Barely nodding, her eyes on me, she didn’t give him a verbal response.
I took in the new bruise forming on her neck, and I didn’t think. I reached for my Sig in the holster on my hip.
Sanaa sucked in a sharp breath, Vance looked up, and a hand landed on my shoulder.
“Audience,” Harm quietly warned from behind me, his voice not carrying through the comms.
Brother or not, I wanted to finish what I’d started and pound Vance’s face in. Then shoot him.
“Problem?” Tyler asked through the comms.
“No problem,” Vance answered before glancing at her. “Darling, may I suggest you give my brother a little wave and let him know you’re all right before he shoots me? It’d make for terrible headlines if we step out in the lobby with guns drawn.”
Dropping his hand, Harm moved to my right and spoke only loud enough for me to hear. “Doesn’t matter if she waves or not, she’s already exposed. Focus. Mission objective.” Touching his comm, he turned it back on.
Harm was right, but I still had to force myself to drop my hand from my weapon. The second they’d stepped off that elevator, Sanaa was exposed. We had to keep her moving or get her back on the top floor. Glaring at my own blood, I wondered how the fuck he slept at night.
“Keep it moving, Conlon. Save the tea party for later,” Tyler ordered through the comms. “Harm, party of six coming in from the garage.”
Harm nodded at me, then retreated as he answered Tyler. “Copy.”
Urging Sanaa forward, Vance glanced over my shoulder. “Lobby clear?” he asked through comms.
I didn’t answer him. If it wasn’t, she wouldn’t be here.
“All clear in front,” Tyler answered.
“Back clear,” Harm added.
“Then what the fuck’s the holdup?” Ty asked.
“Approaching,” Vance warned as he walked her out of the hallway and into the lobby proper.
I fell in on their six, Tyler moved in front, and Harm covered our backs.
All of us scanning, we started to walk her across the lobby.
It took exactly three paces.
Hushed whispers turned to blatant stares, then hours of recon, planning and timed drills for a seventeen-second, twenty-one-meter walk across the lobby went to shit.
Her name was called once, twice, then it was a cacophony of frenzied fans coming out of the fucking woodwork with phone cameras pointed.
Every one of them almost manic in their fevered rush to get close to her made me want to pull my weapon. My muscles tensed, I braced for the fans rushing us, ready to shove any asshole away who got too close, but I didn’t have to.
The girl I knew growing up turned into the Songbird who sold out arenas. As if she didn’t need security at all, she touched Vance’s chest, then pasted on a screen-worthy smile.
Like a choreographed maneuver performed a hundred times, my twin dropped his arm. Then at the same time as Sanaa, he pivoted to face the oncoming crowd before his opposite hand went to the small of her back.
Her fingertips touched her lips, and Sanaa blew an air kiss to the rapidly growing crowd. “Thank you all so much for your support! I wish I could stay, but I’m late for a meeting.”
A collective sound of regret passed through the fans, but they didn’t crowd her or push.
A young woman called out with a pen in her outstretched hand. “Sanaa, can I have your autograph, please, please?”
“Yes, of course.” Sanaa reached for the pen.
I stepped in front of her and took the pen and wrinkled piece of paper the woman was holding and quickly scanned it before handed it to Sanaa.
The woman squealed with excitement, but then she looked between me and Vance. “Oh my God, her bodyguard has a twin!”
Vance chuckled as Sanaa signed the paper and handed it back to me. “Yes, but I’m the better-looking one, love. Don’t you think?” He grinned.
Laughter erupted from the crowd.
Pissed at Vance for drawing attention to us, I handed the paper and pen back to the woman.
Pulling Sanaa away from her fans who were already asking for more autographs and pictures, Vance waved at the crowd. “Sorry, but that’s all Miss Narine has time for today.”
“Why do you have four bodyguards, Sanaa?” a man’s voice yelled from somewhere in the crowd. “Do you think you’re in danger from your fans?”
Me, Tyler and Harm closed in on Vance and Sanaa at the same time as we all scanned.
I spotted him first. “Back of the crowd,” I warned. “Brown hair, white T-shirt.”
“Got him,” Tyler answered.
“Well?” the asshole yelled again as people began to step out of his way. “Is there something we should know about? We can’t even get an autograph without going through one of your bodyguards?” He waved an envelope in his hand. “Just one autograph?”
“I’m closer.” Harm moved.
“Get her out of here,” I ordered Vance. “Keep moving.”
“Right. Come on, love. Let’s go.” Vance led Sanaa forward, and I closed in.
“Oh, hey, whoa,” the asshole from the crowd yelled. “Now you’re siccing one of your bodyguards on me?” He laughed without humor. “I just want an autograph.” Fucker waved the envelope again.
“On your six, Pyro,” Tyler quipped through the comms. “But holding two meters out for crowd control. Harm, approach and contain.”
“Copy,” Harm answered before addressing the asshole. “Sir, I’m going to need you to come this way.”
“Fuck you, man!”
A shuffle sounded through the comm a second before the sound of women screaming erupted, both in the lobby and in my ear. Then Harm’s comm cut out.
“Well, that’s one way to draw attention,” Vance quipped before we rounded the corner toward the meeting spaces.
“Harm will handle it,” I ground out.
“In my sights,” Ty cut in, stepping out from the meeting room. “You’re clear.”
“All right, darling, you’re safe.” Vance rubbed Sanaa’s shoulder. “Ronan and I will be in the meeting with you. If at any time you’re uncomfortable or need to leave, just glance at either of us, and we’ll get you out of there. Ready?”
She glanced over her shoulder but didn’t make eye contact with me. “What about the man in the crowd?”
“He’s handled.” Ten minutes ago, I didn’t want her looking at me, and now I fucking hated that she wouldn’t. “You don’t have to go through with the meeting.”
Her dark amber gaze finally met mine, and the girl I knew, not the woman who’d become a megastar, stared at me a beat. “Yes, I do.”
I hated the fear in her eyes. Another lifetime, I wouldn’t have let her walk through that door. I also would’ve already taken my brother down.
Tyler glanced over his shoulder toward the lobby. “Let’s keep it moving.”
“Come on, love. Time to go in.” Vance walked her through the door.
Turning my comm off, I looked at Tyler. “Text me the second you hear from Harm. I want to know what was in that envelope.”
Serious when he needed to be, Tyler nodded. “Copy that.”