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“I didn’t make a mistake,” I spat. “Thena did.”
“Well, that explains it.”
“Explains what?”
“Why you’re stuck in a prolonged state of malcontent.” Trev stopped a waiter, grabbed a glass of champagne from his tray, and took a sip. “Your self-righteousness has taken over.”
“I told you I didn’t wanna talk about this shit.” It was time to eject out of this shitty conversation. “Are all assets in place?”
“We’re set. All the big guns are here.” He motioned his head toward the tables, and I spotted the guys who’d come to assist me as he spoke. “Kass and Max Battleson are stage right, table one. Troy and Apollo are stage left, table ten. Sebastian and I are covering the main doors. Knox, Kane, and Mac are watching the other access points. Tux camo works for the team.”
His attempt at a joke fell flat with me. “Sniper overwatch?”
“Karma is perched high above. She reports full coverage of the room. She’s got backups outside. We’ve also got crews covering the exterior of the building. If your guy makes a move on this location tonight, he’s not likely to survive.”
“I wish he’d hurry and make his damn move,” I grumbled. “Then this shitshow would be over and we could all go home.”
“You still have to find Nix’s sisters,” Trev reminded me.
I huffed. “Don’t I know it.”
“Mina’s on it,” Trev reminded me. “It’s one of the reasons she didn’t come tonight.”
“That, the fact that you’re an overprotective gorilla and I don’t blame you, plus the thousand guests crowding this place.”
“Her social anxiety is getting better.” A note of pride sifted into Trev’s voice. “But honestly, I’m glad she stayed behind. This might’ve been too much.”
“Itistoo much.” I agreed. “Even for me.”
“The only reason that makes it bearable is that the money goes to a great cause.” Trev’s gaze roamed over the crowd. “Nix would’ve put up with this shit just for that.”
“And so must we.” My comms crackled.
“Granite here,” Bozeman’s lower than low bass crackled in my ear. “We’re coming in. Do you copy?”
I pressed on my mini-mic. “Copy. Omega out.” I looked at Trev. “We’re on.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then.” Trev released his wheelchair’s brake, but he didn’t leave right away. Instead, he considered me with his soulful caramel eyes. “Cool down and think this through. Three years of sulking might be enough, even for someone as determined to be as miserable as you are.”
Had I decided to be miserable for the last three years? Had I done a terrible job at trying to understand Thena and her situation? In my outrage, had I made the same mistake she’d made when I’d found her guilty of breaking us up?
“Good luck and good hunting.” Trev plunked his half-empty flute on the nearby table, perched his gloved hands on his wheels, and rolled to his station.
I took a deep breath and let it out. Bracing my cane, I pushed up and returned to my position by the main doors. Talking to Trev had opened my mind. On a night like this, it was good to have solid friends. The Battleson brothers and Elite Team had volunteered to come out to New York and help secure Thena. It was more than I deserved, and I was grateful.
The brass doors opened to disgorge a pair of securityassets followed by a riveting sight. Thena strolled into the room with the flair of an empress. With her hair up in an elegant chignon, she wore an off-the-shoulder gown that flowed beautifully over her streamlined figure. Hell, if she didn’t look like the goddess she was named after.
Red satin embraced her body in a perfect construction of simple lines and classic elegance. The fiery color stood in sharp contrast to her fair skin. As she moved, the slitted skirt revealed the length of her leg to the top of her thigh. This was a woman dressed to seduce. When her brilliant gaze found mine, and her ruby red lips turned up, the blood rushed in my ears. She was smiling. At me.
Trick or treat?
My heart swelled, taking all the space in my chest. Just remembering the taste of her desire in my mouth, the feel of her hard nipple perking up against my fingertips, and the silk of her skin sliding against my palm made me hard. All I wanted to do was kiss those red lips and strip her from her gown, seduce her as she’d just seduced me, and love her with all I had.
***
Thena
For a moment, Dash just stood there like a statue, staring at me as if he’d never seen me before. I withstood his scrutiny, keenly aware of the fire spreading through my core and igniting my skin.
