Even though it’d been several years, she recognized him right away.
It was Tems.
10Change of Plans
Sydney must have tensed visibly at the sight of him, because Winter moved instinctively closer, his body turned protectively toward hers. When she looked up at him, she saw his gaze fixed on the young man, as if ready for him to attack. Again, she felt that uneasy flutter in her stomach. No partner had ever protected her like this—usually, they didn’t even work in the same physical location. His nearness felt strange.
“A friend of yours?” Gavi said, lifting a questioning eyebrow at the newcomer before looking at Winter. “I wasn’t expecting company.”
Before Winter could answer, Tems gave them a wide, disarming smile and spread his arms.
“Mr. Young!” he exclaimed, giving him a deep bow of his head. “I’m terribly sorry for the intrusion. Unfortunately, one of your passcodes here leaked, and a cluster of fans have been using it to access unauthorized floors. We’ve already switched the codes for the rooms, but I’m doing a routine check of your suite to make sure everything is properly updated.”
A good impromptu story, Sydney thought. Her fists had clenched so hard at her sides that her nails were about to draw blood against her palms. He smiled at her, but in his eyes, she could see the recognition. What the hell was he doing here?
“This isn’t the first time this has happened to us,” Winter said, and Sydney looked sharply at him.
Tems nodded. “Is that so, Mr. Young?”
A good follow-up,Sydney thought, and felt a twinge of admiration for Winter. Sauda was right about his lying skills.
“A tour stop in Nashville,” Winter said with a sigh as he sat down, as if this was all part of the job. “We had all our hotel details exposed by a staff member. My manager spent the better part of a day figuring out an entirely new routine for how to get us in and out.” He looked at Tems. “Are we going to need to do that here?”
“We’ll need to discuss it, yes,” Tems replied. “I apologize for this inconvenience. It hasn’t happened here before. Then again, this is the first time we’ve had you as a guest, Mr. Young.”
Sydney had to force herself not to roll her eyes at Tems’s buttery voice.
This was the hint for Gavi to leave the room, and when Sydney looked at her, the girl seemed ready.
“How long is this going to take?” Gavi said as she folded her arms.
“Many apologies for the inconvenience, Ms. Ginsburg,” Tems said with a bow of his head. “We should be done in an hour, and the room will be ready for you to settle in. May I suggest the shops downstairs or a session by the rooftop pool? They have been closed to outside visitors for the duration of your stay.”
“I’ll figure it out myself,” Gavi said, giving him a winsome smile. She patted Winter sympathetically on the arm. “Have fun figuring this mess out. I need to go buy a local SIM card anyway. Want one?”
Winter shook his head. “No, I’m good. Thanks, though.”
“Then I’ll catch up with you later at dinner.”
Winter nodded. She leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek, and he tensed, but didn’t stop her. Then she turned on her heel and headed out of the room. The door shut behind her with a click.
As soon as she left, Tems’s polite subservience vanished, and he walked over to sit down in a chair across from the couch. “Well,” he said, giving Winter a sly grin. “You clearly have some skills in the improvisation department. Commendable.”
Winter frowned. “And I’m guessing you’re not hotel staff,” he answered.
“What a smart one,” Tems said. “And I’m guessing you didn’t take your girlfriend’s offer because your phone’s a Panacea one. Or do they even bother equipping pseudo-agents?”
Sydney came over to stand beside Winter. She waved a disgusted hand. “This is Tems Bourton,” she told him. “The Arsonist.”
Winter’s eyes went to Tems. “So it’s you.”
“A pleasure.” Tems unfolded his arms, put his hands in his pockets, and gave Sydney a wink. “You look good, Syd.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded.
Tems shrugged, his eyes staying on her. “I thought you knew.”
“Did Niall send you here? Because we certainly weren’t expecting you.”
