Who knew he had such a devilish sense of humor. Why this gorgeous, sexy and fun man was running around free range was beyond her. “That’s evil.”
“I know.”
“I thought you were supposed to be the serious one.”
“There’s a side to me no one knows about.” He chuckled again and rubbed his hands together. “Evil is fun. Payback is a younger brother’s prerogative.”
“Remind me to never get on your bad side.” Or maybe that would be even more fun.
“With all the work you’re going to cause, you may have a permanent spot on my bad side.”
“Don’t you want the hotel to be a success?”
“I do, actually. But at the moment, we’re not prepared to be a success.”
A waitress approached for their order. Nina ordered a BLT and Scott ordered a hamburger with fries.
“What do you need to do to make the hotel and casino safe for its guests?”
“Probably fire sixty percent of the security staff who think the hotel is their personal ATM.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“I had a little get-to-know-you meeting with the union reps and basically I have to have permission from God to fire anyone.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
The meeting had obviously not gone well. “How are you going to get rid of the bad apples?”
“I have my ways.”
“Do tell.”
The waitress brought their drinks. Nina unwrapped the paper napkin from around her knife and fork. She took a sip of her iced tea and sighed. She hadn’t known how thirsty she was. She drank half the glass before she realized it. The waitress grinned at her and headed back to the table with a full pitcher to replenish her tea.
Again, a grin spread across his face. “My job is to keep the hotel and casino safe, and to do that I’m having my people get caught up on their firearms certification, physical requirements and psychological evaluations. I could have a lot of fun with this.”
Nina stared at him in awe. This guy could work in Hollywood. “You are evil.”
“The security force is responsible for the safety and well-being of our guests. They need a lot of training.”
“Are you treating them like they’re in the military?”
“I’m weeding my garden.”
The food came. They paused in their conversation while the waitress set their food in front of them. Nina smiled at her sandwich and the pile of bacon in it.
“What about the good ones? Aren’t you afraid you’ll lose them?”
“They’ll do what they have to do to keep their jobs. The bad ones are looking for an easy payoff.”
“If I want to get rid of someone I just put out some bad press. Seems to me you’re doing a lot of work.” Nina took a bite of her sandwich and breathed deeply in satisfaction. This was the best BLT she’d had in a long time.
“Got to be done.” Scott bit into his hamburger and looked up in surprised satisfaction. Then he said, “What is amazing to me is what a casino can be held responsible for. People think that some places are the spot to let their hair down and sow some wild oats. Then they do something stupid and want to blame the hotel. Or they complain about everything and nothing at the same time.”
Nina enjoyed watching him eat. He savored every bite the way her father did. “Your job sounds way harder than mine. People want to work with me and I never worry about them being unqualified.” A lot of her business was word of mouth.
Scott’s phone rang. He lifted it to his ear and listened for a moment. “Did you call the Secret Service, yet?” Scott paused then spoke again. “Get on that. They have a field office in Reno.” He listened again. “Nina and I will be back in about forty-five minutes.” He disconnected. “We have to go.” He raised a hand for the waitress to pay the bill and as soon as he finished signing his name, he was on his feet.
Nina gulped the last of her iced tea, wrapped the remaining part of her sandwich in a napkin to finish in the car.
“What’s going on?” Nina trotted to keep up with him.
“Someone tried to buy a $3,000 necklace with counterfeit bills.” He darted down a side street and speed walked to the car. Nina jogged to keep up with his long-legged stride.
“That sounds ominous.”
“If not for a sharp-eyed clerk, he might have gotten away with it.” The car chirped when he unlocked it.
Nina jumped inside and was buckled up as he backed out of the parking spot. The SUV jumped forward when he hit the accelerator too hard. Getting out of town was slow with so many pedestrians darting across the streets. Finally he left Virginia City behind for the twisting mountain road that would take them back to the highway and Reno.
“Don’t you ever get a day off?” Nina had enjoyed being with him, being in the quaint little town that owed its roots to the Comstock Lode.
“I’ll get a day off when the security issues at the casino and the hotel are solved.”
“Will they be solved?”
“They will when I have all the right people in place.”
“Do casinos have a problem with counterfeit bills? I should think people would know right away when they see one.” Nina watched the countryside roll away and felt a tiny tingle of apprehension at the thought.
“It’s a great place to launder money. Even nowadays with all the cash cards and digital printouts and cameras, a segment of people still pay cash for everything. A big winner who wins thirteen or fourteen thousand dollars will go shopping with their winnings. Last night I watched some guy pay cash for a watch that cost seventeen thousand dollars. He went from the blackjack table to the jewelry store.”
“How come you watched him buy a watch?”
“I was making sure he got to his destination with all the cash. He even tipped the salesgirl.”
“So basically that’s the kind of customer a casino wants,” Nina mused. “Someone who wins in the casino and spends his winnings in the jewelry store.”
“Circle of life, Reno style,” Scott said.
“That’s what I want to do. Keep those people in the casino by giving them a good time.” And providing them with the luxury items they’d likely purchase with their winnings.
