"So just like that, I'm being handed off as a prize?"
"Oh, I know, auctions are a little déclassé and problematic. I get it. But they're fun. And for the Almed Fund, that's fifty-one-thousand pounds. Not that Mr. Phelps didn't already give a generous donation. But this is even more. We will gladly take it."
"All in the name of charity, I suppose."
"See, you get it. Just wait here ten minutes. Mr. Phelps should be right by."
The moment she was gone, I started pacing. I could just wait for him to show up, but what if he didn't?
Maybe it was better to be proactive.
I opened a door, and there were people bustling about, jogging somewhere. There was a woman all dressed in black and she had an earpiece in, just like Jennifer did. "I'm sorry, I've been waiting for Mr. Phelps. Can you tell me if he has a room assigned back here?"
"Yeah, it's just down there. Turn left at the end of the hall."
"Thank you, I really appreciate it."
She nodded and then headed off. Clearly, something was going on with the event. As I marched down the hall, nobody seemed to notice me or tried to stop and ask me where the hell I was going. When I arrived at the door she’d indicated, I took a deep breath. I could do this. Where was his security anyway?
Maybe they weren't allowed backstage. But that seemed unusual. I knocked on the door, and I could hear some muffled noises in the background. "I got tired of waiting for you. Are you in there?"
I hoped that sounded seductive, although I was pretty sure I sounded tight and anxious. I knocked again, and when I tried the door handle, it swung open. But it wasn't Connor Phelps who opened it. It was the other green-eyed bloke. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was told that this was Mr. Phelps's room. Is he here?"
Green Eyes grinned at me and then braced his arms on the door frame. "I'm the only one here, sweetheart. This is my room. No Mr. Phelps."
I laughed. "Oh, come on, where is he?"
I’d noted the tie that Connor had been wearing earlier, black with subtle gray polka dots on it. It was on the dressing table. "That's his tie. Where is he?"
He shrugged. "Sorry. I don't know what to say. I'm the only one here. I hate to break it to you, but I'm your date."
CHAPTER 3
SAINT
He wasn't supposed to fight back.
The assignment was meant to be easy. Pick up Lohman, interrogate him, and take him back to Rogues Division for processing. For years, Connor Lohman had been a midlevel enforcer for Antonio Igno, embedded deep in the organization. He knew where lots of bodies were buried.
A few years ago he’d leveled up, making it to adviser status. But the only way to do that was with blood or intel. And Lohman was notoriously squeamish. So what intel had gotten him even closer to the emperor?
We were going to find out. One more step in capturing Igno. The Rogues Division was a top-secret, highly-classified, I’d tell you but I’d have to kill you kind of organization. The kind of organization the government pretended not to love having at its disposal.
We chased down the scum of the earth and brought them to justice. Scum like Connor Lohman. The fire that burned in my gut just thinking of his name was a constant companion. Because of him and the people he worked for, my fiancée was gone. An innocent bystander in Igno’s games.
Sure, I liked taking out the trash, but this was bigger than that. Lohman owed me vengeance.
That was why this charity auction was so perfect. I could grab the mark without anyone being the wiser. Except his security had put up a fight. And now the woman with the smile bright enough to chase shadows from your soul was here to find her winner.
My gaze slipped over her slight frame. She was delicate, maybe five foot three without the heels. Slender, she wore her hair in a style that covered half her face in soft waves. Her skin was the color of sand during sunset. At first glance, I thought maybe she was biracial or Latin.
One thing I knew for sure, her dark eyes could capture the soul. They had me pinned against our escape door unable to move as she stared at me.
Her eyes went wide with alarm. “Where is Connor?”
How easy was she going to be to convince? My main directive was to maintain cover while my team got out. “It's Jasper if you must know, but everybody calls me Saint. I’m your guy. Why are you looking for Connor? After all, I won you. Okay to be fair, Conner sold me his bid before he left.”
She blinked rapidly. Obviously trying to think on her feet.
“Um, we just hit it off earlier before the auction, so I wanted to say goodbye.” Her brows furrowed. “What are you doing in his suite?”
It was my turn to tap dance. “Just warning him to stay away from my prize.”
The arsehole billionaire was a thing, right?
Unlike him, I'd been smart enough to bring people who knew what the fuck they were doing.
The sprite in front of me gave no fucks about any of that though. “I’m no one’s prize.”
In my earpiece, one of my best mates, Lachlan, chuckled. “I feel like you're going to have to level up your game. You’re crashing and burning here, mate.”
I clenched my jaw, wishing I could remove the earpiece. Unfortunately, I needed it to be in contact with them to make sure they got Lohman out of there. Which meant keeping this one distracted.
I finally tore my gaze away from her eyes, breaking the spell she had on me. My gaze ran over the rest of her face. Delicate bone structure, full lips. A slightly flat button nose with a low bridge. There was something inherently sensual about the set of her lips. She could go easily from being the bloody girl next door to a vamped vixen. Tonight, with the red lipstick, she was all vamp. And she was giving my dick all kinds of bad ideas.
The fuck was that about? We were on mission. No reason for my dick to sit up and pay attention.
You can’t live like a monk forever.
I wasn’t. I argued with my subconscious. But when I gave it thought, I hadn’t been with anyone since Elise, three years ago.
I deliberately held up my badge. “Last I checked, I just paid a pretty penny for the pleasure of your company. Okay, to be truthful. Conner sold me his bid before he left.”
Her gaze narrowed on my face. “For charity. I’m not actually yours. You do understand that, right?”
I lifted my brow. “Oh, I beg to differ. You and I had a whole exchange while you were on stage. You are mine.”
Fire sparked in her eyes. “You will have to try harder than that. I’m sure putting real effort in is a foreign concept.”
I had to laugh at that. “Are you always such a pain in the arse?”
In my ear, Rook chuckled. “So yeah, the best way to a woman’s heart is to antagonize her.”
I wanted to tell them to shut the fuck up. They were going to ruin this.
The sprite in the short dress with cleavage that made my mouth water strode up to me and tried to push past me through the door. “Tell me where he is.”
I stayed her with a hand in the crook of her elbow. “Easy does it. Where are you going?”
She yanked back her arm. “To talk to Connor. We have things to discuss.”
I chuckled low, unwilling to back down. “I already told you no.”