Falcon Falls Security Boxed Set: Books 1-3, page 95
Sydney set a hand to the tiled wall, trying to find her breath.
“Where did that come from?” she whispered to herself while reaching for her soap a few seconds later, still trying to steady her racing heart.
But she knew the answer. It was all Beckett. Her desire to unleash and be sexually free around this man was like nothing she’d ever experienced.
Free and yet she wanted to surrender in the bedroom. Give herself completely to him in that way.
He was right. She had needed that. She’d never have made it through another conversation with the team otherwise.
And after the shower, she’d be able to focus.
To face the music.
The actual music.
Do I still remember how to sing?
“I’m sorry, what?” Gray was the first to object to Mya’s idea about seducing Jorge Rojas on Wednesday.
But it was Beckett that Sydney couldn’t rip her focus away from, and the straining of his jaw as he stared at her as if piercing her invisible armor with his dark gaze. He didn’t have to verbally object, she felt his over-my-dead-body in the way he looked at her.
“We’re not considering this,” Gray went on when no one else had spoken. He strode to Carter, holding his leg a bit as if in pain. “Not happening. She is not seducing that fucking psychopath.”
Well then. “You realize that will make her want to do this all that much more, right?” Jack jested, tossing a thumb toward Sydney and smiling.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Was Gray talking to Beckett about this now?
Beckett had his back to the wall, and he remained silently staring at Sydney instead of answering Gray.
“Am I missing something?” Camila asked, drawing Sydney’s attention. “Ohhh,” she tagged on to her question within seconds, her eyes thinning. “You love her?”
“What?” Gray blinked a few times, his gaze swerving to where he gripped his leg, and he let go. “No, I . . .”
“Don’t be mad at Sydney.” Mya stood from the couch. “It was my idea. She has a great voice. Happens to know songs from that time because her grandmother taught her. This might be our best chance to get close enough not just to Jorge and Miguel, but near Jesse without raising eyebrows too.”
Sydney was the last to stand in the room. Her legs were a bit wobbly, her nerves getting to her the longer Beckett continued to only silently observe her. What are you thinking?
“Jesse’s only been able to give you bits of information here and there however he’s managed to communicate with you,” Mya tossed out the reminder, doing her best to sell the seduction idea. “He might have more news to share if we can get close enough to him. Insight that’d help us.”
“She has a point,” Carter agreed. “Plus, I may not be able to get an invite to the birthday party. I’m working on a believable alias, but Friday’s around the corner.”
“A man like Jorge will want a woman like Sydney, I guarantee it.” Camila strode past Gray to get to Carter, confidence in every step. “And if she’s there with a man, he’ll pursue her even more.”
“It may not work,” Oliver joined the conversation. “But I say it’s worth a shot.” He opened his palms. “I mean, what are the chances Sydney happens to know that kind of music and has a voice worthy of listening to?”
“You checked out three rooms at the hotel, yes?” Camila asked Carter, and he nodded. “Mya and I can go for support. We can stay in a room as sisters.”
“Sisters . . .?”
Sydney looked over to see the owner of that small voice. Elaina hung back in the doorway to the hall with her mom at her side, her gaze fixed on Camila.
“Sisters,” Elaina softly repeated, her brows pulling together.
Camila pointed to Elaina. “See, she agrees.”
“I promised Mya she’d stay behind the scenes on cases. Having her at the hotel might place her in danger. And after what happened in the jungle Sunday, I think she should stay here,” Sydney suggested, folding her arms over her gray tee, which she’d paired with jeans after her too-hot shower.
“I’ll be fine at the hotel. It’s not like anyone will shoot at us. Plus, I was always the lead actress in the plays in high school. I can perform. Put on a show for this Jorge guy,” Mya responded. Sydney didn’t hear any weakness or tremble in her tone, so maybe she was up for it.
“Yeah, that makes sense,” Oliver blurted. “The acting thing, I mean. Your flair for dramatics.”
