Page 25 of Escape You

8

Try Not to Get Killed Tonight

Tyler

“We’re not married yet, Chase. Don’t tell me what to do.” She walked past me toward the door.

My body reacted to the scent she left in her wake. She wore the same sweet perfume she’d worn the night we met. Suddenly, I didn’t want her to leave the room. In two short steps, I had my fingers wrapped around her elbow. “Don’t call me that.”

“What?” She regarded me with brows furrowed before she glanced down at my hand, then back at my face. “What am I supposed to call you? Prince Rossi?”

I winced when my earpiece screeched at me. We weren’t alone.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? Are you about to give her your real name?” Mavell’s static-filled words brought me back to reality.

“Never mind.”

“Okay, Chase.” She waved her hand in dismissal. “Can I go now?”

“You’re lucky she doesn’t give a shit what you call yourself.” Mavell had quickly turned into the voice of my subconscious.

I hated hearing Chase’s name on her lips. The way she pouted when she formed the word. Why did it bother me? I tapped the device to turn it off and pulled Mia toward me so we could have some semblance of privacy. When I’d walked in, I thought for sure she had found the microphone I’d hidden in the spine of one of Jac’s books:The Rise and Fall of Rome. Mavell could hear us, but he couldn’t talk back to me.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

She relaxed her stance and leaned slightly into me. “I’m not running away if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

“I know you would never do anything to put your crew in danger. I want to know about you.” Sitting on the edge of the desk, I released her arm and caught her fingers. If it were up to me, we would be doing way more than holding hands.

“I’m fine. A little tired.” She stepped closer, her gaze on mine.

“It’s customary for the groom to give his bride a gift.” I brushed the apple of her cheek with the back of my free hand. This had nothing to do with Rossi or the mission. I wanted to give her something that would remind her of me, even if she wasn’t truly my bride, if she couldn’t be mine. “You are so beautiful.”

She blew out air, cocking her head. The song we danced to at the bar hummed quietly in my head. I didn’t know the lyrics, but the melody was branded in my soul. I rose to my feet and wrapped my arms around her. When I I started swaying in place, she shook her head once but didn’t pull away. Instead, she gripped the sleeves of my suit jacket.

Rossi had taken away our ability to choose for ourselves, but he would never be able to touch this, the night, and all the memories Mia and I would share forever. Her flat stomach pressed against mine, and I had to fight the urge to press my hand to it.

“You can have anything.” I nuzzled her hair. The moon or the stars—I would fucking try to get them for her if she asked.

She glanced up at me, eyes brimming with tears. “What I want you can’t give me. Just let it be, Chase.”

Chase. She pushed away from me. I watched her shuffle back and walk out the door. After several beats, I inhaled and turned on the device in my ear. I wasn’t Chase. I wasn’t here for Mia. I was a fucking undercover agent.

“Are you going to stand there all night analyzing this shit to death? Or are you gonna get to work? Rossi’s already on the move.”

My legs jerked into action to set up the video feed. Standing by the bookcase, I eyeballed the angle to the entrance, then placed the camera on the shelf.

“Too low. I can’t see the top.” Mavell said. Between him barking orders in my ear and Jac telling me what to do, I felt like a goddamn puppet.

“How’s this?” I moved the device underneath a trinket that looked like an elephant tusk and went to stand by the threshold.

“You look taller in person. Now get out of there. He’s on his way up.”

I froze in place, glaring at the laptop bag Jac’s bodyguard dropped off earlier. It was now or never. Fishing a flash drive out of my blazer, I darted toward the desk.

“Tyler, don’t. We don’t have authorization to go into his computer.”

Mavell’s voice was laced with fear and urgency, but I couldn’t let this opportunity pass me by. Rebecca Smith risked her life to save my brothers. I could do this much for her. Somewhere in that computer, Jac had to have something that detailed his connection to Rebecca’s cartel in Venezuela and their plans to expand their business beyond drugs. Rebecca didn’t deserve to live looking over shoulder for the rest of her life because of my family.

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