He took her arm, placing her hand in the crook of his elbow.
The trip through the casino and up the elevator flew by in a blur, and, before he knew it, they were standing in their hotel room. Isabel wouldn't look at him, and he didn't blame her. He'd mauled her like she was a common street whore.
He never lost control. It's what made him a great sniper. Control was his middle name. But tonight in that dark hallway, he'd nearly lost himself.
"Look, Izz—"
"Ethan, I—"
They both spoke at the same time. With a nervous giggle, Isabel said, "You go first."
"I think we need to talk about tonight." His gaze landed on her eyes, wide with some emotion he couldn't name. Fear? Anger? Desire?
"It was nothing, right? Just playing a part," Isabel answered coolly. But she wasn't fooling him. There was nothing cool or calm about her right now. She twisted her hands in front of her and paced back and forth like a caged animal.
"I’m sorry. I shouldn't have—" he tried again.
"What do you have to be sorry about? It was an act, Ethan. Nothing more. Let's just drop it, ok?"
The buzzing of his cell phone in his pocket interrupted him as he was readying himself to tell her that they hadn't been playing a part tonight. Nothing in the exchange they'd had tonight had been an act, and they both knew it.
"Brooks," he answered.
"Are you back at the hotel?" Sully's voice pierced through his Isabel-filled haze.
"Yeah. I'll fire up the computer. Five minutes."
Ethan put the phone back in his pocket and turned towards Isabel, but she was already opening the laptop and placing it on the bar. He wasn't sure what to do. Tonight was evidence that what he felt for Isabel was more than just a physical connection. There was something there that crackled and popped underneath the surface. Something he very much wanted to explore.
"Izz—"
"We don't have time for that right now, Ethan. Let's just forget it, ok?"
The pleading in her eyes convinced him to let it go. For now. And if that hadn't done it, then the look on Sully's face when he took in Isabel's outfit definitely would have.
"Dammit, Isabel. What the hell are you wearing?" he bellowed from the computer monitor.
"A dress, big brother. Cool your jets. All the essentials are covered."
Ethan barely held in his snort. When Isabel turned her glare on him, he realized he must not have held it in after all. The thought of that black strip of lace flashed into his mind. When Isabel flushed, it was obvious that she was thinking about it, too.
Unbuttoning his shirt, he smiled as Isabel watched him with wide eyes. He shrugged out of the shirt, leaving only his white, tank-style undershirt on in its place. Ethan wrapped the shirt around her shoulders, pulling it closed so that it covered her dress. She smiled shyly.
Sully's growl was loud enough to make Ethan wonder if he'd shifted into a bear. "Ethan, I told you to look out for her. I don't call letting her go out dressed like a hooker, looking out for her."
"You obviously don't know your sister if you think that anyone could tell her what she can and cannot wear."
The only response Sully gave was a mumbled curse. Zach Harper's face filled the screen.
"If the sibling bickering is over, can we get started? What did you guys find out tonight?"
"Bruno was there. We saw him," Isabel answered, the pinkness of her cheeks giving away her thoughts about what they'd been doing when they saw him.
"He's got a girlfriend. Her name is Quita. I'm sure that's not her real name, though. She's a dancer there," she continued.
"I think Bruno is threatening her. She didn't seem to be enjoying his company." Ethan thought back to the slap he'd heard and the bright red handprint he'd seen on Quita's face as she passed them. It had been dark in that hallway, but the outline of Bruno's palm had been as plain as day on her light skin.
"Any descriptions you can give of her?" Zach asked.
"Blonde hair. Couldn't see her eye color. It was too dark. Maybe five-five or five-six. Curvy," Isabel responded. Ethan wondered how she'd taken in all those details when they'd been otherwise involved at the time. Just another indicator of how out of control he'd been.
"Ok. I'll run some things through a few programs—see what I can come up with."
Sully's face filled the screen. "Tell me about Bruno."
"We just saw him briefly," Ethan answered.
"Did he see you?"
