by Mia Zachary
A sharp rap at the door broke the spell. He held her stare for a few seconds and she saw her frustration and regret mirrored in his light green eyes. She inhaled deeply and tried to get her chaotic hormones under control. They didn’t have time. “Go let Emelio in while I fix my lipstick.”
“It’s not too late to back out, Meghan. We can do this without you.”
“No, you can’t, ‘Nick.’ We have a bad guy to trap.”
15
There’s no excitement in my life. I’ve always been the responsible, respectable, reliable one. Just once, I’d like to do something impulsive, maybe even a little dangerous….
SHOW TIME.
A surge of adrenaline raced through Alex’s veins. His heart thundered in his chest and he felt light-headed. He clenched his jaw when the nausea hit. Like a warrior preparing for battle, he tried to still his mind and yet remain alert to his surroundings.
Inside the Cayo Sueño Casino, slot machines jingled and clanged, and smoke from expensive cigars wafted toward the ceiling. Bright, multi-hued lights illuminated the tastefully decorated gaming hall. The low murmur of voices filled the casino full of people praying for Lady Luck’s blessing.
He usually got a rush out of situations like this, adrenaline being his drug of choice. He relished the surprise and the unknown. Now he dreaded pitting his wits, as well as his limited gaming skills, against Ramos and the others sure to be here, because something too precious depended on his performance: Meghan’s safety.
With effort, Alex yanked on the role he needed to play. Okay. His name was Nick Alexander. He was a finance geek. Confident, self-assured, jaded. Slightly arrogant look and attitude. A successful investment broker.
Striding through the casino, his eyes scanned the crowd. Concentrate on the faces. Forget the nausea, catalogue the players. He did nothing to indicate he knew the blackjack dealer across the way. Emelio glanced over and caught his eye, but didn’t acknowledge him either.
After stopping a waitress to order a beer, Alex headed for the cashier’s desk. He put on a professional smile, Nick’s smile, for the busty redhead behind the window. “Evening. I’d like to establish a line of credit.”
“Certainly, sir. I’m sure you’re good for it.” She offered him a wink and a flirtatious grin.
He pretended to laugh at her joke as he pulled out a wallet full of hundred-dollar bills. He chose the platinum card for which a special debit account had been set up and passed it across the counter.
“How much would you like to start with, sir?”
“Fifty thousand.”
The redhead didn’t blink. She simply ran his card through a scanner and selected a stack of chips in one-thousand-dollar denominations.
“Thanks.” Alex took the tray of fifty chips and started to turn when the redhead touched his arm.
“If you’re not doing anything later—”
He shook his head and smiled to soften his refusal. “Sorry. I’ve made other plans.”
Before Meghan, the generously endowed and scantily clad cashier might have easily found her way into his bed. Now, he had no interest in the woman or what she offered. Unfortunately, the woman he was interested in hadn’t completely forgiven him yet.
Since his first marriage broke up, he’d avoided any kind of commitment. It was just easier to be alone when he could never be sure where—or who—he’d be from week to week. Meghan made him realize what was missing from his life, how empty it was.
Whatever it took, he planned to have a future with her. The only thing he wanted more than seeing Ramos behind bars was seeing Meghan’s face across the pillows every morning.
Ramos stood to greet him as he approached a table set apart from the rest. “Nick. I began to think you were not coming.”
Yeah, right. No way in hell would he miss an opportunity to figure out how the money laundering operation worked. “How could I resist the chance to take your assets?”
Ramos’s laugh was too loud, too harsh. Studying his adversary, Alex realized the man was under the influence. His pupils were so dilated that his eyes appeared black. So the rumors were true. Ramos wasn’t just sampling his product; he was overindulging. That would make him more unpredictable than ever tonight.
Anxiety clawed at him. It clutched at his throat, tore at his gut. Meghan was counting on him. Just like Greg had looked to him for guidance and his ex-wife, Liz, had hoped for his affection. And Emelio had relied on his judgment in Overtown.
