Standing outside the thick steel door, Tyke put his hand on Kenna's back. "You okay?"
Her chest expanded as she inhaled a long, slow breath. "I think so. It's just … I focused so much on the ring that I didn't think about the fact that he was in my room. That he could've come in while I was in there." She closed her eyes as fear blasted across her features.
Fuck. He should've never let her watch that video. It was careless. The reality of her words finally set in. How could he have been so stupid?
"Hey," he said quickly. "Look at me." He pressed his index finger under her chin, urging her to look at him. When she did, he said, "You're safe. You hear me? I'm gonna make sure he doesn't get near you ever again, okay?"
She frowned and gave a weak nod.
"And I promise, I'm gonna get your momma's ring back. That asshole isn't getting away with this. Tell me you believe me."
She started shaking.
He gripped her shoulder. "Kenna. Come on. Tell me."
"I … I believe you," she said it so soft his heart almost ripped in half.
The video was unsettling. It had rattled him, too. She was right. The guy could've come in while she was in there. Hell, if he had a key, he could come back again. The thought of her in danger-that something could happen to her and Tyke wouldn't be able to prevent it-made his stomach squeeze to utter agony. He almost doubled over from the force of it.
No. He was going to catch the bastard. And when he did, Tyke would see to it the guy couldn't steal anything from anyone ever again.
"We're moving everything out of your room," he said. "You'll stay with me until this is over." He wasn't trusting anyone else with her safety until he could piece this together.
Without thinking, he slid his hand into hers, immediately regretting it as soon as a familiar spark of awareness zapped him. Kenna's gaze dropped to their connection, and before he could pull away, she wrapped her fingers around his and held tight. She let out a soft relieved sigh. "Thank you, Bryan."
Leading her down the hall toward the elevators, he ignored the warmth and longing radiating through his body at the simple touch.
Tyke stood at his favorite location on the island-the bar. Beer in hand, he looked out at the tables filled with people having a great time, with no idea a thief was among them.
It was dusk, and dinner was over, but everyone stayed in their chairs, waiting for the show to start. Fire dancers. What a brilliant idea that was. People who intentionally lit things on fire and threw them into the air for entertainment. You wanna talk about dangerous? That shit was dangerous.
Before coming to dinner, Bryan and Kenna had moved all of her stuff to his hotel room. She'd stay with him until the threat was over.
The threat …
That thought sent his head into a tailspin. The threat was real. The guy was lurking around here right now, and they had no idea who he was or whether he was targeting people for a specific reason.
Glancing down at his now-warm beer, Tyke cursed it. His nerves were shot, and it wasn't doing a damn thing to calm him.
It couldn't be Landry. Right? He was Tyke's boss for Christ's sake. But it sure as hell looked like Joe on the video. Same build. Hair. Even the way the guy walked.
Tyke did a passing glance over the crowd again, spotting Landry at the table with Reese and the cute blonde Reese had met on the first day. Tyke really should learn her name. Given their relaxed posture, they were talking about something normal and mundane. Tyke had known Landry for years. He was a good guy. The best.
Reese looked back at Tyke and must have read something in his expression because he tilted his head and got up, making his way toward the bar.
"Are you okay?" Reese said once he was at Bryan's side.
Tyke kept his eyes on their boss and lifted a shoulder. "Sure." After a minute, Tyke said, "You know what? No. I'm not. Let me ask you something."
"Of course. What is it?"
"Do you trust Landry?"
Reese's face showed his confusion at the random question. "With my life. Why?"
Right. So did Tyke. It was stupid to think Landry would have anything to do with stealing anything from anyone.
"Never mind."
Reese waited, like he thought Tyke was going to elaborate. When he realized Tyke wasn't going to, he turned his back to the wedding guests and lifted a hand to flag down the bartender. "I was able to narrow down the list to two viable suspects."
Tyke placed his drink on the bar and faced his friend. "Yeah?" Thank Christ. See, it couldn't be Landry.
"They both fit the description. But, get this, one of them works at the hotel."
Tyke's adrenaline ramped up, climbing to unhealthy levels.
"He'd be able to obtain keys for all the hotel rooms," Tyke said, his mind going immediately to the vision of the thief inserting a card into Kenna's door and waltzing in.
Reese pulled his glasses off to wipe the lenses with a cloth from his pocket. When he slid them back on, he looked directly at Tyke. "Yes, he would."
"But he doesn't have a connection to the wedding guests. Not that we can tell. So why were Claire and Kenna targeted?"
"It does seem odd that only those two ladies are missing items. Which is why I took particular interest in the second suspect. He's here."
"Right now?"
Reese turned his head, gazing over the tables of people. Tyke followed, noticing that Reese stopped on a table in the front corner, next to the stage. "Eleven o'clock, facing us."
"Got him."
Tyke stared at the dark-haired guy in a collared shirt and shorts, chatting with one of Sam's bridesmaids. That bubbly blond one again. Tracy. Suspect number two had a finger looped under a gold bracelet around her wrist and seemed to be complimenting her on it.
"Son of a bitch." Tyke turned back to Reese with his blood pounding in his ears. "If that's our guy … "
"If," Reese said. "You know how this goes. We need more intelligence before moving in, so I contacted Giles and requested he run our suspects through the system."
Giles was a computer tech guy at the DEA who often aided the team in compiling intel on their missions.
"What came back?" Tyke asked.
"Giles said the man who works at the hotel has prior records of robbery and also owes money to some unscrupulous people."
Keeping his attention on the second suspect, whose name and room number were on their list from Davis, therefore Tyke knew exactly where to find him when needed, he asked, "Where can I find the hotel worker?"
"He lives in a villa on the private side of the beach. I'll send the address to your phone."
"Thanks, man," Tyke said. "That's the best news I've gotten all day."
Get ready, assholes. I'm coming for you.
…
"We have a problem," Kenna said as she approached the bar where Bear stood. He'd been holding the thing up all night, not walking away even to sit and watch the entertainment.
His expression was serious and calculated as he stared at the beer in his hand. "Which is?"
"Aunt Estelle said her brooch is gone. It's a family heirloom from her mother."
His head snapped up. "When?"
"Today. Just before dinner. She said she left it out on her bed when she went for a walk with Rose and Celia, and when she came back, it was gone."
He brought the bottle up to his mouth, threw his head back, and his throat worked as he drank. After a few seconds, he slammed the bottle onto the bar, making Kenna jump. "What did she say? Please tell me she saw the motherfucker."
"I haven't asked yet. Figured you'd want to be there when I talk to her."
He paused, surprise blanketing his face. "Yeah, I would. Thanks."
"Sure." She started to walk away, but he rested a hand on her arm.
Stopping, she faced him.
"Since, uh … you know, you did something nice for me … I'll tell you something I found out, too."
Her expression warmed. "Okay."
"Reese found two suspects on his list. A guy who works at this hotel and owes a lot of people money, and a guest here at the wedding."
Her eyes were already scanning the crowd. "Where are they?"
"Reese is sending me the address for the first. He's got a place on the other side of the island."
"And the one here?"
Tyke lowered his voice. "Don't stare. But look at the table that would be considered eleven o'clock. He's facing us talking with Tracy."
She found him and glanced at the woman next to him.
Holy crap. Why hadn't she seen him before? He fit the profile. At least enough that they should check him out. He was a little broader across his shoulders than she remembered. And his hair was a touch longer. Like he was a few weeks late for a haircut. The man she saw walking down the hall was well-groomed and didn't seem like the type to ever miss a hair-trimming appointment. Then again, she'd only seen him for a few seconds, and the security video wasn't close enough for that kind of detail. He was definitely a viable possibility.