by Dunbar, Natalie; Glass, Seressia; Jeffries, J. M. ; Banks, L. A.
“On his last heist,” Jarred put in, “Kenny beat a guard almost to death, and the guy is a vegetable. This may be the last chance we’ll have to get him behind bars. I need your help. I need you to pretend you’re willing to go along with his plans.”
She bit her bottom lip. “And if I don’t?”
“He will not hesitate to kill you,” Jarred said. Just the thought sent a deep, icy chill down his back.
Jarred glanced around the room. “Mrs. Temple, Mr. Temple, do you mind if I have a word with Solange alone.”
“Not at all, Special Agent Maitland,” Julius responded smoothly.
“We can go into my office.” Solange turned on her heel and led the way out of the room to an office next door.
Solange’s office was almost as large and comfortable as Esther Temple’s office, but contained less flamboyant muted blues, greens and grays. Another row of windows overlooked the casino. Solange stood in front of the windows, staring down at the poker tournament. The players had been whittled down from the original five hundred who had started to twenty tables of six.
She tilted her head at him. “Was seducing me a part of your special plan?”
He deserved that crack. He reached out to touch her, but she smacked his hand away. He had to make things right with her. “Last night I knew—I don’t know how, but I knew you were important in a way that surprised me. And the crazy thing is, I barely know you and…” He shook his head, reaching for the right words to tell her how important last night had been. “I don’t even have the words to describe last night.” That sounded smart and sophisticated. How could he appeal to a woman who was not only older than him by a century, but would outlive him by another century or more? She’d probably heard everything a man could offer her, heard every pickup line in the book. Yet, something had happened between them neither could deny.
“Because you’re a man.”
Heat crawled up his spine. “Yeah, and I’m thanking God every moment for the rest of my life that I was a man last night with you.” Two seconds alone with her, and he wanted to rip her clothes off.
She chuckled. “Don’t make me laugh.”
“I want to make you laugh.” God, I want to make her love me. Back up, re-wind, and don’t think again. Man on a mission. Man on a mission.
“I’ll help you,” she said quietly, “but whatever you think is between us, can’t happen.” “But…”
“No, buts, Special Agent Maitland. We’re going to talk about this later. But right now, I have to make sure everything is right with Julius and Esther.”
She left him in her office. When she was gone he felt lost. He sat down in a chair and glanced around. He had the feeling he’d just screwed up.
Solange closed the door. Her whole body shook. She was of two minds: here was this incredible man who smelled so right, and he’d used her. She wanted to tear his throat out. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to punch him in the nose, and then toss him on the bed. She didn’t know what she wanted.
She stormed into Esther’s office. Laurel had gone back to her office, and Julius sat on the sofa with a stiff drink in his hand. “Where’s Laurel?”
“Gathering the pack members.”
Solange walked stiffly to the bar. She needed a drink, too. “I’m so sorry. I brought this to your door.” She poured herself a glass of merlot and leaned one hip against the bar as she sipped it. She thought about Jarred waiting for her next door. She thought about the night before and the feelings he’d roused in her.
“You didn’t create this trouble, baby,” Julius said. “I think it’s been waiting to happen for a long time.”
“We can’t let these people rob the casino and live.” Solange sipped the merlot. The wine slid down into her stomach and created a warmth filling her from the inside out.
“We can’t eat them,” Esther said in a practical tone, “they’re targeting this casino has put us on the FBI radar. Anything we do will be under their scrutiny.”
“Whose law do we follow?” Solange asked. “With you and Julius leaving, the pack is vulnerable. There is no way any pack in the world would let a robbery slide. They’d be on us like…” She couldn’t think like what.
“We certainly can’t afford a turf war,” Julius said. “Dissension between the weres would bring more attention to the packs. We’ve already had more than we should with the fight. The humans are nervous, and rightly so. We’ve only been a part of their society for a few years, and already we’ve created a lot of chaos.”