All of his life, people had expected things from him and somehow he’d failed to measure up… Not this time. Meghan’s safety depended on his ability to bait and trap Ramos. No matter what, he wouldn’t let her down. An odd sense of calm settled over him, like he’d reached the eye of the storm in his mind. His anxiety evaporated and the nausea passed as “Nick” met Ramos’s stare.
“I had some personal business to take care of first.”
“The best kind of business, I see.” Ramos removed a white handkerchief from his jacket, indicating a spot on the side of Alex’s neck.
How did Meghan’s lipstick get on him? He wiped the handkerchief along his throat, but nothing came off on the cloth. Aw, hell. The color on his skin was a love bite from the night before.
Ramos let out a dry rasp of false humor. “The lady has left her mark on you, my friend.”
Alex bared his teeth, letting the other man draw his own conclusions. “That’s what she gets paid to do.”
“Elise is not with you?” With a show of looking around, the bastard tried to goad him.
“Not anymore.” He pretended to hesitate, letting disappointment sharpen his tone. “Our business is finished.”
Ramos gave him a thin, satisfied smile, then indicated the empty seat at the table. “Shall we proceed?”
“Will Señor Braga be joining us?”
“Rogelio has been…unavoidably detained.”
Alex gave no outward sign of his reaction. Did that mean Braga was conducting some business or that Ramos had him murdered? He suddenly wished for that damned body mike so Emelio could try to find out.
In the meantime, he shook hands with the four men seated at the table. He’d just placed his chips on the table and taken his seat when the pretty blond waitress brought his beer.
“Thanks, babe. Don’t let any of these glasses go empty.” “Nick” tucked a hundred-dollar bill into her cleavage. Ramos nodded in approval.
Ogling the waitress’s legs as she walked away, the men passed several moments with idle boasts about stock trades and lies about women. Once the small talk was exhausted, the dealer began shuffling cards. Each of the players threw his thousand-dollar ante into the pot.
Alex lit a cigarette and studied his hand. Not bad. Not bad at all. He was more than pleased to see the queen of clubs and the queen of hearts among them. The latter reminded him of Meghan and he glanced over at the entrance. As if he’d willed her presence, she walked in.
The sight of her had the same impact as the first time they’d met. Despite the danger they were facing, primal lust grabbed him by the—wait. She seemed nervous, uncertain. Her fingers toyed with the bracelet on her wrist. Only Meghan did that, not “Elise.”
Alex sighed. She’d done a great job the other night when impulse and instinct guided her. Now, though, Meghan was fully aware of what she’d gotten herself into. He desperately wanted to take her in his arms and walk her right back out the door. But he knew how the game had to play out.
Her eyes scanned the room, searching. The instant she focused on him, an expression of glad relief crossed her face. She winked at him and threw her shoulders back, suddenly looking bolder, a little more cynical and a lot more confident.
Alex watched her transformation with reluctant admiration.
With a poised and determined stride, “Elise” sauntered through the casino. Ramos must have seen her, too, because he quickly excused himself from his guests.
With lightning speed, Alex’s mind conjured up, and just as rapidly discar
ded, several lame excuses to follow. Trusting Meghan to pull off the charade again was taxing every instinct he had.
He deliberately unclenched his jaw. Relax. Watch the game. The play moved quickly since everyone at the table except him seemed to be getting bad hands. He was only down a few thousand dollars, but the others had dropped at least a hundred grand in record time.
During the next few deals, he noticed the other players bet too heavily, considering their losses. And they were using the one-thousand-dollar chips. The tray of ten-thousand-dollar chips in front of Ramos’s seat hadn’t been touched.
“Is it just me or has Lady Luck abandoned us tonight?”
Alex looked over at the man who’d spoken. He was surprised to see that, despite the question, Shelton was in a good mood. Especially for a guy who’d lost forty thousand dollars just in the last hand.
One of the other players, Kent, laughed and slapped Shelton on the back. “I have a feeling she’ll be back to visit us soon.”
