Jason touched her arm. “It’s okay. He’s not going anywhere. He won’t hurt you. I promise.”
She looked back at him and cocked her head. “You’re good at that.”
“At what?”
“I’ve never seen anything like it in person, of course. I mean, I’ve seen the all the Jason Bourne movies, but—”
Jason choked and spurted out his last sip of water. “Sorry,” he wiped water from his mouth with the back of his hand. He coughed twice, trying to recover his voice. “Please,please, tell your uncle you compared me to Jason Bourne. He would love that.“ He let out a choked laugh. “That’s a lie. He would hate it. ButIwould really enjoy it if you did.”
She wasn’t ready to smile yet, but a hint of amusement shone in her eyes.
The sound of a car approaching halted their conversation. And froze them for a beat.
“I’ll check it out. It’s probably the guys. Stay here, just in case.” Before he walked away, he felt like kissing her. He didn’t. Didn’t even try. But he wanted to. Which shocked him. How was someone he just met able to drudge up feelings like this in him—ones that lay dormant for so many years?
She felt so right in his arms a minute ago. But that wasn’t proof this attraction was a good idea.
Forcing the thought from his mind, he walked to the window near the front door. He stood to the side to get a view of the car without revealing himself in the window.
“It’s okay, Tayla. It’s them,” he called out.
Good. Now they needed to get their unwanted visitor to the authorities, plan their day tomorrow, and eat some dinner.The guys better have food with them.
Chapter 7
Gus’s suite, back at The Mandeville Hotel, was identical to Jason’s. Two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a full-size kitchen and a sprawling living room. But the view was different—more ocean, less parking lot. And the carpet was free of blood. It was also the largest suite—not currently a crime scene—that they had a key to. So, even though Tayla felt a little awkward to be in their late friend’s room, it was decided they would convene in Gus’s suite to discuss the situation. And order room service.
Rowan had tapped into the hotel’s security and set up several cameras of his own before Leland, Knox, Tayla, and Jason returned from the cottage. By the time they arrived at The Mandeville, Rowan could view nearly every inch of the resort property from his laptops sitting at the dining table in Gus’s suite.
Tayla had to admit she felt safer. No one could sneak into this suite from any direction without Rowan seeingthem coming. She’d introduced herself when they walked in, and he’d given her a curious smile. He looked too young to be, well, anything outside of high school, but his surveillance set-up was impressive and Leland, Jason, and Knox seemed to respect his skills, so that was enough for her.
Jason didn’t hesitate to voice his disappointment back at the cottage when the guys showed up without food. But when room service finally arrived, their dinner smelled so good that Tayla decided it was worth the wait. The adrenaline spikes over the past few hours stole her appetite—until the savory aromas wafting from the dinner cart reminded her how long it had been since she’d eaten.
Only she and Leland could fit at the dining table because of all the laptops, but Jason, Knox, and Rowan didn’t seem to mind eating in the living area on the two sofas.
She knew the events of the day weighed heavily on Jason, but the hamburger he was devouring seemed to bolster his spirit. And she enjoyed watching him and Knox interact. They were obviously friends. Knox, blonde, fit, and roughly the same age as Jason, stood about the same height as Jason as well. Which meant they both towered over Rowan, making him look even younger.
She savored her grilled shrimp and pasta while she listened to the four of them discuss the last twenty-four hours.
Leland and Jason took turns highlighting everything that happened while Knox consumed an enormous plate of fish and rice, offering a nod now and then to prove he was listening.
Jason wrote out a list on a legal pad while they talked, then tossed it on the coffee table in front of Knox.
“What’s this?” Knox asked.
“A list of the attacks on us, and Drakos. With a few notations. Notice something?”
Knox stared at the list for a few seconds and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Yeah. Interesting. Lots of players.”
“What does that mean?” asked Tayla.
Jason pivoted on the sofa to face her. “It means there are at least two sets of bad guys. One set much more professional than the other. Probably hired by two different people.”
“Hired by different people? How do you know that?”
He shrugged. “We don’t know for certain. But wedoknow there is a gaping chasm between the skill level of the sniper at the cottage and the goons that chased us tothe wildlife lookout.“ Jason tapped his pen on his knee. “Not really shocking. Drakos took possession of valuables that aren’t exactly his, and were probably stolen at some point. So, the idea that more than one person wants his little treasure isn’t far-fetched.”
Intrigued, Tayla let her next question fall out of her mouth before propriety could rein it in. “What about Gus? Can you tell who killed him?”
