Hot as Hell (10 page)

leaving you.”

Ren laughed. “Problem enforcing orders, buddy?”

“Yeah, she’s mule-headed. Don’t laugh. You have one just like her.”

“Yeah, I do. Best thing that ever happened to me,” Ren replied. “Why do you think someone’s

been in her room?”

“The room isn’t as I left it—” Dawn refused to let the male bonding continue at her and Keely’s

expense.Sam cut her off before she could add anything. “I want to examine the area to make sure

there’s nothing that might blow up in our faces. Either you or security get back to me ASAP.”

“Got it. Stay safe. Dawn, if Sam tells you to vacate—” Ren paused, then heaved a sigh. “At least

give it due consideration, okay?”

“I will.” She swept her hand up and down Sam’s tense back. “But I’ll probably drag his arse with

me.” Ren was laughing as he cut off the transmission from his side. The audio from their side was still

transmitting, so hotel security, Keely, Ren, and Conn could hear what was happening.

Dawn moved to the other side of the bed and got down on all fours and looked underneath. “I

don’t see anything obvious over here. No wires or anything looking like a bomb.”

“Dawn, what the fuck? Get back over here. Now.”

Her Marine was past pissed and well into coldly furious. Tough.

“No. If you’re staying, I’m staying—and helping.” If Sam wanted her gone, he could go with her

and let the locals handle the search of her room.

Sam was there in an instant to swing her into his arms. “You’re outta here. I’ll clear the fucking

room.” He carried her into the living area, placed her on the couch, and covered her with a fluffy throw.

“Bloody cave man.”

“Where you’re concerned, I am.” Sam bent over her, his arms caging her body on the sofa.

“Stay here.”

She moved her face close enough to his that their noses touched. “Fine. But if I wasn’t bare-

arsed under your shirt and Conn, and probably bloody hotel security, weren’t already on their way

here, I’d be clearing that bedroom with you. Got it?”

Sam snarled, “Little cat, don’t…”

A loud knock on the door and a key card being used cut off whatever macho-male pronouncement

might’ve come out of Sam’s mouth. He straightened, placed his body between her and the suite

entrance, and had his weapon aimed at the opening door.

“It’s me. Don’t shoot.” Conn’s voice shouted. “I’ve got Theo Van Thiel, head of resort security,

with me.”

“Come in.” Sam looked over his shoulder and glowered, his look highly possessive. “Stay under

that blanket, little cat.”

Dawn bristled like an angry kitten, but she decided not to move since Sam seemed to be in an

elevated state of dominant maleness. In her experience, such a state often led to temporary insanity.

Conn and Theo entered. Theo, a tall Dutchman with brown hair and green eyes, had been the

man who’d brought her and Conn into the hotel through the back way earlier that day.

“Hi, guys.” Dawn peeked around Sam’s body and smiled at them. Then she sighed with

exasperation as Sam moved to block the men’s view. “Stop hovering, luv. Why don’t you go check the

room?”“Giving me orders, little cat?” Sam’s lips twisted in a brief smile. She nodded. “I don’t scare you

at all, do I?” he asked.

“Not a bit.” She winked.

Sam looked at Conn and Theo. “She does not move. I want to check out the bed. I think I saw

a lump under the bedspread.”

“Really?” Dawn glared at Sam’s naked back as he strode toward the bedroom. His back was

strongly muscled with the scars of the warrior he had been and was. But it was his arse that was a work

of art. She wanted to grab his arse cheeks and knead and squeeze them.

Conn and Theo came to stand behind the sofa, distracting her from her prurient thoughts. Both

men examined her as if looking for damage.

“I’m fine. Nothing happened.” She shrugged. “Sam snatched me up and out of the room before

I could start searching.”

A muffled shot came from the bedroom. Dawn jumped and couldn’t hold back a gasp. Conn

and Theo turned as one, their weapons in their hands, pointed at the bedroom. And just as Sam had

earlier, they placed their bodies between her and any potential danger.

“Sam!” Throwing off the blanket, she jumped up and skirted the men’s bodies, and headed for

the bedroom. “Sam—!”

Sam walked out of the bedroom, a dead snake dangling from one hand, his weapon in the

other. Dawn stopped dead in her tracks. “A s-s-s-snake?” she stuttered.

