Page 46 of The Scarab's Game
I need everything.
No, not everything. You.
I took a small step backward and made contact with him, my pulse kicking up.
Show me some luck, King Louis.
He gripped my upper arms, not separating from me. He just stood there, all tall and solid muscle, crowding my air with his. “Are you all right? Did Dante?—”
“I don’t want to talk about him.” I wanted to talk about what Dantesaid. But how? Pull out my seduction game, as pathetic as it was? The men in my life had always been the instigators. I’d never had to do much to win them over.
His phone buzzed again, but he didn’t move. “Is something else going on?”
God, what would I do if I tried something and Emmett rejected me again?
“Jenn? What’s the matter?” His phone buzzed again—three short bursts—and he let go of me. Frustration coated his words. “It’s work. I have to take this.”
My heart crashed. Now what? Do what I should have been doing? “I’m going to take a shower. My back’s killing me.”
“I have painkillers in my bag.” He strolled into his room, gaze locked on the phone. “Let me know if you need anything.”
Anything? I needed him to join me in that shower. Or maybe I’d clean up and put Dante’s theory to the test.
Chapter 17
Emmett
The shower doorclosed inside the bathroom. Jenn would be in the shower for at least a half hour, if her morning routine was any indication. Considering how she’d sagged against me when we came in, she’d likely head straight to sleep afterward.
Plenty of time for the op. I retrieved my earpiece and headed for the living area. The team was already in progress.
Jayce and Drew had skipped out early from dinner to follow Jenn and Dante from the restaurant. I’d refused to believe she’d go to his place after—she had a boyfriend at home, and Scarlett insisted that meant something to Jenn.
Then again, Dante had escorted her to the hotel. He’d held her hand and kissed her cheek, when it had only been air kisses yesterday. He’d planned on coming upstairs with her. Fucking slimy Fenix asshole.
And she was eating it up. Maybe she wasn’t as loyal or as good as I’d thought she was.
Even still, she wouldn’t have brought him upstairs, because I might have been here. If not, she would have had to explain the two-bedroom suite. No, she wasn’t planning on bedding him tonight, but just in case, my team had followed them.
I’d been waiting for her arrival to save her from herself.
Jayce and Drew had headed to the gallery after confirming I had Jenn. They were a fantastic team, who almost didn’t become a thing because they’d been too stubborn to realize they were perfect together.
A smile tugged at my mouth. It had taken a lot of work to convince them they were getting in the way of their happiness, but I was a damn fine matchmaker.
I popped the earpiece in, and video feeds fired up on my screens.
“You finally ready, Emmett?” came Scarlett’s voice from HQ. That was unexpected. Monaco wasmyjob, not hers. We needed Brie’s tech skills tonight, but the plan was for Scarlett to sit out. Not surprisingly, my older sister had never been happy on the sidelines.
“I am.” I sat at the table in the living area, where I had more space for my laptop and external screen than in my room. “Everyone in place?”
“Yes,” said Rav, who was broadcasting a video feed from the park catercorner to the gallery.
“No,” came Jayce’s voice in my ear. “You said the truck wasn’t supposed to arrive until midnight, but it’s here now.”
“What?” I was sure Enzo’s guy said midnight.
“That’s why I’ve been trying to reach you.” Scarlett’s voice was calm, but she was using her commanding tone that may as well have been a lecture. Although it explained why my phone had buzzed three times—that was the emergency signal.