“This is never going to end, is it?” Even as she asked the question, she knew it was true. “I do this for you, and next month you have another job. Right?”
Gino pulled the steak knife out of Joey and wiped the blood on a white cloth napkin. “If it’s money you’re after, we could come to an arrangement.”
Joey wrapped his bleeding hand in his own napkin, his eyes wide and shell-shocked. “Luce, quit playing around,” he whispered. “Do what he wants.”
Lucy’s gaze ping-ponged between Gino-the-snake and Joey-the-bait. There was no way out of this. She and Joey would definitely have to leave Vegas for good when this was done. She had not really accepted it as truth until now. She had built something here, a reputation, a home, a life. Sadness swamped her along with crushing hopelessness.
“Okay.” She placed her hands flat on the table, leaving a sweat mark. “I’ll do it. But I want your word that Joey is in the clear, and I’m not doing any more favors for you.”
Gino smiled and reached his blood-smeared hand across the table. He picked up her hand and kissed it. “Sounds good to me, testa rossa.”
He was lying. She knew it. He knew it. But there was nothing she could do about it. Gino saw her weak underbelly now in Joey, and she was at his mercy. Her stomach twisted in knots. Don’t think about it now. She would find a way out of this mess.
First, they had to get out of the bingo hall alive and with all their fingers.
Lucy stood, trying to appear agreeable instead of defiant. She inched her chair back. This time, the burly dude let it slide. She nodded once at Joey. “Let’s go.”
Joey stood, cradling his bleeding hand to his chest.
Gino stayed seated. “Bruno here will escort you home, go over the details with you, and take you to the casino tomorrow. Make sure you don’t get confused or nothing.”
Lucy moved toward the door with deliberate strides. “Just keep walking,” she whispered to Joey.
“Oh, Luciana,” Gino called as they cleared the threshold. “I want your green sapphires. You give Bruno your earrings, as a token of your appreciation for me bringing you two amateurs in on my score.”
Chapter Six
It was 7:50, Thursday morning. Alec watched the lobby surveillance camera from his room for Lucy’s arrival. Frustration still pounded through his chest at his thwarted attempt to get rid of his old enemy. Their dragon hunter had tracked Ambrogino to a seedy motel on the north side of the Strip, but by the time Alec got back to the casino, he was gone.
Ambrogino was feeling bold to have come to Vegas, to Alec’s turf. He usually hid himself away and operated through surrogates. He would have to be dealt with, and his return now, before the ceremony complicated things. There were those among the dragons who still believed Ambrogino’s claim to the throne.
Alec rolled his shoulders to relieve the tension and focused on what he knew about Lucy. Her brother’s gambling debts had to be the source of her erratic behavior. Alec knew Joey’s kind, adrenaline junkies who thought every roll, every card, every horse held the answer to their problems.
It was sad, really. They rarely won, and when they did win, the money was spent as soon as the chips were cashed. They fueled his casino, and for that he liked their undaunted optimism, but not if it upset Lucy, not if it endangered her and forced her into stealing.
He had to get Lucy away from Joey without scaring her. He needed time to sway Lucy to him, seduce her until she understood what a future as his mate could be. Unfortunately, with his dragon form fading and the ceremony a few short days away, he did not have a lot of time.
Lucy stepped into the gilded entry at precisely 8 a.m. She carried a briefcase, wore a buttoned-up dark suit and low heels, her hair was tucked up, and she had on dark-framed librarian glasses. Alec smiled at the monitor, intrigued by the abrupt change in appearance. Was this the real Lucy, or the vamp from the night before?
He pushed the com button on his phone. “Jane, please show Dr. De Luca to my suite.”
“Your personal suite, Jer’ol?” Jane couldn’t keep her astonishment from her voice.
“Yes.” The word was final.
Jane’s question was well deserved. His suite was on the top of the casino, 130 stories up, in the dragons’ private quarters. No human had ever been brought into their inner domain.
