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Simon began feeling his way around the room, inspecting it for wires or cameras.
Mason frowned and faced DelVeco. "I'm Novak, and this is Peters with the FBI. Tell us what's going on."
IT TOOK SEVERAL DAYS to work out the details for DelVeco and process the application. Because Mason was new to the Marshals and had been out of town for months, both parties agreed that he needed to play a boyfriend role in order to protect her.
He was at the restaurant every night, flirting and fawning over her. But every time he caressed her hand or kissed her cheek, he felt nothing. There was no attraction whatsoever.
He knew he still loved Lucy, thought about her all day and dreamed of her every night. But the lack of attraction to Caroline still took him by surprise.
When Amanda had died, he'd not been attracted to anyone for months. Not until he'd seen Lucy at the wedding in December. It had been instant and all-consuming.
He still felt guilty about what happened with Amanda but thought about it less and less. Now that he'd had months to think about Lucy and Amanda, he realized he'd given up on love. But Lucy made him see he had so much more love to give. And love might be worth the fight where Lucy was concerned.
Lucy was bright, fresh, and real. He wanted to date her for real and hoped to talk to her about it that weekend.
Logically he knew Caroline was an attractive woman. She was smart and sultry, and guys fawned over her every night. But she wasn't Lucy.
On Friday, his boss told him that he did need to work the weekend and watch Caroline. The application would be approved any day now as they were fast tracking it and others were collecting evidence to corroborate her sworn statements.
She'd named half a dozen individuals, both people who were bringing the drugs into the city and some who were to distribute.
So once again, he found himself at the restaurant bar, talking with the bartender and nursing a drink while he kept an eye on the patrons and Caroline. The bartender turned to help another customer, so he pulled out his phone.
Something was gnawing in the back of his brain about the list of the guys Caroline had talked about. A sense of dread had settled in his stomach, but he wasn't sure why.
He went back to the phone and kept digging. He scrolled through the profile of the guy who seemed so familiar.
Suddenly he froze, and his stomach knotted. His spine tingled, and he glanced casually around the bar, faking a stretch and running his hand through his hair. Nothing was out of the ordinary, but his mind was furiously connecting the dots.
John Gray was an alias. The fingerprints came back to a Seth McEntire. That name had set off the alarm bells in his head. He scrolled through the guy's criminal record, then saw it right there on his phone in big black letters.
His jaw clenched, and he stretched his back, staring at the phone and hoping the screen would change.
The man was widowed with a daughter. Next of kin? Lucinda Gail McEntire.
He rubbed his temples as his stomach twisted. He took a deep breath, thinking furiously of all the things Lucy had said about her dad.
Caroline wove her way through the crowd and stepped close to him, rubbing her hand on his back and brushing her breasts against his arm. He forced himself not to lean away as she invaded his private bubble.
He smiled tightly at her, as she wrapped her arm around him. "Hey, big guy. Heads up that one of the guy's on the list is due to arrive within the hour."
He stiffened slightly and frowned, wrapping an arm around her and leaning in to nuzzle her ear. "Smile like you like it. Who is it?"
She turned her head slightly and giggled, her big eyes open wide as she glanced around and tipped her head more to the side so he could kiss her neck. She stiffened in his arms and whispered, "The guy on your phone. Mr. Gray. Did you already know?"
Mason shook his head, scraping his five o'clock shadow along her skin. She smelled of vanilla, and it was nice. But it did nothing for him.
He missed the fresh scent of oranges, the natural feel of Lucy's body. He sighed, "No, I didn't know. Thanks. I'll let the boss know. We'll see if we can get a few more undercover guys in here. Don't worry. We'll protect you."
He asked her a few questions about why the man was coming tonight, but she just replied, "I don't know. He's not supposed to come until Monday when there's less of a crowd. That's why I'm so nervous."
He squeezed her in a side hug, then released her with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. You're in good hands."
They worked out a plan on where the hostess should seat Gray, then he called his boss. He said in a loud voice for the benefit of any listening ears, "Hey man. Come on down to the Pub. I'm getting kind of lonely drinking by myself on a Friday night."
After more small talk and cajoling, with Sarmiento asking key questions on the other end of the line, Mason hung up. Back up was on the way, and they'd bring the surveillance equipment to live stream the microphone they'd hidden in a few booths around the restaurant.
He was to sit tight and keep an eye on things while protecting Caroline. But he could call Lucy and ask her about him.
