High Stakes

by Fern Michaels

  Jack looked around the table. His gaze settled on Abner. “Any luck with the couple’s finances?”

  “Yes and yes and yes again. I’m double-checking it all. I’ll have a printout for you soon.”

  “Espinosa, what did you dig up from the archives on the clubs?” Jack asked.

  “I have a whole parade of pictures for you all to view. On the surface, it looks just like what they are, supper clubs with live entertainment, with a few sidelines, like the shows they put on in Miami and LA every July and December. There’s a ton of their ‘do-gooder’ projects. There are some pictures of the guys, the dancers, but not what you would expect. You know, normal, everyday pictures as they go about their lives. Most of them look pretty preppy. Blazers, pressed khakis, no jewelry, no piercings. Normal young guys. I have to admit, that in itself was a bit of a surprise.”

  Ted said, “I’m beating a dead horse here with the background checks on the dancers. As dancers, do they use their real names, or do they give themselves names? We forgot to ask Toby. They get paid by check, so they pay taxes and have health insurance. But under what names? I didn’t have a master list to go by. Abner is going to have to hack into their records before I can get anything else.”

  Then it was Snowden’s turn. “The boy was right. He does have a tail. I even know who the agency is. Third rate at best. Obviously, they lost Toby yesterday and, with no other recourse, staked out the house he lives in, waiting for him to get home last night. Mia said two guys were already staked out when she picked Toby up at six this morning. The boy was spot on. He is definitely under surveillance. He is not paranoid.”

  “Then that has to mean we now have an active mission, right? We’re taking Toby’s case, right?” Dennis asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

  “It’s good enough for me,” Charles said. “We can vote on it to make it legitimate if you like. Raise your hand for taking on this new mission, people.”

  Every hand in the room shot upward.

  “It’s okay to tell Toby, isn’t it? I know he’s anxious.” Dennis was already pulling out his phone before Charles even nodded.

  * * *

  A few miles away, in Rock Creek Park, Toby and Mia walked hand in hand up one path and down another, speaking softly to each other as they continued their pretense of being lovers.

  “They’re behind us, pretending they belong. How stupid is that? Who wears sweats and leather-soled shoes? They must be new to the game. You didn’t notice that, did you, Toby?”

  “No, I didn’t, but I’m not a trained investigator, so why would you expect me to notice something like that? Does that mean you probably won’t be chewing anyone’s ear off today while in my company? Was there a lot of blood? How did you handle that?” Toby asked in a jittery voice that somehow stopped short of being angry sounding.

  “None of your business. Trade secrets. Pay attention to your surroundings. Look. There’s a bench up there. Let’s fake them out and sit down and pretend to make out.”

  Pretend. He planned to give it his all to see if he was man enough to rock her boat. Carrie said he’d rocked her boat a few times before she went all earthy on him. He immediately knew it was a bad idea. He had to remember that none of this was real. This was his life, his safety he was dealing with. Getting it on had no place under the current circumstances. She was a hottie, though, he had to admit. He wanted to ask her if she was involved with anyone, but knew that was also a bad idea. Just go with the flow, Toby.

  Once they were seated on the bench, facing each other, Mia leaned in and whispered, “Nibble on my ear like you mean it.”

  Ear? Oh, man, that was so not going to happen. “How about I just lick your nose or something? I’m . . . um . . . um . . . not into ears.”

  “Then, damn it, do it now. Here they come. Remember to paw me.”

  “You want me to do that all at one time? Lick your nose, grope you? What are you going to be doing?” Toby gasped as he tried to comply.

  “This!” Mia giggled as she plunged her hand onto his crotch.

  “Oh myyy Goddd!” Toby bleated just as two joggers in mismatched sweat suits and leather-soled shoes whizzed by. He almost rolled off the bench when he saw one of the joggers look over his shoulder and shout, “Get a room already!”

  Toby retaliated like any red-blooded twelve-year-old would. “Up yours, buddy. You’re just jealous!” He made sure his tongue was securely locked behind his teeth before he muttered, “Too much, huh?”

  Disgust ringing in her voice, Mia said, “What was your first clue?”

