High Stakes Crime: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Shelby Nichols Adventure Book 15)

by Colleen Helme

  “It wasn’t until Sonny showed up yesterday that Jackie realized he’d contacted me about entering his poker tournament, and I never put it together that he was her ex.”

  “She never told you his name?”

  “She probably did, but she never called him anything but ‘the ex.’ I think using his name was painful for her, and, for some reason, I thought he was in jail, so it never occurred to me.”

  Uncle Joey shook his head, remembering how upset Jackie had been last night. It had brought up all of the fear and anger she’d spent the last several years working to overcome.

  He glanced my way. “Jackie was so fragile back then. It wasn’t until my ex, Carlotta, came back into my life that Jackie let down her guard. She’d been so hurt by Sonny that she’d put a wall around her heart, and I didn’t know if she’d ever let me in.

  “She also had second thoughts about getting married again. She insisted on a prenuptial agreement before she would consider it. Even then, she didn’t want anyone to know. I think she wanted to protect me from her past.”

  He rubbed his forehead, thinking that she had it all wrong. It was him she needed protection from. Still, she’d admitted that his job as a mob boss had made her more willing to marry him instead of less. It didn’t make sense until he considered her trust issues.

  She knew he had the power and means to keep her safe, and it didn’t hurt that he’d come to her rescue when no one else would.

  “So what now?” Ramos asked.

  “Now we kill the son of a bitch.”

  I sat up straight, alarm tightening my stomach. “Uh... it’s understandable that you’d want to do that… but maybe it’s not a good idea.”

  Uncle Joey’s brows rose. He was thinking I was taking a chance going against his wishes. “What are you saying Shelby? That I should just let him go? After everything he’s done to Jackie?”

  “No… absolutely not. I just think there are better ways to make him suffer.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Like what?”

  My mind went blank. I hated being put on the spot, but I had to stop him. “Well… if you give me a minute to think, I’m sure I can come up with something.”

  “Huh.” He dismissed me and glanced at Ramos. “What about you?”

  “I think his death could be arranged.”

  I gasped. “Ramos.” I glanced between the two of them and shook my head. “You guys. I get that you want him dead, but let’s at least look at all our options.” I listened to both of their minds, hoping they were just teasing me, but instead, I found this was no joke.

  I huffed out a breath. After all the time I’d spent with them, I thought I’d made a difference. Well, maybe I had, but it wasn’t enough. That meant I’d just have to come up with a good alternative.

  “Okay. But before you go too far down that road, just remember that there’s a poker tournament coming up with a ten-million-dollar jackpot. You know Sonny wants that money, so winning it out from under him would be great, right?”

  They both nodded, and I caught a hint of willingness from Uncle Joey to listen to what I had to say. “Great. And we also know that Sonny’s in debt to someone. He needs that money, so he’s got to be desperate.

  “We all know that desperate people do stupid things, so I think we should capitalize on that. We need to find out who this person is, and what other vulnerabilities Sonny might have. Wouldn’t it be better to see him suffer for a while?”

  Uncle Joey was thinking that I had a point, but it wouldn’t give him the same satisfaction of putting a bullet in his head. “I know you mean well, Shelby, and you’re right, I would like to see him suffer before I kill him.”

  I just about threw my hands up. “Um… before that happens, we should find out all we can about Sonny and his plans for the tournament. After that, we can figure out a plan to make him suffer once we get there. Who knows? Maybe there are a lot of people who want him dead, and you won’t have to do it.”

  He was thinking oh… but I want to.

  I tried to ignore that and moved on to a different strategy. “There’s something else we need to discuss.” That took them both by surprise, so I quickly continued. “After I win the poker tournament, we’ll have ten million dollars to play with, and I’ve come across something that I might want to invest in.”

  Uncle Joey’s brows rose. He was stuck on the phrase, we’ll have ten million dollars, and wondering how the hell I’d thought it was a ‘we’ thing.

