Ace in the Hole

by Ava Drake

  He glanced over at Tucker, who rolled his eyes. The bastard had better be paying Tucker a fortune to put up with this shit. “I’m going to go downstairs and take a look around the ballroom. I’ll report back to Mr. Tucker after I’ve seen it.”

  “Whatever.” Lacey looked back down at his laptop, which was emitting the groaning, moaning, and flesh-slapping sounds of hard-core porn reaching its exquisitely classy cinematic climax.

  “I’ll show you the ballroom,” Christian volunteered.

  Stone swore mentally. He’d told the guy last night that he had no time for drama. He’d meant it. He did not have time for wistful, almost-lover banter in the damned elevator. Irritated as fuck, he spun and headed out. Christian fell in beside him. He lengthened his stride, emphatically not interested in conversation. Christian kept up easily, matching his stride, and he moved with the supple strength of a man who worked out vigorously. No doubt about it. We would have been a great fit physically.

  The elevator arrived and they stepped into the empty space, alone. Here it came. Stone braced himself.

  Christian spoke with contemptuous precision. “Lacey’s an asshole. Demands the impossible and throws hissy fits when he doesn’t get what he wants. He’s behind in the polls, and his fund-raising has been dismal this year. The voters are apparently catching on to what a bad joke he is. Don’t kill yourself to save him. He’s not worth it.”

  Stone arched one eyebrow sardonically. “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”

  A huff of reluctant laughter escaped Christian.

  “I’ve worked for worse,” Stone commented in commiseration as they stepped out into the lobby. He spied an incoming figure moving fast and muttered, “Oh joy.”

  “Gentlemen!” Brittnay gushed. “How lucky am I? The two hottest guys in South Beach have graced our hotel with their presence. Call the paramedics—there will be women swooning all over my lobby.”

  He traded wry glances with Christian over her head.

  “Where are you two off to? Can I help you with anything?”

  Christian answered smoothly, pitching his voice with a hint of flirtation guaranteed to make Brittnay’s panties damp. “I was just going to show Mr. Jackson the ballroom where the casino night is going to be held.”

  “Oooh! Let me help.” She pushed between their tall bodies, looped an arm through each of theirs, and all but skipped down the yellow brick road toward the bowels of the hotel.

  “Are you always this… perky?” Stone asked dryly.

  “Oh yes. I was a cheerleader at Florida State, you know. I just missed being a Miami Dolphin cheerleader at my first tryout last year. Which is really great for a first-timer, by the way. Since then I’ve gone gluten-free, taken up hot yoga, and gotten crazy limber. I can get into all sorts of uhh-maze-ing positions now.”

  “The mind boggles,” Christian commented dryly.

  A snort of laughter slipped out of Stone, and he coughed hastily to cover it up.

  “I know. Right?” Brittnay chirped.

  “Totally,” Stone replied in his best valley-girl imitation.

  “Here’s the ballroom. It’s the most famous feature of the Imperium Hotel. Built in the 1920s, the structure has been refurbished, of course, but its original design and architectural details have been preserved. When the hotel was torn down and rebuilt in the 1990s, this part of the building was not touched.”

  She must have memorized that speech from a hotel brochure because it contained a number of multisyllable words.

  Stone supposed the room was pretty, but he paid little attention to such things. Instead he took note of the many alcove balconies running down both sides of the room overlooking the main floor. The big orchestra mezzanine across the back of the ballroom. The heavy velvet curtains lining the tall windows that could easily conceal a shooter. The row of french doors opening onto an oceanside terrace, every one of which provided an entrance and exit point. A raised theater stage crossed the far end of the room. Oh, goodie. That meant there would be catwalks and lighting rigs to secure.

  He turned to ask Brittnay where the gaming tables and buffet lines would be set up, but she was already on her cell phone. Attention span of a squirrel, apparently. Indeed, she wandered off as he strolled the perimeter of the space in silent horror.

  He glanced over at Christian pacing along silently beside him. “Gaming tables all over this main floor, I assume. Is there going to be a speech?”