Dragons considered humans an inferior race, weak both mentally and physically. When it was discovered that the Fates had chosen a human mate for the Dragon King, there would be serious problems. The dragons would doubt his authority and power in the face of such a providential insult. And then there was Ambrogino, somewhere out there, stirring up a revolt. There would be rumbles of dissention, and he would probably receive a blood challenge, or two, or three…
Alec let out a sigh. He hated, above all things, to kill one of their own, but sometimes it could not be avoided. Kill or be killed—even in the 21st century, the dragons still adhered to the ancient ways.
His dragons, housed on the top floors of the casino, were already jittery because of the arriving families and approaching ceremony. Their musky mating scent could be detected by any dragon in Nevada, and probably the entire West Coast. The reinforced concrete walls of the dragon towers would be tested for strength before everyone settled into their destined pairs.
Alec needed to get things settled with Lucy and refocus on his people. In generations past, it had not been impossible to find places in the world where they could congregate. His grandfather’s rule had been largely peaceful, on a remote South Pacific island. But his father’s people had seen their haven disturbed by satellites and would-be explorers.
Questions that would not go away, asked by humans who would not leave them alone.
Alec had traveled the world, gathering his lieutenants from the hidden dragon folds and enclaves, speaking words of peace to warring factions, promising a place where they could do more than survive, a place where they could thrive.
A knock sounded at the door. Alec turned off the surveillance screen. “Come in.”
Jane admitted Lucy and left with a look of disapproval.
“Lucy,” he greeted her with a welcoming smile. “I have breakfast ready.” He padded barefoot to an elegantly laid out table and pulled out a chair for her.
Lucy scanned his workout shorts and damp T-shirt, and then peered at the table. Her nose wrinkled with confusion. “Ahh…” She reached into her briefcase and held some papers toward him without crossing the room. “I have my contract for you to sign.”
“Of course.” Alec waved to the breakfast table. “We can go over it after breakfast.”
Lucy gripped her briefcase to her stomach and looked like she might bolt. “I’ve already eaten.”
“But I haven’t.” Alec tried to appear disarming. “I would enjoy your company. Would you eat with me?”
Lucy wavered, biting her bottom lip, and then seemed to come to a decision. She stepped across the room with quick strides. “I didn’t expect you to be so…casual.”
Alec seated her at his right side. Her just-showered scent filled his nose. Sharp longing raced through his blood. He took a quiet breath and placed his palms gently on her shoulders. Lucy jumped and frowned at him.
“There are many things about me that you might find surprising.”
“I’m here for business.” Lucy squirmed out from under his hands and set the contract between their plates. “I’m not interested in being one of your conquests.”
Alec sat and spread his napkin across his lap. “Why do you assume that I only have conquests?” He drank a tart mouthful of fresh-squeezed orange juice and buttered a roll. “My relationships are not conquests—they’re more like mergers.”
“Mergers?” Lucy laughed, all prickly and brittle. “Is that the best line you have?”
“Do you always wear glasses?”
“When I’m working.” She poured coffee from a silver carafe into her cup. The pot shook slightly before she put it down.
“And
a pant suit?” He let his eyes wander from the button below her chin to the curve of her waist.
Lucy blushed. “Please quit asking me non-business related questions.”
“Am I making you uncomfortable?” Alec took a bite of his roll.
“No.” Her pulse raced at the side of her neck, but her stare was direct. “You do not affect me at all.”
“Really?” He laughed because he knew she was lying. Her cheeks were red and she chewed her bottom lip in a gesture he now realized was her way of trying to conceal nerves. “Fine, you ask me something. Just no business.”
Lucy tilted her head. She wanted to take the challenge. He could almost see her agile mind flipping through possibilities.
“What’s your favorite jewel in your collection?”
Her question was borderline business, but to a dragon, jewels were always personal. “I have a black opal the size of my palm. It’s my favorite.”
“Like the one on your signet ring?”
“Yes.”
“Why is it your favorite, when you have so many?”