  “Well… because I’ll win it?” At his deepening frown, I quickly continued. “Hear me out. I just came from a press conference about the Lost Taft Mine. You’ve heard about that in the news, right?” Uncle Joey nodded. “Good. Well… they’re looking for investors, and I thought it might be a profitable thing to consider.”

  “Wait,” Uncle Joey said. “You’re talking about the legendary mine that people have been searching for, with no success, for decades?”

  “Well… yes, but they just discovered a journal with all the details about where it is. Jeremiah Taft wrote it himself.”

  “And you believe it?”

  “Well… mostly. After the press conference this morning, it looks like there’s a ninety-nine percent chance that the journal’s real. That’s pretty high if you ask me.”

  Uncle Joey shook his head. “So what are you saying? That you want to use the jackpot money to back these charlatans and lose it all?”

  “No… just my part of it. That way I’m not dipping into my savings account. I know it’s a long shot, but finding all that gold could be worth it. In fact, the gold could be worth a hundred times more than the initial investment.”

  Uncle Joey had never seen this impractical side of me. What was going on? It was like an obsession. “Why are you so interested in this?”

  Obsessed? Me? I was as level-headed as they came… wasn’t I? “I guess it’s because my grandpa spent a lot of time looking for that mine, and he took me with him a few times. We found a lot of pretty rocks, but we never found the mine. Now that there’s a real chance of finding it, I thought it might be cool to try and… you know… fulfill my grandpa’s dream.”

  Uncle Joey sat back in his chair, wondering if I meant it was my grandpa’s dream, or my childhood fantasy. Since I was so intent, he decided to give me a chance to explain. “All right. Tell me about it.”

  “Sure.” I explained all about the press conference, the journal, Ian Smith, and Dr. Stewart, who happened to be a shoo-in for a forty-something Harrison Ford.

  After I finished, Uncle Joey rubbed his chin. He was thinking that it was a huge risk, and he could see how the men could run out of money. There weren’t a lot of people willing to sink money into something with absolutely no guarantee of a return. It was like throwing money down a sinkhole.

  But… when I won the tournament, and then used some of that money, what would it hurt? It would be my money after all. Still, he didn’t want them to take advantage of me. “Since you’re so set on it, why don’t you let me help you? You can call this Ian Smith character and tell him I’m the one interested in a meeting with both him and Dr. Stewart.

  “My reputation will ensure that they won’t try anything, and we can talk to them together. You can hear their thoughts, and, depending on what you pick up, you’ll know how to proceed.”

  My eyes lit up. “Really? Okay. I’ll give him a call. When’s a good time?”

  “I’ve got time tomorrow… or even this afternoon if they’re free.”

  I nodded and pulled out my phone. “Sweet… I’ll be right back.” I hurried down the hall to my office. Since I had no idea how to get in touch with them, I put a call through to Billie.

  She picked up right away. “Hello?”

  “Hey Billie. It’s Shelby. Do you know how to get in touch with Ian Smith or Dr. Stewart?”

  “I sure do… I have a number right here. Just a sec.” I heard papers shuffling around before she came back on. “Does this mean you’re getting some backing?”


  “Well… I’m thinking about it.” I didn’t want to tell her it was me doing the backing. She’d probably think I was nuts. Better to let her think it was Uncle Joey.

  “Oh wow. I spoke with Michael, and he’s not convinced that it’s anything but a waste of time; but if you’re involved, I think he might change his mind. So what’s the plan?”

  “I’m going to call Ian and set up a meeting with him and Unc… uh… Manetto. I’m hoping to pick up something that will help me know if this whole journal thing is for real, or just a hoax. If there’s any real possibility that we could actually find the gold mine, I think I can convince Mr. Manetto to invest. I’m sure if he does, Ian won’t object to me going along.”

  “You really think so?”

  “Sure… with my premonitions, it will be a real advantage since I’ll know if we’re headed in the right direction… if you know what I mean.” I knew that was stretching the truth, but it didn’t stop me from saying it.

  “Okay. I found it. You ready?”