Ethan hesitated a second too long.
"Please tell me he didn't see you."
"I don't think he recognized us. It was dark, and we were otherwise, um, engaged."
Sully growled again. Isabel pushed Ethan over so that she could talk to Sully. "Look, big brother, I don't need you growling at my partner like that. You knew what we'd have to do in order to keep our cover. So cool it. It's not the first time we've paired up on a case like this."
It was, however, the first time Ethan had lost control. He'd come close at that party last month, but he had kept things at least somewhat professional. But tonight, when his hand had brought her leg around his waist and he'd run his hand up the back of her leg, cupping her luscious curves—
An elbow to his ribs brought him back to the present. Isabel raised her eyebrows and nodded at the computer screen, where he looked into the glaring and knowing eyes of his best friend. What had he missed?
Isabel nodded towards the screen again, as if begging him to answer the unheard question.
"I'm sorry, what?" he asked, confirming that he hadn't been paying attention.
Sully sighed heavily. "I said, are you going back tomorrow?"
Ethan cleared his throat, gathering his wits. Geez, he was acting like a complete and total idiot. "Yes. I thought we'd catch Quita early in the evening. Maybe as soon as she completes her first set. I'll call tomorrow to find out when she goes on."
"No need," Zach interjected. "I've got her schedule here. She's a showgirl and a stripper. She goes on at eight for the more innocent show, and then again at ten, the prime-time show. Her name is Chaquita, no last name. I'll see what else I can find out between now and then."
"Thanks, Zach," Ethan said, grateful that they had some time before they'd have to go back to the club.
"It's what I do, dude."
"We need to figure out where he is and what he's doing. See if there's any pattern. Once we have that nailed down, the rest of us will come out and put a strategy in place to take him out. One way or another," Sully said.
"Sounds like a plan," Ethan replied.
"Ethan?" Sully's eyebrows lifted as he stared Ethan down.
"Yeah, boss?"
"Keep my sister safe, got it?"
"Of course. I'd never let anyone get to her.”
"Yeah, well—it's not necessarily the bad guys I'm worried about."
With those parting words, Sully signed off, leaving a blank screen in his place.
The quiet in the room was deafening, and only the soft sounds of Isabel's breathing could be heard. Ethan hesitated to look at her, electricity crackling between them.
Slowly, he turned in her direction. Her soft curves were peeking out of his shirt. It had never looked so good on anyone before. Her cheeks were pink, and when he met her eyes, they pierced his soul. As if it had a mind of its own, his hand lifted to her face, brushing his thumb along her jaw. Eyes closed, she took in a deep breath, covering his hand with her own and leaning into his caress.
Taking a step closer, he closed the distance between them. Her eyes popped open, and, as if she'd just realized how close they were, she took a step back. Then another. Turning, she walked quickly to her room, closing the door behind her.
This woman. What was she doing to him?
* * * *
What was he doing to her? Isabel tossed and turned all night, trying to figure out what was going on between them. Last night, she'd run from him like he had the plague.
But what else was she supposed to do? The t
enderness in his touch had been her undoing. They'd been in intimate embraces before. They'd kissed and flirted. It was all part of the job. But this felt different. Last night had felt different. It had felt real.
Cursing herself, she rushed to get ready. She still had a part to play, so, donning short white cut-off shorts and a midriff baby-doll shirt, she slipped into a cute pair of espadrilles that tied around the ankle. They gave her some height, but would at least be comfortable during the day.
After applying a swipe of mascara and some lip gloss, Isabel opened her door to find Ethan already showered and waiting for her in the living room. His gaze traveled up the length of her legs, resting for a moment on the exposed skin of her abdomen, and then met her eyes. She lifted a brow to downplay the reaction she was having to him, but the unabashed desire she saw in his eyes made her want to throw herself into his arms.
Clearing his throat, Ethan stood. "Sleep well?"
"Great," she lied.
"Yeah, me too. Great." Isabel had the feeling that he was lying as well.
