Ian's Ultimate Gamble ; Seduction, Westmoreland Style

by Brenda Jackson

  She glanced up at him and immediately felt her pulse jump at his closeness. “A third woman.”

  Dare raised a brow. “Triplets?”

  “Possibly,” she said. “These two are wearing bracelets on their right wrists. One day I happened to notice that she was wearing a bracelet on her left arm.” Moments later she told Bob, “Back it up a second and slow it down.” Then, “Okay, hold it right there. The lady with the dark brown curly hair. Let’s zero in on her for a second.”

  Bob did, and after they viewed the facial structure, it showed conclusive evidence they were viewing three different women with identical facial structures. All with natural blond hair. Triplets.

  “Damn,” Vance said. “No wonder they can pull those hits off. We’re dealing with triplets, and no telling who else is tied in to their operation.”

  Ian turned to Vance. “Do you think they have an inside accomplice?”

  “That’s how it works most of the time.” He then turned to Bob. “Okay, let’s go through the footage for the past week and a half. I want to concentrate on all three women. What I want to know is whether or not they meet up with any of our employees, no matter how casual it appears.”

  Three hours later they had their answers. The triplet with the brown curly wig had met on two occasions with Cassie, who worked in the casino’s business office. In one piece of footage, Cassie was even seen handing the woman an envelope.

  “I think we’ve seen enough, don’t you?” Ian said with anger in his voice.

  “Yes,” Vance said, shaking his head. “For now. Let’s get Cassie in here and ask her a few questions. She’s only twenty-three and the thought of jail time, especially in a federal prison, should shake her up. I bet she’ll end up spilling her guts to save her skin.”

  “Then what?” Ian asked, shaking his head as he remembered all the times the young woman had tried to come on to him.

  Vance smiled. It was apparent to everyone that his mind was already working, going through numerous possibilities. “And then we set a trap for the Waterloo Gang. One that will put them out of operation permanently.”

  * * *

  Vance had been right. Fearful of jail time, Cassie had confessed, explaining that she had met a man in the casino by the name of Mark Saints, a Brit who wanted to have a good time. She had gone to his room one night and ended up getting drugged. While she was unconscious, Mark had taped a damaging video which he used to blackmail her into doing what he needed her to do—provide the information he needed about the jewels and the setup of where the vault was located.

  Cassie didn’t know much about anything else, specifically how the heist would be carried out. However, she did mention Mark and a woman claiming to be his sister were particularly interested in the security system and the location of the video cameras.

  It was late afternoon by the time Brooke had left the security surveillance room, no longer able to handle Ian’s contempt. She was walking across the lobby when she heard her name being called and turned and smiled when she saw Tara, Shelly and another woman she didn’t know. Introductions were made and she discovered the other woman was Dana. Dana was married to Ian’s brother, Jared. She had a beautiful and friendly smile and Brooke liked her immediately.

  “Would you like to join us for dinner?” Shelly asked, smiling. “It seems we’ve been dumped by our husbands. They plan to hit the poker tables and then go up to Ian’s penthouse to see what other trouble they can get into.”

  Brooke smiled. “Sure, I’d loved to.” For the past several days she’d eaten dinner with Ian, but she had a strong feeling that he wouldn’t want her company this evening or any other evening. She then glanced around. “Has Delaney arrived yet?”

  Tara chuckled. “Yes, they got in around noon today.”

  “And you still aren’t worried about her running into anyone?”

  A grin touched the corners of Tara’s lips. “No. Jamal has been given strict orders to keep his wife occupied for the next couple of days, and I have a feeling he’s more than capable of doing that. Delaney won’t be leaving her room anytime soon…if you know what I mean.”

  Brooke shook her head, grinning. Yes, she had a pretty good idea just what Tara meant. “Isn’t she pregnant?”

  Tara nodded and said seriously, “Yes, but trust me, that has nothing to do with it. Even after five years of marriage, the attraction between Delaney and her desert sheikh is so strong, keeping her behind close doors for forty-eight hours will be a piece of cake for Jamal.”