  “Yes.” I listened as she rattled off the number, jotting it down on a notepad. “Thanks. I’ll let you know what happens.”

  “You’d better.”

  We disconnected, and I put the call through. Ian answered, and I quickly explained who I was. He remembered me, so I jumped right in. “I might have a backer for you, but he wants to meet with you before he commits. I told him I’d set it up. Is that something you’re interested in?”

  “Yes. I’d be happy to meet anytime.”

  “Great. Do you have time this afternoon, or would tomorrow work better?”

  “I’m free today.”

  “Okay. What about Dr. Stewart? Could he come too?”

  “Uh… just a minute. Let me ask him.” He spoke to someone, and I waited for his response. “Sure. We can both be there.”

  “Nice.” I checked the time. It was just after two, so I asked if they could come in half an hour. He replied that they could, and I gave him the address to Thrasher Development.

  Now that it was set up, excitement, along with a patch of worry, settled in my stomach. Was I a sucker for wanting this to work out? Maybe. But I wasn’t committing to anything, so meeting with them was the best thing. I’d know if they were trying to scam me… so this was the perfect way to do it.

  If it ended up that they were the real deal, then I could get excited about heading back into the mountains and finding the lost gold mine.

  I slipped back inside the office, interrupting Ramos and Uncle Joey’s discussion about taking Sonny down. Maybe I shouldn’t have left them alone, because they both quit talking and shuttered their thoughts before I could pick up anything important.

  “I got ahold of Ian. He said they could be here in about thirty minutes. Is that okay?”

  “Yes. That’s fine.” Uncle Joey turned back to Ramos. “What do you think about sending Ricky ahead of time? Maybe he could scout out the place and find someone we could get information from.”

  Ramos nodded. “That works, but it would be better if we had a contact there. Does Jackie have any friends who might be willing to meet with Ricky? He could get more information about Sonny that way.”

  “That’s a great idea. Let me ask her.” Uncle Joey lifted his phone from the receiver and pushed her number.

  Ramos turned to me, noticing I still held my can of soda. “Want some ice and a glass to go with that?”

  “Uh… sure.” I picked up that he wanted to give Uncle Joey some privacy, and asking me to head to his apartment was a surefire way to accomplish it, since he knew I couldn’t resist spending time alone with him.

  I rolled my eyes, and he sent me that sexy, half-smile of his that did me in. Naturally, I followed him down the hall to his apartment. Inside, he handed me a glass, and I filled it with ice before pouring in the rest of my soda. It didn’t amount to much, so Ramos pulled out another can and handed it over.

  “Thanks.” I sat on a bar stool and poured the drink, letting the fizzy sound roll over me.

  Ramos pulled a bag of roasted almonds out of the cupboard and sat beside me. After ripping it open, he offered some to me. “So what’s going on with this mine thing?”

  I studied his face and picked up that he was intrigued by my intense interest in gold. “What? You think I’m getting carried away?”

  “Maybe a little, but it seems more personal. Is that because of your grandpa?”

  “Probably. Have you ever gone prospecting for gold?”

  “Uh… that’s a big no. Wandering around the hills for hours doesn’t hold a lot of appeal for me.”

  “Yeah… I see your point. I guess I forgot about that part. But it wasn’t ever boring for me. I just remember my grandpa showing me all sorts of rocks. He even knew their names. I loved the quartz ones the most. I even brought some of them home. I think I kept them in a shoe box for a while, but I don’t know what happened to them. One time we found an arrowhead though. That was pretty cool.”

  “Hmm… I’ll have to look up the mine’s mythology on the Internet and see what I’ve been missing.”

  “There are lots of stories about it. I’m sure most of them aren’t true, but they’re still fun to think about.”

  “Like what?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know a lot, only that it was rumored to be there long before Jeremiah Taft discovered it. He took as much gold as he could carry, but, before he could return, he came down with a mysterious illness. After a woman nursed him back to health, he went out again and never came back.”

  I leaned closer to Ramos. “There’s another rumor that the gold is cursed, but I have no idea why. Maybe it’s because so many people have died looking for it.” I shrugged. “But that’s just a story.”