"Ready for breakfast?" he asked, motioning with his hand towards the door.
"Great." She cringed at her stupid response. Great? Really?
Ethan chuckled as she stuck her nose in the air and marched past him. She was embarrassed, but she wasn't about to let him know that. Ethan fell into step behind her, resting his hand on the exposed skin of her back.
"I’m glad you're so great this morning." His words were husky, and his warm breath tickled her ear as he bent close to her.
She wanted to lean into him. Wanted to feel his arms wrap around her waist and draw her closer to his chest. She wanted…him. She shook her head to clear away her wayward thoughts and focused on the changing number indicating the floors that they were passing on their way down in the elevator.
Moments later, they were seated at a table in the hotel's restaurant on the main level. Isabel picked up a menu, perusing her options. She wasn't much of a breakfast eater, but she wasn't sure when they'd get a chance to eat again. They had some planning to do, as well as some snooping. They needed to figure out what Bruno's role was here in Las Vegas, so they could find something on him in order to turn him over to the authorities. Then they could go home.
Isabel settled on pancakes and, with wide eyes, listened as Ethan ordered enough food for an entire army.
"Are you really going to eat all that?"
"I'm a growing boy," he said with a wink.
Isabel stifled her laugh. He was no boy—that was for sure.
"Want to talk about it?" he asked.
Her cheeks warmed. "I thought I told you last night—"
"About the case," he interrupted. "What we plan to do next."
She silently cursed herself. Of course he wanted to talk about the case. Not about her feelings and crazy reactions. Isabel wasn't certain she hadn't tried climbing him like a tree last night in that hallway. She'd lost track of where she was, what she was doing, and who was around. She'd even forgotten that they were in a sleazy club with sticky floors and God knew what kind of diseases in the air.
"Right. Sure," she said lamely.
"I think we need to find the owner of this hotel, Tobias Winters. How is he connected to Bruno's club? Why would a multibillionaire playboy like Tobias Winters give a lowlife D.C. scumbag the position of manager at this hotel? Something doesn't add up."
"I agree. Also, where is Bruno? If he's managing the hotel, then why have we not seen him lurking about? And where would we find Tobias Winters?"
"Our trusty computer hacker." Ethan waggled his eyebrows, then took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Zach's number. "Need some intel," Ethan started, and stood to walk away from potentially listening ears.
While he was away, the server arrived with their food, and Isabel dug in. Although she had a slim figure, she'd rather work out hard and eat good food than pick at a salad. She loved to eat and wasn't ashamed to do so with complete abandon.
"He's going to call us back." Ethan's sudden appearance caught Isabel off guard, and she started to choke on the bite of pancake she'd just put in her mouth. Coughing and wheezing, while downing large gulps of water, Isabel struggled to force down the doughy goodness.
"You ok?" Ethan asked, one eyebrow quirked up in that way she loved so much. His gray-green eyes were lit up with amusement.
"I'm fine. Maybe next time, don't scare me half to death sneaking up on me."
"Are we a little jumpy this morning?" he asked, the teasing still evident in his voice.
Isabel simply shrugged. "What did Zach say?"
"He's working his magic and will be in touch with us soon. Until then, let's eat."
They ate in companionable silence before Zach called back about ten minutes later. Isabel wasn't sure how he did what he did so quickly. It seemed pretty amazing that Zach could hack into any database or find out information that others wouldn't find readily available. And he did it in less time than it took her to google something.
"Brooks," Ethan answered. Isabel had never understood why the guys answered their phones that way. They saw who it was on caller ID. So what was the point? Zach knew whom he was calling.
Ethan offered a few one-syllable responses while Isabel waited patiently for him to get off the phone and fill her in. When he did, she didn't expect the words that came out of his mouth.
"Well, Ms. Castle, it looks like we're going shopping!"
* * * *
Shopping with a woman was never at the top of his list. But swimsuit shopping with Isabel was pure torture. The woman had been prancing around in barely-there bikinis for twenty minutes, and Ethan was struggling to keep it together.