Some instinct set off warning bells in the back of Alex’s subconscious. “You sound awfully certain about that.”
Shelton gave him a sharp look before he dropped his gaze to focus on his cards. Kent laughed again. “Take it easy. Braga told me Nick here is our newest banker. Let him in on the joke.”
Kent showed his cards. He had a straight flush with face cards. What the hell? Shelton turned over a four-of-a-kind and the other players had similar good cards. These guys were losing on purpose. Alex shot a glance at the tray of ten-thousand dollar chips. Jackpot.
The profits from the drug sales were being washed, dried, starched and pressed right here in the casino.
ATTITUDE.
It was all about the attitude and, oh baby, did she have that. She was mysterious, intelligent and sexy. Everything a man could want. Ramos didn’t stand a chance. “Elise” ate guys like him for breakfast and still had room for a snack before lunch.
Meghan leaned forward, resting one arm along the table’s edge. She tilted her head invitingly and smiled. “So…you’d like to enjoy my company for a while. I have to tell you, Frankie, I’m very particular when choosing my associations.”
“I applaud your discretion.” Ramos sat across from her with his back to the bar. He had demanded the best bottle of champagne available and then proceeded to gulp it down like water. Judging by his wild hand motions and animated expressions, he was more than drunk.
“Tell me, what attracts a woman like you, Mistress Elise?”
She immediately thought of Alex. His sexy laugh, his easy charm, his tender affection. She knew he was close by, but for now she was on her own. “Elise” traced her middle finger in lazy circles around the rim of her champagne flute, pleased to see Ramos’s eyes follow the movement.
“Every man is different. What turns me on isn’t easy to define or explain.”
“I can’t help but wonder how Nick Alexander was able to hold your interest.” He finished his champagne, refilled it from the second bottle and topped off her glass.
She shook her head coyly, her tone reproachful. “My former patrons, and what I may have done to them, shouldn’t concern you. He was an amusing diversion, but now I’m looking to move on. I’m wondering whether you have what it takes to keep me interested.”
“You’re already interested, my dear. Otherwise you would not have accepted my invitation.”
“I’ll admit to being curious about you.” She dipped her index finger into the champagne and slowly raised it to her mouth. Holding his gaze, she licked the wine from her fingertip.
“I am a very important man.” He puffed out his chest and sat a bit taller in his seat. “More successful and more powerful than Alexander will ever be.”
That was the third or fourth time he’d mentioned Nick. It was getting tiresome and the tape securing the microphone between her breasts had begun to itch. Maybe she needed to kick her attitude up a notch.
“Really, Francisco. If I agree to take you on, you’ll have to convince me that you’re worth my time.” She cast him a condescending glare. “I’m beginning to have my doubts.”
Violent anger flashed across his face, giving him a crazed look. His mood had swung 180 degrees in a matter of seconds. “Francisco Guillermo Ramos is not a man to be trifled with. Do you think you can toy with me, Elise?”
Sticking pins in his overinflated ego had been too tempting to resist. Meghan casually lowered her eyes, pretending to inspect her manicure. Maybe she should have resisted? No. Don’t back down.
“I know I can toy with you, Frankie. That’s what you offered to pay me for.”
After a beat, he laughed heartily and she knew she was still in control. “Business. This, I understand.”
“Hmm, yes, you would, wouldn’t you?” Time to wind him a little tighter around her finger. “A man of your reputation, a man with power and success. Maybe you can help me with a small problem.”
His dark eyes glittered from more than the effects of the wine. “Perhaps we can help each other. My advice in exchange for your services.”
She angled her head, making sure Emelio was still at the blackjack table to her left. He nodded and smiled briefly. Here goes. Meghan arched her back slightly to expose more cleavage, batted her lashes and pretended to confide in him.
“One of my clients can be rather talkative, given the proper motivation.” She wiggled her brows, but left the details to his imagination. “I took advantage of some information he let slip. Now I have a large sum of money I’d rather not give to the Internal Revenue Service.”