Mya rolled her eyes without bothering to look his way. “Just as long as I don’t need to play the role of your girlfriend, I’ll be fine.” She lifted a shoulder and smiled. “There’s only so much acting I can do, ya know?”
Carter freed his hands from his pockets and strode closer to Emily and Elaina. “I need to hang back here and work. Gray and Jack can handle surveillance. Oliver, you’ll go to the hotel with them.”
He was going to stick Oliver and Mya together, wasn’t he?
“Liam should be here soon. Is, um, this close enough for you to, well . . .” Carter fumbled with his words when speaking to Elaina, probably uncomfortable with taking his cues from a twelve-year-old.
“Here is good.” Elaina gave him a small smile as Emily scooped a protective arm around her back.
“If Sydney’s going to the hotel, I’m going,” Gray announced. “Griffin can handle surveilling Jorge with Jack.” The tight draw of his lips as he peered at Carter had Sydney’s pulse racing, worried about another Beckett–Gray showdown. And in this case, who’d protect Sydney at the hotel.
Jack was right. Gray had said what he believed Sydney needed to hear, and how quickly he’d forgotten those lines.
“Okay, so it’ll be Sydney, me, and Mya. And Gray, Beckett, and Oliver at the hotel.” Camila looked at Mya and frowned. “The sister idea might not work. Couples all traveling together sounds more realistic.” She waved her finger between Mya and Oliver. “I’m assuming Gray and Sydney will stay together?”
“No,” Sydney spoke up. But shit, she promised Jack she wouldn’t stay with Beckett, which only left Oliver. And regardless of what Mya said about that man . . . Mya staying with Oliver made the most sense.
“Beckett and Sydney,” Carter repeated what he’d ordered last night. “Mya and Oliver. And Camila and Gray.”
This had Jack on his feet, eyes on Sydney. Was he going to go against Carter? He really was loyally protective of his best friend, and it was something Sydney admired.
“I don’t bite,” Camila said to Gray. “If you’re worried.”
“There should be two queen beds in each room,” Carter was quick to say. “No need to share a bed. Any of you,” he added, focusing on Oliver. He’d clearly picked up on the fact their love-hate behavior could quickly spiral to a love-hate between-the-sheets kind of thing.
“Roger that,” Oliver muttered sarcastically.
“Where are your men right now?” Carter asked Camila. “The four men you have on your team with you, they’re still scoping out the hotel, right?”
Camila nodded. “Yeah, but we can pull two and bring them back here if you need an assist for anything.”
“Have them stay put for now.” Carter then addressed Sydney, “Do you need a place to practice singing before you head to the hotel?”
Sydney clutched her throat, worried her vocal cords might fail her tomorrow. “Hopefully, it’s like riding a bike. Or, in my case, shooting an arrow.” She forced a small smile, trying to stay optimistic with a twelve-year-old in the room. Plus, she had two grown men who were more than likely both unhappy she was going to try and seduce Jorge. Well, she assumed Beckett was on the same page as Gray, but he’d been silent.
“I’ll get the name of the woman who’s supposed to sing Wednesday,” Carter began, “then pull her aside Wednesday night and make her an offer. She can fake being ill, so she doesn’t piss off her band.”
“That should work,” Mya commented, but her tone was more tentative now than before, most likely considering the fact she had to “shack up” with Oliver all week.
“Dad’s here!” Elaina abruptly announced, despite the fact Sydney hadn’t heard anything outside, and then pulled away from Emily and ran toward the front door.
A minute later, Liam walked into the room hand in hand with his daughter. He was tall, with dark blond hair, and he looked eerily similar to the actor Chris Hemsworth. His Aussie accent made the resemblance even more fitting.
Emily hugged her husband, and then Liam redirected his attention to the room, his gaze cutting straight to Beckett.
Beckett visibly tensed as Liam unglued himself from his wife and daughter and ate up the space between them. “Elaina said her headaches are gone now that she’s here,” Liam shared in a low, raspy tone. “I don’t quite understand what in the bloody hell is going on, but if my daughter says we’re all supposed to be here, then so be it.”
