Page 48 of Graves & Griggs
The employee nods and smiles, then frowns. “I’m sorry, sir, we don’t have any grand suites available on the eastern side. If you would like?—”
“Check again,” he says stiffly.
“But, sir?—”
“Check again,” he repeats.
She shakes her head but does as he says, surprise flashing across her face a moment later.
“My apologies.”
Once she hands us our keys, we move to the elevator, riding it all the way to the top floor. We enter the room before heading straight for the terrace. Vincent grabs the patio table as Zayden moves the chairs, clearing a pathway before he takes a few steps back, then vaults up and over the ledge, landing on the other terrace. My eyes widen with surprise. It’s not a far jump by any means, but we’re thirty stories high and the gap is at least six feet. Vincent follows after easily before Dominic looks to me.
“You good?”
I nod, then he turns to his brother, getting a running start before jumping to the other terrace. Fuck, guess that just leaves me.
I back up as far as I’m able, leaping over the ledge and flying through the air. The only problem is my foot catches the edge, dragging me down. I reach out frantically and just barely grip a piece of the ledge on the other terrace.
Vincent’s hand comes down in offering, and I take it before Dominic reaches over to grab my other. Together, they pull me up.
Zayden is sitting on the table, swinging his feet like he’s bored. “I thought you said he was a SEAL, Griggs.”
“I am,” I say as my feet touch the terrace.
He shrugs. “Could have fooled me.”
I scoff. “Well, my training didn’t exactly consist of jumping from hotel terrace to terrace. Put me in the water and then say something.”
My adrenaline is still thrumming from my almost death, and maybe I’m a little irritated by his superior attitude.
To my surprise, he doesn’t get upset by my attitude. Instead, he looks at me consideringly before he shrugs. “Noted.”
I frown at his casual indifference.
But he just jumps to his feet and opens the French doors easily, and we enter what I assume is Andre’s hotel room. As a unit, Vincent, Zayden and Dominic begin setting up in different areas of the suite. Dominic is fastening something to the doorframe, Zayden and Vincent are laying out their plethora of weapons neatly, and I’m left standing there more than a little useless.
“What do you need me to do?” I ask.
“Watch the door. If someone comes through it, shoot them,” Dominic says.
Can do.
A minute later, Zayden is hidden behind the bar, Dominic is tucked into the bar and Vincent is crouched behind the sofa in front of me. His hand reaches for my sleeve before he yanks hard, pulling me towards him.
“Can you let me in on what the fuck we’re doing?” I scoff.
“Andre travels with a minimum of five security staff. Dominic placed a device on the door that we can lock once all are inside the room. Then it’s just about killing them before they can kill us.”
I look at him with surprise. “Seriously? That’s your best plan?”
“You have a better one?” Vincent asks.
I shake my head and throw up my hands. “We’re all putting ourselves in danger for no reason. We could have blown the place up, or tear-gassed them at the very least, or… I don’t know. Dead is dead, right? We don’t have to feel the life drain with our hands, do we?”
“That’s half the fun!” Zayden calls out from the other side of the room.
I give Vincent a “what the fuck?” look, but he just shakes his head, focusing on the door.
