Levi just gave the younger man a curt nod and then passed out the earpieces. “Let’s get in position.” He then cut a pointed look at Elvis. “And let’s try to stay focused.”
Elvis said nothing as he slipped his earpiece into place, but he knew it would be a long day, especially with an irritated Levi glued to his hip.
Being Saturday, the last actual day of activities, the summit was split up into different areas, each offering a unique experience. Levi led Elvis to the larger of the several conference rooms, which was already buzzing with conversation and people asking for more coffee. Most of the participants had dressed casually in jeans and pullover shirts, while others dressed up in shirts and tie, a few wearing coats, but almost all of them looked like they had stayed up too long at the mixer on the roof. Many sported bags under their eyes, moving with sluggish steps, while hiding yawns behind their hands. Elvis simply laughed as he shook his head. On any other morning, he would’ve felt the same hungover sluggishness. Now all he felt was an impatience to get the weekend over so he could have his time with Julia.
He sighed. Delaney, that is.
As they found a place along the south wall to take their post, he heard Levi mutter a growl beside him.
Glancing up, he spotted the Director of Security Operations, Raymond Boudreaux, heading toward them. Probably just doing a check-in, but with everything that happened last night and that morning, he wasn’t counting on it.
He kept his gaze on the room, ignoring the tall man lumbering toward him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t taking the man’s measure. Raymond Boudreaux stood about three inches past six feet, with dark brown hair possessing streaks of silver at the temples, which he kept short and neat, not military tight, but disciplined. Professional. His pale green eyes were sharp and assessing, always taking in his surroundings without even turning his head, and when he looked at you, it was like a hand at the back of your neck. He possessed a thin scar near his left eyebrow that Elvis had heard the man received from duckingtoo slow in a bar fight when someone tossed a bottle at him. Built like a linebacker in a business suit, he had thick shoulders that strained the seams of his custom-tailored suit jacket and possessed a heavy presence that shouted both experience and command. His skin was a sun-worn bronze that didn’t come from vacations, but was more a testament to his years in the field before he traded tactical gear for boardroom briefings. The man could charm the pants off the ladies while scaring the hell out of men who stepped out of line from everything Elvis had heard about him before agreeing to take the job with Silver Security.
When he reached them, he moved over to Levi, turning to face the filling room, arms crossed over his chest. “We have a U.S. Marshal in my security room.”
Levi glanced at the man, his brow cocked. “All right. And?”
“Do you know anything about it?” The man still hadn’t looked at them.
Levi glanced over at Elvis, a growl on his face, but Elvis kept staring out at the computer geeks.
Shaking his head, Levi said, “Not anything I can share. You’ll have to ask him.”
“Did you call him?”
Now Levi’s expression grew incredulous as he turned to face the man. “Why the hell would I call a U.S. Marshal?”
“Well, I know I didn’t.”
“There are other teams here, remember?” Levi pushed. “Aren’t you being audited by Obsidian Analytics? Why not check with them?”
“Because the U.S. Marshal’s hovering over that woman like bees to honey, and according to our monitors, they were both seen coming out of your room this morning.” The man turned and stared at Levi, one brow cocked. “So, I assumed you knew something.”
“Well, what I know isn’t mine to tell,” Levi said, casting another glance at Elvis. “So I suggest you talk to the marshal.”
The director stared at him for another moment, then gave a curt nod and wandered off.
Levi glanced back at Elvis. “Somehow, I don’t think this guy’s going to call us back to help him anytime soon.”
Elvis sighed. “Sorry about that. I honestly didn’t know this was going to blow up the way it did. It’s not like I planned any of this.”
“Didn’t stop it, either,” Levi snapped, keeping his head on a swivel, monitoring the goings and comings of people in the giant room as people settled down to listen to whoever would stand at the podium first. “I get it. Really. And I have no problem helping you with whatever you need once this is over. My brothers would tell you the same. I just wished you would’ve given me a heads up, that’s all. I don’t need these people watching our every move like we’re the problem and not to be trusted instead of the ones keeping this circus from catching fire.”
“I know,” Elvis admitted. “And I appreciate it. To be honest, I was winging it after I saw her. It was like seeing a ghost. It was all knee-jerk reactions. If I could go back and handle things differently, I would. But I can’t unring this bell. She’s here, and I’m not losing her again.”
Levi exhaled, frustration flowing into resignation. “You loved her, huh? Still do I take it?”
“I never stopped loving her,” Elvis confessed. “She’s the reason I never settled down or grew attached to anyone. She was my first love and my last.”
Levi nodded. “Well, let’s hope nothing bad came of Blaze’s digging..”
“Agreed.”
From there they spent their time watching the room, speakers getting up to tout the latest and coolest gadgets andmethods. They broke for lunch, and though he had tried to find Delaney, she wasn’t anywhere in sight, so he joined Blaze and Hawk for lunch in the casino buffet.
The cafeteria wasn’t glamorous with stainless steel counters, plastic trays, lukewarm coffee, and generic beige plastic plates. But the food was hot and filling, and Blaze was already tearing into his third plate like someone might try to take it from him. Hawk looked like a coiled spring, his gaze darting between casino staff and the nondescript security guards posted in various corners. People from the summit moved about, laughing and sharing stories of their experiences, most still having their badges dangling around their necks.
To his surprise, Dane joined them, sliding into the seat across from him without a sound, and without even asking, Elvis knew Blaze must have called their boss. He could only hope it wasn’t another lecture coming his way.