  Toby squirmed from side to side, hoping his junk would at least go to half-mast. “The business with the ear. Look, I know you’re a real smart-ass, and you think I’m a dumb ass, so let’s just leave it at that. What do we do now, o Fearless Leader? Do we sit here and wait for them to come back, or do we split, and I head to the Dog and Duck to meet up with the Dragon Lady? What?”

  “We’re going to sit here, hold hands, and stare into each other’s eyes like we’re in love. Trust me, those two yahoos are just around the bend, probably hiding in the bushes, waiting to see what we’re going to do. Eventually, they’ll head back this way. So we talk. Tell me about your ex-girlfriend, the one who dumped you. You still in love with her?”

  “I have a better idea. Why don’t we talk about you and this business you’re in?”

  “See, now, that doesn’t work for me. In order for me to protect you, I need to know everything there is to know about you, so I can anticipate trouble on the horizon. I already told you I am razor sharp and can take care of myself and you, too. So talk! How does it feel when all those screaming women are staring up at you when you bump and grind. Is it a turn-on? How many have you hit on? Or are you still true blue to the one who dumped you for some gray-haired lobbyist with major money? That is so not good, if that’s what you’re doing. You need to move on with your life.”

  “My personal life is none of your business, and I do not need any advice from you. I’ve decided I really don’t like you, Mia Grande, or whatever the hell your name is. You are too full of yourself. Oh, one last thing. I know in my gut that when push comes to shove, and it will happen, I’ll be the one saving your ass, not the other way around. We’re done here. I’m going to the Dog and Duck. Do whatever the hell you want. Like report me to that scary-looking dude who is your boss. Go for it. Then I’m going to report you to . . . to Cyrus. Just so you know, that monster dog can fold towels.”

  Before Mia could blink, Toby kissed her full on the mouth, putting on a lip-lock, and screamed, “Race you back to the car!”

  Mia was on her feet a second later, but she was too late. Toby was so far ahead of her, she knew she’d never catch up. Avery was not going to be happy with this turn of events. A dog that folded towels. That was a new one on her, and she thought she’d heard it all. She decided right then and there that she liked the brainiac, even though he’d said he didn’t like her. That was now. Later . . . Who knew what the future held?

  Chapter Seven

  The Ferrari growled its way to the curb and stopped.

  “You sure you can handle this, Toby? You seem a little too jittery to me. I need you to calm down. Like now. Take deep breaths. The girls are already inside, so they have your back. Keep your eyes on them and follow their cues if they offer any up. Nothing is going to happen in a public place like this. Watch Pilar’s eyes. No matter how hard you try, your eyes always give you away. I know you’re smart, Toby, but you’re out of your league here. The girls and I know how to play this, so don’t try anything on your own. We talked about this on the way over here. You are not going to be all gushy mushy with Pilar. That was all okay last night. Today it’s a different story. This morning your feet are firmly on the ground. Yes, you are in love. Yes to all the stuff you spouted last night to the housemother. Today, with your boss, you’re just happy and willing to share your happiness with Pilar, your boss. You got it?”

  “I got it. I am jittery. Once I’m in
side, I’ll be okay. Oh, am I supposed to know the girls inside?”

  “Yes. I introduced you to them a few days ago. My friends. You don’t have any background, just that they’re my friends and fellow grad students on lunch break. Don’t volunteer anything. Like I said, just react to their cues. Before this is over, you’ll be as suave and debonair as Sean Connery. You know, the original James Bond character. Think of it as a plus on your résumé next time you send one out.”

  “I don’t send out résumés. They come to me,” Toby said through clenched teeth. Like he could even come close to Sean Connery. Not even within a mile. He sighed and turned to open the door.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Mia said.

  “No. What?”

  “You’re supposed to get me in a lip-lock. A little squeeze here or there. I need to see some sparkle in those baby blues of yours. You’re supposed to be in love, remember? People are watching. It might be this fancy car, but they also want to see who is in this fancy car. For all I know, your boss already passed us and is inside or is watching from someplace. You’re an actor, so, damn it, start acting.”

