“I’m worried about you. I don’t like you going in there alone again.”
“I won’t be alone, honey. There’s a couple thousand people in there already setting up. This is the only way for everyone, including the charity, to win. After this, it’s all easy sailing and rainbows, remember?”
“Yeah,” I said with a grin. “I know you can handle it. I just hate to see you go.”
She leaned over the seat and kissed me gently on the cheek. “I thought you loved to watch me walk away.”
“You know what I mean,” I said with a playful smile. “Be safe in there, okay? Any signs of trouble and you get out. None of this is worth your life.”
“I’ll be fine,” she whispered one last time before jumping out of the car.
I let her go, knowing I had no other choice. Today was different. I wouldn’t need to be there for several more hours, but I still wasn’t going to leave her alone. Even though I couldn’t be next to her, Anna had agreed to leave the pendant on until the show. At least then I could see what she saw and make sure that Blake and Grey stayed far away from her. I pulled into the employee parking lot and put my seat all the way back, just in case anyone came outside. It was a borrowed car and a borrowed uniform. Today I was going to be a blackjack dealer, of all things. Now there was nothing left to do but wait and pray for the best.
A few hours later, I got the signal I was waiting for. Anna took off the pendant and hung it in her dressing room, smiling at it as she started to get dressed for the big performance. It meant I had an hour to make it into the control room, plant the drive in the feed, and start on the safe hack. I made my way in through the back entrance, and no one took notice. I was dressed just like everyone else. The shuffle of the event starting was all that mattered. Though the casino part had been open for the last several hours, people were coming to see Anna.
I slipped past the various entrances before making my way to the control room. When the sole man controlling the jumbo screens saw me, his eyes widened before a smile crossed his face.
“I was starting to wonder if you were going to make it, Nate,” he said as I took his hand.
I grinned. “It’s good to see you, Mac. How’s Beth doing?”
Mac shook his head. I didn’t press the issue. Mac and I went back a long time, even before I got to Vegas. His sister Beth had been a dear friend of mine too. That was until she moved to the city. Her story unfortunately didn’t have as happy of an ending as Anna’s would.
“She isn’t doing great, but she is getting better. Every day she changes back to her old self a little bit more.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Naw, man, it wasn’t your fault. We were all young and naive back then. She just got the short end of the stick. In a few more years, Vegas will be a bad dream. I gotta tell you, I was surprised to get the call from Blake’s men.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Sorry about that. I would have given you a little insight into the plan, but I wanted to make sure you hadn’t changed sides. I guess it’s a good thing you got that degree after all.”
“So, you have the drive?” He sat back down.
“Yep.” I handed it to him. “You can set it up?”
He snorted. “Of course I can! When do you want it to play?”
“Right after Anna’s opening number. That should give me enough time to take care of things on my end. Are you sure about this?”
“Absolutely. It’s time that asshole pays for what he did to Beth and the others.”
“All right, man,” I said, shaking his hand one more time. “I will see you on the other side, okay?”
“Go get them, bud,” he said before I shut the door.
I jogged out of the room and ran down the steps. The last thing I needed was for Blake or Mr. Grey to spot me coming out of the control center. I needed to keep my head low; the show was just about to start. The chances of them being in the back of the house was slim until Blake started his speech, but I liked to be sure. When the music started to play and the crowds went wild, I had to make my move. Anna was singing and she was bringing down the house. I had 150 seconds to get to the vault and get out of here.
The timer kept moving down as I sprinted up to the office floors. I knew the place like the back of my hand. Three left turns followed by another two and I made it to the room with the safe. I did everything I could to blend in, but no one took notice of me. They were all captivated by Anna, which was understandable. Thirty more seconds though, and things wouldn’t be going so well. I skidded to a stop in front of the safe and started to crack it, which wasn’t hard when you’d been training to do exactly that for over six months.
When the doors opened and I saw the mountains of cash, I almost squealed with joy. Grabbing the cart sitting next to it, I quickly filled it to the brim. There had to be over five million dollars there when it was all done. I quickly tossed the cover over the cart and made my way back out of the corridor to the elevator. Everything was going as planned. The elevator had an eerie silence to it as the timer on my watch went off.
“Here we go,” I hissed.
The doors opened, and chaos greeted me everywhere. People were running around and screaming at each other. I heard Anna’s voice mingling with Blake’s over the loud speakers. This was it. Blake was going down, and I was just fifty feet from the door.
“You!” screamed a voice from behind me.
I spun around and met Grey’s cold gaze. “Well, don’t you think your boss could use some help right about now?”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about him anymore. You made sure that he was going down, didn’t you?”
I shrugged. “I guess I might have had a hand in things, but I promise I wasn’t alone. See, that’s the problem with working for a man like Blake. He’s made more enemies than most. Don’t worry, I’m sure the police will love the confession you and he left in the safe.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
I grinned. “You’ll see. As a matter of fact, I think I hear sirens now. So, what’s it going to be? Stay loyal to that monster, or take one last shot at freedom?”
