“I’ve got to go, Heather,” Carly whispered into her phone. “I’ll call you later tonight when I get home.”
Carly clicked off the phone. The voices were coming closer, and if she exited the room now she would run smack into Lee and his guests. That was the last thing she wanted. Lee was astute when it came to reading her. All he had to do was take one look at her to know something was wrong.
She figured she would wait until they passed by the room and then hightail it back to the kitchen. Suddenly, the voices were closer, right outside the door. The doorknob began to turn, which meant they were about to enter the room where she was hiding.
Moving quickly, she raced across the room to the freestanding wooden cabinet where additional table linen, silverware, china and mats were kept and squeezed inside. Then she closed the door behind her.
She prayed she wouldn’t be detected. And she hoped their meeting didn’t last long.
* * *
Upon entering the room, Lee imagined inhaling Carly’s scent. He knew it was his mind playing tricks on him. He’d thought about her a lot during the day.
Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, he waited until he and the three men had entered the room before closing the door behind them and turning to Driskell.
“Let me get something straight, Driskell. I agreed to this meeting but at no time do you give my employees orders. I own this hotel—you don’t. I only agreed to this meeting—”
“Because you are curious about what I can do for you,” Driskell interrupted, seemingly not put off by Lee’s anger.
“Partly,” Lee said angrily. “But the Grand MD is doing well on its own. The next time you try giving anyone here orders, I’ll call security and have you thrown out on your ass.”
Nash took a step toward Lee, and Driskell touched Nash’s arm to detain him. Lee’s stance showed he was ready for him, if need be. Mob or no mob, Lee had no intention of letting anyone intimidate him or his staff.
Driskell rubbed his chin and stared hard at Lee. Then a smile touched his lips. “I like you, Madaris. You’ve got spunk. We’ll do well working together.”
“I haven’t agreed to work with you. Cut the bullshit. Tell me what you’re about, then I’ll decide.”
“Fine,” Driskell said, taking a seat at the table. “Let’s sit and talk. But first my men need to check you over to make sure you’re clean.”
Lee lifted his chin. “And why wouldn’t I be?”
Driskell shrugged. “In my line of work, I don’t like taking chances. And you’re not stupid, Madaris. You know why I’m here.”
“Fine,” Lee said. “Have your men search me. I have nothing to hide.”
“Let us determine that,” the man named Bracey said, moving forward to give Lee a pat down.
Lee held up his arms and let the man proceed. The federal agent Gause had sent over had installed the recording device in the heel of Lee’s shoe. It was so small that it could barely be seen with the naked eye; nor could it be picked up by any scanner. However, this entire conversation was being listened to by the FBI, who had set up in a remote location.
“Take off your shoes,” Bracey ordered.
Not appreciating the man’s tone, Lee glared at him before stepping out of his shoes. Bracey picked them up and checked the insides before giving them back to him.
Lee tried to maintain his cool but he was nervous. “Is all this necessary?” he asked as if extremely annoyed.
“In my line of business it is,” Driskell said.
Bracey took a step back and said, “He’s clean.”
Lee noticed Nash’s and Bracey’s eyes were glued to him as he pulled the chair from the table and sat across from Driskell. “Okay, I don’t have all evening. State your business, Driskell.”
* * *
Carly forced herself to breathe, not understanding why Lee had even agreed to meet with these men. Clearly he knew they were not typical businessmen. And she refused to believe Lee would allow himself to be a part of anything illegal. But Driskell was talking now, outlining how he and his people could triple Lee’s profit in the casino. They were discussing cuts, what his would be and what theirs would be.
And Lee was actually listening. Even asking pointed and specific questions about what the man was saying. This didn’t make sense. The Lee Madaris she knew would not be engaging with these men. He would...
What if he wasn’t the Lee Madaris she knew but the man she only thought she knew? What if he was a different sort of person beneath the surface, like Nathaniel had been? What if the man she had married was as phony as a three-dollar bill?
Her confidence in Lee began to erode.
The more she listened to the conversation, the more her doubts about him increased. She actually began to feel sick to her stomach. How could she have allowed herself to be duped by a man for a second time?
She drew in a deep breath, feeling an anxiety attack coming on. She tried forcing herself to stay calm and be as quiet as a mouse. The last thing she needed was for anyone to detect her presence.
Then suddenly she heard another voice and hairs on the back of her neck stood up. It had played over and over in her nightmares. It was the same voice she had heard that night in the alley; she was sure of it. That meant...
Fear gripped her within its clutches. Had they found her? Was Lee involved? Did he know? She clenched her mouth tight or else she knew she would scream.
* * *
Lee hoped they’d gotten enough on the recording to at least bring warrants against these three. He was pretending his interest, had even rattled them when he suggested getting a bigger cut. One time, when Lee had called Driskell a fool for one of his offers, the man called Nash had approached Lee as if he intended to do him bodily harm.
