Fuck. “How many guests?”
“Two hundred, tops.” Cotter dropped his head back into his hands, his shoulders slumping.
“Are you crazy?” Merc bit out. “There's no way we can vet everyone before the end of this week.” How could the senator be so stupid and reckless?
“Only my close personal friends and acquaintances are coming. Every person walking through that door I will have personally invited. I'll have my assistant give you a dossier on each guest. You can check them in at the front door, and anyone not on the list will be turned away.”
“You really think it's that simple? With a party that size, someone could easily slip in undetected. That leaves Caroline vulnerable.” Merc's voice rose with each word, his fury growing with each word.
“Merc,” Hunter said.
Merc's look sliced to his team leader, and it was enough to make him shut the hell up. He took a deep breath and turned back to Cotter. “I want that dossier in my hands within the hour.”
Stupid, stupid politicians. Senator Cotter couldn't turn it off. No matter how much he loved his daughter, he still had the thought process of a man running for reelection.
“You'll have it, anything you need. After the party, I'll cancel everything, I swear.”
Merc crossed his arms and glared down at Caroline's father. “You will, because if you don't, you'll lose her again.”
With that, he stalked from the room and ran up the staircase, intent on finding Caroline and making sure she was okay. He rapped gently on her bedroom door, but she refused to answer. He knocked again, just as stubborn as she, but there was still no answer. Alarm hit him and he pulled his pistol.
He tried the knob, found it unlocked, and the door swung open seamlessly, leaving Merc staring into an empty bedroom.
