by Jo Davis
“Hey, sorry we’re late! Damn — the traffic was a bitch, and we almost got creamed by some guy in a Benz.” Pausing, the newcomer smiled at Blaze, then glanced between him and Emma. “Hello, I’m Landon Hart.” He offered his hand.
Blaze shook it, assessing the gorgeous man before him. Honey-brown hair fell into vivid turquoise eyes that danced with good humor. He had a handsome, honest face with full lips and a hint of shadow on his cheeks. Lean build, but strong, as evidenced by the sinewy chest and torso hugged by a simple black T-shirt tucked into black leather pants. A trim waist, long thighs corded with just the right amount of muscle.
Two words — male perfection.
“John Chase, and this is my wife, Brandi.”
“This is my sub, Nicole Andrews,” Hart said warmly, his affection for her obvious as he reached for her hand, brought it to his lips.
Emma greeted the pair, and they did likewise, the picture of happiness, their ease with each other apparent. The woman, Nicole, was a real looker, with long, dark brown hair and big brown eyes. She was about a foot shorter than Hart, and slender, but there was a strength about her, a presence that demanded attention. Blaze couldn’t put his finger on it, but he would. Eventually.
The new couple sat, and Hart was very solicitous of Nicole, making certain she was comfortable and asking whether she’d like a drink, which she accepted, giving him a smile that lit the air around them. He noticed Emma studying them from underneath her lashes, expression unreadable. Kosta’s face, however, betrayed faint disgust at their lovey-dovey display.
A hunch began to form: Hart was their fall guy. If Hart had a clue what was really being done with the money he was handing over to this crew, Blaze would eat his own leathers. They’d probably lied to him, showed him false documentation of how worthy his investments were in their grubby hands.
Hart was an honest man who was being used for his money and as a smoke screen to lend them credibility. He’d stake his reputation on it. He might be wrong, but he didn’t believe so. Wouldn’t be too difficult to find out for sure.
“So, how do you know my colleagues here?” Hart asked, curious but friendly.
Colleagues, not friends. He filed that away.
“I don’t. We had the pleasure of Mr. Kosta introducing himself to us last night, and we had quite an… eventful evening.”
At this, Hart’s smile dimmed the barest fraction. “I’ll bet. So what’s your occupation, Mr. Chase?”
“John, please.” The lie about his name was stale on his tongue. The honest ones always bothered him when he was undercover, like he was using them. Which was true.
“Lan,” the man responded in kind. “That’s what most people call me.”
“Lan,” he acknowledged with a faint smile. “I take on short-and long-term investments, such as flipping real estate and buying and selling stock. I win some and I lose some, but fortunately the win column is larger.”
A meaningful look passed between Kosta and Meyer, a look Lan didn’t catch. But Nicole did, and her eyes narrowed briefly before her expression smoothed out to neutral, which Blaze found intriguing.
Kosta leaned forward, elbows on the table, apparently ready to get to the point. “I know. I took the liberty of doing some checking on you, and your financial portfolio is very impressive indeed.”
Kosta’s avarice seemed to indicate that the man had not recognized him. Yet.
“I’m not sure whether to be insulted or flattered,” he drawled, arching an eyebrow. He allowed a hint of anger to darken his tone. “Do you run background checks on every person you meet? Or am I just special?”
“It’s a compliment, I assure you. Few people possess the intelligence to become a success or the capital to make it happen. You, my new friend, have both.” That smile was so corrosive, it could eat paint off the side of a house.
Now that Kosta had made the bold move forward to schmoozing him, he had to tread carefully. Not appear too eager. “Right. And I didn’t become successful by caving to every scrap of flattery tossed my way.” He ended on a slight note of humor to take the sting from his words.
“Nor did you get where you are by being blind to good business,” the man countered. “Isn’t that so?”
“True enough,” he allowed reluctantly. “I assume you have a point?”
