by V. K. Sykes
Sadie unleashed her blinding smile on the dealer and the security guys. A couple of them grinned back, looking interested if not outright smitten.
Nice work, guys. Very professional.
He should get back up to the ops center where he could watch Sadie play. He’d been waiting all day for her to hit the blackjack table. Now it was time to work.
* * *
“Sheriff Studly sure took off quick enough, didn’t he?” Cassie said as she pushed forward a chip. “I wonder if he knew you’d spotted him.”
Sadie pulled her skirt down as far as she could manage, embarrassed at how high it rode up on her thighs when she sat. The eyes of the dealers and the security staff bored into both her and Cassie with more intensity that she’d bargained for. She’d picked the red dress to attract Nick’s attention, not the slavering notice of every guy in the casino.
“I guess. I think he beat it as soon as we came into view. He wouldn’t want to be seen conversing with me.” Sadie flicked her finger to ask for a card. The dealer flipped over a jack to go with the ten she’d already been dealt.
“God forbid,” Cassie said in a snarky tone.
Sadie couldn’t help feeling a wee bit hurt when Nick made such a quick exit, but she understood why. “It’s a long story, Cass. Let’s just say he and I have to avoid being seen together.”
Cassie shrugged as she hit on fourteen and busted. “Whatever. God, Sade, I hate this game. I don’t know why I’m doing this.”
“Because you love my company. Besides, somebody has to catch me when I fall on my derrière because of these shoes. I still can’t believe I bought them.”
“But they’re perfect,” Cassie said, glancing down at the killer sandals. “The color is an exact match for the dress, and they’re really, really sexy. I bet the sheriff got wood the second he saw you.”
Sadie rolled her eyes. “I’d venture to say what he got was mad. Or maybe jealous. But, then again, that would be fine, wouldn’t it?” In her very brief glimpse of him, Nick had looked pretty infuriated, and she could only assume it was because of her outfit since he already knew she’d be coming back to the casino to play. “It could make the night even more, um, interesting.”
Cassie laughed. “I look at you now and I ask myself what the hell happened to the Professor Sadie Bligh I used to know. Talk about an extreme makeover.”
Sadie sighed. “I just hope I can sustain the change when I get back home. It’ll be dreadful if I let myself fall back into the same old routine. The same boring little life I’ve always had.”
“Well, I can’t help wondering what your father will say about all this. I have a feeling he won’t be instantly thrilled with the new Sadie.”
A sudden image of one of her father’s disapproving scowls leapt into Sadie’s mind. Her stomach pitched, and she had to force herself to respond with a nod when it was her turn to say yes or no to an additional card. “You had to raise that specter, didn’t you? Please, let’s forget my father and everything else in Chicago for now, and keep our minds on the game.”
They spent the next two hours at the twenty-five dollar table. Sadie would have preferred a higher stakes game, but that would have been too rich for Cassie’s blood. Fortunately, her friend seemed to be having more fun this time, picking up the system from Sadie in bits and pieces. By the time Cassie announced she’d had enough for the evening, she had exactly broken even. Sadie, having ridden two hot shoes, was up nearly a thousand dollars.
Cassie grabbed her bag from the back of her chair and stood up. “When did you say you were meeting Nick?”
“After he gets off work. He wasn’t sure exactly when. He said he had an open-ended assignment that might keep him late, whatever that means.”
“Well, you have fun, sweetie, but watch out for your heart, okay?” Cassie kissed her cheek and headed off toward the hotel nightclubs.
Sadie flipped the dealer a chip and got up to move to a hundred dollar table. She couldn’t get over how empty the place was tonight. Most tables had only two or three players, and several hadn’t even opened. Combined with all the extra security, it piqued her curiosity about what was going on. Maybe it had something to do with Nick’s mysterious assignment.
She chose a table with only one player. A young, dark-haired woman was seated in the chair farthest to the left in the anchor seat. Sadie gave her a smile as she sat down in the middle, leaving an empty chair between them.