Liam surprised Sydney and probably Beckett, too, pulling him in for a quick one-arm hug. He slapped his back twice, then faced the room.
“So,” Liam said while opening his palms, “tell me, who is it that I need to kill?”
“Daaaad,” Elaina whispered in dramatic pre-teen fashion.
“Right. Sorry.” Liam shrugged.
Elaina grabbed her dad’s arm and tugged as if she were five, not twelve. “You will need to kill someone though.” She squeezed her eyes closed. “But it’s okay. It’s to rescue a five-year-old boy.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“I know you don’t want me doing this. But would you say something? Anything? The silence is killing me.”
Beckett crouched and picked up a stone by his boots, which thankfully hadn’t been ruined from their river swim two days ago. He remained in that position for a moment, not prepared to face Sydney without sunglasses to shield his eyes.
And no, he sure as hell didn’t want her seducing the psycho billionaire. But try and stop a woman like her from doing something? Better chance convincing his die-hard meat-and-cheese-loving father to go vegan.
“We’re rolling out in five minutes. I want a chance to clear the air before we’re all stuffed into one SUV together.” Sydney’s soft plea had him standing.
Hotel check-in wasn’t until three, and the team had spent most of the day digging into both Jorge and Miguel’s backgrounds.
Plus, there was the fact Elaina had shared that her dad would need to kill someone to rescue a kid. But whose kid?
“What are you thinking?” She reached for his arm, and he forced himself to finally meet her beautiful green eyes. “Talk to me.”
“No,” he replied, allowing the word to roll free as he tossed the stone. “I don’t want you in the limelight tomorrow singing for that fucker,” he drawled, finally speaking his mind. “The idea makes me want to commit murder, and I don’t like killing people. Not even bad guys.” There. But what now?
Sydney squeezed his arm a bit tighter. And although it was barely sixty-five out now, a contrast to Mexico’s harsh heat, he wanted to roll his sleeves to his elbows because it was hot beneath her stare.
“Do you have any other suggestions on how to get Jorge’s attention?” She arched a questioning brow.
Singing . . . fuck. It just . . . “Carter’s still trying to construct an alias and get a party invite. There’s that plan. If he can get on the inside, at least we have him and Jesse there. The rest of us can infil that night.”
“We need more of us on the inside if possible.” Sydney let go of him. “I have no clue if he’ll even notice me on Wednesday. It probably won’t work anyway.”
He looked up at her while busying himself rolling his sleeves to his elbows. “You’re funny, sweetheart. A man not notice you?”
“If Cora’s his type, I’m probably not.” He spied her throat move with a subtle swallow she’d probably tried to hide.
Had Sydney seen Cora’s photo? Read up on her when he wasn’t around? Carter had probably pulled together a case file on all things Cora Barlowe, and there’d been no need to share it with Beckett.
“You’re nothing like Cora.” His arms fell, resisting the urge to reach out and palm her cheek. “And that’s a good thing, I promise,” he gritted out. “You’re my type, by the way. Fuck Jorge’s type.”
“You loved Cora once upon a time,” she murmured.
“I was young. Stupid. She was a weakness for me back then and—”
“A weakness?” she whispered. “So, you couldn’t resist her?” She paused, then quickly tossed out, “I’m not jealous.” She frowned, and her shoulders fell a bit in defeat. “Maybe I am? I guess the idea that this woman might still have some effect on you makes me a little crazy.”
Yeah, he understood “crazy.” He had a hard time stomaching the fact any other man had ever shared a bed with Sydney.
“Listen.” He reached for her elbow, tugging her closer, not giving a damn who might be watching them from the house. “She manipulated me. A professional con artist. I should’ve recognized she was playing with me. It was my job to go undercover. To work a room. In a sense, I had to con people so they bought my story. And the fact she was able to turn the tables on me like that . . .” Fuck, what am I trying to say again? He was losing his focus with her green eyes on him. “I’m not the same person I was back then,” he promised. “You have nothing to worry about when I see her again. If I see her again.”
Sydney pivoted to the side as if searching for her invisible shield of armor. “You’re not mine. I don’t know where this is coming from.”