“What do we do?” Solange tried to figure out how they could have gotten caught in such a Catch-22. Esther closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “For the moment, we let Special Agent Maitland guide us.”
Julius put his glass down. “I’ve got to meet with the rest of the pack and let them know what’s going on. Maybe someone else has an idea.” He opened the door and left, leaving Solange alone with Esther. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with Esther. As children, she and the others had called Esther the relentless because she never let anything go. She would rattle everyone’s cage until they told her what she wanted to hear.
Solange tried to ease herself out the door, backing up slowly and sliding carefully across the carpet. She didn’t want Esther to play twenty questions. And Esther wouldn’t be fobbed off with a lame explanation.
“No you don’t, young lady.” She pointed to the large Shaker chair in the corner of her office. “You sit yourself down in that chair right this minute.”
Solange hesitated, thinking she just might manage to bold, but old habits brought her back. She sat down in the chair. She always called this particular chair Esther’s Inquisition. Whenever any of the children had been naughty, they were put in this chair while Esther thought up a suitable discipline just after the grilling that would have put a seasoned lawyer to shame.
Esther put her hands on her hips, her nose not quite twitching. “You’ve had sex with Special Agent Maitland, haven’t you.”
Solange had taken twenty showers between last night and today just to get the smell of him off her skin. “How could you tell?”
“The pheromones shot right off the scale the minute you saw that fine looking young man.” Esther poured herself a refill. She glanced out the windows at the casino below, and then turned to face Solange.
Solange covered her face with her hands. “I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t control myself. He is so…good.” Delicious even. Her body still tingled with the aftermath of their night together. And she thought of him waiting in her office, and she almost bolted.
“What are you going to do about him?”
“You’re the one who said we can’t do anything.”
“Not about the robbery, but about your…exactly what are you having with Special Agent Maitland.”
“Nothing anymore.”
“Really?”
“He’s human, he’s an FBI agent and he lied to me.” What else was there? She wasn’t going to go near him again unless she had to.
“Sounds more like he simply stepped around the issue without really saying anything. After all, he’s working undercover. No man is perfect.”
Esther was correct. Jarred had never actually answered any of her questions, but seemed to simply change the subject. He’d never out and out lied about anything. She would have smelled the lie. “Other than helping him stop the robbery, I don’t want anything else to do with him.” Liar, she told herself. She wanted…she didn’t know what she wanted.
Esther stood at the bank of windows and looked down into the casino, frowning. “He didn’t have to reveal what is going on.”
“Why are you defending him?”
Esther shrugged. “I like him. I sense he is an honorable man.”
“Then you be his play toy.”
Esther’s eyebrows rose. “My, my, my, you have found a backbone.”
Immediately subdued, Solange replied, “I’m sorry.” She so seldom showed her teeth; even she was surprised at he
r heated response.
“Don’t apologize. It’s about time.” Esther patted Solange’s cheek and bent over to kiss her forehead.
“We need to explain to him about pack politics and…” her voice trailed away. Humans may know about weres and vamps, but they didn’t really know about weres and vamps. Not really. So much of her world was still hidden, a world with so many unrevealed secrets would frighten them, and frightened humans knew only one thing—how to destroy what they didn’t understand. “We can’t afford a turf war,” Solange continued. And especially not now when human society was still trying to figure out if they were civilized or not. “The last time there was a huge, all-out werewolf turf war, we had World War II to hide the carnage from the humans. We don’t have anything on a large-enough scale to hide our internal problems right now. You and Julius are modern in your outlook, but what about the South American packs, if Antonio Delgado even had a whiff our pack was having internal issues, he and his people would march through here and leave a bloodbath behind. He doesn’t care about collateral damage.”
Esther paced back and forth. “My darling, we are stuck between a proverbial rock and a hard place. We are not invulnerable, no matter what we like to pretend.”