With weak knees and shaky legs, she backed away until she reached the couch and then

collapsed on the cushions and pulled the blanket around her. She fucking hated snakes, was scared

to death of the slithery, fanged creatures. She’d rather face down a band of brain-eating zombies

than a single snake. Going to find Sam in the Belizean jungle had taken every ounce of courage she’d

possessed—and she still had nightmares about that night. But she’d done it since there had been no

other choice at the time.

“Dawn?” Sam threw the snake onto the kitchen bar counter and then came to her. He picked

her up and then sat on the couch, placing her on his lap. “You went white all of a sudden. You okay?”

“Was it poisonous?” Her teeth chattered, but she couldn’t help it. She buried her face against

his neck and inhaled his unique male musk. His smell calmed her as did the hand he rubbed up and

down her back.

“Yeah.” Sam’s voice promised murder for the person who’d placed it in her bed. He rubbed his

stubbled cheek over her hair. “Herr Van Thiel, tell me you got a clear picture of the fucker who entered

her room.”

“Yes.” Theo turned his attention to her. “Lady Wilson, I am sorry you had a scare.” The Dutchman

held up a computer tablet. “Herr Crocker. Lady Wilson. Do either of you recognize this man?”

“Call me Sam, please.” Sam reached for the tablet.

“And I am Theo.” Theo handed the tablet to Sam.

Sam cursed under his breath. “Fuck me. The mother-fucking, pecker-headed douchebag.”

Dawn blinked and focused on the image. “That’s Ron Lloyd.”

“Who’s Ron Lloyd?” Conn asked.

“He’s an Interpol agent I had the misfortune to work with.” She looked at the tablet again,

making sure her eyes hadn’t played tricks on her, then turned her gaze toward Sam. “What in the

bleeding fucking hell is that fucking wanker doing here?”

Sam’s eyes blazed with anger. “Don’t know. We’ll find the fucker and ask him.”

Dawn had a fairly good idea of what Sam’s method of questioning would involve. Ron would

end up bloody and bruised. The mental image made her happy.

“Yeah, we’ll ask him.” Then she shuddered. “I’m extremely grateful you found the snake and

not me. I hate snakes… they’re my only real phobia. The arsehole knew that. Bloody buggering twat.

I’ll kick his fucking arse and then feed him the bloody snake.”

Theo coughed back a laugh. Yeah, she swore like a trooper, to the despair of her mother.

Sam hugged her. “Happy to kill any and all snakes for you.”

“Thanks, luv.” She laid her head on his shoulder.

“Who is this Lloyd person?” said Theo, a frown on his handsome face. “Is he part of the human

trafficking operation with the Sheikh and the MacLean person you’re making contact with in my

casino?”“Ron Lloyd was assigned to an Interpol Incident Response team that Dawn was also assigned

to.” Sam frowned. “He’s not part of our current operation. He could’ve been hired to kill her, but

it could also be personal. Obviously, he’s a threat to Dawn. Also, he could endanger our mission if

MacLean recognizes him as Interpol, since that agency—and Lloyd’s team—had been investigating him

for drug trafficking.”

Theo’s face grew dark with concern. “I will have my people and the military officers liaised to

this operation look for this Lloyd and hold him for the police.”

“Thanks, Theo. That will be very helpful,” said Dawn. “You should coordinate your search for

Ron with Keely Walsh-Maddox.”

“I met Keely earlier when she came by with her husband to view our security room. She appears

to be a very competent computer specialist,” Theo said.

Dawn had to laugh. “Very competent” was an understatement. Keely was one of the brightest

of the bright in computer investigation and security in the world. “Yes, she is. I’m sure she has facial

recognition software she can share with you that will make the hunt go more quickly.”

Theo smiled. “Keely’s already monitoring our system from the estate where she is staying. It

will be just a matter of letting her know that this person is present and needs to be found. She has

already found two fugitives on the Interpol most-wanted list. The national police have already arrested

them. I have no doubt if this Lloyd person is somewhere within range of our security cameras she will

find him. If not, my men or the Dutch marines will locate him.” Theo paused, then asked, “Can you

assure me he is not a direct danger to the resort guests?”

“He’s not.” Dawn rested her head on Sam’s shoulder. “But, as Sam said, this is most likely a

personal vendetta on Lloyd’s part. He’s just a sore loser.”

