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By the time Spencer pulled himself together enough to follow her up to the suite, Toni was already in her bedroom with the door closed. He could hear the water running and figured she was probably taking a bath.
For a good five minutes, he stood outside her door, wondering if he should knock, go in, try to argue her out of dismissing him as her bodyguard. But what could he say? She was right. Everything she’d said was true. His teamdidneed him to watch their backs. Hedidneed to see where the investigation went from here.
And Toni was a distraction that could get in the way of all the goals he’d made for himself. She got past shields he hadn’t realized he had, took up space in his head and his heart like no one ever had before. He didn’t know how to be himself, the cool-as-ice sniper his buddies could rely on, and still have her in his life, turning everything upside down.
Maybe leaving really was the best choice.
But like hell was he going to leave her security up in the air for the rest of her trip. They might have resolved the SHEEPSKIN issue and gotten rid of Arrieta’s motive to attack her, but there were plenty of assholes in the world with grudges against smart, capable women who wanted to make the world a better place. She deserved every bit of protection she could get.
He spent the next quarter of an hour on the phone, lining up some local talent to provide protection for Toni over the next few days. The agency he found seemed like a good operation—competent and experienced. Not as good ashim,but then who was?
Once that was settled, he made one more call to check in with the team.
The phone rang twice before it was picked up. “What?” Usual Kyle. Mr. Un-Congeniality.
“I’m on my way.”
“What do you want? A gold star for showing up?” Gage shouted from somewhere in the background, which meant Kyle had the call on speaker.
Marvelous.
“Shut it,” Kyle yelled.
“Hey, pick up some food on your way over.” This from Scotty. Of course he would be thinking about food. Besides being a pretty decent chef, the guy seemed to be a bottomless pit.
“I’ll see what I can find.” Honestly, the thought of eating turned Spencer’s gut. Then again, his gut was in knots thanks to the gal in the other room. “Anything else?”
“Yeah.” Kyle clicked a button, and the line went quieter. “Good job bringing Williams in and completing your mission.”
Praise from their team leader was rare and precious. Taken aback, Spencer hesitated before responding. Right now, this job felt anything but good. “Uh, thanks.”
“Now get your ass over here. We’re all starving. I’ll fill you in on the latest details when you get here.”
Spencer ended the call and packed his things while he waited for the new bodyguard to arrive. The guy looked like an Arnold Schwarzenegger wannabe, complete with Terminator shades and black power suit. The thought of leaving Toni’s protection in the hands of another man made Spencer’s head hurt and his heart ache, but considering this Hulk-like guy seemed to have all the personality of a teaspoon, he felt a bit better. No way would Toni be the least bit attracted to a guy like that. Plus, it would take a frigging tank to bulldoze this behemoth into the ground.
He went over all the job details, including what time Toni’s plane left, then took the new guard out on the balcony and showed him the spots in the adjacent building to check for snipers. From what he’d been able to find out, the guy was more than qualified, but Spencer refused to take any chances with the woman he…well, with a woman who meant so much to him.
With the new guard at his post outside Toni’s bedroom door, Spencer called down to the front desk to order a cab. There was nothing left for him to do for Toni, no way to kill the time, and he was sick of his own thoughts already. Thankfully, it was only a minute or two before the elevator dinged in the foyer and the butler informed him his car was waiting.
“Give me a moment,” Spencer said to the man, who bowed and retreated back toward the foyer. Spencer excused the security guard from his post, then waited until the guy disappeared into the kitchen before placing his palm against Toni’s door and leaning his forehead against the cool wood. More than anything, he wanted to knock on that door, go inside, see her one last time. Maybe kiss her goodbye. But if he kissed her, he knew damn well he wouldn’t want it to be goodbye. He’d want to stay, lie down with her in that massive bed and make love to her again. And if he didthat,he didn’t know how he’d ever be able to walk away.
No, she’d been right. He couldn’t think straight, couldn’t do his job when all he could think about was her. They both needed time and distance to get their worlds under control again.
They’d been living in this tiny bubble since they’d arrived in Jubail. Only a matter of days, though it felt longer. It meant so much to him—but just like that beautiful afternoon at the oasis, it had been a mirage. A fantasy. Now it was time to get back to reality. Best to make a clean break of it. No more kisses. No more goodbyes. He’d let her have the last word, and he’d just…go.
After a deep breath, he returned to the sitting room and grabbed his bag. Duffel in hand, he headed for the elevators, hesitating only long enough to take one last glance back toward Toni’s room.
“Goodbye, sweetheart,” he whispered before heading home.
12
“Dude, you gonna drink that beer or stare at it all day?” Gage asked, kicking up his booted feet on an empty chair at McGruff’s Pub. This early in the afternoon, they had the whole place to themselves apart from a few regulars bellied up at the bar. The smell of fried onions and melted cheese drifted from the place’s tiny kitchen, and the numerous neon signs on the walls buzzed and crackled as they heated. Gage’s girlfriend, Anna, pulled up a seat as close to Gage as humanly possible, and Spencer shook his head. She should’ve just straddled the guy’s lap. Would’ve been more comfortable for both of them than pretending to balance across two chairs when they really only needed one. Especially given the way she was now wrapping herself around him in a heated kiss.
“You two need to get a room,” Spencer said, his tone peevish.
“Who died and made you the PDA police?” Gage gave him a dirty look.
Spencer responded with a middle finger. “I’ve got things on my mind, okay?”