This was playing out just like Gause wanted. The mob needed the Grand MD Hotel bad and it was showing. Driskell was getting angry, and Lee knew he could only push the man so far. “Your offer sounds good, Driskell, but I’ll need to think about it.”
“What’s there to think about?” Driskell asked, his impatience and annoyance showing.
“For one,” Lee said, leaning back in his chair, “I don’t have a criminal record, and I intend to keep things that way. You haven’t given me any reason to believe my business will be protected, or that I’ll get preferential treatment compared to any of the other hotels on the Strip.”
Driskell opened his mouth to speak when his cell phone went off. He frowned when he saw the caller ID and said, “I need to take this.”
Getting up from the table, he moved toward the other side of the room, leaving Nash and Bracey standing like statues beside the table where Lee sat.
Suddenly Driskell’s loud expletive echoed across the room, and then he said in a loud voice, “I said I would handle it and I will.”
Lee couldn’t help wondering what was going on when Driskell came back to the table and said, “An emergency just came up and I need to leave. I’ll get back with you on this, Mr. Madaris, and when I do I want an answer.”
“And if I don’t have one?” Lee said, standing up.
“It will be in your best interest to have one” was Driskell’s reply.
Lee frowned. “Is that a threat?”
“Take it whatever way you like,” Driskell said, buttoning his jacket. “We’ll be in touch.”
He then walked out of the room with Nash and Bracey trailing behind.
* * *
“What’s wrong?” Bracey asked in a confused voice as they stepped on the elevator. “It’s not like you to leave any business unfinished.”
“That call came from Callahan,” Driskell said in an angry voice. He turned to Nash when the elevator door shut behind them. “You told me you took care of everything with Harrison.”
Nash frowned. “I did take care of it.”
“Then you didn’t do a good enough job. According to Callahan, one of his informers called and told him that Harrison’s body was discovered by construction worke
rs. The news is going to break on all media circuits tonight.”
Nash looked shocked. “That’s not possible.”
“If it’s really Harrison’s body, and the police seem to think it is, it means you screwed up big-time, Nash.”
When they stepped off the elevator, Driskell walked quickly toward the exit. “We’ll talk more about it after we get in the car and I return Callahan’s call.”
* * *
Lee stood in the doorway of the private room and ran a frustrated hand down his face as he watched the elevator door close behind the three men. He hoped like hell he’d been able to pull enough information out of Driskell to help the FBI’s case. But the role he’d played had made him feel dirty.
The heel of his shoe vibrated for a moment, his cue that the recording had ended. Lee felt the need to talk to Carly. Not later but now. Before he talked to Gause, Woodman or even Alex, he had to hear her voice and be reminded of the good in the world among so much evil.
He pulled out his phone and saw he had missed a couple of her calls today. He quickly pressed the redial button and jerked around when the phone rang in the room he was in. His gaze focused on the freestanding cabinet across the room.
The phone continued ringing as he slowly walked across the room, his mind whirling in confusion with each step he took. Why would Carly’s phone be ringing in the cabinet? Had she been in the room earlier and left it there?
When he reached the cabinet he heard a noise and his heart almost stopped beating. It can’t be. But a part of him knew, even then, that it was.
He snatched the cabinet door open and his body stiffened in shock.
“Carly! What are you doing in here?”
She had a look of shocked fear on her face that made his insides twist in knots. Putting her hands out in front of her as a protective shield, she tried backing away from him. “If you come near me, Lee, I’m going to scream.”
Ignoring her threat, Lee reached out for her. Instead of screaming she passed out, right into his arms.
Chapter 20
Carly opened her eyes to the sound of voices and slowly looked around the room. She was in Lee’s suite. His bedroom. His bed. How?
She closed her eyes again. When her memory was less clouded, she recalled being in that room, closed tight inside that cabinet, an unknown party to his meeting. She snatched her eyes back open and pulled up into a sitting position.
She had to get out of here. She had to get away.
She was about to ease out of bed and make her escape when a deep male voice stopped her. “And just where do you think you’re going?”
She closed her eyes again, willing the nightmare away. Knowing Lee was not the man she thought him to be had pain weighing her down like steel.
“The doctor just left. He said you should lie down for a while,” Lee said.
She could feel his body heat when he came to stand by the bed. But she refused to open her eyes. She couldn’t look at him, knowing what she knew.
“The doctor?” she asked him.
“Yes. The doctor we have on staff here at the hotel. You passed out.”
“How did I get here? In your suite?”
“I carried you.”
She couldn’t help but snatch her eyes open at that. “Carried me?”
“Yes.”
She could just imagine all the commotion that had caused. As if he’d read her thoughts, he said, “I used the service elevator. Only a couple of people saw me. I told them you’d passed out and I was taking you down to the doctor. Instead, I brought you here and called for the doctor.”
He sat on the side of the bed. “Chef Blanchard called. He wanted to convince me that you hadn’t been overworked. I told him I wasn’t worried about that.”