What was she really asking? Whether dragon or human, the mind of a female was an enigma. He struggled to put his feelings into words. “It resonates with my heart.” He put down his knife and touched his chest. “When I hold it, I feel a part of it, and it becomes a part of me.”
Lucy’s mouth opened, and she watched his face with wide eyes.
“I can feel the history—the heat and fire and passion that forged it. I respect its journey, and it knows I will treasure it and keep it safe, always.”
“A merger,” she whispered.
“A melding.”
…
Lucy swallowed hard. The man was pure temptation. His worn gym shirt clung to his shoulders and chest and showed the ridges of his stomach muscles. Under the table, his bare feet reached toward her, brushing her leg at irregular, unnerving intervals, sending tingles up her proper business pants leg. She was totally disarmed by the sincere look in Alec’s eyes when he talked about his jewels. It was as if he also talked about her. As if he wanted to hold her, treasure her, keep her safe, too.
Impossible.
She tapped the contract beside her empty plate. Gino’s thug, Bruno, had said she could get Alec’s thumbprint on the contract’s plastic cover. But now that she was beside Alec, she realized it would not be an easy task.
“Why’re you so tense?” Alec reached his hand across the table and stroked a warm, calloused palm over her clenched knuckles. “You’re not going to relax until we go through that contract, are you?”
Lucy’s breath caught in her chest. As if in slow-mo, she handed him the contract.
“Just open it to the signature page for me.” Alec pointed at the white tablecloth. “I have butter on my fingers.”
No. She needed him to touch the plastic cover. “Don’t you want to read it?” Her voice sounded tight. He had to read the thing to mark it with his print.
“What is your time frame and fee?”
“Four weeks. Twenty-five now, twenty-five when I’m done.” It was fair. The same contract she had given collectors all over the world. She’d considered raising the price, but remembered, pigs got fat, but hogs got slaughtered.
There was enough pork in this deal already with Gino.
“Sounds good.”
“You should read it.”
“I trust you.”
“You shouldn’t trust me.” The words slipped out. Lucy rushed to cover them with generalities. “I mean, you shouldn’t trust anyone. You’re one of the richest men in the world. I might be taking advantage of you.”
“I can only hope.” Alec lifted his brows and smiled. “Pen?”
The contract lay on the table between them unopened. Lucy scrambled in her briefcase and handed him a pen. Alec wiped his hands clean with a napkin and carefully opened the contract to the last page. Lucy watched his thumb brush the top and flip open the pages.
Was it enough of thumbprint? After the whole knife-in-Joey’s-hand episode, she wanted to get it right this time. She did not want to have to come back. She regarded the opened plastic cover with dawning dismay. This would never work. It was a ridiculous plan.
Alec signed with sharp strokes, unaware of her turmoil. Anger swelled up in Lucy. Of course he would sign his name that way, all sharp, forward slanting, no loops, no tilt—just hard-driving letters—and no thumbprint in sight.
“You won’t be able to start your appraisal today.”
“What?” His words jarred her eyes away from the page.
She hadn’t planned on doing the appraisal at all. The contract he didn’t read allowed her to cancel without notice. She had planned on making the print drop and coaxing Joey into a nice relaxing trip to Rio de Janeiro. She already had the tickets in her car, 2 p.m., one-way through Miami. She would ply him with the promise of business class, unlimited Jack and Coke, and topless ladies in thongs on the Copacabana beach.
“You won’t be able to start today,” Alec repeated. “Someone stole my keycard last night.” He lifted his dark blue gaze to her and held her eyes until she looked away. “All the security codes are being reconfigured. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to start.”
“Tomorrow…” Tomorrow seemed a lifetime away. Panic clawed at her stomach. She would have to go home, to Joey and Bruno and Gino. Joey would be upset that she hadn’t gotten a good print. No way would he leave with her. Gino would be angry, very angry.
“Maybe I could do some preliminary work here?” And stalk his thumb around the casino like a fingerprinting bloodhound.
“The whole exhibit is sealed.”
“I’m sure I can find something to do.”
Alec leaned toward her. “What would it take for you to relax, not think about work for a day?”
