She reached for the study door handle.
“Wait—” Mack’s voice came out louder than he intended, but she didn’t hear him. The door was already opening.
In his earpiece, chaos erupted. Chair legs scraped. There was a sharp intake of breath.
“Oh!” Her voice carried down the hallway. “I’m so sorry, I was looking for the restroom.”
“Who are you?” Vega’s voice was cold and sharp as a blade. “Who let you back here?”
“Bennett, you said security was locked down,” Guerrero said angrily.
“I don’t know who she is—” Blake’s voice, and even through the audio feed, Mack could hear the panic barely controlled. Liar. He knew exactly who she was.
An enforcer’s voice came next, heavy and flat. “Boss, want me to grab her?”
“Si. Find out who sent her.”
Alyssa’s voice again as she began backing away. “Sorry, wrong door! I’ll just?—”
She slammed the door, the echo slicing through the hallway. He saw her turn, walking fast.
He was already moving, crossing the carpet in long strides from his hiding place. Claire spoke in his comm. “What’s happening?”
Alyssa was hurrying down the hallway, face pale, eyes wide and locked over her shoulder on the study door behind her like she was trying to process what she'd just seen. She hadn't noticed him yet.
The door flew open. Mack yanked out his comm and shoved it in his pocket. The enforcer emerged. Six-two, two-twenty, neck tattoos creeping above his collar. Dead eyes that locked onto Alyssa’s retreating form. “Hey! Stop!”
Alyssa’s step quickened. Not running yet, but close.
The enforcer’s hand moved inside his jacket.
Fighting here would blow everything. Mack needed a different play.
There was no time for subtlety. He lunged forward and caught Alyssa around the waist, pulling her back against his chest. She gasped, her body going rigid. “What the?—?”
He pitched his voice loud enough for the enforcer to hear, gentle enough that it might actually calm her. “It’s okay, babe. I’ve got you.”
He felt the exact moment recognition hit—the way her breath caught, the way her body tensed even more.
The enforcer stopped three feet away, eyes narrowing. “Who the hell are you?”
“Her boyfriend.” Mack turned Alyssa to face him, needing to sell this, needing the enforcer to see a couple, not a threat. “She got turned around looking for the bathroom, didn’t you, babe?”
Her eyes met his, shocked and confused. Those green eyes he’d once known better than his own now stared at him like he was a ghost.
Or her worst nightmare.
Trust me, he tried to say with his gaze. Just this once, play along.
The enforcer still had his hand inside his jacket, his voice thick with his accent. “My boss wants to talk to her. You’d better come, too.”
Mack kept one arm around Alyssa’s waist, pulling her closer, and pressed his lips to her temple. The scent of her shampoo hit him like a physical blow—vanilla and something floral, exactly the same after two years. His chest tightened.
“You scared me, Lyss.” The nickname slipped out before he could stop it. “I thought I lost you in this crowd.”
He felt her tremble. Fear or shock or recognition, he couldn’t tell. Maybe all three.
He shifted his position slightly to put himself in front of Alyssa, his free hand loose at his side—ready to draw if this went sideways. “She didn’t see anything,” he said in a steady voice. “Right, babe?”