Page 89 of The Bodyguard

The answer sucked all the oxygen out of the room. “Well… hell.”

“Yeah,” Parker said in another grumble. “That changes things, huh?”

It certainly did. “How do we figure the truth out?”

“Without walking in to see for yourselves, I don’t know, man.”

“Walking in where?”

“Don’t know that yet either.”

Sawyer rubbed the back of his neck. “None of this sounds right.”

Parker sighed. “No. But if there’s one thing this job has taught me, the truth is never what it seems.”

Wasn’t that true in life? “Yeah.”

If they were wrong about Mylene, Pham’s people were trying to negotiate over someone else Titan Group didn’t know about. Where did that leave Sawyer and Angela? “I assume the Senator knows?”

“That’s above my pay grade.” A keyboard clacked on Parker’s side. “The more important question is where Mylene is. It’s killing me that I don’t know yet.”

“When do you think you’ll know? Today? Tomorrow?”

“Given the chatter and communication pings that I’m triangulating… I might by morning. Or, at least, I think we’ll have pinpointed the players in Pham’s US-based operational hub.”

“That’s always good.”

“Don’t sound too excited,” Parker chided. “So, what are you going to do with this information?”

Sawyer squeezed his eyes shut. “That Mylene is a possible employee?”

“Yeah.”

He recalled Angela’s excitement over a dress. “Nothing can be done right now?”

“Nothing,” Parker agreed. “So, you’ll hang tight and wait for more intel before we tell Angela?”

She would kill them for keeping this from her. “Sounds like a plan.”

The call ended. Sawyer sat at the desk by the window and batted the cell phone between his hands. Holding off until morning was the right move—and not just for him. They could learn nothing more about Mylene tonight. He set the cell phone down, picked up the room phone, and punched the zero button. “Concierge, please.”

The line was transferred, and when the concierge picked up, Sawyer was more confident in his decision. A mirror reflected the smile he hadn’t known was hanging on his lips. “I need a dinner reservation tonight for a beautiful woman in a gorgeous dress.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Sawyer did a double take in the full-length mirror. His suit looked sharp. He ran a hand over the stubble on his cheeks and wondered if he should’ve shaved. Then he decided that expensive threadsandsmooth cheeks were too much. Sawyer tousled his hair but didn’t know much more he could do for that. All in all, he was more himself than ever when forced to wear designer duds for the job. The only thing missing was a gun holstered at the small of his back for an extra layer of protection in case their location had been leaked.

He checked his watch and knocked on Angela’s door. His heartbeat skittered with nerves he wouldn’t admit to. Tonight was far outside of his comfort zone. Feeling like he couldn’t hide a goofy grin, he mused that the situation was like going to prom as an adult.

Angela opened the door a crack and barely poked her head out. “You’re not early.”

“Nope,” he confirmed, having built time into their schedule after her two demands: surprise her, but don’t rush her.

“Thank you,” she said, staying behind the door. “Will you tell me where we’re going now?”

His nerves jittered again. The anticipation was intoxicating. “Open up, and I will.”

Her shy smile blossomed. “Be warned,” she said quietly. “It’s quite the dress.”

---