“A lot of money goes through a casino,” Scott continued. “A certain percentage is going to be counterfeit.”
“How does someone know?”
“We have marking pens, machines that can spot it, but the first line of defense is the people who handle the cash. They can tell a counterfeit bill by the feel, the look and just plain instinct. Miss E. told me that she knew someone who could smell bad money.”
“I should think that with today’s digital cameras, which can photograph the finest details, it would be easy to make your own money.”
“Cameras can capture all the correct detail on a bill, but printers don’t have the same output. The U.S. Treasury uses a specific kind of paper with a specific kind of ink.”
“So it’s easy in the early stages, but more difficult in the output.”
“Exactly.”
Nina fell silent as she mused about the fake money. She realized it wasn’t her problem, but in a way it was. The people she wanted to attract to the casino needed to know they were safe. Maybe Scott had a bigger problem on his hands than he knew.
Chapter 7
Scott entered the interview room. Belle Sampson sat across from a man with sandy-blond hair, faded blue eyes and a fair complexion. He was about as nondescript as a person could be, dressed in khaki pants and a plain, white knit shirt. He practically blended into the beige wall behind him.
“Belle,” Scott said.
“Hi, boss.” She jumped to her feet and smiled at him. “Meet George Williams. George this is Scott Russell. He heads security here at the Casa d
e Mariposa.”
“George, you seem to be in a bit of trouble.” Scott leaned against the table, towering over the man.
George looked up, but his gaze immediately slid away as he looked back down at his hands. “I didn’t do nothing wrong. I got to be gettin’ home. My wife is gonna worry.” His voice was a whiny mumble that Scott strained to hear.
“Tell me your side of the story.”
“I won three grand at the blackjack table over at the Ruby Slipper. I wanted to buy my wife something pretty. So I went to Diamonte’s.” He clenched his hands and refused to look up. “I didn’t know the bills was fake.”
“I see. I tell you what. I’m going to check on your story and I’ll be back in a bit. Are you hungry? I can have a sandwich or something sent up from the kitchen.”
George glanced up. “That would be nice. Thank you.”
“Coffee, soda, tea?”
“Coffee would be good.” George looked back down at his hands.
Scott patted him on the shoulder and smiled at Belle. Her own smile was almost predatory as she reached for the phone to call the kitchen. “The store manager is in your office with Gary.”
Scott nodded and made his way across the hall to his office.
Gary White sat in Scott’s chair, his feet on the desk, trying to look like he was in charge. With one look from Scott, Gary immediately put his feet on the floor and sat up straight. Scott continued to look at him until he realized he was sitting in Scott’s chair. Gary jumped to his feet, his face going red. A touch of anger showed in his eyes and Scott wondered why.
“This is Amanda Freeman. She’s the manager at the Diamonte,” Gary said, his tone a little sullen. He gestured at the woman who stood at Scott’s entrance.
Amanda Freeman was slim and elegant looking in a dove-gray suit that set off her café au lait skin to perfection. Wavy black hair was slicked back into a tidy bun at the back of her head.
“Thank you for waiting for me,” Scott said. He sat on the corner of his desk. “Tell me what happened.”
“He’s been in the Diamonte before with the same story he gave me last time.”
“And what was that?” Scott coaxed.
“Crystal waited on him last time. He told her he’d won three grand at the blackjack table at the Ruby Slipper, wanted to buy something pretty for his wife and he liked the jewelry we carried. I didn’t pay much attention at the time because I hear that story a couple times a day. But when I cashed out that night, I discovered I had nearly twenty-seven counterfeit bills in hundreds. And he was the only one who made a big purchase that day.” Amanda frowned. “And today when he walked in, I recognized him right away. He gave me the same story, picked out a necklace for his wife and forked over the money. The top three bills were genuine, but the rest of the money was counterfeit. I told him I would have to confiscate the counterfeit bills and he started to get belligerent with me. I called security and Belle arrived within two minutes.”
Scott nodded as she talked. “Thank you for your help. You can head back to work.”
“I’m closing tonight so I’ll be here until around nine-thirty.”
“Good. You’ll have to tell your story to the Secret Service when they get here. I’ll give you a buzz when they’re ready for you.” Scott opened the door to his office and allowed Amanda to leave. He turned to Gary White. “You did call them?”
Gary nodded. “I talked to an agent, Pierce Calderon, who said he’d be here within the hour, but he hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Thanks for taking care of that. Go on back to work and if I need you I’ll let you know.”
Gary opened the door at the same moment a tall, lean man knocked. He wore a plain dark blue suit and carried a hat in one hand. The slightest hint of a bulge at the side under his arm told Scott he was armed.
“I’m looking for Scott Russell,” the man said. “I’m Pierce Calderon, U.S. Secret Service. I hear you got yourself someone passing counterfeit money.” He handed his badge and ID to Scott who studied it carefully.
