by Debra Webb
He dropped a kiss on her lips. “Thank you.”
“Thank me later.” She glanced around at the dance floor. “I wish I could just spot the buyer already.”
A movement near the bar caught his eye. One of their tall, dark and stoic entourage was on the radio.
“We may have trouble,” he murmured, turning as they danced so she could get a look.
“How do you want to play it?”
“I’d rather not aggravate the locals. We need to get access to the security videos.”
“We can be casual. But it does look like something is up.”
Definitely. Their protection approached the dance floor and signaled them toward the bar. Keeping her tucked to his side, they left as the song faded.
He exchanged a look with Gin as they followed the team behind the bar and through the kitchen.
“Hang on,” Gin said, bringing the whole group to a stop. “What’s going on?”
“Details are sketchy,” the team leader said. “But someone just tried to break into the penthouse.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Gin shook her head. “There’s a guard posted in plain sight by the elevator.”
“He’s been drugged. The guard posted inside the door caught the burglar before any damage could be done.”
“Inside?” Jason questioned.
“Just inside the vestibule, sir.”
Jason waved it off. “I’m not trying to challenge your methods.” He was more worried they’d see he’d taken up residence in the second bedroom and question the newlywed story. “Can we talk with him?” It had to be Frost trying to track down Gin. He reached for the inner pocket of his jacket, where he’d stashed the identification he’d brought along tonight.
“You’re welcome to watch on a monitor, but I can’t let you in the room with her.”
“Her?” Jason and Gin said in unison.
The team leader shrugged a beefy shoulder. “Female burglars are more common than you think. Her method’s a little different, but she’s not nearly as bizarre as some we get around here.”
“I bet,” Gin muttered.
“Can you think of any reason you’ve been targeted?”
Gin looked up at him and gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.
“No,” Jason replied for them both. “We came here for a convention and got married.” He put on his best besotted groom smile. “It’s that simple and shouldn’t matter to anyone but us.”
“Well, come on then. But you’re only invited as a professional courtesy.”
“Thanks,” Jason said. One step at a time. If they proved they could maintain their composure and just watch, maybe they could press the advantage and get a look at the security cameras.
They followed the team through the extensive network of halls and facilities that made everything run so smoothly for the guests and patrons of the hotel and casino.
There were plenty of cameras back here, too. Beside him, Jason knew Gin was also memorizing the route and prepared for the situation to change at any moment.
Mr. Latimore, chief of hotel security, met them at the door with a friendly introduction and ushered them into his office. The space looked more like a large living room with all the expected creature comforts than an office.
“I thought you’d be more comfortable watching from here.” Latimore raised a remote toward the flat-panel monitor on the wall. “Have a seat. Would you like a drink?”
They declined the drink but sat together on the leather sofa, hands linked and balanced on his thigh. Just two normal people who’d inexplicably found themselves targets. If they got any better at this marriage and partnership thing, Jason might have to find a better-looking ring than the simple gold band she wore now.
He waited for the cold fear that should accompany such a thought, but it didn’t come. Strange, but the thought of forever with this woman felt right. He’d have to figure it out later because he could see on the monitor that a blond-haired woman had entered the other room, a hotel security guard behind her.
Jason narrowed his gaze. It was the same woman they’d seen earlier in the restaurant, the one who’d tried to poison him in the bar last night.
“That’s who tried to break in?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Latimore replied.
She was seated at a small table, and the security officer across from her started his questioning.
Gin didn’t twitch and her breathing didn’t change, but somehow Jason knew something was wrong. They listened to the standard series of questions, but no one in either the interrogation room or here in the office was buying the answers.
“It was a dare. I just went up to look around.” The blonde leaned forward. “Which celebrity is it? Come on,” she wheedled. “I can’t go back to my friends empty-handed.”
“Discretion is part of our service.”
“You’re no fun.”
The interrogator ignored that. “You aren’t registered in our hotel.”
“Does that mean you’re about to be indiscreet with me?”
Jason recognized the dumb blonde routine, figured she’d ride it all the way to a misdemeanor charge—and a hefty fine—except for the poison thing.
“Do you know what she used on the guard?”
“Nothing lethal, just enough to knock him out. Probably a derivative of ketamine, based on his reactions. The guard inside heard voices near the elevator and assumed it was the other guard’s girlfriend, but when he looked out, it was this woman.”
“So she really didn’t get past the vestibule?” Gin asked.
“No, ma’am.”
She squeezed his hand, and when he met her gaze he saw tears welling in her eyes. He knew the tears were for show, but something had spooked her.
“Jason,” she whispered. “This is ridiculous.” She cleared her throat and turned to Latimore. “We appreciate all you’ve done, but maybe we should change hotels,” Gin said.
“I’m not sure that would make any difference, honey,” Jason argued gently. “Someone is determined to ruin our honeymoon.”
“Our staff doesn’t intend to let that happen. Our teams can keep you safe.”
