She never learned what had happened to her or her husband. The two could have died that night. From the beating she heard and saw Calvin take, it would not surprise her if the man couldn’t bounce back from those vicious injuries or the from the accumulating puddle of blood under his chair. On the other hand, they could have survived by Gloria’s quick thinking plan to warn Vinny that she had called the cops.
Gloria could not live with herself if she let this couple endure even an iota of what Calvin Senior and his wife had gone through. Even if Michael had not committed a crime against a dangerous motorcycle club, wasn’t seeing someone’s loved one being taken away or forced to flee painful enough?
Still, she wrote down their names in the nearly full notebook. Accumulating secrets was a habit she just could not break. And if she wasn’t going to bank on it, she was going to at least hold onto it. You never know what you can do with a secret.
The couple moved on rather quickly. The husband left in a huff after the wife foolishly began weeping openly. She screamed after him as he ran down the white stone steps to the beach area, “Thomas! Thomas! You come back here and talk to me right this instant! Thomas!”
Gloria watched with some amusement as Emma chased him down, tripping on her brown flip-flop. Neither had paid her any attention or mind. She was the only one out there on the deck. And with vacation season long gone and the crisp fall air moving in over the sand, there was not another soul occupying the rooms Gloria had known about.
The resort was hers and hers alone. After several days, the staff began calling her by first name. By the first week, she had taught them her favorite drinks and menu items for easier access. And by the start of the second, Gloria had even convinced the bar manager to let her use the piano and an acoustic guitar belonging to the house band to practice.
It was not home by any stretch of the imagination. But it was some place she could call her own. It was her kind of paradise.
With her entertainment exiting stage left and her third drink of the day downed, Gloria retreated back to her room on the third floor. As soon as she walked in through the door, she headed straight for the gray metal safe hidden in the side of her closet wall. She punched in the combo and pulled out the black purse. In it was envelope after envelope of cash.
When she had hit the road, there was at least ten thousand dollars weighing the bag down. She had counted each and every bill to be sure the amount was correct. By the second week of paying for the room and the all-inclusive package, the cash had significantly disappeared. She had made the fatal mistake of not budgeting, of not being more diligent, with spreading her money out. At the rate she was going with her hemorrhaging cash, she could only live like this for two more weeks or so before she was flat out broke or forced to find a job—whether back to bar singing, her first love, or blackmailing.
Suddenly, planting a blackmail capture on the couple from the deck seemed more and more appealing to her. But if she was going to pull off this one big trick, she had to get more information. Normally, this was a job for Jordan or where she would pull her strings from other clients or plants from inside Jackman’s Tavern, where she did most of her work. But she was alone, unguarded, and unassisted here in Florida.
Gloria dragged her feet as she walked slowly down the hallway. She had to get herself together if this was going to work. Looking suspicious or even giving off the air of novice wasn’t going to get her anywhere. She had to find the old Gloria – the sassy, sexy, dangerous, carefree Gloria. It was the one she left on that stage at Jackman’s nearly a month ago.
She put herself back there, singing on that stage and dealing out in her favorite booth. It wasn’t just about her getting some attention or cashing in. She had to remember just how powerful she felt holding something so important as a secret over another’s head. It was thrilling and it made her feel, for the first time in her life, like she was something vital to this world.
The secret keeper started to stride. She hit the elevator button with the palm of her hand as she crossed her arms over her bare stomach. Gloria adjusted her bikini top and rearranged her see-through coverall that draped across her bare, sun kissed legs and hips.
She was in luck. Emilio was working the front desk, as she had suspected. The day she checked in, he was there, staring at her from across the room. He eyed her up and down as she bent over to pick up the handle of her backpack and as she reached up to grab the key from the attendant. He had not changed in the two weeks she had resided in the hotel. If anything, he grew bolder. He bought her drinks, tried to make awkward conversation, and always seemed to be there when she needed something like a takeout menu or a restaurant recommendation.
“Hey, Emilio,” She played it coy, not wanting to come off too alluring and flirtatious just yet. “You workin’ the desk today?”
“Just for a little bit while Nicole grabs some lunch at the Crab ‘n’ Go.” He smiled at her as she leaned over the desk, exposing the curvature of her small breasts as her bikini moved downwards with her. He licked his lips eagerly at the sight.
“You look good behind there. They should assign you some time at the desk more often. I’d sure enjoy it.”
“Yeah, well, I was just thinkin’ how great you were looking lounged out on that deck. You get some good sun?”
