Mission: Impossible to Protect (The Impossible Mission Romantic Suspense Series Book 6), стр. 36
She was to limit her exposure to people and the hidden security cameras. She needed to be forgettable and unrecognizable. Lars had worried that her usual style of dressing would make her conspicuous. No woman would check into the Carlyle in this outfit. It wasn’t about budget; it was all about pulling together your own style. If she had a scarf, sunglasses, and an oversized designer purse, she would be forgettable. Instead, she was conspicuous for how badly she was dressed in the five-star luxury hotel.
He had no clue that he and Ryder were both conspicuous for their enormous size and forceful presence. Lars, in a tailored power suit, couldn’t be ignored. Every woman within a mile radius would remember him. Their ovaries would be shouting to do the “mating dance.” And she hated that her ovaries were no different than all the other women’s.
And, as if Lars weren’t enough to catch everyone’s attention, Ryder, the size of Hagrid from Harry Potter, strode in front of them with his head looking like it was on a swivel, searching the opulent but empty lobby. Between Ryder and Lars, their alpha male power overshadowed the beautiful and restful space.
Danni proceeded as instructed and sat on the Louis XVIII orange couch, facing away from the counter and the camera. She sat upright staring at the revolving doors. Ryder stood next to her, blocking any view from the receptionist, ready to step in front of her. No one had entered since their arrival.
A frisson of anxiety darted along her skin at Ryder’s intense focus on the doors as if Miro might enter at any second with armed men and toss her into a van like… Her heart dropped to her feet when the door moved, and a man entered the lobby. His styled blond hair was brushed away from his angular face, and the tailored cut of his worsted wool suit spoke of money and prestige. She sighed inwardly. Not Miro or one of his thugs.
“Douglas?” Oh, my God. Had she said his name out loud?
Douglas Blackney, Jax’s business partner, strode up to her, his dark eyes searching her face, probably trying to figure out which of the many women in New York whom he’d slept with she was. Danni knew womanizer Douglas had tried to convince Jax not to marry her. She prayed that Jax wouldn’t come through the door. God couldn’t be this cruel to make her face Jax right now.
Ryder stepped in front of her to stop Douglas. Danni stood and touched Ryder on his steely arm. “I know him. He’s a friend.”
Doug and Jax often met at Bemelmans’s Bar in the Carlyle after they closed a big deal. She loved the bar and had planned to reclaim the place as her own once she could walk without limping and had some decent clothes to make her return memorable.
Ryder stood rigid next to her, tension radiating, prepared to intervene.
Douglas wouldn’t have recognized her if she hadn’t called out his darn name. But, anticipating Miro, she had been shocked to see Douglas. Damn it. Douglas would have walked right past her. She was calling herself an idiot in every variation she could think of.
“My God, it is you. I recognized your voice, but…”
For the slick, sophisticated Douglas to stumble over his words in any other circumstance would have been highly amusing.
“I’ve never seen you wear glasses.” God, no wonder he was so successful in brokering deals. This man was the master of understatement. His face and tone were impassive as if nothing had transpired since, as best man, he had to inform her that Jax had fled Boston with a nineteen-year-old model. He ignored the obvious—that she looked like hell, bruised with two black eyes, in a cast, and with short red hair.
“Jax broke it off with Liza after he saw the photos of you with Alex Hardy at last week’s concert. He mentioned he wants to get back together. He realizes what a total dumbass he was, freaking out and running. But you’ve changed your number. You should call him.”
What could she possibly say as every emotion known to womankind was crowding to fill every space of her being? Could rage and insanity fit into one feeling?
“You’ve always been a good friend to Jax.” Danni didn’t add “and as big of an arrogant prick.” Of course, Jax only wanted her back because she was with a famous star.
In the first month after the non-wedding, she had fantasized about this moment…when Jax would realize what a fricking butthole mistake he had made. She didn’t feel any satisfaction that Jax had broken up with his teenage love. She expected to be exhilarated. She felt nothing but an overwhelming sadness for both her and Jax and all the lost dreams.
“He still loves you and wants you back as his wife. You have to give him a second chance.”
“Honey, you do know that having two husbands is against the law. Did you forget to tell me that you had a husband when you married me?” Lars pulled her against his side, wrapping his arm around her waist. She hadn’t been paying attention and missed Lars’s approach. She knew better than to lose awareness of her surroundings.
The day was growing from a clusterfuck to a goat fuck. The Jenkins’ military quip seemed to fit this next “how bad can it get?” quip. Worse and worser.
Danni smiled up into Lars’s intense, questioning face. His eyes were the color of turbulent Northwest waters, the muscles in his cheek ticking. “Darling, imagine my surprise when I ran into an old acquaintance. But you shouldn’t make jokes. I only have one husband that I love,