Jason knew it wasn’t true. The woman was likely nothing more than a pawn in the bigger game. She probably didn’t even know who really hired her to give them grief. “Does this woman have any ties to the person who opened fire at the pool?”
“Not that we’ve been able to connect, but we’ve just started investigating. I have teams going through all of the footage over the past several days, tracking her movements through our property.”
“That doesn’t eliminate the idea that she met with someone elsewhere.”
“That’s true.” Latimore shook his head. “All of the casinos share information about this sort of risk.” He turned down the volume on the monitor as the woman started weeping loudly.
Jason leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his knees. “This woman sent me a drugged drink at the bar last night.”
“I haven’t seen that report.”
“We didn’t file one.”
Latimore leaned closer to his desk. “Would you like to?”
“No, thanks.” Jason reached into his pocket for a business card. “We handled it. If you’d just keep us updated, please.”
“I can do that. Standard procedure is to hand her over to LVPD. I can assure you she won’t be allowed back on the premises.”
“Thanks,” Gin said. “That’s the best news I’ve heard so far.”
Now that Latimore had seen his business card, Jason ventured into deeper water. “What’s the status of the incident at the pool?”
“The room he most likely used to stage the attack was clean. From what the police have told me, the shooter hasn’t been caught, but he has not struck again.”
“Thank you.” To Gin, he said, “Shall we go?”
Gin nodded and they got to their feet.
“Please enjoy the rest of your evening. My team will make sure no
one else can bother you.” As they left, they were once more flanked by burly men in dark suits who escorted them back to the public areas of the hotel.
“Where to now?”
“The room,” Gin replied. “I’m tired of these heels.”
He didn’t believe it. “We could rest your feet at a blackjack table for a bit. There’s that line of credit with our name on it.”
She shot him a look. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“What about the sports betting room?” He couldn’t risk being alone with her right now. That dance had him wanting something she wasn’t offering. They were supposed to be platonic in private, but he wasn’t sure he could manage that anymore. “A show maybe?”
She stopped short and went toe to toe with him. “What am I missing?”
Me, he thought but couldn’t say it. “Have you spotted someone?”
“No.” The defeat in her voice had him wanting to make all of this right for her.
The truth was, in a crowded place like this the only way to find anyone was to become an easier target. She might be tracking the virus, but he wasn’t convinced Frost had vacated the premises, which meant she was still in danger for reasons neither of them comprehended.
“Let’s go upstairs.” She pressed her body closer to his, whispering in his ear. “We need to talk.”
Talk. If that was her plan, he needed time to cool off. “Thirty minutes.” He’d spotted Frost playing blackjack before. Maybe he’d show up again. “I want to look around.”
“Fine. But we leave when you’re five hundred down.”
Chapter Eleven
Gin couldn’t believe Jason was up two grand after an hour of play. Her feet had never really been the problem, but the champagne she was sipping was starting to take a toll. It was enough to give her a sweet buzz but not so much that she couldn’t keep an eye out for Isely or anyone who might be connected to him.
She had no idea what Jason might be looking for beyond the next card, the next bet. For a man who didn’t care for casinos, he sure knew how to play with house money.
“That’s it for me,” he said, gathering his chips and pushing back from the table at last.
His hand was warm across her back, his palm resting lightly at her waist. Oh, she needed to find something else to think about. Casting her gaze over the faces in the crowded casino, she prayed for some sign of the seller or Isely to distract her from Jason’s touch.
The second glass of champagne was clearly a mistake, making her all too eager to forget the thrill of the mission in favor of the sensual promise of the man at her side.
Upstairs he was supposed to stop touching her. That was good, though she was having a difficult time remembering why right now. If he kept touching her, she could keep touching him and she wouldn’t have to tell him she recognized the blonde in the interrogation room. It should have been obvious last night, and she felt like a fool for not seeing it, not putting the pieces together.
“Can we take a turn through the shops, please?”
He gave her a dubious look. “I thought your feet hurt.”
“They’re rested.” She needed a bit of time for the champagne to wear off before she was alone with him. The ground rules might have been her idea, but she’d broken them once with that kiss before dinner. And with this buzz, she’d lost her professional detachment where Jason was concerned.
He turned down the promenade, the security detail shifting along with them.
“Mrs. Grant?” One of them stepped closer.
“Yes?”
“This was just delivered for you.”
She stared for a long moment at the note he tried to hand her, finally accepting it and tucking it into her purse. “Thank you.”
“You aren’t going to open it?” Jason asked.
“Hadn’t planned to.”
“I think you should.”
“It can wait until we’re in the room.”
He shook his head. “We’re a team at this point. Secrets will only get us hurt. Open it.”
Sexy and logical. She liked the combination a little too much.
“Fine.” He led her to a bench and they sat down. She withdrew the note and opened it.
You can’t protect him.
The letters were clipped from a glossy magazine and glued into the hotel stationery like a retro-style ransom note. It sent a chill down her spine and instantly cleared the champagne haze from her brain.