Tilting his head, he stared at her for a moment and then asked, “So, how do you feel?”
Instead of answering his question, she said, “I want to go home.”
“Your home is wherever I am, Carly.”
She closed her eyes again, fighting back her tears. Had he said that yesterday, or even this morning, the words would have meant everything to her. But now...
She reopened her eyes and stared at him. “I heard everything. You aren’t the person I thought you were.”
You’re not the person I fell in love with.
A frown settled on his features. “You are wrong. Nothing about me has changed.”
She broke eye contact with him and focused on an abstract picture on his wall. “Then I really didn’t know you.”
He touched her chin, asking her to look at him. “You know me.”
Lee slipped out of his shoes and slid into bed beside her. She stiffened beside him. Instead of gathering her into his arms, he lay on his side facing her.
“Why were you hiding out in that cabinet, Carly? I’m tormented every time I think of what could have happened if those men had discovered you there. And according to the doctor, one of the reasons you passed out is because you were robbed of oxygen while confined for so long in such a tight space. Why were you there?”
She swallowed, feeling the tightness in her throat. “Heather called and I needed to talk with her privately, so I went into the room. I heard voices. I recognized yours and knew you were with someone. I thought the room was not being used since it wasn’t set up. When I saw you and your group entering, I panicked and went into the cabinet.”
“But why? When we walked in, why didn’t you merely excuse yourself and leave?”
She drew in a deep breath. “Because I was upset about something and I knew you would take one look at me and know. And I didn’t want you to give our relationship away in front of your business associates. I thought I could wait it out. I figured it would be a short meeting.”
Lee didn’t say anything. He knew she’d heard everything and had formed her own conclusions. “What were you upset about that would have caused me concern?”
She looked away again. “It doesn’t matter.”
“You will always matter.”
Lee knew at that moment just how much he meant those words. When he’d opened that cabinet and had seen her stuffed inside, and when he’d thought about the type of men he’d met with and what they were capable of, stark fear had raced through him. If anything had happened to her, he would not have been able to handle it.
He had fallen in love with her. Madly. Irrevocably. Deeply.
“And as far as what you thought you heard, Carly...”
“I know what I heard, Lee.”
He nodded. A moment passed and then he said, “I didn’t want you to know. I’d hoped you would agree to go back to Dubai and stay awhile until it was over. I even thought of sending you to my uncle Jake. All I could think about was making certain you were safe.”
She frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“What you heard, Carly, was all part of a setup. I’m assisting the FBI in a sting operation against the mob.”
* * *
Driskell slammed down the phone and turned angry eyes on Nash. “The body has been positively ID’d as Harrison’s, and the authorities are frantically trying to put things together. They know he was working undercover trying to infiltrate our organization. I thought you took care of this.”
The force of Driskell’s rage had Nash uneasy. He’d seen Driskell angry before but never this angry. “I don’t know what happened. No construction was scheduled to take place on that site.”
“Evidently there was a change in someone’s plans. Damn.” Then as if he suddenly remembered, Driskell asked, “What about that woman who called the tip line? You were supposed to take care of her as well. Did you?”
Nash swallowed hard. “Not yet. But I know who she is. She moved from Miami and is right here in Vegas. I had planned to take care of her while I was here.”
Driskell nodded. “She needs to be taken care of now more than ever. The feds are going to put two and two together and ask the caller to come forward. Then everything I’ve worked so hard
to build will come crumbling down.”
“No, it won’t,” Nash said, trying to redeem himself. “I’ll handle it. Grassley found out where she lives. She’ll be taken care of. Tonight.”
Driskell’s eyes filled with fury. “Make sure that she is.”
Nash left and Driskell let out an explosive curse.
“Maybe I need to make sure Nash follows through this time,” Bracey said.
Driskell looked across the room at Bracey. “I agree. Make sure he takes care of her, and then afterwards, I want you to take care of him. I won’t tolerate those who make costly mistakes.”
Bracey nodded and then followed Nash out the door.
* * *
“Sting operation?” Carly asked, her eyes widening.
“Yes. Federal agents approached me weeks ago and told me those men would be contacting me, to try and bring me into their organization.”
“How did the agents know?” she asked.
“From one of their informers. He overheard the plans and gave the agents a heads-up. I’m supposed to go along with the mob and expose them.”
“That’s dangerous.”
“Yes, but if it will bring them to justice, I’ll take the chance. But I won’t take the chance of you being placed in danger. Somehow they found out I got married, and I won’t let them get to you to keep me in line. I need you to go home and pack. I wanted you to go back to Dubai, but I’d feel a lot better if I sent you to Texas to my uncle Jake. His ranch is like a fortress and you’ll be safe there.”
Carly hesitated before she said, “One of those men you met with today is a killer, Lee.”
He drew in a deep breath. “They’re all killers.”
“Yes, but he’s a real killer. Before I moved here I witnessed a murder...at least I heard a murder take place.”
He frowned. “I don’t understand.”
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