  Brooke enjoyed having dinner with the three women. Afterward, they left the restaurant to check out the various shops, especially the lingerie boutique in the lobby. Deciding to call it an early night she departed their company and was in her room before nine o’clock. She took a leisurely soak in the Jacuzzi and then slipped into a nightgown.

  A trap had been set and if everything worked out the way they hoped, they would catch the Waterloo Gang red-handed trying to steal the jewels Jamal was to present to Delaney Saturday night.

  Brooke had made a decision that once the gang was apprehended, she would leave and not attend Delaney’s birthday bash. She was to go as Ian’s date, but she figured she would be the last person he would want to show up with.

  As she settled in bed, tears she couldn’t hold back rolled down her cheeks. If only Ian would have let her explain. But he hadn’t. He had refused to listen to anything she had to say in her defense. Once again he saw her as a very deceitful person. He didn’t trust her, and without trust, love was nothing.

  * * *

  “Hey, Ian. You want to play blackjack with us?”

  Ian refused to turn around from his stance in front of his penthouse window. Instead he closed his eyes as memories of the night he had made love to Brooke on the same blackjack table at which Jared, Dare and Thorn were seated raced through his mind.

  “Ian?”

  He recognized the concern in Jared’s voice. Being the firstborn, Jared had been bestowed with the dubious responsibility of looking out for his younger siblings. And now, thirty-plus years later, nothing had changed.

  Deciding it was best to give him an answer, he turned around and said, “No, you all go ahead and play without me.” He couldn’t help but smile when he saw the look of relief on their faces. He was a natural ace when it came to blackjack and they all knew it.

  “One of you act as dealer while I talk to Ian for a while,” Dare said to the others.

  Ian raised his eyes to the ceiling. Dare, being the oldest of all the Westmoreland men—although he was only older than Jared by a few months—had always felt responsible for his younger siblings and cousins. He’d always taken being “the oldest” seriously, but at times he could be an outright pain in the rear end. Ian pretty much figured this would be one of those times.

  “We need to talk,” Dare said when he approached him.

  “If it’s about Brooke we have nothing to say,” Ian said before taking a sip of his drink.

  “The hell we don’t. So let’s go somewhere private.”

  Ian figured he wouldn’t be able to get Dare off his case until he complied with his request, and figured the sooner he did so, the better off he’d be. “Fine. We can go into my office.”

  Dare followed Ian to the room he’d set aside as a small office and closed the door behind them. Ian moved to sit down behind his desk while Dare chose to stand in front of it with his hands on his hips and his expression anything but friendly.

  “Say what you have to say, Dare, so we can get this over with,” Ian said, setting his glass aside.

  Dare leaned over to make sure he could be heard. “For a man who’s extremely smart you’re not acting very bright.”

  Ian’s lips curled into a smile. Leave it to Dare to speak his mind. “Why? Because I refuse to let the same woman break my heart twice?”

  “No, because twice she’s looked after your best interest and you’re too blind to see it. I know what has you pissed with her, but if you would have g
iven her the chance to explain, she would have told you that if she hadn’t agreed to come here to make sure things were running smoothly, they would have sent the federal agent from hell. Although she knew how you felt about her, she came anyway because she trusted you and knew she wouldn’t find anything wrong with your operation.”

  Ian sat back in his chair in a nonchalant posture. “Did she tell you that?”

  “No, Vance did.”

  Ian sat up. “Vance? How the hell does he know anything?”

  “Because of his connections within the Bureau. He didn’t buy her story of just being here on vacation, so he made a few calls. He approached her while you were out of town and of course she didn’t let on to anything. And before you ask, the reason Vance didn’t tell you of his suspicions is because he didn’t see Brooke as a threat, especially after she told him…and I quote, ‘No matter what you or anyone else might think, I trust Ian implicitly.’”