“We have to review the video from the front desk.”
“Why?” He smiled at her like the note contained a sweet gift rather than a bold threat. “It won’t do any good.”
He was probably right, but she wasn’t ready to give up. “It must be from the woman who’s been bothering us.”
“You know her?”
“I’ve been thinking about her the past few hours. I don’t know her directly. She worked at a restaurant Isely favored in Germany. I saw her around. She was a brunette then.”
“Now we just have to figure out why Isely wanted me out of commission.”
“How can you be so calm?”
“A lesson I learned from you, perhaps? After all, you were the one being shot at poolside.”
She glared at him.
“All right.” He leaned back, spread his arms wide and all she could think was that he was inviting whoever was behind this to take their best shot. “This means we’re making progress.”
She exhaled, long and slow. “Maybe.”
“Definitely. We just have to figure out in which direction.”
“Yours apparently,” she grumbled. “All is holding steady on my end.”
“Except for the would-be burglars.” His fingers teased her nape. “I was sent here to back up a human asset. No need to shoot at me or break into my rooms for that.”
“No. But the sniper targeting me doesn’t fit either. And they planted evidence in your room.”
“Are you implying we’re outmatched? Let’s go upstairs and see if I can track down any news on other shootings or preliminary evidence on the ones that have already taken place.”
As they started back toward the bank of elevators that served their penthouse, Gin had to know. “Are you telling me you’re a hacker, too?”
“Not even close.” He pressed the button for the elevator. “I’m just good at tracking down information.” He scowled. “But I do have limitations.”
Further discussion had to wait for privacy as two men from the security team boarded the elevator with them. The car surged up toward the penthouse level, but Gin’s instincts prickled with warning. Jason sensed something, too; she could tell from the quick tap of his fingers against her lower back.
The guard to her left punched the button for the floor just below the penthouse then turned around, brandishing a knife. “Cooperate and no one gets hurt,” he ordered.
Gin shifted closer to Jason. “I guess the manager doesn’t know his staff as well as he thinks.”
“Guess not,” Jason agreed.
“I’m sure you have your orders,” she said to the guard, “but please, we’ve been through enough. Can you put that away?”
“Shut up,” the second guard barked, his deep voice resonating in the small space.
“Rude,” Gin observed, offended and pretending this wasn’t a life or death situation.
Feeling Jason tense beside her as the elevator slowed, she glanced at him. He winked and she understood he had a plan. He gave her a little nudge and she ducked. Jason spun, knocking away the knife.
With a bellow, guard two rushed them. Gin kicked and he went down with a shriek as his knee buckled in a way nature never intended. She then landed a blow to his larynx, cutting short his pained cries. She slammed the stop button on the elevator, hoping no one would override it and change the odds before they could wrap this up.
Behind her Jason exchanged blows with the other guard. He was holding his own, dodging and swerving, barely escaping a rib-crushing punch by sliding closer to the bigger man.
<
br /> She wasn’t counting on any help. If these two had been bought off by the enemy, chances were good they’d paid someone in the security room to look the other way during this attack.
The guard she’d dropped was struggling to get back in the mix, using the corners of the car to help get back on his feet. Gin laced her fingers for more power and took a swing like a batter hitting for the fence. The blow snapped the man’s head back and he dropped to the floor, out cold.
“Best sedative I’ve found,” she said, dusting off her hands while Jason pounded his opponent into a puddle on the floor.
“Nice work,” she said. “Again.” She reached around and put the elevator into motion for the penthouse.
“Same goes for you. Again.” He rubbed his jaw and cracked his neck, then smiled. “Have you checked for IDs?”
“Go ahead,” she shrugged. “It can’t matter. They’re obviously hired help.”
“They might know which one of us is the target.”
“However it started, I’m pretty sure we both are now. Whoever hired these two obviously knows who we are and that we’re working together.”
The elevator chimed and the doors parted. Jason peered out first. “Looks clear.”
“No surprise,” Gin muttered. “They were probably told we didn’t need them anymore.” She grabbed the ankle of the man nearest her. “Help a girl out?”
Jason grabbed the other ankle and together they dragged him into the penthouse. “You get the other one. I’ll get the old reliable duct tape.”
Jason had the traitorous guards in a heap by the wet bar when she returned. They taped each of the men’s wrists and ankles together, then taped them to the pipe under the small sink.
“That should buy us a few minutes.”
Jason agreed. “I’ve got their phones. That might give us something. And I sent the elevator back down so no one would come looking for it.”
“Then we’d better hurry.”
For the second time in hardly forty-eight hours, they packed in a rush. This time she knew they had to leave the hotel. Whoever was behind the problems plaguing them had enough money or leverage to get the cooperation they needed. Gin was done playing the game with a stacked deck.
She paused at the door to the penthouse. “Goodbye, best room ever.” Couldn’t blame a girl for enjoying a penthouse suite...even for just a little while.