His tone was dismissive as Ramos emptied the second champagne bottle into their glasses. “Cash-based operations such as my vending machines, fast-food restaurants and pawnshops are quite efficient—”
She made a tsking sound as she reached for him, trailing her fingernails over his hand. When he looked up, she licked her lips slowly. “I need more than that, Frankie. If you really want me to perform the fantasy you requested, then I want help moving my funds offshore.”
“I do not think—”
“Don’t think. Imagine. Picture me doing all of the things you whispered in my ear. All of them. Twice.”
Ramos swallowed visibly and shifted on his chair. “My money is structured into smaller amounts and placed in regular bank accounts. After that it is wired to my cousin as an overseas transfer.”
Over Ramos’s left shoulder, Meghan saw Alex walk up to the bar. She noticed him look toward Emelio, then grin. It seemed “Elise” was getting the evidence they were after. He made a circular motion with his index finger to keep Frankie talking.
Under the table, she slid her foot up and down his leg. She tilted her chin to one side and squeezed his hand suggestively. “What happens to the money after that?”
“Here is the brilliant part, Elise. Cousin Pablo has set up special accounts for ‘charitable donations.’” He named a South American children’s organization.
Meghan’s nails dug into his hand before she could hide her dismay. You son of a— She’d given those frauds a hundred bucks last year! Now she knew the money went into Ramos’s pockets instead of a hungry child’s stomach.
He kept talking, as if the more he told “Elise,” the more she’d do to him later. He clutched at her hand, but she slid her fingers away. Unable to stand the sight of him, she looked over at the bar.
Alex had been nursing a bottle of beer while keeping his eyes on Emelio. All of a sudden, she saw him break into a wide smile of triumph. He casually reached up with his left hand to twist the diamond stud in his ear. That was the signal for her to, as he’d put it, “get the hell out of the way.”
“Well, I’m very impressed, Frankie.” Mission accomplished, she gripped her evening bag and stood up. Moving to the right of her chair, she gave him a coy smile. “I need to powder my nose, but I’d like to hear more when I get back.”
She’d taken only a few steps toward Alex when the casino erupted into chaos. Emelio came rushing around from the blackjack ta
ble, bellowing, “Freeze!” More than a dozen law enforcement agents seemed to appear from thin air, shouting commands and waving badges.
Someone screamed, a tray of glassware shattered, a woman fainted and casino patrons tried to scramble out of the way. Ramos twisted in his chair and called out. “Come back, Elise. I’ll protect you!”
She turned at the sound of his voice, not sure which way to move to avoid getting trampled. The federal agents were converging from all directions and she really didn’t want to get caught in the middle.
Ramos had sobered up immediately, his eyes wild as he took in the pandemonium. Then his gaze narrowed dangerously as he focused beyond her. Uh-oh.
Some of Alex’s satisfaction must have shown on his face because Ramos scowled at him in utter fury. Meghan knew the instant Frankie realized he’d been set up. She saw the sickened disbelief in his eyes as he knocked over the chair and leapt to his feet.
She watched in horror as he reached under his jacket and freed his gun from its holster. “No!” she screamed.
Ramos pointed it directly at Alex’s chest. “Hijo de perra! This time I will not miss.”
This can’t happen again. I won’t let it! With no thought for her own safety, Meghan spread her arms to block his aim. She felt Alex tackle her from behind, his shoulder slamming into her back. The force knocked the air from her lungs and the momentum swept them to the floor.
Pain. Burning pain. The top of her right shoulder was on fire. When she looked, she saw that blood ran down her arm. As she got her wind back, she swallowed hard against the bile rising in her throat.
“Oh my God, sweetheart. You’re hit!”
Alex pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it firmly to her arm. He kissed her temple as she winced in pain. “Hey! Somebody call 9-1-1. We need an ambulance!”
She held tightly to him, trying not to black out from shock and adrenaline overload. Alex shifted his weight and helped her to sit up. She looked over to see Emelio plant a foot on Ramos and wrest the gun away from him.
