Page 79 of Breaking the Rules
The kitchen was a modern monstrosity of chrome and black. It was as if the architect had wanted to smother the soul of the room. And he’d accomplished just that.
They ditched their produce on the stainless steel counter next to the industrial side-by-side fridge and freezer, and while Tony had the chef cornered in the walk-in-pantry, Waverly silently led the way down the back hallway.
“I’ve got you in the hallway.” Micah’s voice was calm. “You’ve got company coming down the stairs. Big guy, black suit. You’ll want to duck into that door on your left.”
Xavier was already opening the door and dragging her inside.
“A fucking walk-in linen closet?” Xavier hissed.
Waverly elbowed him as the door clicked shut and the light automatically turned off. “Shh!”
She turned in the dark to shove her hands through Xavier’s thick hair. It would take security a bit longer to process two sleepy-eyed guests yawning through the halls as a threat than it would if they showed up with guns. They’d both worn clothes that could pass for pajamas, just in case.
They went silent and still as heavy footsteps approached. Waverly felt his hand cup her breast and squeeze when the footsteps moved past the door. In the dark, she reached out and cupped him through his sweat pants.
“You two are breathing funny, everything okay?” Micah asked.
She felt Xavier shake with silent laughter.
“Clear?” she whispered.
“Clear.”
They moved soundlessly as a unit down the hallway to the foot of the back stairs. Xavier let her lead but was never more than a foot behind her. She felt his presence like a bulletproof vest. The stairway was narrow and dark. It was designed to spare the homeowners from experiencing the unsightly spectacle of staff coming and going on the home’s main staircase.
“You’re clear to the second floor,” Micah said.
They climbed the carpeted stairs quietly. Even with Micah monitoring the live feed of the security cameras, her senses felt sharp, ready to identify and respond to any threats. She felt rather than heard Xavier moving behind her. They reached the top of the stairs and squeezed close to the wall so they wouldn’t be seen from below.
“You’re almost there,” Micah said. “Fourth door on your left.”
They were closing in fast. She could hear her heartbeat as it ticked up just a notch. The doors to the suite were a glossy white with gold scroll levers for handles. Waverly was just reaching for the left one when Micah blasted in her ear.
“Ah, shit. Company downstairs.”
She opened the door swiftly and shoved Xavier inside. She could feel eyes on her and purposely gave a lazy stretch. “Good morning,” she yawned as she wandered through the door closing it behind her.
“Nice acting, Sinner,” Micah said. “Guard is still looking at the door thinking.”
It wouldn’t buy them much, if any, time, but she was hoping that Petra’s security team suffered the same breakdowns in communication every other organization did.
It was then that Waverly noticed that Xavier had his gun drawn and pointed at the bed.
Petra was sitting up looking terrified, a sparkly eye mask shoved up on top of her head. Beside her stood a very familiar and very naked figure clutching a sheet to his waist.
“Dante?” Waverly hissed. She crossed the room at lightning speed and locked him into a hug. “You asshole, I thought you were dead!”
Dante returned the fierce hug. “Where the fuck have you been?” he whispered back, his British accent lending a delightful weight to the words.
“Me? You’re the one who went missing!” she said, shoving him back a step. And then it hit her. Xavier had his gun on Dante, and she knew why.
She took a step back and then another and pulled her own weapon. She made sure she stopped directly between Xavier and Dante. If someone was shooting her partner, it was going to be her. “Someone is trying to kidnap Petra, and they’re being fed information from inside the house. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you Dante?”
“Oh for Christ’s sake, do I look like a mole?” he demanded, raising his arms.
“Do us all a favor and keep the sheet on,” Xavier said mildly.
“So you two really are back together?” Dante said, looking over Waverly’s shoulder at Xavier. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