“This is the twenty-first century, Esther. We’re not a secret anymore. We have to think about the future.” As much as she dreaded telling Jarred about how were society worked, she had the feeling he would understand. She had sensed something in him the night before. “You’re the one who thinks he’s a good man, and a good man would understand and do the right thing.”
“Darling,” Esther said gently, “there is no right thing here. Someone is going to lose, and it can’t be us.” An answer had to be found, one allowing the pack to save face and stop Kenny and his people from robbing the casino. Just the thought that Kenny Brooks was willing to take on a were pack made her wonder at his sanity. She stood and put her empty glass on the bar. “If you don’t need me for awhile, I’m going back to my office. I need to think, and I need to talk to Jarred. I need to know just how great is the danger to us as a pack.” And to me as an individual.
Esther slid an arm around her and hugged her tight. “Of course, I understand. Go talk to Jarred.”
Chapter Four
Jarred turned onto Tropicana. His car made a jarring sound, and he wondered if he’d make it. His old, nondescript Toyota Camry was generally trusty, but of late had been acting up. “Turn through the scenario one more time.”
“I’ve got it.” Solange rolled her eyes.
“I don’t need Kenny thinking we’re just playing him along. You need to be real.” Kenny seemed to have a nose for deception. Sometimes, Jarred felt caught in a cat and mouse game with the other man. If not for his years undercover and his ability to change his spots on a dime, he doubted he would ever have been able to get close. If Kenny had harbored any suspicions about Jarred, he would have been long dead in an unmarked grave.
“I survived a whole lot of years by being a good actress. I can make him believe me.” She tapped her finger on her cheek. “Oh, I forgot, you don’t know me.”
Her statement stung. He did know her. He knew about the little mole next to her belly button. He knew about the little Chinese dragon tattoo on her hip, which had surprised him. She didn’t seem the type to decorate her body. He wondered if the tattoo stayed when she shifted. She had an antique record collection dating back to the twenties even though she didn’t seem like the kind of person to listen to records, but yet she loved South Park and I Love Lucy. She had a hip feel to her that went hand in hand with an I-Pod. She was sexy, smart and funny. Having met her, a whole new dimension had been added to his life. And for the first time he wasn’t thinking about his career, but how he could get her back into bed.
“I didn’t start out to sleep with you.” He needed her to know. “Seduction is definitely against FBI policy. I’d be in less trouble if I
kicked the shit out of you.” Though he doubted such a thing would happen. She had a lot of punch in her delicate body.
She gave him a little contemptuous snort. “I’d like to see you try to hurt me.”
Okay, maybe he couldn’t take her on.
Harry hadn’t been happy. He’d been willing to sanction Jarred’s action, but he was putting his job in jeopardy, too. He just didn’t have as far to fall as Jarred. “My boss isn’t exactly riding the happy train in regards to the turn of events in this case. But because he likes me, he’s giving me a lot of leash.”
She frowned at him. “Then why involve the pack?”
“Kenny’s inside people tend to end up dead. He sets them up, uses them, and then kills them. I can’t let him kill you.” Not now, when he’d just found her.
“Assuming he can,” she retorted. “I’m not easy to kill.”
“I couldn’t take that chance.”
“And you didn’t think I’d do the right thing.”
He smiled. “Five minutes of listening to you wax poetic about how you loved the Temples, I knew you weren’t going to turn. So I got on my white horse to come to your rescue.”
She slanted a glance at him. “When I stop being mad at you, I’m going to think you’re really sweet.”
His heart soared and his pulse went wild. He still had a chance with her.
Jarred parked in the visitor lot and got out. As they walked across the hot asphalt, he grabbed her and kissed her. “I have faith in you.”
She looked him straight in the eye. “I won’t let you down.”
They climbed the steps to Brook’s apartment. Jarred had to steel himself before entering. He glanced at Solange and could see she was mildly tense. He rubbed the back of her neck while they waited for Kenny to answer the door.
Kenny smiled expansively at Solange as he ushered her into his apartment. “The fair Solange.” He kissed her hand, and she giggled as she pulled her hand back.