Scott held out his hand. “I’m Russell. I’ve got a guy named George Williams who says he won three thousand at blackjack at the Ruby Slipper and just wanted to buy something nice for his wife. But the store manager saw that most of the money was counterfeit.”
“Good ole George, though last month he was Harry, and Bertram the month before that.” Pierce said, shaking Scott’s hand. “We’ve been after him for a while. He’s been traveling all over Nevada and California passing funny money and buying jewelry, which he resells on eBay. Makes a tidy little profit. We put out an alert to all the casinos.”
“I’m still playing catch-up. I’ll look for the alert and make sure it’s posted in the retail areas. George-Harry-Bertram is all yours.”
“Thanks for getting him.”
Scott led the way across the hall. He paused before opening the door to the interview room. “How about helping me with a training program to educate the vendors? If not for the sharp eyes of the store manager, George would have gotten away with passing the fake bills a second time.”
“I hear you’re new in town and have some security issues here. I’ll be happy to help you set up a training program.”
“Thanks,” Scott replied. He opened the door to the interview room and allowed Pierce to precede him. George looked up, shifting uneasily in his chair. Scott and Pierce sat across from him. Scott nodded at Belle who immediately stood up and went to stand by the door.
“Hello, George,” Pierce said, his smile sharklike. “I’ve been looking for you.”
* * *
Nina sat on the floor, knitting needles clicking. She’d taken a break from her planning and wanted to finish the booties she was currently knitting for Jack Reston’s new baby boy.
Her laptop sat on the coffee table and papers were spread out as she studied the outline of her promotional campaign. At the moment, it looked like everything was chaos, but Nina’s experienced eye saw the way things were coming together. Eydie had started on the website and sent a preliminary report to Nina. Nina liked what she saw, but made notes on some changes she wanted. She planned to commission Scott to take more photos of the hotel and the casino to be posted on the website.
She tried to concentrate on her knitting, but her mind kept going back to Scott and their trip to Virginia City. She’d had a good time and wanted to plan another outing with him. Scott may have been deadly serious, but he had a fun streak. She wanted to see more of the funnier, laid-back side of him.
A knock sounded at the door. Kong lifted his head from where he’d been asleep on the sofa and gave a tentative bark.
“Some watchdog you are.” Nina scratched him behind the ears affectionately.
She pushed herself up and found Anastasia Parrish standing in the doorway, her tiny dog, Duchess, tucked firmly in her purse with just her head poking out.
“Hi, I know I’m a little early for Duchess and Kong’s playdate.”
Three days early to be precise. She stood aside for Anastasia to enter. “I was just about to have a snack. Can I interest you in some cheese and crackers? I found this lovely Brie at the market down the street. And these delightful little crackers. Iced tea or coffee?”
“Sounds wonderful. Coffee, please.” Anastasia set her purse on a table and lifted Duchess out. Duchess jumped at Kong, who eyed her as though he were being pestered by a fly.
Anastasia followed Nina into the small kitchenette. Anastasia looked around. “How homey.”
Nina shrugged. She’d seen the huge penthouse suite Anastasia had claimed for her own. “Compared to your suite, it’s pretty small.”
“I was so surprised at how luxurious the penthouse suite was. This hotel constantly surprises me.”
“Wealthy women from all over the United States used to come here for a quickie divorce.�
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“I thought that was Las Vegas.”
“Las Vegas,” Nina said, “was the marriage capital of the U.S., Reno was the divorce capital.”
Anastasia looked confused. “Did you come here for your divorce?”
“No.”
“I hear you didn’t get much from the divorce settlement.”
Nina’s eyebrows rose. “I got the most important things. My dog, my shoes and my pride.”
“When I get a divorce...” Anastasia said.
“Did you get married?” Nina asked, confused. She’d always had a hard time following Anastasia’s logic.
“No. Not yet. I’m planning ahead.”
“Maybe that was my problem.” Nina opened the Brie and set it on a plate. She popped the plate into the microwave for a few seconds until the cheese softened just enough to spread. She started the coffeemaker and poured iced tea into her own glass.
“In my social stratosphere...” Anastasia spread her hands over her chest. “We have to plan ahead.”
Nina was surprised Anastasia even knew the word stratosphere. Be nice, Nina chided herself. Underneath the arrogance and superiority, Anastasia was a predictably nice person. “Planning ahead has merits, but it does smack of taking all the romance out of a marriage.”
Anastasia shrugged. “You mean you married Carl for love. You’re so brave.”
Irritated at the thought that Anastasia made her sound like a fireman or a policeman charging into a burning building to save a baby, Nina tore open the plastic encasing the crackers and a few burst into crumbs. She set the crackers on the plate and added a jar of strawberry preserves. She loved a hint of strawberry on top of the Brie. She set the plate on the counter. Anastasia hopped on a bar stool and attacked the Brie.
“You got out in time.” Anastasia’s voice dropped to an intimate whisper. “I hear his career is in the toilet.”
“Why are you whispering?” Nina asked.
“I don’t want anyone to overhear us. Just in case your room is bugged.”
Love's Wager Page 10
