Page 92 of The Scarab's Game
“Good.” He kissed the top of my head and moved the arm he was propped up on. He twisted his fingers around mine and rested our hands on his chest. “Me, too.”
That, combined with him calling me‘My Jenn’last night and‘Honey’again this morning, sent a bundle of jittery energy spiraling around my insides. Was this more than one night—plus a morning? More than a vacation fling? I shifted so I could kiss him. Soft and tender. Trying to show him nothing mattered but the moment we were in. Hopefully, there’d be more, but this was all I needed for now.
He lifted me so I lay on top of him, and we just kissed. Tongues and lips and roaming hands. Warm bodies pressed together, our heartbeats syncing. He drew patterns on my back, and time slowed. The world narrowed to only us, wrapped in each other’s arms. The weight of my naked body on his felt right, like we were designed for this.
Shit.
It was just my luck.
Instead of getting him out of my system, I’d ensured he would never leave it.
Chapter 33
Emmett
Later Friday morning,after ensuring all of Jenn’s physical needs were met, I dropped her off in a shop on the Monte Carlo Promenade. She was in the expert hands of a professional shopper, who’d help choose her outfit for this evening.
Across the road, where I could still see the shop, I joined my team at a small outdoor seating area. A thick stone half-wall shielded our table from the port, and a large yellow umbrella concealed us from the view of anyone in the buildings above.
As I approached, Rav, Will, Jayce, and Drew looked up.
“Morning, all,” I said, taking my seat.
Will was pulling a small device from his backpack—a compact black metal box, only three inches long. He flicked a switch on its top, pressed a button, and a green light illuminated. “Interference is on.”
We’d debated whether to meet in the two-story open office we’d rented for training, one of our hotel rooms, or outside. Will’s jammer provided us with a cone of silence and invisibility, and he could have disrupted any video feeds or listening devices indoors or out.
The decision came down to Jenn. She wouldn’t question the group of us sitting around a table and chatting across the streetfrom the shop. But if we’d gathered in one of our hotel rooms or at the office, I would have needed an excuse to leave her alone, and that wasn’t an option.
Next, Will pulled a watch box from his bag. “I’ve upgraded the receiver in the watch, which I believe caused the problem yesterday.”
I opened the box, inspecting the modified Omega for any sign it wasn’t the real thing. Naturally, there was none. “Any changes to the earpiece?”
Will shook his head. “The watch manages the extended signal. The earpiece just needs to connect to it.”
Two gelato cups sat in front of Jayce from a small snack shop nearby. “We stuck around for a few hours after locating the right tunnel. The guards rotated every half hour, always in pairs, and if one had to leave, another filled in temporarily.”
Rav said, “One of them responded instantly when Jenn walked through the door, yes?”
I nodded.
Will placed a tablet in the middle of the table. The way it dimmed when I moved my head suggested it had a protective layer, ensuring no one beyond our table could read it. A floor plan of the Casino Rocher appeared.
“Where’d you find this?” I asked.
Will grinned at the tablet, almost as if to himself. “Brie’s a genius.”
For over a decade, Will and my younger sister swore they were nothing more than friends. I’d noticed the sparkle in her eye when she spoke to him years ago, but this was the first time I’d seen the same from him.
You need to address that, Emmett.
“The guards.” Rav pointed to the spot where someone had marked an X on the floor plan, indicating the concealed entrance. “When the crowds are thin, their job appears boring.If something went awry, I suspect the second guard is a backup. Some sort of distraction or disturbance might get rid of both at the same time, or one after the other, without allowing them to secure the door quickly enough to stop Jayce from slipping in.”
“The hidden doorway is at the end of the corridor leading to the ladies’ restroom.” I zoomed in on that section of the map. “Any distraction that gets Jayce through the door can have her in the restroom before anyone notices.” I looked at our acquisitions specialist. “If you can change quickly enough?—”
“Not an issue,” Jayce said, covering her mouth as she swallowed a spoonful of her gelato. “I have another dress like the one I wore in Washington, but in all black. It’ll work for stealth and changes quickly into formal attire.”
Drew added, “The distraction will have to be something that doesn’t shut down the auction or cause chaos.”