Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Aven
Ibrought my concerns to Jim after dinner, but he would hear none of it.
He sees Quinn’s hunger for blood and attention as a positive.
Especially the attention bit. His thinking is that the enticement of her special stream for Sinners will be too much for Desmond, forcing him to show himself.
Jim liked the idea so much that he went so far as to help her set up a stream to every single room in the hotel.
In just a few minutes, she’ll appear on channel four for anyone who wants to tune in.
How positively fucking lovely.
He even kicked me out of the room so that they could discuss what she would do during her stream. Me. Her fucking bodyguard. He expects me to keep her safe, but he isn’t including me in the plans. I’ve let it slide tonight, but I cannae work in these conditions. I’ll speak with him tomorrow.
For right now, it’s time to watch my favorite program.
I flip on the television and turn to channel four.
It just shows a screen that welcomes me to the resort at the moment, but soon enough, Daisy’s Room will fill my screen.
But one screen isn’t enough, so I pull out the laptop, too.
With a few clicks, I’m seeing her room from angles no one else has access to.
Quinn sits on her bed, right in the center.
She’s traded her lavender cocktail dress for a silver-sequined bra-and-panty set.
It looks like something a pop princess would parade around at a concert.
I half expect her to raise that Hitachi Magic Wand like a microphone, but she just plugs it in and tucks it beneath a pillow.
As she moves to the mirror beside the bathroom, I switch cameras so that I can continue watching her.
She eyes herself in the wide reflective surface, turning back and forth as she squeezes the poochy bit of skin at the front of her flashy panties.
A frown slides onto her face as she tucks the skin behind the fabric.
She’s clearly displeased with her figure, but I find her perfect.
That extra bit of softness around her midsection is a bonus, not a detraction.
I’m not supposed to look at her this way. She’s my primary, and my focus should center on her safety alone. Why does she have to be so damned distracting?
When it’s time for the show to begin, she hurries back to the bed and positions herself on the comforter. Once she’s certain she’s framed the shot correctly, she goes live. My television screen switches to a shot of her, banishing the darkness with all of her glittering attire.
“Hey, party people,” she says with a wiggle of her fingers.
“I’m so glad all of you chose to join me in Daisy’s Room for the night.
I’m typically used to a little back and forth, but chat isn’t possible in this setting.
” She pushes out her bottom lip in a pout, and I get an instant vision of her on her knees, looking up at me as she makes that same face.
“Not to worry, though! I’m sure I can keep us all very entertained. ”
She shifts positions on the bed, going from lying on her side to sitting on her knees. As she leans forward, her breasts fill the camera. The tight top pushes them toward the heavens. I wonder what they’d feel like in my hands. Would she let me squeeze them until it hurts? Could I bite—
Fucking stop it!
I shake my head to clear my brain. But it’s no use. I should be more focused than ever, but when she nibbles her lip and plays with her hair, I can’t concentrate on anything aside from filthy thoughts. That is, until she says something that turns my blood to ice in my veins.
“Jim gave me permission to have a date with one lucky Sinner tonight. He’ll choose the winner. All you have to do—”
Her voice fades as the hotel room door closes behind me. When that first sentence left her mouth, I was already on my feet. I grab my key from my pocket and try to open her door, but then I remember that I gave her the other key. The one currently in my hand only works for my room.
“Fuck,” I say under my breath. Banging on her door won’t do any fucking good. She’s probably eating this up, knowing that she and Jim orchestrated this behind my back. They knew I’d never agree to this.
So I’ll just take it straight to the man himself.
When I reach Jim’s door, King is standing just outside.
He acknowledges me as I approach, raising a hand and stepping in front of the door before I can knock it down.
“Jim’s simulation predicted correctly this time,” he says with a sheepish smile.
“I wasn’t too fond of this idea myself, but he thinks it’s the fastest way to draw Desmond out of hiding. ”
“And the fastest way to get the girl killed,” I bellow into his smug British face. “She doesn’t even know what sort of risk she’s taking. Jim didn’t need a predictive machine to figure out that I wouldn’t be okay with it.”
The door opens, and Jim’s head pops through the opening. “That’s where you’re wrong, my boy. Now come in here and stop shouting in the halls.”
I’d rather come into the room and throttle both of these men, but I bite my tongue and wait to hear his explanation. Even once I’ve heard it, I’m not satisfied.
The “special guest” was Quinn’s idea, and both Jim and King warned her about the dangers. It’s meant to bait out Desmond, but there’s no guarantee he’ll take that bait. He’s smart, and he’ll see this coming.
“It’s some weird fantasy we’re allowing her to live out,” Jim says with a flail of his hand. “I was shocked she wanted to kill, but I’m even more shocked that she has a desire to sleep with a killer.”
“So who’s the lucky chap tonight?” I ask with a roll of my eyes. “Surely no one has tried to take this offer.”
Jim winces. “As of right now . . . Ice Pick. He’s called no fewer than three times.”
I blow out a breath. At least we know he’s harmless. He’ll probably just sit in a corner and giggle the entire time.
The phone rings, sending Kenny into a wild flailing of wing flaps and screams. Jim hurries for the phone, leaving King and me in the main living area.
“What do you think about all this?” I ask.
His broad shoulders rise in a shrug. “While I don’t like this risk, I can’t deny that having her be such a willing bit of flash in the pan for Desmond is a benefit. He may not take the bait tonight, but if we keep trying . . .”
“How often do you expect us to put her in danger like this?”
“Until he makes a move that reveals who he is. We’ve narrowed it to three men, but he could be any of them.”
“Or he might be none of them.”
“He is,” King says with a certainty that almost makes me believe him. “We’ve set this up too perfectly. There’s a little bit of the equation we haven’t let Quinn in on just yet, but once we have Desmond, we’ll tell her everything.”
“I won’t keep any more of your secrets, so I don’t want to know. So long as I have the information to do my job, that’s all I require.”
King nods. “I understand, but—”
“No buts.”
Jim rushes back to the living area. “Aven, we’ve just had a call from one of the men we suspect may be Desmond, and he wanted to meet with Quinn, but he got nervous and backed out.
That means Ice Pick is our only option for tonight.
If the other men can see her interact, it might give them some confidence, so can you meet Ice Pick in the costume department? ”
“You’re really going through with this? You’re sending in Ice Pick?” I cannae believe my ears. “Jim, he’ll blow this entire thing out of the water. You can’t do this.”
King and Jim share a glance.
“No,” I say. “Absolutely the fuck not.”
“She wouldn’t even know it was you,” King says.
“And how will she think it’s anyone else once she sees my face?”
King and Jim share another look, and minutes later, I’m headed toward the costume department to prepare for a date with Quinn.