He’d been wrong before, but his gut told him her engagement wasn’t what it seemed, and he had a burning need to berightabout her.
Travis, pacing from the chairs to the bed and back again, stopped behind him. “She didn’t marry him. She left him at the altar, went to a bar and started drinking. Maybe she came to her senses.” His phone vibrated. He retrieved it from his pants pocket and glanced at the screen. “Hold that thought. It’s our no-show PI.”
He thumbed the answer button. “What the hell, Burnett? Are you jerking us around?” Travis lowered his voice and walked toward his room.
MacGyver glanced at the bed again. The girl—Kellie—was still out. He doubted Travis’s raised voice could wake her, but it was considerate of him to step away. MacGyver strode to the closet and pulled an extra blanket down. He threw it over her, then removed her wet shoes and tucked it under her bare feet. They were like ice to his touch.
The room had warmed a few degrees with the fire going, but it wouldn’t replace the heat she’d lost, wrapped in that damn wet dress. He’d have to suck it up, get her out of her clothes and call down to the lobby for some dry bedding. Considering his body’s physical reaction to the sweet, warm smell of her when she’d handed him her purse at the bar, the task would no doubt be a perilous undertaking.
Travis would help if MacGyver asked. Instantly, warning bells went off in every corner of his brain. As wrong as it would be for him to undress her and see her naked and vulnerable, having Travis in the same room wasn’t an option MacGyver was willing to entertain. He couldn’t explain it, but the feeling grew until his stomach twisted with some inner turmoil he didn’t want to think about. A soft whimper as she slept distracted him from dwelling on the reason behind his apparent protectiveness where she was concerned.
The need to reach out and touch the soft skin of her throat was nearly overwhelming. Her perfect lips were pressed tightly together, and her forehead still displayed the cute wrinkle that appeared every time she frowned. That wasn’t the face of a hard, uncaring woman who would marry a powerful and corrupt man for his money and status. Did that mean she loved that piece of shit? Would she rush back to him and beg for forgiveness as soon as she woke?
“Um…hey, buddy. We’ve got a problem.” Travis’s quiet voice broke into his thoughts.
“Just one?” MacGyver turned as his friend crossed the room, still staring at the phone in his hand while a frown warred with his tough-guy features.
“Yeah, but it’s a big one, and you’re not going to like it.” Travis stopped in front of his chair but didn’t sit until MacGyver took his seat.
“Burnett called to apologize.” Travis finally looked up from his phone, meeting MacGyver’s gaze.
“Okay. What’s his problem?”
“He couldn’t meet you today because he was tapped by Tony Palazzi to join his security people in a manhunt for his sweet little wife-to-be. Tony claims she stole a crap-load of money and ran out on him. Burnett owed the sonofabitch a favor, and he couldn’t say no.” Travis nodded toward the bed. “Get this—Tony wants her back, preferably alive, but dead will work. He’s looking for her stepfather too. Burnett said he’d never seen the guy so out-of-control when they returned empty-handed.”
“You didn’t tell him she was here, did you?”
“Of course not.” Travis rose and started pacing. “We don’t know enough about the players to guess what Burnett would do with that information.”
MacGyver couldn’t agree more. Palazzi was the kind of man who could buy loyalty. Who knew where Burnett’s lay? Kellie wasn’t safe in the city. She’d have to get out of town without being seen. Along with her stepfather. No wonder the congressman wanted her hidden. MacGyver would feel better if he knew what that relationship was, but he’d go with his gut for now. Chronologically, he sorted through the events of the day, trying to spot careless moments when she might have been recognized. Too many came to mind.
The bikers at Wally’s Tavern. The other guests of the hotel. MacGyver had made an entrance, and no less than a dozen people had been close enough to recognize her hair or that damn wedding dress.
“There’s more.” Travis paused until MacGyver focused on him again. “Burnett located our guy—Jeremy Dahl. He went to work in Tony’s casino about a week ago and disappeared today, the same time as the girl.”
“Huh! Small world.” MacGyver’s mind whirled, trying to make sense of this new information. “You think she and the kid partnered up? Maybe the two of them planned to hook up someplace?” He shook his head. It didn’t feel right. “Too coincidental in my book. On the other hand, Dahl could be the thief, hoping she’ll take the heat while he escapes with the dough.”
“Might be.” Travis’s obvious doubt contradicted his words. “Guilty or innocent, it would sure be nice to find him before Tony does. Maybe our Kellie knows where he’s holed up.” Travis stroked his chin in that way he had when he was onto an idea. “We should stick close to the girl for a day or two. Maybe, if we help her with her problem, she’ll see fit to help us.”
“Right. How do you suggest we do that? Kellie doesn’t know either of us. It’s likely she’ll have such a hangover, she won’t even remember me from the bar. She’ll probably think we kidnapped her. As soon as she finds out we’re not holding her against her will, she’ll be out of here like a shot.”
A grin slowly spread over Travis’s face. “Exactly! You said it yourself. Drunk out of her head. Sick with a pounding headache. I’ve been there and so have you. At the very least, it’ll take a few minutes for the fog to dissipate. Possibly long enough for you to convince her you’re more than just a one-night stand.”
What the shit was he talking about? MacGyver must have missed something. He raked his fingers through his short hair and looked at Travis again. That overconfident grin was still there.
MacGyver threw his hands in the air. “I give up. What the hell does that mean?”
“Take it easy. I’m just sayin’ she needs someone to trust.” Travis was on a roll, undoubtedly working out a plan in his head. “Someone like her new husband.”
“I told you she didn’t make the wedding.” When he was on the trail of an idea, it wasn’t like Travis to ignore the most important detail. MacGyver sat back.
“To Tony, yeah. But anyone can get a quickie wedding in Las Vegas. Even you.”
What the fuck?MacGyver stared at him, temporarily struck dumb. When Travis had first broached the idea of starting a private security company, MacGyver had warned him it wouldn’t be the place for the kind of crazy stunts Travis had pulled within their SEAL unit. But this…this was plain-ass ludicrous. He had to be joking.
Travis stared back, eyes gleaming with intensity, one brow cocked as though he couldn’t understand why MacGyver hadn’t jumped on the out-of-control train with him. Not a whisper of humor seeped into his expression. “I can have the necessary documents here in an hour. It’ll look as official as if it really happened. Hell, I’ll even get a ring.”
No, no, no. MacGyver jumped to his feet, his palms extended in front of his chest. “Are you fucking nuts? In what universe is that a rational idea? You want me to lie to her, pretend to be something I’m not, to con information out of her she might not even have? Besides, what makes you think she won’t go running back to Palazzi as soon as she gets over her case of cold feet?”