Page 52 of Exposed

He tore his mind away from Maddie. He had to go back to their room and do a sweep. He went to the nightstand next to the bed and pulled out his earpiece. It was late, but Dylan would still have his earpiece in while Ashley was keeping watch over Maddie.

“Dude, you there?” he asked into the mic at his collar. He pressed the earbud into his ear and moved toward the door.

“Yo, what’s up?”

“I have to sneak across the hall into Carlos’s suite. Let Ashley know and I need you to cover me.”

A beat passed. “Man, are you crazy? Ashley’s got eyes on Maddie. No one knows where Carlos or Hector are.”

Irritation vibrated over his nerve endings and he bit his tongue. “Why the fuck aren’t you watching them?”

“Because you had me on standby tonight. Ashley was watching Carlos and Maddie before her friend came along. I wouldn’t even know where to look for him.”

Goddammit. It was slip-ups like this that could turn the entire thing into a shit fest.

He had no choice. If Carlos had listened in on Maddie, he needed to know about it. Her life would be in jeopardy even more than it already was.

“Can it wait until tomorrow? Everyone will be gone again for—”

“No. It can’t wait.” He shoved his feet in his shoes and parted the door. “Stay tuned. I might need you.”

“Fuck, bro. This is too risky,” Dylan rasped.

He eased out the door, took three steps across the hall, and shoved the key into Carlos’s door. He was almost positive the suite was empty, but he closed the door softly and inched his way into the room. His breath expanded in his lungs, demanding to be released, but he didn’t dare. He moved on the balls of his feet across the turquoise hallway runner. He pulled his Glock out and kept it low.

“Don’t expect me to come bail your ass out. I’m busy,” Dylan continued.

“Yeah, yeah. God forbid I interrupt you with actual work.”

Dark shadows shrouded the room and silence hung in the air. He pulled his earpiece out and strained his hearing. Still nothing. No running water or TV reached him either. He shoved the device back into his ear and Dylan’s ranting continued.

“If you get shot, you’re on your own. And for your information, I am working.”

Nate shook his head with irritation. Damn, he had the most annoying friends sometimes.

His gaze landed on the gold chain hanging next to the door. If he latched it, it would buy him more time in the event someone came in. On the flip side, they’d know someone was in the suite because it could only be chained from the inside.

Best to wing it. Worst-case scenario, he’d sleep on the balcony.

He shuddered at the thought. No way in hell he wanted to be suspended over the ocean.

“I’ll remember that, bro.” Nate sang softly into the mic at his collar. “Now will you shut the fuck up so I can hear if someone comes in?”

He skimmed his hand beneath the wooden table and made his way toward the bedroom. Chances were that would be the first place they would plant something.

Maddie and Carlos’s room was the mirror image of his. While a lot of the décor pieces throughout the unit matched the ones in his suite, the master bedroom was different. Pewter and mauve accented the space, giving it a soft, welcoming feel. The bedding was the shade of plums, with enough grey-toned pillows to smother a giant. If there were a bug in here he’d find it.

His feet scuffed across the freshly vacuumed area rug. He reached the head of the bed and ran his fingers along the groove behind the headboard, and then went to the nightstand and lamp. Nothing. He moved to the other side and did the same, but his finger didn’t even pick up a speck of dust.

Dylan breathed softly in his ear and Nate gritted his teeth against the sound. “Can you not do that?”

A beat passed. “What?”

“Breathe in my fucking ear. No offense, but not a sound I want in my head.”

Dylan chuckled. “Yeah, you’d rather have Maddie’s breath in your ear.”

“No fucking shit,” Nate snarled but his mouth hitched up in a smile and his dick twitched in his pants. Damn, he couldn’t wait to be alone with her without this case hanging over their heads.

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