“He went back to work. Or at least stopped by work, but he wasn’t in a suit like he usually wears to work.”
He was sure he heard haoli muttered beneath the man’s breath. What the hell was wrong with Hawaiians? What was so wrong about wearing a suit to look professional? Americans in general were an odd sort, but it was probably the worst here. Well, and Florida. He loathed Florida.
“If he’s not in the suit, then he’s probably not at work. Was he with anyone?”
“I said he was with the Davis woman. That Lila chick was nowhere to be found.”
Seriously? Their target was being referred to as the Lila chick? He was going to take great pleasure in killing this idiot when everything was over. It was getting more and more difficult to find operatives to help him. Once he was done with this fucking mess, he was going to retire to his estate in Montenegro.
“Is this one of the women he has worked with before?”
Dillon had a very strict policy of no involved operatives working on the same op.
“No. I know she has something to do with support, so she’s rarely in the field.”
Interesting. Maybe she was the new flavor of the month. He had started to watch Ian Smith when he realized the former agent was almost an obsession for Lila. The man had a long line of women in his past and didn’t seem to want to settle down any time soon. He had also proved to be a useful tool. Sending people after him brought Lila out every single time.
“I want him followed.”
There was a long beat of silence that he knew meant something bad.
“We lost him.”
He was surrounded by incompetents, but he always had been. “Find him. Your very job depends on it. We need to be sure he is not in contact with Lila.”
“Of course.”
Without another word, he clicked off the phone and tossed it on his desk. He did not have a choice. He had to find Delilah. Alone in his room, he looked out at the waves with a frown. He couldn’t wait to finish this and make it back to cooler weather.
Ian stared up at the ceiling, his mind too busy to shut down. He hadn’t been looking for this, but now he couldn’t even think of walking away from Lila when this was all over.
Bloody hell, when did he become so attached to her?
His arm tightened around her. She mumbled in her sleep and he stilled. She needed her sleep. Knowing that he would just wake her up, he slipped out of bed, trying his best not to jostle her.
He dressed as quietly as possible, then made his way to the kitchen. When he got there, he found El and Jenner sitting at the kitchen table.
“Who all is still here?”
El didn’t say anything but cut him a look that promised Ian retribution. He didn’t need to deal with someone who had his feelings hurt over Lila. Not now with her life on the line.
“Miko and Eden.”
He frowned. “I didn’t want Eden to give up her vacation.”
“Like I would leave my partner alone to deal with this shit storm?” Eden said as she walked into the kitchen.
“Thanks. I owe you.”
She shook her head. The usual calm she displayed was in full force, but there was another layer. There was no hint of a smile. “No. She saved El all those years ago, and most recently, she’s kept you alive. We owe Lila.”
He nodded, but he made a mental note to talk to Luc about giving her some of her vacation time back.
“How’s Lila?” Eden asked.
“Sleeping, finally. Going over the case really tired her out.”
“And the concussion and stab wound,” Jenner said.
