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She whirled around to find Asad Najeddine standing in front of her.
With a slight smile, he said, “I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time. I knew your grandfather.” He brought her hand to his lips and dropped a kiss on the back. “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you in person.” But the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Hawk’s entire body tensed as he fought the instinct to march over and snap Najeddine’s neck. He whistled out a long, low breath and tried to get his focus back. To be available to help Remy, he needed to maintain his distance and not blow his cover. It just rankled him that Najeddine even thought about touching Remy, let alone was actually doing it. He’d make sure the man paid for taking that liberty and enjoy every second of it.
“Hawk, do you have eyes on Najeddine?” Mitch asked.
“Yes. Nothing stands out so far. He seems to be by himself.” Hawk scanned the crowd. “Scratch that. At my ten o’clock. The dark-haired guy in the tux that’s next to the post. He’s one of Najeddine’s. He’s the fucker that held Remy on the roof.
He was another one Hawk would enjoy making pay for his crimes. If only the opportunity was afforded to him. He scanned the room again. A sudden movement on his right caught his eye. He zeroed in, but what was it that had caught his attention? There. The blond man. What was he doing? Hawk couldn’t tell from the angle he was at because the blond man had disappeared behind one of the statues. The vibe he’d gotten though was of a fellow soldier. A tier one operator on the prowl. He was involved in this mess somehow. Hawk knew it in his bones.
“Changing location.” He moved through the throng of people. The crowd was growing, which was good for cover, but bad for anything else. He hated being this far from Remy. The thought was that Najeddine wouldn’t kill her as long as he had the key and she was on her own, therefore not a threat to him. Mitch had pointed out that if Hawk was beside her, Najeddine might think twice about keeping her alive. Better to let her appear to be vulnerable, and therefore less of a threat. That whole line of thinking was killing Hawk.
“Mr. Hawkins, how nice to see you this evening. I didn’t know you were a lover of the arts.”
Hawk looked over his shoulder and found Ying Chan standing there. How the hell had he missed Chan on the move? He fuckin’ dropped the ball because he was too focused on Remy, emotionally focused, not militarily focused. He needed to up his game in a big fucking hurry.
He offered his hand. “Mr. Chan. Nice to see you as well. Are you a big supporter of the museum?” he asked as he assessed the muscle Chan had brought with him. One had wandered off to stand by a pillar to Hawk’s left. Another drifted away about ten feet, but still alert and ready. Guards flanked Chan on each side, maintaining a respectful distance, but close enough to stop anything bad from happening to their boss.
Chan inclined his head. “I do like art, but my taste runs more toward my country’s offerings than this”—he waved his hand at the room in general, and ended with the word—“stuff.”
Hawk grinned. “Yes, some of the sculpture is not to my taste either.” Then he sobered. “I was surprised to find your men in my place the other day. Perhaps you would like to explain?” He’d decided a full-frontal assault would be better than beating around the bush, mostly because his patience had left the building.
Chan eyed him and then gave him a little nod. “So, we are dropping the pleasantries already?”
“It would seem so,” Hawk agreed.
“I am in need of that key.”
Hawk cocked his head. “In need. That is an interesting way to say it. I assumed you wanted the key, but ‘in need’ sounds more desperate.”
Chan looked around the room. “Mr. Hawkins, I enjoyed our encounters immensely at our mutual residence. You have struck me as a very intelligent and thoughtful individual with a strong sense of respect for your elders. You were very respectful to me and my wife as well as several of our contemporaries in the building. That is to say, you are well thought of and well liked.
“Unfortunately, that cannot factor into my current situation. Yes, I am inneedof the key. I need the protection it affords its owner. I am sorry that your lady friend is involved but, again, I cannot let that affect my desired outcome.”
He was giving Hawk fair warning that the gloves were off. It was a sign of respect. Hawk gave him a little bow. “I am sorry to hear you are in a difficult situation. I assume past indiscretions have come to light back in Hong Kong, and now your days may be somewhat numbered?”
Mr. Chan merely smiled in response.
“Well, I appreciate the warning. I, too, enjoyed our encounters. Let’s hope we both live long enough to have more.” Hawk gave him another small bow and moved across the room in search of the blond man.
“Well, shit. That was the most civilized declaration of war I have ever heard,” Mitch said. His voice came through loud and clear through Hawk’s earpiece.
“Yeah,” Gage agreed. “It’s quite worrying actually. I don’t like it. Not one bit.”
“Join the club,” Hawk grumbled. “I’m pretty sure he’s a former Triad member. Like I said to him, something must have come up from the past, and now he’s in big-ass trouble.”
“I’m still unsure how having the key would keep him safe, though,” Logan added.
“No society member is allowed to kill someone on the board, but that only protects him from the society members and those who are in the know.” Hawk moved to the left to avoid a woman who’d already had too much champagne. “I don’t know how that would affect the whole Triad situation.”
“Safe to say there are probably details of the society that we don’t know,” Gage said. “But I think Dragan mentioned that Archer Gray would also have to provide some security for members, especially board members, so maybe that’s what he’s after. Maybe he moved into a Lock and Key location and never leaves again.”
That was a hell of a thought. He couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life in the equivalent of a luxury hotel, it didn’t matter how many stars it was.
“Where are you going, Hawk?”