“Mm-hmm,” she smiled teasingly, biting her lower lip slightly—a flirtatious trick she’d picked up in high school and been wooing men with since. “I forgot how good it feels to just strip down and let the rays hit me. See, no tan lines anywhere!” She leaned over farther and pulled down the strap of the turquoise blue bikini top slowly like a dance. She could practically feel the heat radiating off of Emilio as he watched her with wanting eyes. “Plus,” she continued after a long pause to let him take her in, “I met this really nice couple. I forgot their last names though. The… uh…”
Emilio filled in the blanks, while not for once taking his glare off of her as she gently fingered the seams of her top. “The Watsons.” He had turned to mush as she rewarded him with a quick peek at her pink nipple as she spread the fabric away from her skin.
“That’s it. The Watsons. They’re from right here in Florida, right? I think Tom mentioned something about Sterling?”
“Yeah. Sterling. It’s about an hour from here. Small town, really. Not much to do other than to drive to another city. I’ve got a buddy who lives there. I used to play football with him in college.” Emilio trailed off as he tried to think of what else to add to make him sound more appealing.
“Really, ‘Milio. What’s his name? Maybe I’ll look him up if I go on one o’ my road trips soon.” Gloria was banking every last piece of information she could. Nothing was trivial in this game.
“Derrick Yarno. Good guy. But if you ever want to hit the road, I’ve got a jeep. No top! We could do Florida right with just you and me.” Emilio had to throw it out there. She was looking like a popsicle on a hot summer’s day, and he wanted a lick.
“I may just take you up on that offer. But I’ve gotta run. There’s a call I need to make back in my room. Hope I get to see you again soon!”
“I’ve got your room number. Just call if you want a visitor.” He winked at her, but Gloria could feel an odd shift. It was almost like a threat. He knew her room number? Of course he did. He did not need to remind her of that. Yet his reminder brought her back down to reality. She was stepping too close to the flame.
As she waved a small goodbye, she headed for the stairs. The elevator suddenly seemed like a trap to her, one she wanted to avoid at all costs. As she ascended the main staircase, two figures appeared at the fork where the stairwell split into two wings. They were talking loudly, rambunctiously, about their ride down the highway. Both men were wearing tight black jeans and thin leather coats. One wore a bandana in purple and black. The other had a patch on his right shoulder of a coat of arms featuring a cartoon devil.
Gloria took off like a shot as they turned the corner, careful not to be seen. As she d
arted into her room, a terrifying, crazy thought raced through her mind. She had been found.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Several hours passed from Gloria’s near run-in with the men at the stairs. She sat on her bed, staring at the makeshift barricade of the hotel’s desk and chairs pushed up against the entryway.
Who was she kidding? She knew what business they were in—and how experienced they were at it. If they wanted to get in, they would get in.
But time had passed and she had not heard a single movement outside of her door. Just as she had remembered, the hotel was a ghost town of empty rooms. If someone were coming for her, she would hear it…On the other hand, if that person did come, no one would hear her screams.
A shot of terror coursed through her spine and down to her curled toes. For the first time since she fled her old town, Gloria was coming to the realization that she was truly alone. No bodyguard, no business partner, no tavern full of regulars. Here, out in the open, she was more exposed than she had ever been.
Another hour passed and Gloria still could not bring herself to move. The pink skies would soon turn to the deep, velvety blues. If she were going to make it out of the hotel alive, she would have to do it during the very late evening hours when no one could detect her as easily in the daylight.
The way she saw it, she had two options. Her first was to stick to the plan and go ahead with blackmailing the Watsons for her much needed cash out. She would risk being detected and, perhaps, captured by the Devils riders, but her other alternative was fleeing without the money and having to start over from square one without much of a safety net if she were to fail.
The choice was clear: Gloria had to get the job done tonight. She pulled out a black hooded sweatshirt from her bag and zipped it up to her neck. A gray baseball cap finished her incognito look as she raced back down to the lobby. Emilio eyed her suspiciously as she passed his desk without a word said.
Gloria headed straight for the office area next to the indoor pool. She closed the door behind her first before she switched on the lights. The small, windowless room smelled faintly of chlorine and cigarettes and an ancient desktop computer hummed on in the background. It would have to do.
She pulled out her black notebook from her bag and set it upon the laminate desk. Turning to the page with the Watson’s information, she typed in the details she knew into the search engine page: Matthew Watson Sterling, FL Bank.
The first page was filled with social media pages of the person she assumed to be Emma and Thomas Watson’s son. His profile picture grinned back at her with wide-eyed innocence. He looked to her just like any other mid-twenties, post-college kid. His polo t-shirts and clean-cut look would never give him away as someone embezzling money from his work.
The second page of the search on Matthew Watson gave her exactly what she wanted: a business name. Central Florida Municipal Bank. A picture of Matthew and his parents embraced in a hug for a photo commemorating his employee-of-the-year award gave it away and sealed the deal. Gloria scribbled the phone number of the bank’s branch manager and his name frantically in the pages.