“Relax?” Lucy crossed her arms, beyond annoyed at his patronizing tone.
“You know, your muscles are loose and your mind floats? Kind of like sleeping, but you’re awake.” Alec tilted his chair back. His stomach muscles contracted under the damp shirt, and she got a faint whiff of just-exercised man. She inhaled deeply, holding the scent in her lungs until she had to let it go.
“Must be nice to have no worries.” Her words were harsh, even to her ears.
Alec thumped the front of the chair down on the carpet. “Oh, I have worries. I just know how to put them aside for a while. Enjoy the pleasures of life.”
“We’re back to sex, aren’t we? The cure-all for what ails you.”
“Absolutely.” Alec smiled, picked up her hand, and ran his thumb up the pads of her index and middle fingers. A shiver danced in her belly at his touch. A gypsy had once told her that because her love line stretched to her index finger, she would have a passionate love life. She always figured it was nonsense. This man made her wonder.
“I bet if I had my assistant book us at the spa for the day that you wouldn’t go along with it.” Alec released her palm and sat back with his fingers steepled on the table.
Lucy cradled her hand to her chest. “You’re right.” She’d never even had a pedicure before. She didn’t have time for a bunch of frou-frou nonsense. Inside her briefcase, her phone rang, a nice old fashioned ring-ring. She looked at the phone face before silencing it and setting it on the table. It was Joey. Dammit. She’d told them to give her some time.
“What do you want more than anything else in the world?” Alec asked.
Lucy tried to follow his absurd conversation. “Lode Berken’s custom jewel loupe and cutting set.” It was true, she did want the set, never mind that it was secured behind three-inch thick bulletproof glass in a Tel Aviv museum.
“Lode Berken?”
“The creator of the diamond polishing wheel. It’s in the international jewel museum in Israel.”
“Ahhh.” Alec smiled. “So it’s one of a kind.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll bet you a replica of Berken’s set that even if you spend the day with me at the spa, you’ll still not b
e able to relax.”
Seriously? Lucy’s mouth gaped open. He was still on the spa? He might as well have suggested she bake a cake and have a birthday party, with freakin’ candles and balloons and party hats.
“You can’t deliver a set like his. Berken spent his lifetime collecting the jewels on it.”
“What if I could?”
What if he could? Lucy zeroed in on his face, noting his navy-blue eyes were leveled on hers. He seemed undaunted, a man who had pushed a pawn into her territory for her to sidestep or trounce. Her choice.
“Let me get this straight. All I have to do is go to the spa with you—and relax—to win a replica of a priceless national heirloom.”
“Yep.”
“And what would I lose if I can’t relax?”
“Dinner.” Alec smiled. “After the spa, of course.”
“That seems like a very uneven bet.”
“All the best ones are.”
Her phone rang again, vibrating on the table. It was Gino this time. Lucy jabbed the silence button. Damn. Damn. Damn. Why wouldn’t they leave her alone?
Fury, anger, hopelessness built in her chest until she felt like she would explode in an irrational tirade of Italian profanity. She took a deep breath, swallowed the words, and chewed on her lip.
Alec took another sip of his juice, all relaxed and at ease, the smug king of his freakin’ kingdom. Lucy swallowed a shuddering exhale and took another breath. She held it and focused on his too handsome face. He deserved to pay up. It would be nothing to him.
Why not?
Why not go to the freakin’ spa with a man with more money than she could imagine and fewer worries than Zeus? Maybe she could nab his thumbprint while he was getting a facial. At the very least, she could hide out from Gino and Joey.
Lucy stood up from the table and extended her hand to shake. “I’ll take your bet.”
“Oh no, this kind of agreement requires a different binder.” Alec pushed himself to his feet and stepped around the table.
Lucy stepped back. He was going to kiss her again.
Her lips tingled and her gut tightened in anticipation. That kiss yesterday had been one of the best of her life, pulling her body into sharp awareness. She should stop him, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to feel her nerves come alive, one last time.
Luck of the Dragon Page 6
