It's not what I want to hear, but he's right. If he sees me, he'll know we're after him, and he might do something even more reckless. Getting this close to Amber and then losing her would be devastating.
"Extraction only, got it," I say. "I'll be ready when the boys have a location."
Maybe he'll bring her, and we'll be able to get this all squared away. A man can dream.
"Get some rest. Beau, you stay indoors. Not even a fucking coffee run just in case." He points down the camera at me. "Tomorrow morning, Tripp, you scout the venue, plant some cameras, and work out your entry and exit points. The fight starts at ten p.m."
The call ends, and Tripp stretches, his neck cracking loud enough to make even Van flinch. "You heard the man. Time to hit the hay."
Moving to the window, I stare outside, already feeling claustrophobic at the idea of not being able to venture out for a full 24 hours. Now that Chase has mentioned being recognized, it's all I can think about.
"You alright?" Van is watching me, one eyebrow raised.
"Fine," I lie, feeling twitchy but knowing, as usual, Chase is right. It would be unlucky to run into anyone who recognises me here, who spots that I'm a Lennox, but after all this work, it's a risk we can't take. Scrubbing a hand over my face, I push off the wall. "I'm going to try and get some sleep."
Van frowns, knowing there isn't a hope in hell.
"Good luck with that." Tripp is already flat on his back on the bed, kicking off his boots with his arms folded behind his head.
Leaving them to it, I step out into the parking lot, cap on my head pulled low. The night air is cool, and the neon palm tree sign buzzes overhead, bathing everything in a sickly pink glow.
Shaking off the urge to go exploring, to move and burn off some pent-up frustration, I head for my room, kicking the door shut behind me with a sigh.
Stripping off, I take a leaf from Tripp's book and do some exercises to distract myself from what's to come tomorrow, and how important it is to get this right. After wolfing down a bread roll and attempting to watch some shitty TV, I switch off the lights and climb under the covers.
Tossing from one side to the other, the sheets already twisted, sleep isn't happening. My brain won't switch off, and my bear won't stop pulling, the ache in my chest growing from a nudge to a constant demand.
I shouldn't have let Lisa leave like that. But without including her in this operation and telling her what I am, there's no way in hell she was going to listen to me.
There's a firm knock at the door, and I'm on my feet before the second one lands, crossing the room expecting Tripp, as antsy as I am, to have been kicked out of Van's space for distracting him.
Instead, Lisa is standing there, backpack slung over one shoulder, red hair loose around her face, and looking like wildfire and temptation all wrapped up in one fiery little package.
"There are no vacancies left." She casts a glance behind me at the tiny bedroom. "Any chance I can sleep with you?"
22
LISA
The look on Beau Lennox's face when he opens the door is worth every mile of the drive here.
He's shirtless—of course he's shirtless— wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung shorts, and the sight of his bare chest and a trail of dark hair descending beneath the waistband has my eyes following before I can stop them.
I've licked that path. My fingers remember how soft that hair is. And that knowledge appears to short circuit my brain because the next words that tumble from my mouth are not the ones I'd planned in my head.
"Any chance I can sleep with you?"
Beau's expression cycles through shock, confusion, and a heat that makes my pulse jump. The constant tension headache I’ve had for the last couple of weeks vanishes, and suddenly, I’m not feeling so tired.
"What are you doing here?" His voice is low and rough, and his eyes are doing that thing they do sometimes, catching the light at an angle that makes them look almost amber as he scans the car park behind me.
"I told you. No vacancies." Lifting my backpack higher on my shoulder, I note that he hasn't invited me in yet. Sighing, I meet his eye and shrug, unrepentant. "I followed you, well, your friends, really."
He groans loudly and drops his chin to his chest.
"You left me no choice. And I'm not leaving, so you may as well let me in and tell me what's going on."
Beau's hand grips the door frame hard enough that his knuckles have gone white. For a long second he just stares at the ground, jaw working and weighing up his options, deciding whether to slam the door in my face or drag me inside.