“What?”
“You gave him your name.”
No, she’d given him Copper’s name…then Sachi stopped. Sachi had protected herself, Copper had nearly fucked it all up. Pissed, she pivoted to face the mirror. Sachi needed to get her ass in the box along with Brad and Gabriel, then they could all get shut away.
Fucking box was crowded and wouldn’t close. Closing her eyes, she walked her emotions back one at a time until they fit. “I’ve got this,” she said with anger-fueled confidence. “I’ve got this.”
Six hours later,Copper followed Cobalt through the lobby of the Sunset Royale. Sandwiched on the strip between the Bellagio, Excalibur, and MGM Grand, the Sunset Royale most often got overlooked by the movies and television shows. Frankly, the casinos all looked the same to Copper. Muted, even lighting over bright, shiny machines and zero windows—why offer windows? No one needed to know about the passage of time or temperature outside.
Throughout the flight, she and Cobalt studied the layout of the casino using both the online maps and the blueprints Ant emailed them. Designed to be a maze, casinos wanted people in, not out. Dressed in what had to be a three-thousand-dollar suit, Cobalt exuded an air of wealth and privilege so at odds with his normal personality, he had her half-convinced.
She stayed two steps and to his left behind him. Dressed in a blend of oriental silk blouse and a simple black skirt, she was his secretary slash assistant slash hot arm candy. The maneuver allowed her to keep her head angled down slightly, and she faded behind him. They checked into their rooms, then made their way to the conference level. Ant had set up a beautiful cover. Cobalt was Miles Henderson, a businessman from a Japanese Consortium. Since the Japanese prided themselves on secrecy and honor in business, agaijinworking for them made perfect sense. If someone decided to dig, they wouldn’t find much.
Snapping his ID into place, Cobalt made a point of clipping hers on for her. Meeting her gaze over the rim of his unneeded glasses, he murmured, “Business or pleasure first?”
She still had the lead. Neither Cobalt nor Plat had said a word to her about what went on between her and Merc. They also hadn’t asked her any personal questions about the professor, either. “Make new friends.”
Brendan Coyle had already checked into the hotel. The conference didn’t officially begin until the next day, but an early arrivals mixer was already in full swing. Cobalt trailed his fingers along her collarbone after he made sure her ID badge was straight then touched a single finger to her cheek. Anyone watching them would have seen intimacy, not the faint tapping of a single message in Morse code.
Got your back.
Catching his hand, she returned the message against his palm. Nodding, he took her elbow and led her through the throng to the escalators. On the second floor, they entered a ballroom. Drinks flowed freely, and a decadent buffet occupied a full stretch of one wall. Tables filled the center with room for guests to mingle—and were they ever mingling.
Two hundred people had to be packed into the room. The noise level blotted out the sounds of whatever music they had piped in. She caught a hint of it here or there. Accents—the sheer multitude vied with the number of languages being spoken.
Pausing in the entryway, Cobalt settled into his role. He surveyed the room as though deciding which group to join the way others picked out what outfit to wear. Checking her watch, she angled it so it could snap pictures and turned on the recorder. They would stream a series of still frames over the next ten minutes. Ant and the others could sort through the faces and the names.
A man hurried over to them, hand extended in greeting. “Mr. Henderson, we’re so glad you could join us.”
With a dash of southern charm, Cobalt did the grip and grin well. Their erstwhile host did his job and drew them through the throng, introducing them to one group then another. Some of the names and faces tickled her memory, but she couldn’t place them. Two hours in, her feet hurt from the heels she’d been forced to wear for the function, and she nursed frustration.
Coyle was nowhere to be found.
Leaning against the bar, Cobalt kept an arm around her. The sexual byplay enhanced her cover and discouraged others from interrupting them. “How do you want to deal with it?”
“I’ll check his room.” She resisted the urge to drum her nails. The asshole was probably in bed with a woman. Not everyone came to the mixers. Tomorrow would be telling, but she had zero interest in listening to a lot of debate on the value or devalue of the dollar. She fought to protect the freedoms of people who loved this shit. Fighting for them was a hell of a lot preferable to talking with them.
“My nine o’clock.” Cobalt made a show of swirling his drink, melting the ice more. They’d both had to imbibe, but they’d watered it down as much as possible. “Where do I know him from?”
Leaning into him, she pressed a hand to his chest and angled her head so she could take a look without being obvious. A dusky man with dark brown hair and an ill-fitting suit sat arguing with an older man. “Brown or gray?” Though, arguably, both looked familiar.
“Brown,” Cobalt said, tossing back the drink and setting the empty glass on the bar. “I know him. Can’t place him. Yet.” He kept his arm loose, but spread his fingers against her back and made a show of nuzzling her ear. “I’m thinking Ukraine.”
They’d had a couple of missions in the Ukraine, but the only people she’d seen were all six foot under. She should know, as she’d put them there. Cobalt had been on Steele’s team, so maybe he’d seen him elsewhere.
“Do you want to go make friends with them while I check on our weasel?”
“Do I have to, Mom?” The half-grin in his words gave rise to the playful retort. Funny, she’d never thought of the guys as having a sense of humor. They didn’t play with her that often, not even Merc.
Brad had always played with her. “Keep it up, and I’ll send you to bed without supper.”
Cobalt snorted. “If you came with me to bed, that wouldn’t be punishment.”
“If you hit on me again, you might learn otherwise.” But they were playing at lovers and smiling felt a whole lot better than scowling.
“You know, I’d almost want to take you up on that tonight.” He tapped a question against her spine.Going after Coyle now or later?
“Now,” she said, then gave it a pause. He nodded once, and she added, “Why don’t I go up first and you can follow?”