  Ramos shook his head, thinking it was probably one of those legends that got into men’s heads and made them do crazy things. “And you think this professor really has a journal with the location of the mine spelled out in it?”

  “Yeah… it sure seems that way. But talking to them should help me know for sure.”

  “True, and I have to admit that I’m curious.” He checked the time. “We’d better get back.”

  I wasn’t finished with my drink, so I took it with me and stopped to wait at Jackie’s desk. “You go on down. I’ll wait here for Ian and Stewart.”

  “Okay.”

  I sat down in her chair and finished off my drink. A few minutes later, the elevator doors opened, and Ian and Stewart both stepped toward the office. As they came inside, I stood to greet them. “Hi again. Thanks for coming. I’ll let my Uncle know you’re here. I’m sure he has a lot of questions for you.”

  Stewart’s brows rose. He hadn’t known Manetto was my uncle, and he never expected me to become a friend, rather than a foe. He’d spent the last twenty minutes checking Manetto out, and what he’d discovered hadn’t exactly reassured him. But money was money, and he needed a lot of it, so he couldn’t be too scrupulous.

  I used Jackie’s phone to call Uncle Joey, and he told me to bring them down to his office. After a quick knock, I ushered them in, and Uncle Joey stepped around his desk to greet them. After I made the introductions, he motioned to the table and chairs at the other end of his office.

  “Please have a seat.” He indicated where they should sit, while he sat at the head of the table.

  I wasn’t sure how he did it, but he seemed just as intimidating there as he did behind his desk. The men sat on one side, and Ramos and I sat on the other, facing them.

  “Shelby’s quite taken with your project.” Uncle Joey began. “She’s thinking of investing a nice chunk of money, so I told her I’d meet with you and see what you have to say.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Ian began, surprised that Uncle Joey was being so magnanimous with me. It shocked him that it was my money we were talking about, especially since I’d seemed so distrustful at the press conference.

  “We’ve spent a great deal of time making sure this project is solvent. The last thing we want to
do is risk taking a loss, so rest assured, we truly believe we can find the mine.” He glanced at Stewart. “With all of his research, Dr. Stewart is the expert on solving this mystery, so I’ll let him explain.”

  “Thank you Ian.” Stewart caught Uncle Joey’s gaze. “How much do you know about the Lost Taft Mine?”

  “Just that Taft found it and disappeared before he had a chance to stake a claim.”

  Stewart nodded. “From the research I’ve done, the mine was first discovered by Spanish conquistadors, who mined the gold at the expense of the Native Americans who lived there. After they left, the remaining tribe members decided that only those who pledged to keep the mine a secret would be allowed to use it.

  “They made a few deals with trappers and settlers, but word of its existence began to circulate far and wide. Because of that, the tribal chief rescinded his permission to let anyone take the gold. He set guards around the mine, and anyone venturing too close was killed on the spot.

  “Years later, the mine’s whereabouts were lost to legend. That’s when Jeremiah Taft stumbled upon it. Of course, he’d been searching for it, but it was quite the surprise to actually find it. He took as much gold as he could carry, but, by the time he came down from the mountain, he was deathly ill.

  “He took a room at a widow’s home and asked her to nurse him back to health. In his desperation, he showed her his saddlebags filled with gold nuggets and promised to share the bounty with her if she helped him get better.

  “Under her diligent ministrations, he began to improve. After a few weeks, he felt well enough to head back to the mine to get more gold. He left the gold from his first trip with the widow, who promised to keep it safe for him. She waited months for his return, but he never came back. Once the winter storms began, she figured he was dead. She cashed in the gold, and it was enough to set her up for life.”

  He was thinking that it was a terrible tragedy, mostly because it sounded like the two of them had fallen in love. “As word got out, the widow claimed that he never disclosed the location of the mine. She did say that it was north of town, up in the Rockies, and it had taken him two days to get to her house, which put it somewhere in the Soapstone Range.