You Only Love Twice (Masters and Mercenaries #8)(86)

“That doesn’t matter.” And it wasn’t totally surprising. She moved into the living area of the suite. It looked like Albertson was bunking by himself, which likely meant he really was high up in the senator’s organization. She glanced around, looking for the best place to plant the bugs. There was a small sitting area and a desk with a laptop. “Check and see if that’s password protected.”

She slipped the tiny listening device under the coffee table, placing the sticky piece to the inside. It would capture any conversations that occurred in this part of the suite.

“Sorry,” Erin said, closing the laptop again. “It’s locked up tight. I’m sure Hutch could break it, but I’m not exactly Suzy Hacker. I could smash it if you like. It’s fun to break things.”

Phoebe shook her head as she walked through to the bedroom. She flicked on the light and strode across to the bed. She ran a hand inside the headboard, looking for the best place to situate the device. “You planning on breaking Theo?”

She couldn’t help it. She knew she shouldn’t pick on the redhead, but it was so easy to do.

Erin showed up in the doorway and entered the bedroom, going straight for Albertson’s briefcase that was placed on the bedroom desk. She rifled through it. “I will if he gives me more trouble.”

Phoebe placed the bug and held it to make sure it stuck. “He’s not a bad-looking kid.”

That was an understatement. He was a young Ian Taggart, so Theo looked a little like a Viking god.

“Kid is the vital word in that sentence.” Erin sifted through a stack of papers. “He’s twenty-nothing for god’s sake.”

“He just turned twenty-three. You’re not that much older.” She glanced around the space. They had roughly two and a half minutes before they needed to be gone.

“I’m thirty-four, and I’ve seen more in my lifetime than that little boy has ever imagined. He’s got mommy issues. I don’t need a kid.” There was something hollow about the way she said it, but then she shook her head. “Now, that pretty king on the other hand is definitely on the table.”

Phoebe hoped Ten enjoyed listening to Dale Albertson and the inevitable bevy of hookers he brought to the suite. She checked one last time to make sure it was secure. “Really? He doesn’t make you think of a walking venereal disease? Don’t get me wrong. He’s hot, but he also travels with a harem.”

Erin didn’t seem fazed. “I’m just trying to scratch an itch. I shove a condom on his probably lovely penis and we’re good to go. He looks like a man who knows what he’s doing and he doesn’t look sticky, if you know what I mean.”

“I don’t.” She groaned a little when she realized they couldn’t leave Albertson on the floor. If they were going to keep up the story that they’d been helping a drunk dude get to bed, they should probably actually get him there. “We need to get him on the bed.”

Erin shoved the papers back in. “I’ll get him. So I was talking about sticky dudes and how Kamdar is really the perfect guy for me to play around with. Your boy is a perfect example of sticky.”

“He is not.” Jesse was scrupulously clean. And he kept her clean. She could still feel his hands soaping her body and washing her hair. His fingers had run all along her scalp, relaxing her. He’d even dried her off and made sure she was warm.

Erin stalked out and it only took a second before she walked back in, hauling him by one arm. Phoebe had to give it to her. Erin was a strong woman. “He is stuck to you like glue. When you walk into a room, bam, he sticks.”

He did kind of make sure he always had a hand on her when they were together. It was nice. It made her feel safe. Protected. Loved. She didn’t want to lose it. Didn’t want to lose him. “There’s nothing wrong with that. It just means he cares.”

She huffed a little as she leaned down and then hefted Albertson up on the bed. “I don’t want anyone to care. I’ve done the married thing before. I won’t again. So pretty boy Theo can find some other idiot to play his games with.”

“I don’t think he’s trying to play a game.”

“It’s always a game, Phoebe. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

A minute and a half. She would have to figure out Erin’s damage another time. “Time to head out. We need to get back to the party. The cameras come on soon.”

Erin nodded and pulled the covers over him. “Let’s do it.” She turned and then stopped. “Shit.”

Phoebe turned and saw what Erin was looking at. Right there on the dresser was a newspaper. The Dallas Morning News. She recognized the issue. It had a picture of the husk that was Sanctum after the bombing and a shot of Jesse Murdoch in all his blond glory.

Phoebe stepped up and looked down. The article was marked, certain information circled, and even worse, there was a notepad beside it with two names written on it. Ian Taggart and Tennessee G. Smith.

She heard the sound of Erin’s phone as it took one and then two pictures, and then she felt a tug on her arm. “Time to go.”

She let Erin lead her out of the room, her heart racing.

Someone was on to them.



“I’m not a complete moron,” Jesse said as he pushed through the doors into the suite.

Simon closed the doors behind them. “Funny, because you do seem to be acting that way. Were you or were you not about to accost your girlfriend in the middle of the ballroom?”