  Toby felt his eyes narrow. She wanted acting. Well, then, he’d give her a first-class performance worthy of Sean Connery. Before Mia could draw a breath, Toby had her in a clinch as he smashed his lips against hers. He knocked off her pearly-white Stetson as his fist grabbed hair that smelled like lilacs, forcing her even closer to him. He swore later that he could feel the beat of her heart, or maybe it was his heart, or then again, maybe it was both their hearts. Sean Connery, eat your heart out.

  And then he was outside the low-slung sports car, leaning in the window, a wicked grin on his face. He thought his heart was going to explode right out of his chest, but somehow he kept his cool. “I’ll be available for an encore in about ninety minutes, if you think you can handle it. See you, sweet cheeks!”

  For the first time in her young life, Mia Grande was left totally and completely speechless. “Uh-huh,” was the best she could manage before she clamped the Stetson on her head and peeled away from the curb to head toward the Georgetown campus. “Uh-huh.”

  * * *

  Toby entered the Dog and Duck on trembling legs. Inside, it was neither dark nor light, just dim, with music blaring from somewhere. Toby tried to remember if he’d ever been here before, but nothing came to him. Probably, was his best guess, or someplace that looked just like this one. It was, after all, a sports bar of sorts, with television screens on every available wall. Wall-to-wall people, waitresses and busboys scurrying back and forth with platters of fast food, mostly finger food, held high to allow them to maneuver through the crowds. The noise level was deafening. He could feel a headache coming on. He looked around. How the hell was he supposed to find Mia’s operatives and Pilar in this mass of humanity?

  Toby looked down at the phone clutched in his hand. He felt the vibration and looked at the incoming text:

  Back of the bar. We’re here, and so is your boss.

  There was no signature. He jammed the phone in his pocket as he pushed and shoved and elbowed his way to the back of the room, where there were six booths and five tables. He saw Pilar immediately, taking up a table for four. He had to wonder how much that table cost her.

  “Right on time.” Pilar smiled up at him. “I took the liberty of ordering for us. You might want to think about wiping that lipstick off your cheek, honey.”

  Toby hated it when she called him honey. He flushed a bright crimson as he reached for the tissue Pilar was holding out to him. Then he remembered his instructions. He shrugged and grinned, just as Mia’s friends erupted in a loud greeting. He turned and bolted from the table to the booth to be hugged and squeezed. Eat your heart out again, Sean Connery.

  Five minutes of playful, happy banter followed before Toby turned to Pilar and said, “I’d like to introduce you to Mia’s friends, but I can’t remember their names. So, girls, this is my boss, Pilar Sanders. Pilar, meet . . .”

  One by one, the giggling girls introduced themselves. The last young woman, who introduced herself as Mandy Lee, looked at Pilar and brazenly asked if she was a cougar.

  Pilar laughed, but it was a forced sound. “Sorry, no. I’m happily married to a wonderful man.” She waved her left hand to make her point, at which point people started pointing at all the televisions on the walls and yelling for quiet. The room went totally silent.

  Toby looked up and almost blacked out when he saw Dennis and his fellow reporters standing next to two elderly ladies. What the hell . . . ? He looked over at Pilar, who was reading an incoming text, her eyes wide and disbelieving at what she was seeing. The thought that entered his mind was that whatever she was reading was good news, and she was delighted. But whatever it was she was reading couldn’t possibly be as interesting as what was playing out on the big-screen television sets. He watched, his jaw dropping, as someone named Countess Anna de Silva welcomed what looked to him like several hundred veterans holding up placards and pointing to the large building behind where they were patiently lined up. Doctors in white jackets and with stethoscopes around their necks stood next to a group of nurses in white, who were smiling into the cameras.

  The young woman named Mandy looked at Toby’s puzzled expression and hissed, “You do know who Countess de Silva is, right? If she isn’t the richest woman in the world, then she is the second richest, after that lady standing next to her, Myra Rutledge. Those ladies have taken on the current administration and the VA to get our veterans the help they need. It’s been all over the news for the past month. This is the result.”