“You’re forthright and don’t waste time, Chase. I like that about you, because I carry those same traits myself.” Kosta leaned forward, earnest, as though he were about to impart the location of the lost Confederate gold. “What would you say if I told you I had two exclusive investment opportunities for you to consider, too big to pass up?”
“I’d say tell me about them and I’ll be the judge of how passable they are.”
“Smart man.” Kosta waved to Meyer. “I’ll let Ralph tell you about the first one, since it’s his baby. But first, why don’t we let the ladies take themselves off to the bar to get their drinks and get acquainted?”
Dismissed as useless females. Blaze winced as Emma’s gaze snapped up, eyes on fire. Thank God she recovered before the other men noticed, rising and shooting a smile at Nicole.
He tracked their progress to the bar, then looked at Meyer again. The guy was Ralph now that Kosta was playing the familiarity card. Making Blaze feel included in their circle. Was it transparent only to him because he’d been working as a covert spy for so many years?
“We’re starting an arena football team,” Meyer said, warming to the topic. “In the Eastern division, the Richmond Rebels. It’ll be—”
“Hang on. Didn’t the AFL fold last year?” He frowned.
Meyer shook his head. “No, they filed Chapter 11 and suspended the season. But now they’ve come to an agreement to get under way again, and the league is expanding. Exciting new changes are coming, there’s money to be made, and we want in on the action.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been a follower of arena football other than what little I catch on the news,” said Blaze skeptically. “I’m not sure I could invest in something that’s teetering on the brink of extinction.”
“Sounds more dire than it is.” Meyer waved off his concern. “They’ve got it all worked out, no problem. We have a detailed plan to show you, with the bottom line clearly laid out, if you’d care to take a look. Listen, you don’t have to be a fan to appreciate making money. What can it hurt? Looking’s free, right?”
Clever bastards, mixing just enough truth with the lies — the lies being that the millions “invested” would ever be used to start any team. “Sure, what the hell. I’ll go over the information, but don’t hold your breath on that one. I’m not sold on the idea of sinking cash into sports teams, period.”
“Fair enough.”
“What’s the other one?”
“Importing coffee beans and soybeans,” Kosta said with a small smile. “Not nearly as glamorous, but profitable. I’ll get you the file on that as well.”
Oddly enough, Blaze had a change of opinion. His gut told him that the arena football thing was legit, while the products were the scam. A stroke of genius when you thought about it. The investor would be so dazzled by the idea of being a team owner — what was a few hundred thousand more for coffee beans and soybeans?
He turned his attention to Lan. “I take it you’ve been satisfied with these ventures?”
“Well, everything’s in the fledgling stages, and it takes a while to turn a profit, but yes — I am so far. I don’t even have to handle any of the details. Augustine and Ralph see to all the legalities.”
I’ll just bet they do.
“All right, I’ll study both and we’ll go from there. Now, Lan, why don’t you tell me about that pretty sub of yours?”
The man’s face lit, and he spent the next half hour doing just that, listing exactly why Nicole was the most perfect woman who’d ever lived. Not only was she a wonderful sub, but apparently she had a wicked sense of humor, was a great cook and a gifted pianist, and had a black belt in karate. The last s
eemed so “one of these things is not like the other” that his eyes widened.
Well, okay. A woman should be able to defend herself, after all.
Whatever. He couldn’t help but like a guy who was clearly gone over his woman.
Adding his own praise about his “wife,” he settled into the conversation while keeping an eye on their ladies sitting at the bar. Lan did the same, his protective instincts showing.
Yeah, if circumstances were different, he wouldn’t mind getting to know them better.
A lot better.
* * *
Emma found stools at the bar for her and Nicole, silently fuming at being ordered from the table like an annoying child. “Rude asshole,” she muttered, earning a throaty laugh from her new companion.
“My thoughts exactly,” Nicole agreed. “From the day I met Augustine and Ralph, I’ve wanted nothing more than to push them both off a bridge.”