“Ahh, a bet?” Theo nodded. “He lost money to you? He wants to kill you for this?”

“No, he lost
me
.” When Sam stiffened, she petted his chest. “Although I’ll point out, Lloyd never

really had me. His ego was over-inflated. I couldn’t stand the self-important twat.”

“Such language, Lady Wilson,” murmured Sam with a chuckle. “Guess I don’t have to kill him,

then—just hold him so you can feed him the snake.”

“What a good partner you are.” Dawn kissed his cheek, then looked at the large Dutchman.

“Theo? Can we get another set of suites, please? I’m not sure I can sleep in that bed now.”

“Certainly, Lady Wilson. Give me a moment and we’ll have you moved.”

“Thanks, and, Theo, call me Dawn.”

The Dutchman nodded. “Dawn, it is.” He moved away and began talking into a walkie-talkie.

With Conn examining the dead snake and Theo occupied, Dawn turned her face into Sam’s

neck and mumbled against his skin. “Once we’re relocated, I want a cup of tea with some whiskey in

it, the sex you promised me, a short nap, and then a shower—sex optional. In that order. Doable?”

“Very doable.” Sam kissed her forehead. The light touch of his lips gave her a shivery feeling.

“We’ll get the bastard. We’ll get all the bastards.”

“I know. I’ll even let you beat on Lloyd
and
feed him the snake while I watch.” She shuddered.

“I don’t want to touch the wanker or the snake.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. You’re a good partner, too.”

Chapter 9

Twenty minutes later, Dawn settled onto the king-size bed with a cup of whiskey-laced tea and

watched as Sam paced the width of the new suite’s bedroom wearing only his boxer briefs, his phone

to his ear. The view was awe-inspiring. He looked like a living, breathing Greek god. A pissed-off Greek

god. “What the fuck, Conn?” Sam paused and ran agitated fingers through his hair. “Lloyd has to

have entered—and left—the resort grounds somewhere. He was here. He could still be here. Find him.

He’s not the invisible-fucking-man, for chrissakes.”

Sam turned to look at her and the frustration and anger on his face was almost palpable. “He

couldn’t possibly manage to avoid all the resort’s security cameras. Hell, I walked the fucking grounds

this morning and missed locating half of them, and I knew they were there because I’d seen the feeds

in the security room.”

Dawn sipped her doctored tea and let the warmth sweep away the chill which had settled in

her stomach when she’d seen the snake left in her bed.

Lloyd had always been a pain in her arse, but she hadn’t ever expected him to try to kill her.

Stalk her? Yes. Drive her up a frigging wall? Yes. Sexually attack her? Probably.

End her and end his chance, remote as it was, of marrying minor royalty? No.

“…agree. He still has to be on the grounds. He’s blending in somehow, maybe dressed as a

resort employee. Any security officers watching the feed need to watch for a man purposely avoiding

the visible cameras. Also, has Keely run her facial identity software against the feed for the last few

hours?” Sam grunted. “Okay, good. I know Keely’s the best. And I trust you, man. I just don’t want him

anywhere near Dawn while she’s occupied with MacLean and Benrabi.”

Sam stared at her. Slowly, she let the comforter slip down to just above her breasts. His face

grew less grim as his suddenly hot gaze roamed over her naked shoulders and cleavage. She lowered

the cover and flashed him a naked breast. He smiled and shook his head at her teasing move.

“Thanks, Conn. I’ll stay with Dawn until around 1800 hours, then leave through the connecting

door to your suite and head up to the casino security room to get set up for the op. With luck, we’ll

get the DNA we need from MacLean as soon as he sits down. Once that happens, Dawn’s out of it. She

and Keely can monitor the cleanup from the safety of the estate.”

Sam exhaled. “Yeah, she’s too good for me. I’m a lucky guy. Later.” He swiped off his phone

which he tossed onto a chaise.

Too good for him? Where in the bleeding hell had that come from?

“Maybe I think I’m the lucky one.” Dawn had never met a man who looked like Sam, and had his

warrior background, with such low self-esteem. Most men with his bona fides were arrogant arseholes.

“Little cat—” The endearment spoken in his husky baritone warmed her from the inside out.