He sat on a small loveseat right outside the dressing room, where a saleslady kept bringing swimsuits in for Isabel to try on. The cost of one of those tiny pieces of fabric could pay his grocery bill for a month, but time was of the essence. They'd need to play up their roles of high-dollar gamblers, and Isabel needed the right attire to lure Tobias Winters into their trap.
When Zach had said that Tobias could be found that afternoon at the pool, Ethan had thought they'd hit pay dirt. But when Zach had said that Isabel would be their number one asset, Ethan's heart had clenched at the idea. He didn't like putting her in harm's way, and the crap that Zach had pulled up about Tobias Winters wasn't pretty.
A womanizer, abuser, and rapist—he'd been accused of it all, but money was a powerful tool indeed. Somehow, the man had risen above the accusations and not only owned one of the most expensive hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, but also had political connections that could rival the most well-connected families in Washington, D.C.
Ethan hated that Isabel would be the bait to bring in the big fish, but since Tobias wasn't interested in men, they'd had no other choice. Isabel's beauty and sex appeal would certainly draw attention, and her skill as an operator and profiler would hopefully get him talking. She was smart. She knew what questions to ask and could size up her target within minutes. Isabel knew what people thought, how they'd react, and what drove them to do what they did.
Isabel exited the dressing room, and Ethan sat straight up in his seat. With her eyes lowered to the floor, she turned slowly to face the mirror. If that bastard hurt her, he would kill him.
He knew he was staring. But the sight of Isabel in this black, barely-there bikini was one to behold. The bottoms allowed the perfect, round globes of her ass to peek out, and a triangle-shaped top, with two strings that criss-crossed around her ribs, gave Isabel the look of a goddess.
"No," he said firmly. The thought of Tobias—or any other man—seeing her in that swimsuit would be his downfall. He'd be incarcerated for sure after busting each one of the men's faces that dared lay eyes on her.
Hurt filled her eyes, and she looked over her shoulder. "What do you mean, 'no'?"
Ethan took a deep breath and stood behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He couldn't help but notice what a striking pair they made. "I'll spend the entire t
ime killing men instead of scoping out the place."
"Wasn't that the point?" she asked.
"For me to kill people?"
"No." She rolled her eyes. "For me to get his attention and distract him."
She was going to be the death of him. He knew it.
"You can do that in something that covers more of your ass—um, assets."
This time, her eye roll was so epic that he wondered if they’d gotten lost in her head somewhere. "Don't be ridiculous." She turned to stare at her ass. "I'm completely covered. I mean, except for this part…" She touched her right butt cheek, and Ethan groaned.
With a wicked gleam in her eyes, Isabel looked at him, trying to play the role of an innocent. "Why, Mr. Brooks, is everything all right over there?"
She knew what she was doing to him. Knew that she was driving him insane, as he watched her try on swimsuits that left little to the imagination. Ethan couldn't remember a single time he'd been this uncomfortable, not even on that mission where he'd been stuck in a dilapidated building for twenty-four hours, waiting for his mark to show. It had been cold and wet, and he'd had nothing to eat for days, but all that paled in comparison to the torture that Isabel Castle had unleashed on him today.
"If you’re saying no to this one, then it must be the one." Isabel looked over her other shoulder at the sales associate. "I'll take it."
With a saucy grin, she walked back into the dressing room, leaving Ethan standing there like a whipped puppy, staring at her with longing in his eyes. When he caught his reflection, he was disgusted. He was a freaking Marine!
Two could play at this game.
Walking over to the associate, he told her what he wanted. Her eyes lit up, and she rushed off to do his bidding. He'd instigate a little torture of his own.
Chapter 3
The hot Las Vegas sun bore down on Isabel's back as she walked across the tiled floor bordering the luxurious, rectangular pool, which was surrounded by an ornate Chinese garden. A large copper sculpture of a lotus flower shot out of the middle of the water, its petals coming to sharp points as it opened to the sun.
Castle Investigations Box Set Page 51
