“Have a seat.” Simon held out the chair for her. “I’ll get us some tea. We’ll put in an appearance and then we’ll leave. Don’t move.”
He walked toward the elegant buffet.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the whore from last night,” a low voice said.
She looked up and there was her old friend Albertson. He was dressed in a perfectly cut suit, his hair slicked back, and a ten thousand dollar watch around his wrist. Still, his eyes told the tale. They were bloodshot and tired. She started to stand because there was zero point in arguing over his opinion of her. “I’ll excuse myself since you can’t seem to be a gentleman.”
He reached out, catching her elbow. “I might have been a gentleman if you and your friend hadn’t drugged me. Did you think I wouldn’t catch that, bitch?”
“Since I did nothing of the sort, no, I didn’t think you would. Let go of my arm.” She glared back at him. “As drunk as you were last night, I’m surprised you remember me at all.”
His lips curled in a sneer. “You were counting on that, weren’t you? Too bad you were working with a pro. I’ve had far more to drink and still managed to fuck some dumb bitch and maintain my memory of the encounter. I’m not stupid. You tried to roll me last night. Since my wallet was in place, I have to think you’re looking for something else.”
“Hey, take your hands off her. Now.” Theo moved in, his big shoulders encased in a suit. Despite the well-tailored look, there was no way to mistake him for anything but muscle.
Albertson let go of her arm and stared for a moment. “Shit. For a minute I thought you were…” His face went red and he held his hands up as though giving in. “Hey, the lady and I were just talking. No big deal. She needs to understand that when she plays with fire, she’s going to get burned. But then you should know all about that.”
Theo stared at him. “Why would I know about that?”
“You’re old enough to know that a man can lose the things he loves the most, the places he feels most comfortable in if he doesn’t know when to back off or who to be friends with,” Albertson said pointedly.
Theo’s eyes narrowed. “Is that right? You want me to deliver a message to my brother? Because that’s sure what it fucking sounds like.”
“I don’t even know who you’re talking about,” he replied with a smile that belied his words. He was enjoying playing with them.
“It’s okay,” Theo promised, taking her by the elbow and gently bringing her to his side. “You might not know who he is, but I promise you, he knows who you are. Tell the senator hello from a lowly bodyguard. And if you come near her again, I’ll cut your balls off and make a toy out of them for my cat. I don’t actually own a cat, but if I have your balls dangling on a piece of string, I’ll get one just for the pleasure of watching it bat your boys around. Am I understood?”
Albertson took a step back, but he didn’t take his eyes off her. She could feel him watching her as Theo walked toward Simon.
“I suppose I can order us tea for the suite.” Simon sighed and put the cups down before walking toward the elevators.
“You sound a lot like your brother,” Phoebe told Theo as the doors closed.
“I guess the ability to threaten a man runs in the family,” Theo replied. “He was an asshole and he was lying. He thought I was Ian. I talked to Ian last night. He says he doesn’t know who this guy is.”
“I don’t think he’s our problem. I am interested in his boss, though.” The doors opened again and she heard Ten shouting.
She picked up the pace, shoving through the door that led to their rooms.
“Listen to me.” Ten was red in the face, his boots ringing on the marbled floors. “You don’t understand what I’m doing here.” His head turned down and a low growl came out of his mouth. “You can’t…yes. I understand. Yes, sir. By morning. Good-bye.”
“What was that about?” Jesse looked up from his seat next to Hutch.
Ten locked eyes with Phoebe and she could see the beast that was always just under his surface. She watched as he subdued it and shoved it back down. When he spoke he was calm again, though his words were clipped, his annoyance plain. “We’ve been recalled to DC. Hutch, shut her down. We’ve got to be packed and ready to go. They’re sending a plane to pick us up early tomorrow morning.” He turned back to Simon. “Agency only, man. I’m so fucking sorry.”
“What?” Phoebe shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around the words. “Why would they call us in? Who called us in?”
“The executive director. He’s revoked my privileges. All operations under my command now have to be approved. I’ve been demoted and if I don’t show up in DC tomorrow, I’ll be fired.”
It was so much worse than being fired. “They threatened to disavow you?”
He nodded sharply. “You know what that means.”