Page 99 of Relentless

The mountain of a man stepped back. “The party’s in the living room.”

“Did you order room service like I asked?” Cade motioned for Piper and Liam to go ahead.

“Took four carts to bring in all the food. The bellhop made a bundle in tips for this delivery.”

Piper pressed a hand to her stomach. The idea of eating made her feel nauseous.

Jesse’s gaze dropped to her hand for a second before returning to her face. His eyes narrowed. “You haven’t eaten, have you?”

Did she have a sign plastered to her forehead? “I’m not hungry.” Still.

He turned accusing eyes to Liam.

The sniper stiffened, muscles bunching in his jaw. “I’ll find her something she can handle or I’ll go buy food for her. I take care of those I care about, Phelps.”

Liam pressed his hand to Piper’s back and urged her inside a suite. Bravo and four other men ranged around the living area and the small kitchen. They stood when she walked inside.

Wow. Talk about testosterone overload. They all looked tough with muscular builds and eyes that missed nothing.

Liam wrapped his arm around Piper’s waist, the hold proprietary as though warning off competitors. “Piper, this is Brody Weaver, Logan Fletcher, Sawyer Chapman, Max Norton, and Jesse Phelps, better known as the Texas unit. Guys, my girlfriend, Piper Reece.”

Matt moved closer, frowning. “Does your throat hurt?”

Her cheeks burned at being the center of attention. “Some.”

“What happened?” Jesse asked.

Liam ushered Piper to the couch and brought both teams up to date on the incident earlier in the morning.

A man who looked as though he belonged on a movie set or a magazine cover scowled. “Is that clown still alive?”

“Hard to get answers from a dead man,” Liam replied.

“Did you learn anything we can use?” Logan asked.

“Not much except Rusty was paid to find Gavin’s information. He doesn’t know who hired him.”

“Is he lying?” This from the man called Max.

“Oh, yeah. He knows exactly who hired him and he’s not saying.”

“He’s too afraid of Barone to name his employer,” Piper said. “I don’t work for him and I’m scared of the man.”

“You’re smart enough not to work for a crime boss,” Sawyer pointed out.

Matt went to his medical bag and grabbed a packet. He dropped two capsules onto Piper’s palm. “Mild pain meds. You need to eat and take them.” He pointed his finger at her when she opened her mouth. “Don’t argue. You won’t help Liam if he has to carry you around because you’re weak from fasting.”

She glared at her friend. “How did you know I was going to protest?”

“Your face shows every thought in your head. You’d be a terrible poker player.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He was right. She was a terrible liar. Piper happened to think that was a good trait. She looked up when Jesse handed her a soft drink.

He tapped the cap. “Drink and take your pain meds. I’ll fill a plate with food I think your stomach will tolerate while Liam tells us the rest.”

“Sit rep,” Trent said to Liam.

Piper drank part of the soft drink and swallowed the pills while Liam told the teams about their encounter with Barone’s security guard and finding the tracker on the SUV.

---