Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
Rory turned to the attractive brunette with long dark hair wearing a lilac one-shoulder gown. “You didn’t get the chance to be properly introduced. This is Annalise.”
Isabella had mentioned that Rory and Annalise might not make the gala because Annalise still struggled with public appearances after Greece, especially when it meant leaving Brooks. They’d left him in Texas in the care of Annalise’s parents.
He felt a flicker of sympathy for the woman as he shook her hand. “Ma’am.”
The senator shook Danny’s hand next. A custom tuxedo fit his still-toned frame, his once-dark hair now gray and carefully styled. His light-brown eyes assessed Danny. “Everything under control?”
“Yessir.”
“Good.” Graham nodded. “Where’s my daughter?”
“Right here, Daddy.” Bella stood next to one of the open ballroom doors. She glided toward them like a runway model, the slit in her dress exposing a length of smooth, bare leg.
Danny schooled his features before Graham Strickland figured out he was sleeping with his daughter.
That revelation could wait.
Bella hugged her family. “Come see the ballroom setup and we can do a final review of the program.”
Stepping back, Danny let the Stricklands and their security detail move past him.
His team’s chatter filled his ear as tuxedo-clad men and women in expensive gowns began arriving. Servers wound through the reception space, offering glasses of wine and hors d’oeuvres.
“Flores is here. She’s on her way up.” Caleb’s voice in his ear again. “And Nathan just pulled up with Emily.”
“Roger that.”
Danny kept his gaze trained on the elevators.
Olivia Flores stepped off in a black knee-length dress, a press badge dangling from her neck.
Their gazes locked. Held.
Color tinged her cheeks. Her chin lifted.
He’d be watching her closely tonight, and she knew it.
A deep baritone voice down the hall caught his attention. Nathan, wearing a black tuxedo, and Emily in an ice-blue gown that matched her husband’s eyes, had arrived. Nathan’s in-laws, retired Admiral Porter Dane and his wife, Carla, accompanied them.
Some of the tension in Danny’s shoulders receded.
Nathan drifted over a few minutes later.
Danny nodded toward Olivia Flores as she worked the gathering crowd. “You and Emily keep an eye on the reporter. If she leaves this area for any reason, I want one of you to follow.”
Nathan nodded, then tugged at the neck of his tuxedo shirt like it was trying to strangle him. “I hate playing dress up.” He dropped his hand and did his own scan of the room before returning his attention to Danny. “How’re you doing? Got everything under control?”
“As much as I can.” Something in the air felt off. Too quiet beneath the noise. It reminded him of the stillness that always occurred right before an enemy assault.
He just didn’t know from which enemy, and in what direction the fire would come.
“How’s Isabella?”
A smile tilted Danny’s lips, pride warming him. “She’s a pro. This entire gala wouldn’t be what it is without her.”
Nathan rubbed a hand over his mouth, but Danny still caught the grin. “Careful, amigo. One might think you caught feelings for your little sister’s best friend.”
Danny’s mouth opened. Then closed. Because what the hell could he say? If he denied it, Nathan would know he was lying.
A chuckle. Nathan slapped him on the shoulder. “Welcome to the club you tried so damn hard to stay out of.”
Outside the hotel, a siren whooped.
Both Danny and Nathan sobered, their heads turning toward the sound.
Danny pressed his mic. “Caleb, what’s the situation outside?”
“Crowd’s growing. Another guy with a megaphone just started in. Still contained.”
Too much activity.
“Still nothing on Hassan?” he asked Nathan.
Nathan’s mouth flattened. “Dude’s good. No trace of him.”
Which meant one of two things.
He was gone.
Or waiting to strike.
“I’m tracking everything this guy owns,” Nathan continued. “His car and phone are still in California, and no activity on his credit or debit cards. He’s got to be using a well-crafted fake identity or someone’s sheltering him.” His eyes turned cold. “I’ll unearth him eventually.”
The knot in Danny’s gut hardened.
Where are you, asshole?
If he were in Charlotte for either Bella or her father, he’d make his move tonight.
Leaving Nathan to return to his family, Danny did another perimeter check before returning to the reception.
Talia had arrived. She stood in the check-in line, wearing a burgundy gown that matched the shade of her hair. When she spied him, she lifted her hand and beckoned him over. “How’s Izzy?”
“Good.” He kept scanning the room. “She seems to be handling everything.”
“So, after tonight, your job here is over?”
Her comment pulled Danny’s attention back. She didn’t look away, the smile on her lips absent from her eyes.
He stiffened. “I’m not walking away from Bella.”
“So you’re staying in Charlotte.”
When he wasn’t on assignment. His shoulders shifted beneath her scrutiny. “We’ll work it out.”
Talia’s smile hardened. “Of course you will.”
Her disapproval grated on his nerves. She was Bella’s best friend. He’d have to win her over if he wanted a future with Bella, but he couldn’t help a sigh of relief when she disappeared into the ballroom.
The lead volunteer at the check-in table gave him a friendlier smile when he asked her how many people had yet to arrive.
“We’re only missing four guests. Everyone else is here.”
He checked his watch. Ten more minutes until the reception ended, and the guests entered the ballroom for dinner. Then he could breathe a sigh of relief. They’d have containment and could shrink the security perimeter. Keep the threats safely outside.
Unless the threat was already here.