I exchanged a glance with Malachi, shrugged, and then followed him toward a shaded, secluded corner of the little tourist trap we were in. The three of us stood huddled close while keeping our voices low.
“So, what was so important we had to meet like this?” I asked. “And are we sure Cassidy is safe?”
“She is,” Steele said. “I left her with a trustworthy friend.”
“Your trustworthy friend?” Malachi asked.
He shook his head.
“She has a friend here?” I asked, shocked. It didn’t surprise me that she had friends here. She could make friends wherever she went. I simply wasn’t aware of this person and found it odd that Steele was.
“Apparently so,” he muttered, raking his gaze over the area surrounding us.
“Let’s get down to business then...” Malachi pulled out his phone. “This is what was so important.”
He clicked over a few screens before turning the phone over and showing us. I narrowed in on Charlotte talking to the very man I had watched Steele escort out of the hotel the other night.
Cassidy’s ex-boyfriend.
I growled.
“Well, someone has been a busy body lately,” I muttered.
“I had that same reaction,” Malachi said. “But that’s not all of it.”
The next few screens covered Xander and the boss talking covertly together. Only they weren’t being as clever as they thought they were. It was fairly easy to discern they were talking to each other.
That made me wonder if Charlotte wasn’t aware we knew of her part in the ex-boyfriend showing up.
“Well, it’s the proof we needed,” Steele said. “Charlotte certainly has been a busy body.”
“Yes,” I mused. “But I wonder what this is all about. What is her plan?”
Malachi shrugged. “I have no clue, but these guys…”
He pointed to a handful of men who stood around Xander. They didn’t seem like much. Just random, regular guys who were standing around drinking a beer. None of them appeared to have anything to do with Xander and I couldn’t help but wonder why Malachi I would bother to point them out.
“They are with him,” he said.
“Are you sure about that?” I asked.
Malachi nodded. “As for why they are with him, I’m not certain. My guess is they are planning something big, but they are waiting for the go-ahead from Charlotte. Because she showed up not long after I found Xander hanging out, staring at the hotel.”
“Fuck,” Steele said and took a step away from us. He stared at the ground, jaws clenching. He shook his head.
“What is that about?” I asked.
“I might have pushed whatever she was planning into action,” Steele said. “As much as it pains me to say.”
A pinch entered the center of my forehead as I took in my best friend. “Since when do you act irrationally?”
He glared at me. “Since I can’t live without Cassidy.”
I nodded. “Understood.”
“We all three can’t have her,” Malachi said, nearly growling out the words.
“Now is not the time for that argument,” Steele said.