Mentally shaking myself out of despair, I asked what I needed to know. “Who was the man in the crowd?”
The first thing I noticed was Ronan’s jaw tic. Then Vance exhaled.
I looked between the two of them. “Tell me,” I demanded.
“He had a note,” Vance admitted. “But he isn’t our bomber. He was paid to deliver it to you personally in the guise of getting close enough to get an autograph.”
Anxiety prickled at my nerves. “What did it say?”
Ronan pulled out his cell phone, swept his thumb across the screen and showed me an image of a handwritten note.
Did you think 4500 miles would save you?
My blood ran cold.
A cell phone’s distinctive buzz with a text alert echoed in the sudden heavy silence of the elevator, and Tyler pulled his phone out. “We have company upstairs.”
“Who?” I demanded as Ronan slipped his phone back in his pocket.
“Leo Amherst, ma’am,” Tyler replied.
My stomach bottomed out.
She went perfectly still when she saw the image of the note, but when Tyler mentioned Amherst, every muscle in her body tensed.
I glanced down at her, but she kept her gaze locked straight ahead. “Is that a problem?”
Vance smirked. “Have you met him?”
“Yes.” Fuck Vance. Everyone at L&A had met Amherst. He was a complete prick. He owned the label Sanaa was with and I figured she knew him, but I wanted to know why she’d stiffened when his name was mentioned. Giving her my eyes even though she wouldn’t look at me, I asked again. “Do you prefer not to see him?”
Weary, she sighed. “I’ll speak with him.”
It wasn’t what I asked, but I had to take her reply as consent, because the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. “Tyler, Ty, patrol. Harm, you’re with me.”
Harm nodded, Ty grunted, and Tyler said, “Copy.”
Vance swiped the key card and opened the door to the suite before he glanced at me then addressed Sanaa. “Wait a moment, love. I’ll be right back.” He stepped inside.
Sanaa looked up at me. “Who paid the man to deliver the note?”
The young girl I’d met all those years ago had been shy and innocent, but she’d also been brave. Staring at an older version of her now, the innocence was gone, and I didn’t think shy was in her vocabulary, but her bravery had grown.
I didn’t want to admire her for it. I wanted to be fucking immune to her, and I wanted the hole in my chest to be gone. But despite everything, I was proud of her.
I told her the bulk of what we knew. “A woman paid him a hundred dollars to deliver the note to you.”
“A woman?” she asked, surprised.
Nodding once, I glanced at Harm.
Harm gave her the rest of what we knew. “She approached him as he came out of the hotel bar, said he would get another hundred if he got it in your hand, and that she’d be watching. He didn’t know her, couldn’t describe her past having brown hair, and she was gone when I had him show me where the woman said she’d be waiting for him after he delivered the envelope.”
Sanaa sighed. “So a dead end.”
“Not a dead end,” I clarified. “This tells us he’s here.”
She frowned. “How do we know it’s a he?” She looked at Harm. “You just said it was a woman who approached the man in the lobby.” She looked back at me. “This whole time we thought it was a man, but we don’t really know, do we?”
I gave her the easy answer, because I wasn’t going to ask what I needed to ask in front of Harm. “Statistically speaking, a woman is far less likely to build and detonate explosives in this scenario.”
“How do you know?” She crossed her arms protectively against herself.
“Being an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician in the Marines, you learn many things,” I evaded.
Her frown deepened. “So you actually built bombs? For what?”
“Usually neutralized them. Sometimes built them.” She didn’t need to know context.
Looking at me like I’d lost my mind, she dropped her guard, and a trace of her accent came out as she bled her words together. “You chose that job?”
It chose me. “I had an aptitude for it.” Steady hands, no emotion, I didn’t crack under pressure. In fact, the two times in my life I’d lost my shit, she was involved.
The door to the suite opened, and Vance stuck his head out. “All clear.” Dropping his voice, he aimed his next words at Sanaa. “Luna and Amherst are in the lounge.”
She inhaled, and the mask of her fame was back. “Very well.”
Vance nodded once and stepped back, opening the door wide.
I glanced at Harm as Sanaa walked in. “Did you call Luna?”
“No,” Harm replied only loud enough for me to hear. “Texted him the same information I gave you.”
Not fucking happy I didn’t know what was up, I followed Sanaa into the suite.
Leo Amherst stood from the couch and smiled like a starstruck prick as he held his arms out. “Sanaa, babe, you look amazing. Come here, gorgeous.”
Hesitating, looking reluctant as hell, she stepped into his embrace.
“So good to see you,” Amherst gushed, as one of his hands skimmed over her ass.
I palmed my piece.
Caressing her arm, Amherst kept fucking touching her. “You look even better than the last time I saw you. The music videos don’t do you justice, sweetheart.”
Hitting me like an IED blast, realizing a decade too damn late the repercussions my actions had set in motion for her all those years ago, my finger curled around the trigger.
“Brother,” Harm whispered as Luna’s gaze cut from hand to my eyes.
Hating myself, wanting to kill Amherst, I ignored Harm and glared at Amherst. “Why are you here?”
Dropping the performance for his protégé, Amherst eyed me over her shoulder. “I could ask the same of you.” He glanced at my hand on my Sig.
My finger didn’t fucking move. “Protection detail.”
The asshole chuckled. “What a coincidentally small world.” Amherst’s gaze cut to Vance. “And let me guess, you’ve set your sights higher now.” He suggestively rubbed Sanaa’s arm.
My nostrils flared.
“Let it play out,” Harm warned under his breath.
I kept my finger on the trigger.
Vance smiled mildly at Amherst. “I work for Miss Narine, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“As?” Amherst wasn’t asking, he was throwing down a challenge.
Vance didn’t bite. “As whatever she needs.”
Amherst fake laughed again. “We’ll see about that.” Turning his attention back to Sanaa, gripping her hand tight, he gave her a salacious smile. “Your team is pretty up in arms. You left them high and dry in London. Your manager has been calling me daily, but no worries. I’m here to take you back. I wouldn’t want you to miss your next concert.”
Finally pulling out of his grip, Sanaa stepped back. “Last I checked, Leo, I do still have the freedom to go where I please when I’m not performing.”
I shifted my finger off the trigger.