They’d played only three rounds when loud, deep voices made them swivel to take a look. A hulking, completely bald, and very handsome black man in a dark suit stood directly behind her, his tree trunk legs spread wide. A few pounds of gold and diamond jewelry dangled from his thick neck.
Sadie’s jaw dropped. He must be a movie star, she thought, as she took in the entourage that hovered in the background. One of those action heroes, perhaps. She never went to action movies, though, and didn’t read People magazine. Not even in the grocery checkout line. It was kind of pathetic how ignorant she was when it came to pop culture.
“I’m gonna play right here,” the big man said in a rumbling voice that brooked no opposition. He pointed to Sadie’s table. “If these two beautiful ladies don’t mind.”
Two burly men standing behind him nodded warily at his choice of playing location.
Bodyguards.
Sadie glanced behind the bodyguards. Three casino security men had blocked access to their area. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed three more slipping around the side. Suddenly, it felt like a trap had closed around her. Her instincts told her to get out of Dodge before gunfire erupted in the saloon.
When the man in the dark suit and gaudy jewelry grinned at her, Sadie discovered he had a brilliantly white and utterly charming smile. Unbelievably, it appeared that one of his incisors held an inset diamond. Despite her uneasiness, she couldn’t hold back a chuckle.
“Sit yourself down, Tiny,” the anchor woman said with a welcoming smile. “I think the night is about to get a whole lot more interesting.”
Tiny? The man was a behemoth. Who in heaven’s name was he?
The giant squeezed his bulk into the seat between Sadie and the brunette. “I can’t think of a better place to be tonight than right here between two such gorgeous ladies,” Tiny said as he ran his eyes over the brunette’s ample chest. Then he turned to Sadie.
She stuck out her hand, fervently hoping he wouldn’t crush it in his oversized mitt. “Hello, I’m Sadie Bligh,” she said brightly. “From Chicago.”
“Chicago,” he murmured as he took her hand and planted a gentle kiss below the knuckles. “We love to play Chicago.” He turned his head slightly to look at the bodyguard standing directly behind Sadie. “My man Leroi here’s from Chicago. Right, Leroi?”
“You got it, Z,” Leroi said, looking both wary and immensely bored.
Sadie blinked. Zee? What kind of name is that? Zee, or Z, as in the alphabet?
“I’m getting the impression you don’t know me,” Tiny, or Mr. Z, said, chuckling.
Sadie gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I don’t get out very much, I’m afraid. I’m a math professor.”
The man let out a belly laugh. “Well, that’s perfect, Miz Math Professor, ‘cause you’re one hot number.”
Sadie groaned inside at the all-too-predictable reaction to her profession, but kept her mouth shut. She had the feeling Mr. Z wouldn’t appreciate her response.
“They call me TinyZ,” the big man said. “Nice to meet you, Miz Bligh.”
The brunette, who introduced herself as Jennifer, gushed that she was a big fan of Tiny. Sadie gathered from their exchange that he must be a famous rap singer. Sadie had heard of rap music, of course, but it held about the same amount of interest for her as professional wrestling. Zero. Still, he did seem like a nice and rather gentle man, even if he was as big as her condo building.
“I assume your nickname Tiny is an ironic use of the term based on your imposing stature,” Sadie said. “B
ut does the Z come from the first letter of your surname?”
Tiny gave her a bemused look. Then he turned and grinned at his burly companions, who seemed mildly entertained. “No, darlin’. We take names that mean something in the place we come from.”
“Oh,” Sadie replied, not having a clue what that meant. Besides, she was eager to get back to the game, not engage in an oddly mystifying conversation. “Well, in any case, I’m very glad to meet you, Mr. Z. I’m sure we’re going to have a very pleasant evening. Good luck to you.”
Tiny wrapped his massive right arm around Sadie’s shoulders and squished her against his side. “I’ve got a feeling you just might be my lucky charm tonight, Sadie Bligh. Let the games begin.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Nick stared at his monitor, the horror inside him escalating to match the throbbing in his temples. Tiny Z and his posse had not only hit the casino, unbelievably they had zeroed right in on Sadie’s new table.