“Then it’s not just me.” With a sigh, she beckoned to the bartender, who hurried right over.
“What can I get you ladies?”
“A glass of Chardonnay for me,” she said.
“Jack on the rocks, and make it a double, please.” The other woman made a face. “It’s been that kind of day.”
“You’ve got it.” The man moved away to fill their orders.
Emma studied the beautiful woman, finding her to be an intriguing mix of tough and feminine. What woman drank straight whiskey? None she knew.
“How long have you known those men?”
“I met them several months ago, right after Lan and I became a couple. Why he puts up with them, I have no clue,” the woman said with a frown. “Sometimes I think he’s got too good a heart, too trusting a soul.”
“Is it possible, I wonder, for a man to be too good?” The bartender set down their glasses, and Emma waved her off when she reached for her money. “I’ve got this round.”
“Thanks. I’ll get the next one. Anyway, I suppose not. There aren’t enough heroes in the world anymore, and Lan is one of the few.” She smiled, her feelings shining in her eyes. “I worry about his trusting nature, though. He’s just so damned good and kind he doesn’t see the evil in people.”
“And you do?”
“Oh, yes,” Nicole said softly. “I’ve seen more than most.”
“How so?”
“You don’t want to know. But trust me when I tell you that you and your husband don’t want any part of the shit those other two are shoveling. Whatever they’re trying to get him into, talk him out of it.”
“Pardon me for saying so, but if you feel this strongly, why haven’t you done the same with Lan?”
The other woman took a sip of her whiskey and paused, her face suddenly sad. “I can’t. As much as I love him, I can’t keep him from doing business with them. It’s… not my place.”
“As his sub?”
“Yes.”
Emma sipped her wine, mind whirling. Nicole’s words didn’t ring entirely true, as if she had other reasons for letting Lan make a huge mistake. Reasons she couldn’t or wouldn’t share. One thing that did ring true was her love for Lan. The strong emotion fairly radiated from the woman.
“I can’t tell Bl — John much, either, but I’ll try. He’s hardheaded to a fault.” Jesus, she’d nearly blown it! For all that Nicole seemed nice and Emma liked her, this woman could be her enemy. The thought that they might find out about her and Blaze had her breaking into a cold sweat.
“A regular alpha male, huh?”
“Down to his DNA. But he’s got a mushy heart, too. It’s in the little things he does, like his concern for others, how he helps everyone he can. How he always shows me how much he loves me, not just telling me.”
“You’ve got it bad, like me.” Nicole grinned. “A toast to good men who happen to be hot.”
They toasted, and Emma started to giggle, completely unaware that they had company until fingers grazed the back of her neck and she started, ready to defend herself against some fool who wanted to get frisky. Instead, she saw with relief that Blaze and Lan were standing behind their stools, looking amused.
“You two are getting pretty chummy over here,” Lan teased. “Is this a hen party, or can the roosters play, too?”
“Hmm. Depends on how the cock is willing to play,” Nicole quipped. “Naughty or nice?”
The men laughed, and Blaze elbowed Lan. “I think our ladies have had too much time on their hands, sitting over here drinking and getting full of themselves. What do you think?”
“I believe you’re right, my new friend. I think it’s time to remind our beauties who their masters are, employ a bit of discipline. What do you think?”
“The best idea I’ve heard all day,” Blaze said, leering at Emma like a hungry wolf. “Do you want to get rooms in the back?”
Emma’s nipples perked under his attention, knowing she was in for it tonight.
“I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you both come with us to my house, join us for a nightcap?” Lan suggested. “Then we can go from there.”
“We’d love to, thank you,” Blaze said, accepting for them both. He appeared excited by the prospect, and not simply because it was a good idea to get inside one of the investors’ homes and look for clues.
No, she had a feeling his reasons were far more carnal in nature and would involve getting naked as soon as possible. She had to admit the prospect of playing with the gorgeous couple revved her libido into overdrive.
