“You’ll be kept in the loop. If Bennett is trying to misdirect the people in his agency, he’ll learn we’re not easy targets to play with,”Nazarisaid.
“I don’t see how that’s helpful if they’re expecting to succeed. I don’t think that’s agoodidea.”
“I understand your hesitancy, but we don’t have the luxury of hitting the pause button right now. We’re reassessing our next move, especially in light of recentevents.”
“Will it be canceled?” Jamie asked, hiding what he really wanted to ask in an innocuousquestion.
“There’s a strong possibility,” Nazari finallyconceded.
After almost a year catering to the Pavluhkins in order to get hard evidence against them, thePresnenskaya Bratva, and the criminal alliance they headed up, they were rapidly reaching the point where it wasn’t tenable to pursue Stanislav anymore. His precognitive power made it too dangerous to keep playingthisgame.
Jamie pinched the bridge of his nose. “I understand. We’ll talk morelater.”
The comms cut out and Kyle tilted his head in Jamie’s direction, asking the only question that mattered to him right now. “How’sLyosha?”
“Fine,” Jamiepromised.
Kyle knew Jamie wouldn’t lie to him about his brother, but he still worried about how close to home the enemy was targeting them. Sean’s apartment was compromised, which very well meantalltheir homes could be compromised. Judging by Jamie’s grim smile, he thought the same thingaswell.
“Maybe there’s some truth to the threats against your father after all,” Kyle saidquietly.
“Maybe.”
They weren’t in a location where they could easily discuss the latest developments, and so were forced to table it for later. Kyle would rather they skip out on the Empyrean brand party altogether and return to D.C. to reassess the mission at large. But that wasn’t an option, and they were minutes away from arriving at The Golden Rose, Manhattan’s current most popular cocktail lounge favored bytherich.
Empyrean held branding parties every few months, never in the same country twice in a year, in order to entice prospective customers to learn about the space cruise packages available for those who could pay the cost. A company’s brand aesthetic was integral to success, and Empyrean wasn’t a company that skimped onpresentation.
The high status of Empyrean’s branding parties meant they were a magnet for the paparazzi and general fans of the social media stars and socialites that showed up to see and be seen. Kyle eyed the crowd gathered on the sidewalk near the entrance to the mixed-use skyscraper that housed TheGoldenRose.
Tonight’s party catered to a younger crowd, wanting to sell exclusive trips to people who were all looking to one-up each other in showing off the glitz of their lives to their fans. Jamie grabbed Kyle’s hand as the SUV braked to a halt in front of the literal red carpet someone had rolled out between the curb and the lobbyentrance.
“Ready?” Jamieasked.
Kyle made a face. “Ibetterbe.”
“Thenlet’sgo.”
Jamie pushed open the SUV door before an agent could open it for them. The annoyed look one of Jamie’s minders shot them as they got out didn’t go unnoticed by Kyle. He knew they should have probably waited for an all-clear—he’d been present during the lecture Lawrence had given Jamie about the function of a Secret Service security detail—but neither he nor Jamie were in the mood to wait. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner they could head home and deal with the crisis nipping at theirheels.
Kyle blinked to clear his vision of the bright flashes of lights from the cameras pointed in their direction, and the hovering drone cameras recording their every move. He ducked his head a little, wishing he’d been allowed to wear nanotech strips to hide the identifying features of his face, but that would incite more questions theydidn’tneed.
Jamie wrapped an arm around his shoulders and guided him toward the entrance, the both of them flanked by the Secret Service. Oliver Burwell was the supervising agent assigned to Jamie, a stocky man who’d had a short stint in the Army before leaving after his contract was up to join the Secret Service. Older, with brown hair trimmed close to his skull and a clean-shaven face, Burwell was intent on pushing his authority in an overbearing way that pissed Jamie off. Kyle had noticed Burwell didn’t take kindly to the way Jamie ignored his requests to stay put, which only made the both of them want to break the so-called rulesevenmore.
Tonight, Jamie had no problem channeling the arrogance of a rich man with long practice, the condescending smile on his face when deigning to pay attention to the agents not endearing him to them at all. Kyle knew Jamie was trying to keep them at a distance because the director was still pissed at needing to decide what to do about the agents. Their identities were classified, and agents came and went; they couldn’t grant clearance for dozens of people they couldn’t trust to know who theyreallywere.
“There better be food,” Kyle said as they entered the sleek lobby and continued to follow the red carpet to theelevatorbank.
“There’s always food,”Jamiesaid.
“I meanrealfood, not that bite-sized crap you rich people insist isfilling.”
Jamie slanted him a look, gaze hot and teasing. “I’ll feed you later if you’re not satisfied by what the company isserving.”
The promise in his words caused a flash of warmth to rush through Kyle’s body, and he valiantly ignored the way his cock twitched as they stepped into the private elevator. The Golden Rose took up the top level of the skyscraper as well as the rooftop garden with its arched biodome to protect revelers from the weather. Empyrean had booked out the entire lounge for the night, employing a celebrity DJ to handle the music instead of an AI, and paying for the open bar serving only top-shelfalcohol.
Empyrean could afford to pay for such a hook. The way the company catered to its loyal customers was legendary, one of many reasons why they had so many repeat guests, but there was always roomformore.
The elevator slowed to a halt and opened its doors on a richly decorated lounge filled with gorgeous people, most of whom looked like they’d stepped off the runway. Kyle was glad for the suit Jamie had put him in; it meant he didn’t stand out in the crowd like the Secret Service did. Considering Kyle was glued to Jamie’s side, he doubted he’d have gone unnoticed tobeginwith.