Until that moment, he’d figured he’d been having a pretty decent night, all things considered. After two hours of monitoring her play at the twenty-five dollar table, he’d been forced to conclude—again—that Sadie was indeed counting cards. Her pattern of doubling or tripling her bets at certain points didn’t brook any other conclusion. He also knew now that she worked alone, since her friend Cassie didn’t even know enough to play the basic system. He’d watched closely for any sign of another partner, but had come up with nothing.
Sadie definitely wasn’t part of a counting team. She didn’t bet huge sums of money, even when the odds obviously favored her. And she played only a few hours each day.
What did it all add up to? As far as he was concerned, Sadie Bligh was just a whip-smart woman—a math professor, for God’s sake—who knew how to count cards and was having some fun. An amateur out to make a few grand, not some pro angling to bleed the house.
Yes, she needed to be stopped. Card counters couldn’t be tolerated, period. But she was the farthest thing from a threat to the profitability of the Desert Oasis that he could imagine.
Tomorrow morning, he’d confirm to Carson that Sadie was counting. There’d be no surprise there for the chief. But Nick had already decided to recommend that she not be booted out or blacklisted. He figured if he simply confronted her and insisted that she stop playing blackjack, she’d comply without him having to impose the consequences. Normally, that might be good enough for the security chief and the casino.
Probably not in this case, though. Not since Carson so obviously had another agenda.
Still, as Nick watched Sadie on the monitor, looking all sweet and sexy, he couldn’t help feeling good about his plan. He’d go to bat for her. And not just because they were having a smoking hot affair. He’d do it because it was the right thing to do, and Carson would know it. Let the chief take Sadie on—and Nick had little doubt that Sadie would complain to the higher ups—and have to explain why she was being treated like a major con artist trying to shake the casino down. That was a confrontation that he would gladly pay money to see.
Hell, with a good amount of luck, his relationship with Sadie might even survive tomorrow’s impending shit storm.
But Nick’s relief had only lasted until he spotted Tiny Z and his gang on camera thirty-eight, heading slowly up the aisle toward Sadie. He’d zoomed the camera in, and watched as Tiny pointed to where Sadie and another woman sat, nodded his head, and barked out something to his bodyguards.
Now, Nick’s throat tightened as he switched his console to cameras thirty-nine and forty for close ups of the table from different angles. Tiny eased his bulk onto the chair between the women. Seconds later, he started chatting up Sadie, and Nick thought his head would explode. The potential for the evening to end in disaster, at least as far as Sadie was concerned, just went off the charts.
Nick guessed from her body language that she must barely know Tiny Z from Wayne Newton. Nor would she have any idea that Tiny’s crew had been mixed up in more than one gunfight since their boss hit the big time. Apparently, not everyone in Tiny’s line of work was thrilled about his skyrocketing success. The last thing Nick wanted was his innocent little math professor getting anywhere near that kind of dangerous action.
Gripping the edge of his console, he grimly took in the way Tiny stared at Sadie’s chest. The big man’s interest couldn’t have been more obvious, and if she didn’t know enough to get herself out of there soon, Nick would have to do it for her. He’d give it a few more minutes, but he wasn’t going to just sit in the ops center waiting for an incident to happen. Sadie wasn’t going to get hurt. Not on his watch.
When Tiny wrapped his right arm around Sadie and jerked her against his massive body, Nick shot out of his chair and headed for the casino floor.
* * *
Sadie glanced uneasily at all the scary looking men surrounding their table. Was this kind of security normal for famous singers these days? There seemed to be enough of them to take on an armed invasion, although she couldn’t imagine what could happen in a building as secure as a casino. She took comfort in the fact that Nick might be somewhere close, keeping an eye on the situation.
Glancing at Tiny as he amiably chatted up the dealer, she felt her anxiety start to ease. Though the scene had unnerved her, Tiny seemed genuinely sweet and harmless, at least as far as she and Jennifer were concerned. And he was certainly entertaining. Almost as soon as he’d taken his seat, he began to fire off a string of ribald jokes and stories that had her and Jennifer gasping with laughter. She didn’t understand several of his references, which seemed to be in a variation of the English language of which she had not the slightest knowledge, but she managed to get most of the punch lines.
