Page 63 of Wilde and Deadly

Liam didn’t react, which was reaction enough.

Benji stopped mid-step, blinking. “Are we sure this is the best plan? I mean, Frost is a guy who makes people disappear. And me? I’d rather stay not disappeared.” His gaze darted to the door, then to the laptop sitting on the table.

Davey inhaled slowly, forcing himself to stay measured, controlled, even though the kid’s twitchy anxiety was wearing on his patience. “Don’t do it.” If Benji ran, they’d lose their only tech advantage, and the poor bastard would be dead before sunrise. “We’ll keep you safe. But you need to trust me, Benji.”

Sabin watched the whole exchange with lazy amusement. “Oui, relax,mon ami.Nobody’s disappearing tonight.”

Benji hesitated. Then exhaled sharply and muttered, “Yeah. Okay.” But his grip on his hoodie didn’t loosen, and he still looked like he’d jump out of his skin at the first unexpected sound.

“All right, let’s get back on track,” Elliot said, drawing everyone’s attention back to the mission briefing. “First things first—we can’t talk to Frost unless we find him.”

“We already know where he’ll be,” Rowan said. “The charity gala at the Plaza Hotel tomorrow night.”

Elliot glanced over at her, a flash of irritation in his eyes. Yeah, he still hadn’t forgiven her for taking the contract. The man could hold grudges like nobody else. “The gala is VIP-only. Security’s tight. Biometric scanning at the doors, plainclothes security inside. Nobody’s getting in without a ticket.”

Sabin grinned, always the fucking showman. “Careful. I’m might take that as a personal challenge.”

“We have tickets,” Davey said before Sabin decided to plan a heist. As all eyes turned to him, he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “I talked to Uncle Reece and he got us two tickets, so Rowan and I are going in as guests.”

Elliot let out a low whistle. “Well, damn. Didn’t expect you to pull the family connection card.”

“Wasn’t my first choice,” Davey admitted. “But it’s the safest. No fake IDs, no biometrics to worry about. Just two legit invitations.”

Dominic groaned. “So, you two get to wine and dine with New York’s elite while we do the grunt work?”

Davey rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because babysitting Rowan in a room full of potential enemies sounds like a damn vacation.”

Rowan shot him a glare. “Oh, please. If anything,I’llbe keepingyouout of trouble.”

He scoffed. “Do I really need to remind you which of us was stabbed recently?”

She smiled in a way that looked sweet but was all venom underneath. “Keep it up, and I’ll give you a hole to match.”

“Yikes,” someone—probably Dom—muttered, but Davey didn’t look away from Rowan to see who it was.

Her hazel eyes flashed with defiance, daring him to push back. And damn if a part of him didn’t want to rise to that challenge, to see just how far they could take this clash of wills.

He took a step closer, invading her personal space. Rowan didn’t back down, tilting her chin up to maintain eye contact. His fingers itched to reach out and touch her, to take a fistful of her long dark hair and pull her flush against him.

Mine, something primal whispered.

She’d used his soap in the shower earlier, and the scent of it on her skin short-circuited all higher logic. It was a stupid thing to fixate on—she’d needed a damn shower, it wasn’t a claim—but fuck if his body cared about the distinction. He suddenly wanted every man in this room to know she was his. He wanted to close his mouth over hers and stake his claim.

Sabin gave a low whistle. “You two gonna kiss or kill each other?”

“Undetermined,” Rowan said, still glaring up at him with heat in her eyes.

“Mais, either way, I’m here for it. All this sexual tension. It’s better than porn.”

“Jesus,” Elliot muttered and pressed his fingertips to his eyelids like he was trying to rid himself of a mental image.

Dom smacked the back of Sabin’s head. “I never want my brother and porn to be in the same thought bubble ever again. Just… no.”

Shit. He needed to get control. He forced himself to step back before he did something reckless. “All right, people. Let’s focus up.”

“You’re the one losing focus,mon ami,and gettin’ the rest of us all hot and bothered.”

Elliot pushed up from his seat. “Cavalier, I swear to fucking God?—”

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