  A grimace. “Yup.”

  “Podium on the stage?” he guessed.

  “Correct.”

  “Do me a favor, Christian. Go up on stage and stand where Senator Lacey will so I can check a few sight lines.”

  “Sure.”

  Stone watched appreciatively for a moment as Christian jogged up the side steps and took his place center-stage front. Stone followed more slowly up the steps, moving around the stage, peering past Christian, who was of similar height to the senator. He moved into the wings, stage right, to see how blind he would be if the senator insisted on his security team standing offstage while he gave his speech.

  Jesus. He couldn’t see a thing from back here. He’d be totally blind. Unable to see any threats. He took a few steps forward out of long habit as a bodyguard, scanning the shadows around the edges of the ballroom.

  Without warning, a red laser dot blossomed in the center of Christian’s chest.

  Stone didn’t think, just reacted in response to a dozen years of training and sprinted forward. He tackled Christian in a flying leap that sent them both to the ground, rolling over and over.

  Stone wrapped his arms protectively around Christian and continued the roll, carrying both of them in a tangle behind the curtains stage left.

  Christian stared up at him in shock. “What the hell was that for?”

  “Stay here,” Stone bit out tersely. “Don’t come out from behind the curtains to see what’s going on. And if I tell you to run, head for the stage exit and run for the front of the hotel and the biggest crowd of people you can find.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “No questions. Just do it.” He pushed up and away from Christian, rising to a crouch as he pulled out his sidearm. Replaying the glimpse of that laser dot in his mind’s eye, he took his best guess at the source: the orchestra balcony in the back of the ballroom. Spinning out low from behind the curtain, he knelt in a shooter’s stance, pistol braced in both hands for the takedown shot.

  “Easy, man,” Travis Tucker laughed from the balcony. “I was just testing your reflexes.”

  Stone stared down the barrel of his weapon at the security man for a stunned moment while his killer brain reluctantly processed that there was no threat. After a several second delay, he lowered the weapon and stood upright. Moving with taut precision, he made his weapon safe and replaced it in its holster.

  “Tucker,” he said in a conversational voice, trusting the room’s excellent acoustics to carry his words up to the balcony, “you just came very, very close to dying. Do not pull a shithead stunt like that again unless (a), you have a death wish, or (b), you want me to quit this job.”

  The ex-Marine threw both hands up in mock surrender, holding a sniper’s sight that was no doubt the source of the laser dot on Christian’s chest in one fist. Speaking of whom….

  Stone looked to his left. Christian was standing in the shadows beside the velvet stage curtains, looking more than a little shocked. Stone moved over to join him, chagrin coursing through his blood like hot acid.

  “Sorry about tackling you. Did I hurt you?”

  “I played football at Columbia University. I’ve taken worse hits.”

  Thank God. It wasn’t every day he randomly tackled his employer’s right-hand man and slammed the guy to the floor. He moved off stage, out of sight of Tucker, and muttered low, “I really am sorry about that.”

  “It’s all good. I’m glad to see you’re worth what Lacey’s paying for your services. Those are some reflexes you’ve got th
ere.”

  He frowned. “Speaking of which. If you ever see a laser dot like that again, don’t stop to think about it. Don’t look around to see where it’s coming from. Don’t point it out to anyone. Just hit the dirt. Next time it may not be an asshole playing a joke at the other end of that laser beam.” He added reluctantly, “I’d take it amiss if someone blew your head off.”

  Christian’s too intelligent and too perceptive gaze snapped to his. Stone forced himself not to look away. His adrenaline was still screaming, his reactions still too raw, to bother trying to hide them.

  A slow nod from Christian. Then, a low murmur. “I like you too.”

  “Just remember about the dot. If you see one, move.”

  “Got it.”

  Stone realized his legs felt more than a little weak. Ahh, the joys of coming down off a hard spike of life-and-death stress. He was going to kick Tucker’s ass when he got within arm’s length of the guy. Travis knew better than to mess with a man trained like him. Truly, his finger had begun the pull-through on the trigger of his gun before Tucker had identified himself. It had been a closer call than anyone knew.