He jerked his head. “What’s your play in all this, huh? Just because he fucked your girl, you’re gonna take him down? He might serve a few years, but the money is still there, so you’ve just got a drunk man rambling. Actions speak louder than words, you know.”
I couldn’t resist smiling, even though I knew the safest thing would be to just leave. I wanted him to know how much he was going to pay for what him and Blake had done. “Oh no, I think you will find the safe is already empty. After all, Blake is a shady man. He probably robbed it before you even had the chance. He was never going to pay you off, you were just a pawn like everyone else.”
“Blake wouldn’t do that to me, I know too much.”
“Blake, someone else.” I shrugged. “I don’t think the police and all the donors of the charity are going to spend too much time trying to sort through that mess, do you?”
His eyes darted to the cart behind me, and he lunged. I didn’t jump out of the way, but I swung my foot out and connected with his knee. The pain didn’t stop him from tackling me to the ground. He lifted his fist and tried to punch me, but I dodged and swung at his side. The deafening sound of ribs cracking and him screaming were all the encouragement I needed as I landed a third and final blow to the back of his head.
He passed out on top of me. Using all my strength, I shoved him off me and scurried back to the cart. I ran the rest of the way, catapulting through the door and speeding to my car as others fled the sinking ship too. Those who had only come to see Anna sing weren’t the ones still inside. They would be furious to learn that Blake had already stolen the money. I grabbed the cart and shoved the entire thing in the back seat of my car before looking around at the chaos.
Anna and I were supposed to meet back at her hotel, but looking around, I saw that wasn’t going to be an option anymore. She would never make it out of there ali
ve. It was a stampede. I locked my car and ran back to the main entrance.
Chapter Eighteen
Anna
I hung up the pendant, but it made me nervous. Knowing Nate was watching over me was a comfort I hadn’t expected, but there I was, falling even more for the con man. I took a deep breath and went over the plan again in my head, even though I had very little to do with it. I wouldn’t let him down. My performance would pull everyone’s attention away from what he was doing and down to where I was now heading, the center stage.
The bright lights blinded me, and my heart raced like a fluttering butterfly. I closed my eyes as I stepped up to the microphone. My song wasn’t a dance number. After Nate shared the video of me online, the consensus had been clear. The people had spoken, and they wanted my voice, not all the frills of a show. One more deep breath, and the music started, carrying away all my fears with the vibrations. The lights dimmed, but the noise only amplified. People rose out of their seats, screaming and clapping as the flash of cameras threatened to blind me.
I waved for the people before exiting the stage and shuffling down to the seat next to my father. It was the first time that I’d seen him, and he pulled me into a tight embrace. His eyes welled up with tears as he sat back down with me at his side. He never let go of my hand as I fought back my own tears. I was so happy to see him there, but it was more for him. There was pride and sadness in his eyes. As the dancers started their brief number before Blake took the stage, I whispered to my father.
“Dad, what’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong, honey! I just can’t believe how amazing you were. You are so talented!”
“Thanks, Dad, but you look sad. What’s that about?”
He shook his head. “You don’t understand. I’m not sad because of this! I’m elated. But it’s hard to see it happen. You are a star now.”
“Oh, Daddy,” I said to him softly. “I will never forget about you. You started all this. You are the reason this is all possible. I love you so very much.”
“Thanks, honey.” He squeezed my arm. “That’s just what I needed to hear. They loved you!”
I shifted in my seat as the singer’s number started its downward turn. They did love me, but they wouldn’t love what was coming next. I could only hope that Nate had gotten in and out without any problems. Now it was our turn to get out of here. My father hadn’t been part of the plan, but as soon as I knew he was coming, I knew that no matter what, I had to get him out with me. Blake was going to be a madman when hell broke loose. I couldn’t let my dad fend for himself.
“Dad,” I said carefully. “I think it’s time for us to go, okay?”
He looked surprised. “What are you talking about? This is amazing! I never thought I would see the day that Michael Blake would turn good. I mean, he’s still a slime ball, I’m sure, but at least he’s trying to do something for someone else now.”
I shook my head vigorously. “No, you don’t understand. He isn’t doing this for anyone but himself. Things are going to go south very quickly, and I don’t want to be here when they do. Blake hasn’t changed, Dad, not one bit.”
He looked concerned for a minute before he opened his mouth to speak, but the music on stage cut out, and a different video appeared on the screen. My heart started to race again because there was no more time. Nothing else mattered now as my father turned back to the screen and watched the horror show that everyone else was seeing. He grabbed my hand again, and I knew he knew who it was behind the camera.
“Anna?” he whispered.
I shook my head. “There’s no time right now, Dad. This place is about to become a madhouse.”
Everyone was looking up at the stage as they started to scream at Blake. His eyes narrowed as he saw me rise out of my seat. He ran down off the stage and lunged at me. Instinctively, I shrank away from him, but there was no need. My father darted between us and raised his fist. In one deafening blow, he connected with the fat man’s jaw, and Blake went tumbling to the ground.
