Breaking Her Rules(14)

As if she read his mind, Iris’s dark eyes spit fire at him, her jaw clenching tight before she pasted on a bright smile that didn’t fool him. Her fingers dug into his arm for a fraction of a moment before she looked at Jay. “Let’s go.”

Vincent, Kell and the others in the Red Stone group stayed behind as he, Iris and Jay entered. In each corner of the room stood men wearing dark suits; silent and armed like the rest of the security. A long conference table sat in the middle with Forest at one end, sitting there like he was a king. There was a buffet of food and drinks behind him, which told Wyatt he expected negotiations to go on for a while.

Forest stood and greeted Wyatt with a real smile. With salt and pepper hair, wire-rimmed glasses and a lean frame, the seventy-four year old was in good shape for his age.

“Who is this lovely woman?” he asked, his voice permanently raspy from the attack he’d suffered a year ago. Forest strode toward them, his movements steady.

Wyatt nodded between them. “Henry Forest, this is Iris Tarango.” He didn’t offer up anything else because it wasn’t the man’s business. As they stood and made small talk, Wyatt felt Iris tense as she subtly shifted and eyed Thorton’s group enter the room. He watched them out of the corner of his eye, careful of their movements. They might have been frisked before entering, but he was pretty sure Iris had managed to smuggle a knife in so it was highly possible any of that group was carrying a weapon.

Even though he was focused on the upcoming negotiations, it was difficult to ignore the feel of Iris’s lush body pressed up against his. Her light scent that always reminded him of springtime wrapped around him, driving him crazy. It wasn’t perfume either, it was something that was pure Iris.

Right now clothing separated them, but soon enough, he’d have her under him, begging for a release he’d gladly give. As he felt himself start to harden, he shoved those thoughts away and scanned the group of Forest’s men, then Thorton’s group again.

He needed to stay focused because once this job was over, it would be a hell of a lot easier to pinpoint any threats. Though he hated to think Keibler would stoop so low as to hire an assassin, he had to assume the other man was behind the attempt on his life. Wyatt didn’t have any other big deals in the works at the moment. This was the only one that would draw the kind of attention of a hit.

Internally sighing, he nodded and politely smiled at something Forest said to him and Iris. Yeah, long and boring night ahead.



* * * * *



For two hours Wyatt, Forest, Thorton and Keibler talked, shouted, and went back and forth over numbers and some other stuff Iris didn’t completely understand. The one thing she did realize, however, was that Thorton reeked of desperation. Both he and Keibler did. They needed the company and the hack proof software in a way Wyatt didn’t seem to. Or maybe Wyatt was just cooler under pressure. Despite their relationship, he was hard to read sometimes—okay, all the time.

That didn’t concern her right now. The woman Keibler had brought to the meeting did. She’d been introduced as Fae and had been perfectly polite and polished. She was sitting next to Keibler, her expression blank, as if she was bored, but something about her was off. First, why would they have brought this woman into the meeting unless she was security? Maybe she was, but she hadn’t interacted with any of the other security Thorton had arrived with and it would have been easy to tell. Even when Iris and her team weren’t vocally communicating, they all worked as one cohesive group. It was subtle, but they were all teammates and acted as such.

The woman with the dark hair sitting across the table from Iris didn’t know any of the security team who worked for Thorton and Keibler. Or she hadn’t before tonight. Iris was almost sure of it. Iris didn’t watch her directly, but she was always aware of the woman. Something else about her set Iris on edge and she hated that she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

As the men were talking Fae stood, causing the conversation to taper off. She grimaced self-consciously and pointed to her champagne glass. “I’m just getting a refill, I hope that’s all right. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Her voice was soft, understated in the room that had just been booming with frustrated male voices.

Forest smiled and stood. “Of course, I think we should all take a break. And don’t trouble yourself,” he said to the woman before looking at one of his guards.

Without a word, the guard cleared the table while another started pouring drinks for everyone. He had a good memory, because with the exception of Fae and Iris, everyone at the table had something different. Iris hadn’t touched her champagne, but she’d originally asked for something to be polite.