He knew this blip of insecurity was Seth’s doing. His affair. She had trouble trusting how absolutely amazing she was because of him. And now the jerk wanted her back. He was so stupid to lose her. Never deserved her.
“Well, you sure as hell feel like mine,” he rasped, unable to prevent the truth from passing through his lips. “I don’t have any self-control around you. You’re the only one I can’t resist.” And he’d spend every second making sure she knew and understood that if it’d help her. He’d kiss away whatever insecurities still plagued her from the damage the men in her life had done to her. “I’d love nothing more than to have you see yourself through my eyes.”
Sydney slowly faced him. Her green eyes held his in the most innocent way, and he’d swear twenty years had been peeled back as she quietly studied him.
With his free hand, he pointed at her heart. “You’re everything I ever wish . . .” Fuck, his voice broke, and he was shocked to realize tears filled his eyes. “You’re everything I wish McKenna had in a mother.”
“I think that’s the best compliment anyone has ever given me,” she whispered, her lower lip trembling as tears filled her eyes too. “I don’t understand how you know the real me when barely anyone does.”
He brought his hand to her chin and gently held her face. “Easy,” he said with a smile once she parted her lids. “Because you let me in.”
“It’s time to roll . . . out.” Gray’s voice shattered their moment, and Beckett let go of Sydney. She quickly erased the tears from her cheeks and turned away from the house.
Beckett cleared his throat and swiveled to peer at Gray hanging back on the small porch, his arms stretched out on each side of him, bracing the columns that held up the small overhang. Mya ducked under his arm to get to them when he’d yet to budge.
“Ready to go play couples in love and be all touristy?” Mya asked sarcastically.
Beckett frowned. “Why do we need to act touristy?”
Gray finally dropped his arms when the others attempted to come from the house, and he had no choice but to move. But the expression on his face didn’t read so much as, I want to hit you. More like he was conflicted. Maybe he realized he needed to let Sydney go, but it had to hurt. God, he couldn’t imagine being in that man’s shoes.
And after the op, if he did have to walk away from Sydney for whatever reason, how would he survive that?
“I think it’d be best if you all play the part of tourists instead of looking like you’re private security scoping the place out, which might draw Miguel’s attention if he sees you there before Wednesday night,” Carter explained, walking alongside Camila toward the SUV.
“Do we have an update on Jesse’s whereabouts?” Beckett asked Camila since it was her guys keeping an eye on the hotel.
Sydney sidestepped Beckett and grabbed the suitcase Mya had been carrying for her.
“Jesse hasn’t made contact,” Carter said, then tipped his head to Camila.
“But my team said he’s with Miguel’s crew at a restaurant down the street from the hotel. They arrived there for lunch around one,” Camila shared.
Beckett turned his attention toward Elaina exiting the house with her parents, and she motioned to Beckett with a wave of her hand. “Can I talk to you before you go?”
“Of course.” In a few quick strides, he moved away from the others off to the side of the SUVs. His heart made its way to his throat, worried about what she might say.
“Sydney will be okay. You don’t need to worry about her,” Elaina cut straight to the point, and he appreciated the good news. But with her small hand, she reached for his wrist. He’d swear he felt a small buzz of electricity pass between them. “She has you.” She hid her brown gaze from him when her lids dropped. “But when you see the roses, be sure to stop.”
“Stop what?” Beckett blinked in confusion. “Roses?”
“When you see the roses, you’ll need to stop.” And with that, she let go.
When she opened her eyes a moment later, Beckett sensed there was more she knew, but he had the feeling she was afraid to tell him too much. To change things. Some type of . . . what was it called in movies? The butterfly effect?
“And, Beckett,” Elaina began, “he’ll be okay too.” She angled her head toward Gray without looking at him, but he was the only one off to her right.
“Do you mean . . .?” He won’t die on the op, or he’ll fall in love with someone else?
Elaina smirked, and he still wasn’t sure how to read that, but she added, “You know exactly what I mean.” And then, just like her father loved to do, she winked.