True, Tiny obviously enjoyed looking at both her and Jennifer, but she felt no threat from his gaze. It seemed tame compared to the hungry leers she’d endured at the topless pool and from some of the casino security guards surrounding their table. If she had to take her pick, she’d say that Tiny’s bodyguards were not only more polite, they treated her with more respect than the casino staff did. She made a mental note to mention that to Nick when she saw him.
She glanced at her watch. It was almost eleven, and she thought Nick might be through work any time now. At least she hoped that mysterious assignment he’d talked about wouldn’t keep him much longer. When she thought about the remainder of the evening ahead, she could barely contain her excitement. But as the minutes ticked by she began to get nervous, and offered up a silent prayer that the sheriff wouldn’t stand her up.
“Out of the way, guys, I need to get through.” A dark, flinty voice coming from behind jerked Sadie around in her seat.
Nick. Finally! But she almost swallowed her tongue when she took in the scowl on his face. He didn’t look jealous—he looked ready to murder someone. Hopefully, not her.
Eyes blazing and fixed right on her, Nick brushed past the casino security men like they weren’t even there. He came to an abrupt stop when he met the solid wall of bodyguard muscle in front of Tiny. Leroi and his partner glared at him, as solid and immoveable as California redwoods.
“Gentlemen,” Nick said in a calm, cold voice as he held up his ID. “I’m the assistant chief of security at the casino. I need to speak to one of our guests at that table. The lady in red. So, I’d appreciate it if you’d step aside.”
At that moment, Tiny stood up, slowly turning around. He gave Nick a quick once over. “What’s the problem, man? What gives with my friend, Sadie? She’s my lucky charm tonight, and I don’t want anyone bothering her.”
God! Now Tiny sounded angry. Sadie thought she needed to do something to defuse the situation, and fast. Peering around Leroi she waved. “Hi, Nick. I’ll be ready to go in a minute. But do you mind if we finish this shoe first? It wouldn’t be very nice to walk out in the middle of it.”
A dark flush glazed Nick’s cheekbones, and he gave his head an emphatic, angry shake. Her stomach pitched into her ribs. What was he so upset about?
Ah, it’s the sheriff again, not Nick. Cassie’s warning from earlier in the evening came rushing back into her head. “All right,” she said quietly. Nick was acting like bit of a jerk, but she wanted to forestall any unfortunate reactions from Tiny, who practically stood on his tiptoes in his eagerness to intimidate Nick. She turned to her new-found friend. “I’ll be right back, Tiny. Don’t let anyone take my chair.”
She managed to inject a joking tone into her voice, but inside she was already shaking from frustration and hurt. Nick would be furious with her for defying him, but she didn’t appreciate that he’d tried to run roughshod over her simple, small request. It was humiliating. He’d better have a darned good reason for ordering her around like a Marine drill sergeant.
“Don’t you worry, little sweetheart. You better believe nobody’s going to sit here till you get back.” Tiny grinned, showing just about every one of his perfect teeth. “Take care of your business, but you hurry back, now.” He glared at Nick. “Don’t let me hear you hassled her, man. I don’t give a crap if you’re the fuckin’ chief of police.”
“My business with Ms. Bligh is not your concern,” Nick shot back, taking Sadie’s elbow.
Nick gripped her arm as if she belonged to him. As she fell into an uneasy step beside him, part of her—a very silly, very girlish part—couldn’t help feeling a wee bit thrilled. He felt like a colossus beside her, able to shelter her from any storm.
But a bigger part rebelled at his brusque treatment. Why couldn’t he have waited for her to finish, as she’d asked? And he’d practically insulted Tiny, for no good reason that she could see.
“What’s the matter, Nick?” she asked in alarm as he swiped his card at a heavy door she recognized from her first night in the casino. “Why are you taking me to the gulag?”
