“You think on it and let me know.” Elizabeth turned. “What about you, hun?”
“I’ll have the chicken sandwich with fries, and hot honey on the side if you have it.” I passed the menu back to her.
“Hot honey.” Tinley perked up. “What’s hot honey?” She had the biggest, bright brown eyes.
“Hot honey is so good. If you like spicy and sweet,” I said.
“Oh, I want that. With the chicken sliders.” Tinley stared at Elizebeth. “Do you have it?”
“If not, we’ll find you some.” Elizabeth smiled at her the way you smile at a child, then glanced over at me and winked.
“They invented a whole new condiment?” Tinley sighed.
“I guess so,” said Rayna. “I’ve heard of it, but nothing could pull me away from my true love.” She covered her heart. “Ranch dressing.”
“Now, I haven’t tried both on a chicken sandwich, but on pizza, hot honey and ranch is like perfection for your tastebuds. They sing,” I said.
“Oh, boy. Now I want pizza.” Rayna frowned and squeezed one of her pigtails. “Patrick.”
“Irish pub tonight.” He stood. “No deviation from the plan, Rayna.”
“Oh, fudge.” She pouted. “Maybe we can send out for a pizza.”
“Instead of eating here?” Tinley frowned and scanned the menu. Like making another decision would be exhausting for her.
“No, just a slice. To taste.” She turned back. “This new concoction must be tested.”
Patrick exhaled in frustration, but there was no heat behind it. He dialed a number and spoke into his phone. When he hung up. His gaze shot straight to me, a flicker of recognition tightened the corners of his eyes. We had been in the same room a little over a month ago. Besides the more casual attire, I looked the same.
I ignored him, hiding my face behind my pint of cider.
He never acknowledged my presence, but with his background, I knew he had assessed everyone in the room, including me. My appearing here a month later, I hoped, would be enough time to fall within the realm of coincidence.
I mean, I was here on vacation. And, havingworkedwith the Grants, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that I would choose to stay at their hotel. Me, along with the thousands of other people who had booked a room at the Quadrangle in the last week.
I wanted him to recognize me. It was my opportunity, my way in. He didn’t need to know my true intentions.
All would be revealed once I had enough information to stop him and his boss from collecting women for their own personal harem. You had to be crazy to go up against the Grants. Maybe I was, but I was in the perfect position to risk it all. I had lost my sister and given up my job. I had nothing else to lose.
Patrick Carmichael was going to help me bring down his boss whether he wanted to or not.
CHAPTER 2
PATRICK
Kylie Stands had popped up on our algorithm the minute she booked her room. A former FBI agent booking a two-week stay at a Quadrangle hotel normally would be just a coincidence, but the way she moved around the casino did not scream tourist. She spent long stints in various restaurants and bars. She varied her time on the casino floor, and she was always looking, watching, observing. She popped up enough that facial recognition sent me alerts daily when she stepped into a new camera’s view.
Randall set it up for me. Cyberstalking was Randall’s area of expertise and his favorite pastime. When I asked him to send her alerts to me directly, he raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask any questions. I’d known the Grant brothers and Josh for over twenty years. Most of our adult lives. When each of us went a little off script, no one questioned it.
When Kyler bought a building to be close to his little Rayna, and when Josh smuggled Tinley out of Paris somewhat legally after she spent two years in her own personal hell, they bothvowed to make the rest of their littles’ world a playground. We all worked together to make it happen.
Lately, I’d been feeling like I failed.
Rayna had almost gotten kidnapped again on my watch. Situations happen, and no one can predict the lengths a madman would go to get revenge on people who did them wrong. I watched as Rayna took an elevator ride from hell, fighting her heart out, while I waited for the elevator to reach its destination where I could put the guy down for good. It was the longest minute of my life. Yeah, guarding and keeping people in Kyler’s family safe was my job, but I liked Rayna. She’d brought joy and purpose to my friend’s life that he had been missing since his parents died. Furthermore, she was my friend. She always had a kind word and wouldn’t dare let me blame myself for what happened to her.
When she and Tinley ran into that sick fuck from Tinley’s time in captivity, I wasn’t around, but my team, who I hired, trained and trusted allowed it to happen on their watch. While the odds of one of Tinley’s assaulters showing up at a men’s shop on Fifth Avenue in New York were slim, it happened. We still should have been prepared.
I wasn’t about to let another circumstance arise under my watch.