Gloria quietly shut down the computer and turned off the lights. The sound of splashing water in the next room over caught her attention as she rounded the corner back through the lobby. From the glass doors leading to the tiny little pool, she could see two figures sitting in a hot tub. They were arguing passionately as the woman rested her wet hand on her dry hair and the man looked away from her as she lectured him.
Gloria entered the pool area, shutting the door behind them. She took a deep breath, inhaling the chemically rich smell. This was her time to be bold.
“Mind if I join you?” Gloria pushed down her coverall over her body, revealing her turquoise swimsuit to the couple as they watched.
Emma shook her head as Thomas stared at Gloria as she strode over to the small, frothy pool. “We were just leaving, actually.” Emma could not hold back her disgust. This half naked, stranger of a woman had interrupted a private, important conversation between her and her husband. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was to sit there and watch as Thomas gawked at her much younger body.
It was too late. Gloria had already stepped in, using Thomas’s flabby shoulders as support to slide into the steaming water. “No, no. I insist you stay. I could use some company, after all.” She turned her attention to Thomas who had only moved to study Gloria, “I just love meeting new people.”
“It’s late and we were heading up to bed. Thomas?” Emma tried hard to grab his attention.
“Thomas Watson. And you?” Thomas outstretched his dripping arm to Gloria who stood and positioned herself closer to him.
“Gloria Sinclair,” she smiled, shaking his hand. “So, Thomas, what kinda business are you in?”
“We’re retired.” Emma was terse and short. She wanted nothing more than to get her husband out of the tub and into a cold shower.
“Well, ain’t you lucky. Must be nice to have that luxury. Did you travel far to get here?”
“No, no. We’re from Sterling. It’s only a few hours from here. What do you do?” Thomas was entranced.
Gloria smiled. They were falling right into her hands, “I’m a secret-keeper.”
“A what?” Emma snorted
Gloria turned her head and released her force smile. It was time to drop the bomb, “I’m a secret keeper. I find out information on people, things they never want to be told or revealed. And then I keep it—for a price.”
“You cannot be serious,” Emma replied dubiously. “That sounds like blackmail.”
“You could call it that,” Gloria admitted, “but my clients prefer to call it secret-keeping. Makes them sound like better people that way, I suppose.”
“That is the scummiest thing I have ever heard of. I hope you get caught, lady.” Emma had stood and was half way out of the tub as Thomas slowly stood behind her.
As they exited the pool, Gloria fell back into the warm water, resting her head against the brick. She sighed audibly, “You know what is scummy, Emma? Having a son stealing money from the hard-working men and women of Sterling, Florida.”
“What did you just say to me?” Emma and Thomas looked down at the small woman floating to the top of the whirlpool.
Her eyes were closed tight as she smiled wickedly up at them. “Your son, Matthew, he’s a pretty scummy guy. While you might hope I get busted, I sure hope he doesn’t get caught. That’s why you need me.” Gloria opened her eyes and looked directly at Thomas. He had not said a word nor made a move. He just held onto his wife’s hand and looked out the windows that faced the parking lot of the hotel.
After a few terrible moments, the elder Watson spoke, “What do you want?”
“Normally I charge an ongoing fee, a ‘rental’ of sorts. But today, I’m gonna be generous. I need four grand in cash at my room door in two hours. Knock three times when you arrive. And if you try anything funny, I’ll call my backup. You might have seen ‘em around today—two fellas in leather jackets? They don’t take kindly on those who call the cops or try to scam their way out of it.”
“Four thousand dollars and you won’t tell anyone?” Thomas spoke as Emma looked at him longingly. Her body shook as she grew cold and tired.
“I’m a secret-keeper, Thomas. I only tell when my clients disobey my orders. I would hate to have to call George Endelman at 334-555-8970 to let him know what his Employee of the Year was up to when his back was turned.” Gloria stood and walked out of the pool, becoming face to face with Thomas and Emma. She couldn’t help but to purposefully brush her wet body against Thomas’ arm as she passed to grab a towel and her cover up.
“Eleven. I’ll be waiting. Three knocks on room 325.” Gloria had said it all as she walked out of the pool, her eyes adjusting to the new musty smell of the lobby area and the dimmed lights of the hallway.
She focused as she put her senses on high alert. With the Watsons ready to pounce, Emilio on the prowl, and two D
evils members lurking, she was looking danger straight in the eye. This hotel was practically a death trap wherever she turned, and the fatal obstacles were growing in number as each hour passed.
The anticipation was what did the killing, however. Gloria paced her room back and forth in silence as she stood waiting for a sign that she was in the clear. Normally, this would have been an easy transaction done in a familiar place with people she knew or knew of. The Watsons were a different breed of people. They were good, decent folks. And Gloria knew good people were often the hardest to trust and the most unpredictable of all.
Don’t You Dare: A Bad Boy MMA Fighter Romance Page 40