  Christian asked him low, “You okay? Do you need a drink or something?”

  “It’s not even 10:00 a.m. yet,” he replied dryly.

  “It’s after noon somewhere.”

  He grinned reluctantly.

  “Come with me. I know exactly what you need.”

  He looked up sharply at Christian. And for once in his life, he let someone else look out for him. “Lead on.”

  Chapter Three

  CHRISTIAN was frankly startled that Stone followed him out the french doors and down to the beach. It would be good for the guy to let go of the reins now and then. God knew, Stone looked ready to kill someone.

  “Shoes and tie off,” he ordered briskly, kicking off his own leather oxfords and stripping his socks. He untied his necktie and let it dangle around his neck. Ahh. Better.

  “I’m not cavorting on the beach like some starry-eyed tourist who’s never seen the ocean before.”

  He glared at Stone, eyes narrowed dangerously. “Your shoulders are up around your ears, you can’t keep your hands still—they keep reaching for your holster—and I can see the pulse in your temple, so don’t tell me your heart’s not racing and your blood pressure isn’t sky-high. You need to breathe, and you need to burn off a little stress before you hurt someone.”

  To his credit Stone seemed to take a moment to self-assess, and then he followed Christian down to the beach without comment. Would wonders never cease?

  Barefoot, he led Stone out into the white sugar sand, soft and already hot under foot in the late-morning sun. The hotels and condo associations in this part of South Beach imported truckloads of premium sand every year and actually made it a pretty decent beach. Down by the water, the sand hardened up enough to be walkable with only minor cracking of the crusty surface underfoot.

  The tangy smell of salt and algae was strong. It reminded him sharply of long summers in Martha’s Vineyard spent playing on the beach with his older sister, turning nut brown and white haired, carefree and innocent. Before things like sexual orientation and career choice and maintaining a careful façade of respectability became the center of his world.

  “You’re taking me for a walk along the beach?” Stone asked, frowning.

  He shrugged. “I would have suggested we go for a run if either one of us was dressed for it. You look like you might actually be able to keep up with me for a little while.”

  A crack of laughter escaped Stone.

  Oh yeah? Mr. Macho thought he could keep up with the triathlete? He’d like to see it. “My intent is not a romantic stroll. I’m trying to help you to burn out the adrenaline screaming through you and work off some of the anger that’s making you look like a wife-beater. I need you not to kill someone in the next hour because you’re wired so tight that someone accidentally triggers a kill reflex out of you.”

  “Why do you care if I kill someone or not?”

  “A staff member of Senator Lacey committing homicide would be a PR nightmare. And it would land squarely in my lap to fix. No, thank you.”

  “Is it up to you to fix everything for everybody, then?”

  “Call me Girl Friday,” he answered lightly.

  Stone did not respond other than to veer out into the surf a little farther.

  The tide was out and the ocean quiet this morning, with lazy sheets of foam creeping up the beach and retreating slowly. Good day for an open-water swim. At this time of year, the ocean was warm enough that he wouldn’t even need a wet suit to stave off hypothermia.

  Part of why Christian worked out so much was to let off the stress of being around Jack Lacey day in and day out without putting his fist through the bastard’s teeth. He could relate to Stone’s tension.

  He was surprised, however, when Stone paused and turned to take a long look at the hotel ballroom. The security guard was still fully in charge of the man. Stone shook his head, muttering something about the place being indefensible. Christian highly doubted the Imperium ballroom had been designed with defense of any kind in mind.

  Somebody passing by wolf-whistled—whether at him or Stone, Christian couldn’t tell. But Stone jolted violently, his hands coming up in a defensive position Christian recognized from his boxing training.

  “Easy there, Tonto. You can come down off the bridge now. No one’s trying to kill anyone.”

  “You don’t have to talk me down off any bridges,” Stone snapped. “I’m not going to jump.”