Iris stood and stretched her legs as Fae did the same. Wyatt turned to Forest and as the two began talking in low tones, Thorton and Keibler stood and talked in even quieter voices as they moved toward the other end of the table. If Keibler looked angry, Thorton’s expression was positively nuclear.

“What are you thinking?” Jay asked. He’d been extremely quiet tonight, standing a few feet behind her and Wyatt the whole time. Normally Iris didn’t like anyone at her back, but she trusted Jay. He viewed Wyatt as not only a boss, but a friend. Loyalty was rare, but she’d heard enough stories from Wyatt to know the man was.

“Just observing.” Iris scanned the room, watching for any sudden moves. As she casually scrutinized everyone, her breath caught as she watched the dark-haired woman take her champagne glass from the man in the suit. She’d done more than just take her glass.

The movement was so damn smooth Iris would have missed it if the woman hadn’t already been on her radar. Somehow Iris forced herself to remain lax, to keep her gaze off the woman who was carelessly sipping champagne. Instead Iris pretended like she was curious about the quietly heated conversation between Thorton and Keibler.

But as the second guard set Wyatt’s coffee mug in front of him—the man and his damn coffee—she snagged it and handed it to Jay. Keeping her gaze laser-focused on Fae, or whatever her name really was, she murmured, “I don’t care how you do it, secure his drink. There’s poison in it.” And they would need it as evidence.

Fae’s gaze narrowed on her as she pushed her chair back a few inches. The movement was slight, but she was ready to bolt. Iris could see it in every taut line of the woman’s body.

Jay took it and she heard him moving around behind her, but she didn’t avert her gaze. At Iris’s words, the rest of the room went deathly silent. Next to her Wyatt stood and actually tried to stand in front of her, but she refused to let him. “Call the police, Wyatt.”

He paused for a moment, but didn’t question her as he slid his cell phone out and dialed.

“What the hell is going on?” Keibler boomed as he and Thorton returned to the table.

Next to her Wyatt was talking quietly on the phone, but Iris could make out the gist of the conversation. Fae hadn’t made any further moves and Iris hadn’t taken her eyes off her. The woman was almost preternaturally still. That was when Iris realized what had been bugging her about the female. She hadn’t fidgeted the entire meeting. Hadn’t acted bored or uninterested. She’d just been waiting for the moment to strike. Like a pro.

“Your date or employee just poisoned my client.” Iris put her left foot slightly in front of the other as she turned her body, ready for a fight she could feel coming.

At her words, the woman jumped up, her expression dark. “I don’t have to put up with that kind of accusation.” She turned, glaring at Keibler, as if expecting him to defend her.

“But you do have to wait for the police to arrive,” Iris said quietly.

She swiveled back around. “You can’t keep me prisoner.”

“I can and I will.” Without drawing attention to herself, Iris slowly slipped off her heels. If she had to move fast, she was going to take every advantage. Luckily she knew her team had heard everything through their earpieces.

“What the f*ck is going on, Christiansen? I’m not going to let one of your whores talk to my date like that.” Keibler’s angry voice sliced through the sudden silence.

Before she could blink, Wyatt stopped talking to the police mid-conversation and launched himself at Keibler.

It all happened so fast Iris had barely computed he’d moved when Fae jumped over the table. Lightning fast, she used the table as a springboard and launched herself toward the door.

She might be fast, but Iris was faster. “Don’t let the woman leave the premises!” she shouted into her earpiece, knowing that even if she couldn’t stop her, her team outside would.

Using the tension that had been building inside her from the moment they’d arrived, Iris threw herself at the woman. In her peripheral she could see Wyatt and Keibler fighting and Jay restraining Thorton, but she kept herself focused on the immediate threat.

The woman had dared to try to hurt Wyatt. Iris wasn’t sure what Fae had slipped into his drink, but she doubted it was a date-rape drug.