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“She was a professional.”
Another bubble of laughter threatens, but I manage to hold it back. This poor guy.
“Are you saying you hired a hooker to lose your virginity to?”
Finally, he looks in my direction, his brows drawn together tightly.
“Don’t be so crass, Annalise Grimaldi. They’re called escorts. It’s not like I drove around town in my mom’s Camry with twenty bucks in my pocket looking for chicks on the street corner. It seemed normal at the time, and I’ll have you know she thoroughly enjoyed herself that night.”
“I bet she did,” I agree wholeheartedly. “It’s jus—”
“What? I swear I’ll never talk to you again if you tell Deacon what I just confessed.”
“I’d never tell Deacon.” And I mean it, because despite just having met this guy, I feel like we could eventually become real friends. “It’s just that I’ve met Brooks and Flynn and Ignacio. They all seem very sure of themselves. I didn’t expect your story to turn out like it did.”
“Those guys have mad skills picking up women. Quinten is great too.” He’s grinning again, and I’m certain we’ve managed to avoid a meltdown. “Those guys spend time traveling, and I’m always sitting in my office on the computer. It takes a lot of time to do what I do. I don’t always have the time to socialize.”
“Well,” I tell him with a smile of my own, “we’re going to socialize you tonight, my new friend.”
The car rolls to a stop at the front of the building where the Starfish Gala is being held.
“Are you ready to rub elbows with the rich people of St. Louis?”
Expecting a smile, I can’t help but laugh when he seems to turn greener than he was when I found him standing outside of my hotel suite half an hour ago.
“Come on, handsome. If you’re going to start learning how to pick up women, there’s no time like the present.”
I reach over him and shove open the door. He steps out, reaching for my hand without even being instructed to help me out.
“You’re off to an excellent start already,” I mutter through a smile as cameras flash all around us. “You may just have it all down before the night is over with.”
“Don’t count on it,” he mutters, eyes squinting with each rapid click of the flashbulbs.Chapter 17Deacon
Being this close to the beach with the ability to smell the ocean, knowing we aren’t even going to get a chance to dip our toes in the salty water is its own form of punishment. Standing outside the Petrovich’s family compound, not knowing if Dani is inside or if she’s alive or dead is hell—a torture I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
I’m no longer in love with her. What I told the guys yesterday was the absolute truth. That ship sailed long ago, but Dani and I will always be connected. We’ll always have a history.
“You ready?” Tug grunts, his hand on my shoulder.
His question is more than two words, more than just checking in to make sure I’m physically capable of heading inside.
He’s asking me if I’m in the right headspace. If I’m mentally capable of handling business without getting myself or the other guys killed. It’s reference to the long conversation we had on the plane ride to Africa and the brutal facts of what we may be facing once we get inside.
“Yeah, man,” I answer on instinct, but the calm I would normally feel in a situation like this is absent.
I know I’m capable of doing my job. I know I won’t freak out and lose my shit if we walk into a tragedy, but it’s the after that I’m worried about. If Dani is here in any shape or form, she’ll be recovered. Of that, I’m one hundred percent certain. The aftermath is going to be the challenge.
“You’re sure?”
I grind my teeth but keep my eyes forward. I don’t need anyone doubting me, but I also understand where he’s coming from. It’s not only my guys in danger if I fuck up. His team, his friends will be compromised if I can’t keep it together.
“I’m good,” I tell him, and after a long look into my eyes to be sure, he nods and gets into position.
“There are three men inside. One is the groundskeeper, but I have no doubt he’s as thoroughly trained as the guards. There are two female house staff as well,” Shadow says into the headset. “We need to go in hard and fast. We have the element of surprise, so this should be over in minutes.”
Shadow, along with Kincaid are still back in New Mexico. It’s very rare that the entire team leaves the Cerberus compound. They have family and loved ones on the property and don’t like to leave them unprotected.
We move forward like wind whispering through the trees when Hound gives the command to his team. The house isn’t as big as one would expect with the amount of illegal business the Petrovich family does, so that keeps one team on standby in the tree line at our backs so we don’t bottleneck our way inside. Tug urged me to stay with the second team but gave up that recommendation with one scathing look from me.
