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“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?”
Zy shook his head. “Last time I saw him, I was a snot-nosed sixteen.”
If he was from California, how had he met a prominent doctor from Louisiana as a kid?
“All right.” Hunter shrugged. “If you have anything to add to that later or it becomes a problem, let me know.”
“Sure.”
“During Kendra’s rescue, we extracted the drug lord’s wife, Valeria,” their boss went on. “He suspected she was pregnant when she vanished, and he wants her back. A few weeks ago, Kendra received a threat, telling her that if she didn’t disclose Valeria’s location, there would be ‘problems.’”
Which sounded like code for I’m going to hurt you.
Tessa frowned. “Does the bride know where to find this woman?”
“No. As soon as my dad got Valeria safely into the States, he secreted her in a safe house far from here. He’s told no one, not even my brothers and me, the location. So even if Montilla’s thugs hunt Kendra down, she can’t tell them anything. They probably suspect that, but they’re rattling her chains and blowing smoke, just in case. We’re here as a precaution.”
Maybe, but the notion was still terrifying. The last thing Tessa wanted was to tangle with a drug cartel.
“Use your comm as needed,” Hunter instructed. “I’ll be the eyes in the sky.” At her frown, her boss sent her a tight smile. “Meaning I’ll be remotely monitoring the cameras Logan and Joaquin installed everywhere except the dressing rooms and bathrooms.”