  When Ian didn’t say anything, Dare continued. “I don’t know of too many men who can boast of such loyalty from a woman. But you can, Ian.” Without saying anything else, Dare turned and walked out of the room.

  Ian remained where he was, sitting in silence while he thought about everything Dare had said. He stood and began pacing the room, replaying in his mind all the times he’d spent with Brooke since she’d arrived at the Rolling Cascade, and he knew Dare was right. She had come here to look out for his best interest.

  He rubbed a hand down his face. Why did love have to be so damn complicated? And why was he so prone to letting his emotions rule his common sense where Brooke was concerned? Mainly because he loved her so much. Deep down a part of him was afraid to place his complete heart on the line. But he would. He knew what he had to do. He had to swallow his pride and surrender all.

  He moved to the door with an urgent need to see Brooke, wondering if she was downstairs in the casino. His cell phone rang and he stopped to answer it. “Yes?”

  “This is Vance. It seems they’re going to make their move earlier than planned.”

  Ian understood. “Is everything in place?”

  “Down to the letter. It’s like watching a movie and I’ve saved you a front-row seat.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  He quickly walked out of his office and glanced over at Dare. “It seems the triplets are about to put their show on the road. Come on.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Ian’s gaze lit on Brooke the moment he and Dare walked into the security surveillance room. He wanted to go to her, ask her forgiveness and tell her how much he loved her, but knew it was not the time or the place.

  Even so, he couldn’t help studying her. It wasn’t quite eleven o’clock, however it appeared as if she’d been roused out of bed. She had that drowsy look in her eyes, although he knew that with what was going down, she would be alert as a whip.

  Knowing that if he continued to stare at her, he would eventually cross the room and kiss her, he fought the temptation and turned to Vance. “Okay, what do we have?”

  Vance chuckled. “They did just as we figured they would. They placed the video monitors in a frozen mode so the images my men are seeing are images from three hours earlier. Unknown to our intruders we installed additional video cameras and are able to see everything they’re doing. Take a look.”

  Ian came to stand before the monitor. He saw two figures dressed in black as they silently moved across the room toward the vault. “Where’s the third woman? And the guy?”

  “They’re in the casino,” Brooke answered, and Ian could tell she was deliberately not looking at him. She pointed to another monitor that brought the couple into view. “What they’re doing is establishing an alibi,” she explained. “For the past hour they have been hopping from table to table, playing blackjack, poker, talking with the casino workers, anything they can do to make sure they’re seen. Their alibi would be it’s impossible to be in two places at the same time.”

  “It’s possible if you’re dealing with identical triplets,” Dare said, frowning. “But then, no one was supposed to know that.”

  Ian shook his head. The foursome could have pulled this off as the perfect jewel heist if Brooke hadn’t suspected something with that woman. No longer able to fight the urge any longer, he moved to stand beside Brooke and heard the sharp intake of her breath when he did so.

  “Did we ever find out why we couldn’t pick up a solid ID on the other two triplets?” he asked Vance.

  “Yes. It seems they were separated at birth and raised by different families. They hooked up while in college, and nothing is recorded of them getting into any trouble. In fact, all three are from good homes. One of their adoptive fathers is a research scientist in Brussels.”

  He shook his head and continued. “It’s my guess they’re doing this for kicks to see if they can get away with it. For four years they have eluded the law, which has made them bolder and bolder and almost unstoppable.” A smile lit Vance’s eyes when he added, “Until they decided to do business in my territory.”

  Everyone crowded around the monitor and watched as the two figures tried their hands at getting inside the vault. “They have successfully bypassed the alarm, which makes me think that one of them is a pro at that sort of thing,” Brooke said.

  Ian knew he didn’t have to ask if their security men were in place. What the two intruders didn’t know was that once they entered the vault, they would trigger a mechanism that would lock them inside.

