They returned to the suite and she dressed. He watched her in the mirror while she tried to tame her hair. None of this made sense, and they still hadn’t talked about a thing.
Directing her thick locks behind her ears, she turned to face him in the small bathroom. “You’re not changing?” She cut a look over his jeans and button-down shirt.
“There will be a suit for me at the venue.”
“Why do we even need to dress up if you’re just picking something up from a guest? Why not sneak in and out?”
He shook his head but didn’t respond.
She folded her arms. “All right, mister. Start talking.”
He dipped his head and ran his fingers through his hair again, sending the longer length on top into spikes. When he looked up at her again, her heart tumbled. “I’m a bodyguard.”
“Uh-uh. That’s not all you are. What happened to the military career?”
“Retired. Moved on to other things.”
“Things?” She arched a brow, waiting.
“Look, Rose. I can’t tell you much more than that.”
“How did you find me? Who told you I was missing?”
“Your father.”
Her throat closed up. “My dad?”
What about her boys? Did they know too? Were they at this very minute terrified that they’d never see their mother again? Not for the first time, she longed for her phone, which had been taken from her by the kidnappers.
Panic struck. She stuttered, “D-did you tell him you found me? How will he know I’m okay?”
When he cupped her face, she could finally take a deep breath. “He’s been notified.”
“By whom? That person you were on the phone with on the roof?”
“Yes.”
“What about the man who lost his life? Does he work for you?”
He closed his eyes and when he reopened them, a steely knife edge lived in the dark depths. “That is a huge regret for me. One I don’t wish to discuss. Please.”
Empathy rushed in. She covered his hand with hers where it lay on her cheek. “I’m sorry, Oz.”
He nodded. “Your turn.”
She nodded, gulping down her rising fear that he somehow knew about their sons and would bring everything to light. She’d only kept the secret all these years because of him…his lack of desire to have a family and his request to “take care of” any product of their union.
“I’m ready,” she said, hearing her own strength in her tone. She stood up before the strictest of judges and defended military men against some of the harshest charges in the system, and she was damn good at it too. Surely, Oz wouldn’t be more intimidating.
Oz dropped his hand from her face. “You’re working on a case right now. Baynard.”
She shouldn’t be shocked he knew, but he’d thrown her for a loop. She quickly collected herself. “Yes. He’s charged with weapons trafficking.”
“Just before you were taken, tell me what you did that day.”
The bathroom was the oddest place for an interrogation, but could she expect anything normal on this roller coaster ride?
“I got up that morning and did my usual morning routine. Breakfast, shower, emails. A phone call or two.”
“Phone call? Who did you call?”
“Personal friends.” Her twins, to check in and make sure they returned safe from their party. Though Oz could most likely find out who she called at any time, and a single tap of a button would probably reveal her sons’ whereabouts. Still, she had to hope he didn’t dig deeper.
“Then what did you do?” he asked.
“I was doing research on the Baynard case. I accessed one of the databases and…” She didn’t know if she should go on. Not only was the information classified but who knew what Oz would do with it.
“Go on. What did you access?”
“Foreign bank accounts. Secret, locked accounts.”
He narrowed his eyes. “And what did you find?”
“The name of Baynard’s deceased father.”
“That isn’t unusual for a person to still hold a bank account in a foreign country past the time of death. If the country doesn’t know he died, they won’t know to close it and look for his heirs.”
She shook her head. “No. There are recent transactions made on that account. A large deposit and then a withdrawal of the same amount.”
“So Baynard’s father didn’t complete these transactions. Someone else has access to the account.”
“Yes.”
“What was the sum?”
She met his gaze. “3.4 million dollars. The amount totaling—”
His dark eyes flickered with awareness. “—those weapons that went missing off that recent ship outside of Madrid,” he finished.
They stared at each other.
“How did you just make that connection? Between the stolen arms on that ship outside Madrid and the sum I just told you?”
He lifted a shoulder and let it fall. If she weren’t paying close attention to his body language, she would have thought it a simple twitch. “It’s a huge security breach for our country right now, and we know everything that’s happening all over the world.”
“But the public hasn’t been made aware of what those weapons are worth.”
“I’m not the public. And clearly, you aren’t either since you know.”
She nodded, processing all of this.
“I’d say you kicked open a hornet’s nest, Rose. And now some very angry hornets have been disturbed.”
She nodded. “This is bigger than I first imagined.”
He took her hand. “You’re telling me. I’d better up my game if I have to guard such a wanted woman.”
Her insides jittered. “Maybe you should leave me in that safehouse after all.”
He silenced her with a brush of his lips against hers. “I won’t let you out of my sight, Rose. Where we’re going, there are more men like me. Women too. Let’s just say this wedding will be the most well protected event in the world.”
Chapter Six
Oz went through the steps in his mind. He would meet with one of his men and receive a flash drive full of information to upload to their database. Madeline needed the intel ASAP in order to help wrap up a mission, and Oz’s position put him closest.
But Rose was right—moving her meant putting her at risk. Any lowly bodyguard knew that much. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to walk away from her and leave her safety in someone else’s hands. He’d see to her safety better than anyone.
All this weighed heavy on him. Heap on Gilly’s death and Lars’s supposed betrayal, and Oz sometimes had to remind himself to breathe.
It’s only an hour out of our way.
He hadn’t just been blowing smoke when he told Rose she would be in the most protected place possible. At least a dozen members of The Guard and countless military officers would be there. There were only about ten civilians on the guest list, and they were screened. The groom never would have allowed a single soul to pass within twenty yards of his bride without first vetting them.
Oz gripped Rose’s hand as he led her back out through the corridors of the hotel. When they reached the back door, he paused. A quick but thorough scope of the parking lot eased at least one of his worries. Putting a ward out in the open always made a bodyguard edgy, and Oz realized he had even more reason to feel protective over Rose.