Page 92 of Never the Same

It was also time to switch gears, given where we were.

The driver spoke since I’d yet to do so. “During the Cold War, a billionaire acquired the land and turned it into a safe haven. Mostly for criminals to do business without fear of bloodshed due to their extreme security measures and no weapons on premises by guests. Our bosses bought the hotel when it went on sale, and now it’s used by people like us, not criminals.”

“Ah, gotcha,” she whispered, and I squeezed her hand.

“Everything will be okay.” Sure as hell hope so, at least. “We have a lot of people on our side, and if your brother wants to meet us in person, my guess is, he learned something that might shed some light on what’s going on. He can’t risk discussing it over the phone.”

She twisted on her seat, facing me. “I just hope I can trust what he has to say. I can’t text Lyra and ask her to give me a heads-up, either, because we destroyed the phone my brother gave me. I don’t know her number.”

I’d forgotten about that. A lot had happened since yesterday, like making out with her in the shower and my hand winding up between her legs. Not to mention her learning about my past on the plane.

We stayed quiet until we made it through the rest of the checkpoints, the weight of reality hammering down on me.

The security team walked the four of us inside. The place had marble floors, hushed acoustics, and more than likely reinforced walls beneath the luxury. There was no staff to greet us, and we didn’t need to check in.

“You all have the sixth floor to yourself, as requested,” our driver said, offering two old-school room keys to Ryder while providing the room numbers. “You need the key and an access code to get into your rooms. Boss said you already gave Gwen your preferred four-digit one for the keypads.”

“I did,” Ryder confirmed.

“Those codes will also work for the elevators, the doors, and so on,” he continued before tipping his head as a goodbye and taking off.

“I guess Carter and the others will meet us upstairs.” Ryder started to hand me a key, only to retract it. “Are you two sharing a room? Or are you bunking with Alex and me?”

About that. I turned to face Hollis, unsure what the plan was. We hadn’t discussed it. Gideon would be arriving and staying on the same floor as us. While I trusted Carter and Sebastian and their safety protocols for the hotel, I wasn’t ready to trust Gideon. The idea of sharing a bed with her, though . . . Shit.

“Maybe there are two bedrooms in the suites?” She lifted her brows, and I knew she wasn’t being modest in front of my teammates to hide what was happening between us. She was trying to be respectful of me. She knew I wasn’t ready to cross the sex line with her; I’d already pushed the limits with what had happened in the shower as it was. She just didn’t know why.

“One way to find out,” I said with a tight nod, then ignored the curious looks from my teammates and picked up our suitcases where the guards had dropped them.

No one spoke until we made it to floor six and inside our first designated suite.

I set our luggage aside and took in the sight of the sprawling corner suite. It was a mix of old-world Alpine and modern precision. Warm woods, one stone wall, and heavy rugs. But in sharp contrast to the old was the new with all the smart technology. What a metaphor for what we were going through now. Old versions of ourselves colliding with the new. Mine by choice, hers because she had none.

Hollis walked around, checking if there were two bedrooms. Thankfully, there were, separated by a living room and small kitchen area.

“You think Gideon will have a coronary if he discovers you two are staying here together?” Alex asked, resting his back to the door, propping his booted foot up to it. He partially tucked his hands in his pockets as he stared at me, and I could read his mind. He was probably torn between being happy and worried about what was obviously happening between Hollis and me.

Yeah, well, you and me both.

“I definitely don’t care what Gideon thinks. Didn’t when I asked to stay with Jason in Charleston.” She went to the French doors and opened them, taking in the view of the Rhine with the backdrop of the distant Alps. “Don’t care here, either.”

“Jason, huh?” Ryder picked up on that before Alex did. “We supposed to call you that now, too?”

I shot him down fast. “Nope.”

Hollis stayed out on the balcony, mindlessly fidgeting with the potted plant at her side, smoothing her fingers over a large glossy leaf.

I opened my mouth, prepared to ask the guys to bail so Hollis and I could have a moment alone, when there was a knock.

Alex checked the peephole, then opened up. Gwen was alongside a pilot who’d flown one of the helos for Carter on our op in February. We’d never had a chance to formally meet.

Hollis closed the balcony doors and came over, and Gwen gave her an awkward smile and introduced herself. “My first time meeting you in person.”

Hollis blinked, then straightened, polite but reserved. “Right. Thank you for helping Audrey before, and thanks for helping me now.”

“Of course.” Gwen tipped her head toward the pilot quietly lingering at her side. “You were with them in New Zealand, yeah?” When he remained oddly quiet, she went on, “This is Easton. My brooding, overprotective shadow, assigned by my father to babysit me like I’m five.”

Easton rolled his eyes. “I’m slightly more than a manny. Thanks for the kind intro, though.” His focus shifted to Hollis. “My brother-in-law is Constantine Costa,” he tossed out as if he’d rather claim allegiance to the Italians than to the Brit.