  He decided to move away from Brooke. Her scent was playing havoc with his mind and had aroused him to a high degree. He walked over to stand beside Dare, who was watching the activity on the monitor intently. Just as Ian knew this was not the time and place to kiss Brooke, he also knew it wasn’t the time and place to thank his cousin for taking him to task, making him realize what a jewel he had in Brooke.

  “See that wristwatch blondie is wearing,” Brooke said, indicating the blonde woman who was standing with her husband and chatting with one of the casino workers. “It’s my guess it relays signals to and from the two who are working the vault. If something goes wrong she’ll be the first to know.”

  “And my men will be ready if they try anything,” Vance said. “All eyes are on them. In fact the woman that blondie is being so chatty with is one of my top people. She’s pretending to be a casino worker tonight.”

  Ian shook his head. “Damn, Vance, you thought of everything.”

  Vance laughed. “That’s why you pay me the big bucks.”

  They watched as the vault door opened. The kicker to the trap was to make sure both women went inside the vault. To make sure they did, Vance’s team had put fake jewels in a big box that would require both of the women to lift it to stuff the jewels into the black felt bags they were carrying.

  The plan worked. The moment both women were inside, the door slammed shut behind them. Everyone switched their gazes from that monitor to the one of the casino. And just as Brooke predicted, they read the look of panic on blondie’s face when she received a signal from her sisters that something was wrong.

  They watched as the woman leaned over and whispered into her husband’s ear, not knowing her every word was being picked up. “Something went wrong. I got a distress signal from Jodie and Kay.” The couple turned, no doubt to make their great escape, and barged right into several security men who were waiting to arrest them.

  Vance grinned and said, “Those two are taken care of, so let’s go meet and greet the other two.”

  * * *

  Two hours later Ian’s office was swarming with the local FBI and the news media. Everyone wanted to know how Ian’s security team had been able to pull off what no law officials could—finally end the reign of the Waterloo Gang.

  “I have to credit an off-duty FBI agent who just happened to be vacationing at the Rolling Cascade,” Ian said into the microphone that was shoved in his face. “This agent was alert enough to notice something about one of the women that raised her suspicions. She bro
ught it to me and my security manager’s attention. Had she not, we would have suffered a huge loss here tonight. I’m sure Prince Yasir is most appreciative.”

  Ian glanced around, but he didn’t see Brooke anywhere and figured with all that had gone down, she was probably in one of the lounges getting a much-needed drink. “I also have to thank my cousin, Sheriff Dare Westmoreland, who just happens to be visiting from Atlanta. He helped us figure things out.”

  Ian then glanced over at Vance and grinned. “And of course I have to credit the Rolling Cascade’s security team for making sure we had everything in place to nab the Waterloo Gang and to obtain the evidence we need to make sure they serve time behind bars. The entire thing was captured on film. We have handed the tapes over to the local FBI.”

  Ian checked his watch. It was almost two in the morning. More than anything he wanted to find Brooke, talk to her, beg her forgiveness, kiss her, make love to her…

  “Mr. Westmoreland, were you surprised the Waterloo Gang was triplets?”

  “Yes.” And that was the last question he was going to answer tonight. He needed to see Brooke. “If you have any more questions, please direct them to Vance Parker, my security manager. There’s a matter I need to attend to.”

  Ian caught the elevator down to the lobby and quickly looked around. He released a sigh of relief when he saw Tara and Thorn at one of the slot machines. Before he could ask them if they’d seen Brooke, an excited Tara asked, “Is the rumor that we’re hearing true? Did your security team actually nab a bunch of jewel thieves?”

  “Yes, with Brooke’s and Dare’s help.” Ian glanced around, his gaze anxiously darting around the crowd. “By the way, have either of you seen Brooke lately?”

  Tara’s smile turned to a frown. “Yes, I saw her a few moments ago. She was leaving.”

  Ian nodded as he eyed the nearest bank of elevators. “To go up to her room?”

  “No, leaving the casino.”

  He snatched his head back around to Tara and a deep frown creased his forehead. “What do you mean she was leaving the casino?”