“Follow us, then. It’s not too far from here.” With a wink, Lan helped Nicole from her stool and laid an arm protectively about her shoulders, leading her toward the exit.
Blaze took Emma’s hand and tugged her along, outside and to the car. Once safely buckled in and on the road, Emma turned to him.
“Kosta! What a chauvinist pig, sending us off with a pat on our heads while the ‘big men’ discussed business. Boy, that tweaks my titties!”
He snorted. “I’ll be the judge of that.” At her murderous glare, he relented. “Sorry, baby. He’s an arrogant prick, I agree. But remember, we’re in his camp, so we play by his rules. For now.”
“I know. Give me the rundown. Your impressions?” The recap was as much for Ozzie and Willis, who were listening as always.
“He and Meyer were talking up their plan to start an arena football team, which is going to require millions. Strangely enough, I’m leaning toward that one being on the level.” He entered the freeway behind Lan as he continued. “The other is investing in coffee and soybeans. After the glamorous lure of being a team owner, I think the boring product investment is a clever scam.”
“That would make sense. When the coffee beans and soybeans don’t pan out and the football team does, their mark will be so dazzled he won’t care. Hell, if he has that much money, he won’t miss it and might even make some off the team eventually.”
“In which case they hit him up to invest in something else. After all, they’ve gained his confidence, and he’ll be willing to shell out more. They get to keep the symbiotic relationship going without the mark getting suspicious for years, if ever.”
“And meanwhile, they’re funneling the mark’s ‘bad investment’ into the Liberation terrorists’ fund. Damn, they’re good.”
“Yes, they are.”
“I think Lan is innocent, Blaze,” she said earnestly. “Every instinct is screaming that this man is a mark, not their partner, and has no idea about the Liberation group.”
“I agree.” He fell silent for a moment. “What about Nicole? Where do you believe she fits in?”
“I’m not sure, but unless she’s a really good actress, she loathes Kosta and Meyer by her own admission and doesn’t want Lan having anything to do with them. But she claims she can’t stop him from doing what he wants.”
“Well, she can’t really, if his mind is made up.”
“Yes, but there’s more — I feel it. There’s more to her than meets the eye, but I don’t get the sense that she’s dirty. S
he loves Lan to distraction… the way I love you.”
He shot her a smile and squeezed her hand. “You hear that, boys? Weep into your beer. She’s mine.”
Good grief, she couldn’t get used to having an audience and looked forward to the day they could ditch the minicams. On that day, she planned to run naked through the house and drive Blaze wild.
Moments later, they left the freeway and took the same exit as the one they used to return to the house they’d moved into temporarily.
“Hey, their neighborhood is close to ours,” he observed.
The words gave her a tiny thrill. Would there ever be a real neighborhood that was theirs, together? When this was over, would he ask her to move in with him, or vice versa?
God, she longed to share her life with him completely. Without barriers.
But that was another issue for another day.
At the moment, they had inroads to forge.
And pleasures to explore.
Fourteen
“We have a new investor, Mr. Dietz,”Kosta informed him. “A man named John Chase, self-made. Not quite as wealthy as some marks, but he’ll fatten the Liberation’s coffers nicely.”
Dietz’s fingers gripped the phone as he imagined it was Kosta’s throat. “You’re getting careless, Augustine, speaking too freely of details over the phone.”
“I’m careful,” the man replied coolly. “I’ve never failed you before.”
“As evidenced by the fact that you’re still alive. No one fails me a second time.” A pause ensued on the other end, and Dietz snapped, “What is it?”
“This man, Chase…”
“Yes? What of him, dammit?”
“He checks out, but his appearance is almost too neat. Still, I approached him, not the other way around,” he added thoughtfully.
“Then dig further.” God, he was surrounded by imbeciles today. “Do I have to come there and wipe your ass as well?”
Kosta’s answer was low and pissed. “Of course not. I’ll look into it more, and if I come up with anything you’ll be the first to know.”