  “Hell, I’m not worried about you jumping. You’re up there with an Uzi picking out targets. That’s what worries me.”

  Stone grinned at him reluctantly.

  “Walk with me. It’ll make you feel better.”

  They continued down the beach, shoes dangling from their fingers and toes tickled by the surf hissing onto the sand. A cool breeze was blowing in off the ocean this morning, making for unseasonably pleasant conditions. Still, the humidity made Stone’s dark, collar-length hair wave and curl around his strong features in very European fashion. Usually Christian went for the clean-cut type, but the look was hot.

  “Do you have psychology training?” Stone asked him without warning.

  “Sort of. I’m a lawyer by education.” His profession was as often about head games as it was about the law.

  “What kind of law?”

  “Criminal. I specialize in white-collar crime.”

  A snort. “Is that how you ended up with Lacey? Aiding and abetting his shenanigans?”

  He grinned back. “I do my best to keep him on the straight and narrow.” And truth be told, it was not an easy job. The man was a born con artist. But between him and Lacey’s wife, with her iron fist inside that velvet Southern glove of hers, they’d succeeded so far.

  “Why do you work for him?” Stone challenged.

  “He’s no worse than most of the elected officials on Capitol Hill. And with a job as a Senate senior staffer on my résumé, I have a shot at the kind of work I really want.”

  “Which is?”

  “Federal prosecution.”

  “I have to be honest with you. That sounds as dry as dust to me.”

  Christian grinned at him. “I’ll take it over throwing myself on top of people for a living.”

  A smirk. “It has its perks. You took that tackle surprisingly well. I’d have injured most men.”

  “I’m not most men.”

  “No.” A pause. “You’re not.”

  Arrested by the undertone in those words, Christian stopped and turned to stare at Stone. But Stone refused to meet his gaze and kept on walking. Huh. A relationship between them was out of the question. Not only did both of them have demanding careers that took all of their attention, but now they worked for the same man. Ethics alone dictated that they not get involved. Too bad. Stone fascinated him as no man had in a very long time. Maybe ever.

  They walked about a mile do
wn the beach before the decent sand ran out. Thankfully, Stone’s shoulders had come down from around his ears, and that white line around his lips had disappeared.

  They turned around to walk back to the hotel at a more leisurely pace than they’d made the outbound leg. That was more like it. The trained killer had retreated, leaving behind the guy he’d met last night in the bar. The guy he’d almost had gnarly sex with and was still frustrated as hell not to have had sex with. His dick leaped to life at the mere thought, and he gritted his teeth against getting turned on in thin business trousers that would do nothing to contain a hard-on.

  Had they not been in business trousers and dress shirts, he’d have challenged Stone to a race back to the hotel. Not many people could give him a run for his money, but he expected Stone could.

  Cock still filling and getting heavy, dammit.

  Must. Distract. Self.

  “How’d you get into the security business?” he asked. Jeez. Even he could hear the strain in his voice. Get it together, man. Christian prided himself on his self-control. He never lost it like this.

  A shrug. “Did similar work in the military. It was an easy slide over to the civilian side of the house and a decent paycheck for a change.”

  “You were a bodyguard in the military?” He was not aware of that being an actual job the military did.

  “I trained security teams for foreign heads of state. Taught them how to keep their personal popcorn dictator alive.”

  Fuck. That was sexy as hell. Focus on the conversation. “And how did you learn how to do that?”

  “Because my job for years was to kill foreign heads of state.”

  Christian jolted. “The US government doesn’t kill foreign leaders. Doing so would open our own senior leaders up to assassinations in return. It’s one of the few gentlemen’s agreements left in the world. You don’t kill our guy—we won’t kill yours.”

  “You go right ahead and keep on thinking that,” Stone answered dryly.

  “Who? Name me one head of state we’ve taken out.”

  “Dude. That kind of stuff is so classified that the security-violation fairies would rise up out of the ocean and shoot me dead where I stand if I talked about it.”