“I think it’d be best if you all play the part of tourists instead of looking like you’re private security scoping the place out, which might draw Miguel’s attention if he sees you there before Wednesday night,” Carter explained, walking alongside Camila toward the SUV.
“Do we have an update on Jesse’s whereabouts?” Beckett asked Camila since it was her guys keeping an eye on the hotel.
Sydney sidestepped Beckett and grabbed the suitcase Mya had been carrying for her.
“Jesse hasn’t made contact,” Carter said, then tipped his head to Camila.
“But my team said he’s with Miguel’s crew at a restaurant down the street from the hotel. They arrived there for lunch around one,” Camila shared.
Beckett turned his attention toward Elaina exiting the house with her parents, and she motioned to Beckett with a wave of her hand. “Can I talk to you before you go?”
“Of course.” In a few quick strides, he moved away from the others off to the side of the SUVs. His heart made its way to his throat, worried about what she might say.
“Sydney will be okay. You don’t need to worry about her,” Elaina cut straight to the point, and he appreciated the good news. But with her small hand, she reached for his wrist. He’d swear he felt a small buzz of electricity pass between them. “She has you.” She hid her brown gaze from him when her lids dropped. “But when you see the roses, be sure to stop.”
“Stop what?” Beckett blinked in confusion. “Roses?”
“When you see the roses, you’ll need to stop.” And with that, she let go.
When she opened her eyes a moment later, Beckett sensed there was more she knew, but he had the feeling she was afraid to tell him too much. To change things. Some type of . . . what was it called in movies? The butterfly effect?
“And, Beckett,” Elaina began, “he’ll be okay too.” She angled her head toward Gray without looking at him, but he was the only one off to her right.
“Do you mean . . .?” He won’t die on the op, or he’ll fall in love with someone else?
Elaina smirked, and he still wasn’t sure how to read that, but she added, “You know exactly what I mean.” And then, just like her father loved to do, she winked.
CHAPTER THIRTY
“Well, that sucks.” Mya folded her arms as the six of them stood in the hotel lobby, her eyes on the keycards in Beckett’s hands. “We going to draw straws to see who gets the honeymoon suite?”
Only two rooms had been available with two beds in each. And the only other room was the honeymoon suite on the top floor with one king-sized bed.
“You two take it.” Gray reached for the keys from Beckett and handed them out as if that was that. Case closed. “Makes the most sense.”
“Gray.” His name came out like a small protest from Sydney. Or an apology? Beckett wasn’t so sure, but either way, Gray shook his head.
“It’s fine,” Gray said nearly under his breath.
But was it fine? No, not even close. It was bad enough he and Sydney were sharing a room, and now Gray knew they’d be sharing a bed. The team didn’t need Gray’s thoughts derailed and not mission-focused because of their sleeping situation.
Who am I kidding? We’re all a bit fucked in the head on this one, aren’t we?
“Sooo,” Mya cut through the awkward tension, God bless her. “Let’s meet in the lobby in ten. We’ll go do the tourist thing?” She pointed toward the elevators as if they’d lose their way. “I’d prefer to spend as little time as possible alone in the bedroom.”
“Ten minutes is fine,” Gray said, and Mya and Oliver led the way and began arguing about something as they all crowded into the elevator.
When the doors opened on the fifth floor, instead of exiting, Gray turned and peered at Sydney. “I need a word with Beckett in your room. Can you give us a few?”
“Oh, um, okay.” Sydney squeezed between Beckett and Gray to join Camila and Mya in the hallway.
“Thanks.” Gray quickly pressed the button to close the door before Beckett could protest. Not that he would’ve, but he sure as hell wasn’t in the mood to be alone in the honeymoon suite with Sydney’s ex-boyfriend.
They rode in silence to the top floor, and Beckett side-eyed the third suite they passed on their way to his room, recognizing the number as one of the rooms Miguel had booked. Sydney had hacked the hotel reservations before they’d left the safe house and found that Miguel had booked rooms all on the top floor. So, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing he’d wound up there today.
At least he was finally close to his brother-in-law again, and God willing, they’d soon be free from this mess.
It was one of the first times guilt didn’t do a number on him. Now that he knew Mya and Camila were alive because of this insane trip, he didn’t feel the need to keep berating himself.
Once they were both inside the suite, Beckett dropped his bag by the door and pinched the bridge of his nose at the sight of a porcelain white tub sitting almost regally in front of a wall of glass, the Andes Mountains in the distance. But even the tub and view couldn’t distract from the one bed, and he sure as hell didn’t want to face Gray now.
“I know what you’re going to say,” Beckett began after hearing the door behind him click shut. “I can save you the trouble.”
“Actually, you don’t know what I plan to say.” Gray’s voice wasn’t as harsh as he’d expected, so he slowly eased around, lowering his hand to his side in the process.
Gray had his eyes pinned to the bed, with its black leather headboard, gray comforter, and overabundance of white and gray pillows covering it.
“I’m sorry,” Beckett apologized at Gray’s forlorn expression, and in that moment, it was hard for him to remember Gray had once been an elite operator, a Green Beret. Because right now, he didn’t look deadly. Just . . . well, defeated. And maybe he’d rather face the man’s anger. He could deal with a pissed-off Gray better than a tough guy like him breaking apart.
“Since Sydney joined the team, she’s been quiet. Reserved. Frankly, intimidating to most people, including the guys on Falcon.” He paused for a moment. “The woman not only has walls up but barbed wire at the top just in case some idiot tries to climb over, if you get what I mean.”
Beckett kept quiet, letting Gray work through whatever it was he was trying to say. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears as he waited. His pulse flying.
“And in the thirty-plus hours I’ve been around you two together, well, I’ve never seen her like this. Visibly wearing her emotions. Walls down. Barbed wire gone. And I get the feeling you’re the reason. I don’t know how you did it and so fast, but . . .” He let go of a deep breath and worked his gaze to meet Beckett’s. “I won’t stand in the way of that woman’s happiness. She deserves the world, and if you’re the one she wants to give her that world . . . so be it.”
Beckett set a hand to his chest, worried his heart might break free as he grappled with how to handle Gray’s words.
“What’s that saying? If you love someone, let them go, and if they come back, it’s meant to be? Well, she didn’t come back to me.” Gray shifted to the side, offering only his profile now.