“I’ve seen you in the bar, but I had no idea you were so charming,” she said. Kenny almost twinkled at her. “My dear, I have old world manners. Please, sit down.”
“The very best kind,” she replied as she sat on the sofa. She glanced around and for a second stiffened when she saw the copper box on the side table. Then her manner relaxed, even though her smile was suddenly a little strained.
“Can I get you a glass of wine? Have some snacks.” He gestured at a tray set up with crackers and cheese.
Jarred hated the way Kenny mooned over Solange. His hackles rose. He wanted to punch Kenny, even as he realized giving in to his jealousy would take his focus away from what needed to be done. She’s on my side, he reminded himself as he sat down. Kenny handed him a beer, but he set it aside, not wanting alcohol clouding his mind.
Solange gracefully accepted the glass of wine, took a quick sip and then set the glass aside on the table with the copper box. Again, her eyes drifted toward it and slid away in the same confused manner Jarred had when he tried to look at the box. And for the first time, Jarred let his fear surface. Something about the box scared the shit out him.
Solange shifted her gaze to Kenny and smiled. “How can I help you?”
Kenny grinned. “You’re direct.”
She leaned forward, her hands resting on her knees. “I’m a woman scorned.” “Malcolm Temple is a fool,” Kenny said. Oh my God, Jarred thought. He wanted to barf. Talk about higher
and deeper. Though he had to admit, Solange was playing the game surprisingly well. Maybe all those decades of hiding her identity were paying off.
“Yes, he is.” She glanced at Jarred.
“Thank love lady,” Kenny crowed, “let’s get down to business. What I need from you is the quickest way to the money. I have blueprints of the basements, but they are out-dated. My key man died in an auto accident before he could get me current ones. And I’m certain you have the combination to the vault, the guards’ schedules and the best time to strike.”
She leaned back. “As much time and effort as you’ve put into your planning, yo
u have it all wrong. Good thing you came to me.”
Kenny stiffened, a frown pulling his face down. “What do you mean?”
She tapped a finger on the arm of the sofa. “You think the money is being stored in a new vault under the glass case, but you’re wrong. The money on display is fake, and the real money is in a different vault.”
“What do you mean the real money isn’t on display?” Kenny asked, confusion written all over his face.
Jarred stared at her. What the hell? The money wasn’t the real money. How come that little secret hadn’t come out earlier when he’d been with the Temples? Then he realized he might not have acted surprised enough. This lady was clever.
“Do you think the Temples are really dumb enough to display twenty million dollars? What you see on top is decoration. Everything underneath is just paper.”
“Then what’s the purpose of the display?” Jarred wondered when this bombshell was going to drop. If they had hit the wrong vault, there was no telling what kind of collateral damage there would have been at the French Quarter.
She sighed. “This is Vegas, baby. It’s all about the flash.”
Kenny rubbed his hands together. “Tell me about this old vault?”
“The new vault has lots of bells and whistles, but the old one is just as solid. The Temples never stopped using it. They keep everything of real value in it, not only the twenty million, but bearer bonds and the family jewels. And let me tell you about Miss Esther’s jewelry. Harry Winston has been trying to purchase her Cartier collection for years, goes back to the beginning of the Maison de Cartier. The collection is priceless.” Kenny licked his lips. “Jewels, I love jewels.” Kenny ran his hand down Solange’s arm. “You’re a godsend.”
She gave a schoolgirl giggle, and Jarred tried not to be annoyed. Her flirting with Kenny set his teeth on edge. The only thing saving him from tearing Kenny’s spine out was knowing they were both putting on a show. He still didn’t want Kenny making her laugh, or feeding her dinner, or involving her in witty conversation like they had shit in common. Jarred was keeping her for himself. So deeply was he caught up in his thoughts he didn’t realize Kenny and Solange had stopped talking and were both staring at him. Kenny was amused as though he knew exactly what his flirting was doing to Jarred. Solange seemed irritated.