  Toby frowned. He knew he was missing something here. He also knew that Mandy was trying to tell him something, but he was too dense to figure it out.

  “I wish my boyfriend, Avery Snowden, was here,” Mandy said. “He donates all his free time to VA centers.”

  Toby nodded. He finally got it. It was all falling into place for him now. He stepped back from the edge of the rabbit hole and fixed his gaze on Pilar, who finally started to pay attention to what was happening on the screens all around her.

  Pilar eyeballed Toby and smiled. She waved away what was playing out on the giant screens, which meant “Let’s get down to business.” The group of young women made their way back to their own table, still watching the TV screens. “So, tell me your good news.”

  Toby forced a grin that he didn’t feel. “I think I found my soul mate. I can only hope she feels the same way. I guess Martha told you, huh?”

  “Well, yes. That’s her job as housemother. She told me how deliriously happy you were last night, when you got home. Now, I don’t want to seem like one of those helicopter mothers, but this happened so quick, Toby, so naturally I’m a little concerned. What do you really know about the young lady, honey?”

  “All I need to know. I love her sense of humor. She’s kind, caring, and she loves animals. She does a lot of volunteer work for the elderly. She comes from Brazil. Actually, she’s an heiress to a fortune derived from some kind of hot sauce her family makes. She told me she has a trust fund that will never run out. Whatever that means. She’s going for her MBA at Georgetown and carries a four-point-oh GPA. It’s not the money. She didn’t even tell me that until last night, because she was afraid it would scare me away. She wants to be loved for herself, not her money. I don’t care either way. She wants her parents to come here to meet me. We plan to Skype tonight so she can introduce me to them. She’s in class right now but is picking me up after our lunch is over. I’ll introduce you to her.” Breathlessly, Toby picked up a crispy wonton and popped it into his mouth. He hoped he didn’t choke on it.

  “What does this mean in regard to your job, Toby? Are you planning on leaving us? You wouldn’t bail out on me this close to the end of the year, would you?” Pilar’s tone of voice clearly warned him he better not even be thinking about it.

  “Of course not. Mia is fine with what I do. She says she likes that I can express myself onstage. Nothing is g
oing to change, at least for now. When she finishes up her studies in the spring, it might be a different story. For now, it’s the status quo. Don’t tell me you’re worried about me. Oh, there is one thing. She wants a ringside table the nights I dance. I said no problem. That won’t be a problem, will it, Pilar?” Toby asked, a definite edge to his voice. “A whole table for six so she can have her friends with her.”

  “Of course that’s not a problem. For now. However, I’m calling a meeting tonight, before the first performance. An offer has come to us from Hong Kong that I want to discuss with my lead dancers. A very lucrative offer, I might add. So, Toby, tell me more about your new love,” Pilar said as she broke an egg roll in two, one that she never bothered to eat.

  I pulled it off. I think I really pulled it off. Damn. Toby, you are good.

  They talked for another half hour, until one of the operatives in the booth gave him a nod and held up her cell phone. Mia was waiting out front. Time to go.

  Toby looked up to see the girls sliding out of their booth. Then he looked up at the TV screens in time to see a dog named Gizmo offer up a snappy salute to the veterans making their way into the new clinic. He took a moment to wonder if the amazing dog could fold towels. His phone buzzed.

  “My ride is here, Pilar. Gotta go. What time is the meeting?”

  “Seven o’clock in the second-floor conference room at Supper Club One. You cannot bring your girlfriend. Understood?”

  “Understood,” Toby said.

  “You did say you were going to introduce me to your new love. Let’s do it, honey. I can’t wait to meet her.” Pilar laid some bills on the table, then set a bottle of hot sauce on top. She blinked when she read the label. GRANDE HOT SAUCE. If she weren’t in such a hurry, she might have noticed that the Grande label had been affixed over a Pico Pica label.

  Outside, the day had turned gray and blustery, leaves swirling in all directions as Pilar focused on the candy apple–red Ferrari whose engine was purring at the curb. She felt Toby’s hand on her elbow as he guided her to the curb and the purring Ferrari. The window slid down.