Page 34 of Protecting Bree
He was clearly a sick man, as even her little attitude turned him on.
And he hated to ruin the mood, but he needed to remind her that even though things seemed to be quiet, that could change in a heartbeat. Tex still hadn’t located Mateo Castillo—but hehadgotten confirmation the man himself was in Riverton. Whether because of Bree or for some other nefarious reason had yet to be determined.
Tomorrow, Tex was also going to break the news to Cookie and Hurt—and the rest of Wolf’s team—that Castillo indeed had ties to the same organization that had kidnapped Fiona and Julie. He was waiting until after the celebration tonight.
Smiley had no doubt that tomorrow, the men would be raising hell, wanting to meet to find out what he and the rest of his team knew. It would be an uncomfortable meeting, but long overdue.
“You know Aces will be closed tonight for the celebration. Only those on the invitation list will be allowed inside, so it should be safe. But, even so, don’t let downyour guard. With so many people, strangers could still get in.”
Smiley still had his hand around her nape, so he felt Bree stiffen. But she nodded immediately. “Okay.”
“We’re all going to be on the lookout, and since many of the people there will be strangers to you, you won’t be able to tell who’s friend and who’s foe. But we will.”
She nodded again.
Smiley hated this. Fuckinghatedit. Today should be about celebration. About his favorite people finding their other halves and tying their lives together. Instead, he was worried about someone sneaking into the bar and stealing Bree out from under his nose.
Bree put her hand on his arm. “It’s fine, Smiley. I understand. Trust me, I haven’t forgotten he’s out there. Watching and waiting. I feel it. Feelhim.”
Smiley frowned. “What? Have you seen anything?”
“No. Nothing like that. It’s just a feeling I have. That I’ve had since I escaped from that car back in Vegas. He’s always just there. In the back of my mind.”
Smiley didn’t like that. Not at all.
“It’s okay. Now that I have the trackers Tex sent, and you, it’s not as scary as it once was.”
Smiley pulled her closer and rested his forehead against hers. “Fuck him. He’s going down. He picked the wrong woman to fuck with because you are a badass, Bree.”
To his surprise, Bree smiled. And not a small polite smile either. One that spread from ear-to-ear.
“That’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you.”
Smiley pulled back in surprise.
“It is,” she insisted. “Knowing you think that wayabout me? That I can handle whatever he might dish out…with your help, of course. It means the world to me.”
Hell, this woman was way too easy to compliment, and Smiley made a mental note to do it more often.
“How about we get out of this parking lot and do this?”
“Yes!” Bree said.
They quickly entered Aces, stopped to have their names and IDs checked on a list that one of Jessyka’s kids was manning—and taking her job extremely seriously. Benny was hovering nearby, just in case anyone gave her crap, which they wouldn’t if they were a part of the group. He was there mainly to prevent any uninvited guests from coming in.
As soon as they entered, Bree was surrounded, everyone wanting to greet her. Smiley frowned as he gave her some space. He loved that she fit in so well with his friends, but he was also grumpy because he wanted all of her time to himself.
Which was stupid because he’d been with her practically every minute since the shit with Kelli went down. Except for when he was in meetings, he was by her side.
As if she could read his mind, Bree looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. Her acknowledging him went a long way toward making him feel better.
Smiley walked around the room, saying hello to his friends and meeting the people he didn’t know.
Remi’s parents were there. And surprisingly, Fernando Stephenson, the man who single-handedly made Crown Condoms a household name, looked right at home in the hole-in-the-wall bar. He was standing with his wife, Claire Crown-Stephenson, and they both had huge smiles on their faces.
He also met Remi’s grandmother, who lived up to all the stories he’d heard about her from Remi. She was currently at the bar doing shots with two of the Night Stalkers who’d been invited by Blink and Josie. They were the teammates of Blink’s brother, who was also one of the legendary Army helicopter pilots.
As he watched, one of the men surreptitiously nodded at the bartender as he carefully, and sneakily, watered down the next shots. It was one thing to have a good time, another to get Remi’s grandmother falling-down-drunk at a wedding and reception.
