He’s standing along the wall, not doing a good fucking job at pretending he’s actually paying attention.” I snarl into the mic. My wife nods her head subtly and moves over to him, picking up a champagne glass on her way.
Of course, Joseph notices her right away. I wasn’t kidding when I said she was the most beautiful woman in the room. And obviously, other guys were going to pick up on it. Watching his beady eyes trail over her body, I wanted to gouge them out with my fingers and have him feel every moment of it.
I’d done some background on this guy and he’s bad news. It’s part of the reason why he’s working for the Italians, paying off some very expensive, very damaging and very life-threatening debts. That’s not to mention his record of assault. The fact that I had to let him get close tomywife made my skin crawl.
“Hey darlin’, how are you doing tonight?”His voice filled my ear and my grip on my binoculars tightened.
“Better than it was a minute ago.”Talia said to him, I could see a smile on her face as she trailed a finger down his arm.
Jesus, if I thought him flirting with her was going to be hard it was nothing compared to her actively encouraging him.
“So…what do you do? You’re standing around looking all serious and working hard so I’m going to guess you’re some kind of security. You’re certainly built for it.”Talia borderline purred the words as her trailing finger turned into a full hand wrapping around his bicep. And it went straight to his head, you could almost see his ego inflate.