People all around us started to cheer as I grabbed him, and we started to run for an exit. It was going to be a stampede, and I didn’t want to get caught in the middle of it. People shoved us as they too scrambled for the exit. In the shuffle of bystanders, I felt my grip on my father’s hand start to loosen, and I looked back for him. He shoved a few people out of the way before grabbing my arm, but there was nowhere for us to go. Everyone was rushing our direction to get their hands on Blake.
“Anna!” I heard a familiar voice call.
Nate was standing on the stage, waving at us. We shoved past a few more people as he pulled us up to the platform.
“I thought we were meeting you at the car,” I said breathlessly.
“Yeah,” he said as he took my hand, and we started to run back stage. “I thought so too, but then I saw the chaos and didn’t want you two to get trampled.”
“I don’t know who you are, but I’m sure as hell glad that you are here. Now, how do we get out of this place in one piece?” asked my father.
Nate jerked his head. “I have a car waiting for us around back, but we can’t use the same door. Let’s go this way. My name is Nate, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
We followed him through the dark corridors, only seeing the occasional event worker as they scurried by. Most of them were in the country illegally and didn’t want to stick around to deal with the police. I didn’t blame them; we sure as hell weren’t going to wait around. My father kept up with us, but I could tell that he wouldn’t for long. When the exit door came into sight, I let out a sigh of relief as we ran through and got into Nate’s car.
My father panted in the back seat next to me. “So does anyone want to tell me what the hell is going on? That was you up there on that screen.”
“I know, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to you before, but I didn’t know that you were coming. Nate knew what Blake was planning, so we devised a trap to expose him, and you saw the outcome.”
My father glared at Nate. “You let my little girl go into that room with that man?”
Nate shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but I spoke up before he did. “Dad, it was my idea to be a part of it, okay? You always told me to stick up for the little guy, and that’s what I was doing. But in this case, it was the little women who Blake had hurt. He won’t be getting any more action, at least not the kind he likes, where he’s going.”
He leaned back against the seat. “So this was your idea?”
“It was both of our ideas, sir,” said Nate. “I never would have let her get hurt.”
“And just who the hell are you exactly?” my father asked.
“He’s the assistant I told you about, but he’s also been my bodyguard and my friend throughout this. Are you mad?”
My father shook his head and took my hand. “No, sweetie, I am very proud of you. I just wish you hadn’t put yourself in so much danger, but I’m glad that man is going away. Now, I want you to take me back to my hotel.”
“What?” I gasped. “But why?”
“Because this old man needs a nap. That’s more excitement than I have seen in a long time, and I think you two still have some unfinished business.”
My cheeks blushed as I looked at Nate. “We can wait to talk, Dad. You just got here.”
“I know,” he said with a grin. “And I don’t plan on going anywhere for a while. At least not until all this dies down. I need some peace and quiet, honey.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I will meet up with you crazy kids for dinner, if it’ll make you feel better.”
“It would, it really would,” I told him earnestly. ‘We’ll see you in a few hours then, okay?”
“You didn’t tell your father about the money,” Nate said softly as we sat in his bungalow.
I sighed. “I don’t think he needs to know about it yet. He already has enough going on without me adding that to the mix. Plus, we haven’t really talked abo
ut what to do with it. I know there’s a man you need to pay off, but what about the rest?”
“Well, we can talk about that, but what I really want to talk about is us. What changed your mind? Where do we stand?”
I shook my head. It was a question I had been asking myself nonstop for the last hour since I agreed to go to his house instead of my hotel. My feelings for him weren’t going to go away.
“I don’t know. How can I trust you when our relationship started on a lie?” I asked.
He took my hand and turned to face me. “I promised you that I would never lie to you again, and that’s a promise I intend to keep. I don’t want to lose you. Not now, not ever. You’ve changed me. I am a better man when you are around.”
“Nate,” I whispered. “I want to believe you, but you don’t know about my past. My mother lied to me so many times. She was always making promises and telling me that things would be different.”
He pulled me closer to him. “Anna, I love you. I don’t want to lose you. Just tell me what it’s going to take, and it’s yours.”
I thought for a second. My heart was racing with desire and love. “I want the money to go to the charity. Not all of it, but most of it. Keep just enough to pay off your debt and give us a fresh start.”
His eyes grew wide, but he didn’t even think twice as he nodded. “I think that’s a great idea. What about us?”
“I can’t deny how I feel about you any longer. I love you too, Nate. I just didn’t know what love was until I saw how you fought for me.”
“I can’t believe this is real,” he said.
I grinned. “I have a few ways I can show you just how real this is. We don’t have to meet my dad for a while yet.”
“Oh yeah?” he said with a sexy, crooked grin. “I like that idea.”
I took his hand, leading him to the bedroom like I had a few nights before, but this time was different. This time I knew that we were going to have the rest of our lives to explore each other’s bodies and make love in every way imaginable. I couldn’t believe how happy I was to finally have him. My con man turned prince.
Triple Threat: A Dark Romance (Deadly Passion Series Book 3) Page 11
