High Stakes

by Pierce, Nicolette

  Chapter 14

  I drove the moped around the block for a few laps and then deemed myself ready to buzz around on busier roads. The only time I became nervous was when I was surrounded by trucks. I quickly escaped by zooming ahead and turning down a road that led to the strip.

  I pulled into the casino parking lot and wedged the moped in a corner that had a sliver of space. It was prohibited, but taking up an entire space just for one little bike seemed wasteful. The tiny space was perfect for the moped, and it was closer to the door. I smiled at the moped. I was beginning to like that thing. Perhaps I could buy it off Sergio when he returns to Panama.

  I sighed . . . Sergio had to go back to Panama. Perhaps it was better that David stopped what couldn’t have started. My emotions were on a sled ride—whooshing to the bottom then struggling to climb to the steep, exhausting top.

  “Nadia!”

  I glanced over to see Remy jogging toward me. I hooked my helmet onto the handle bars and swung my leg over the bike to stand.

  “What’s going on, Remy?”

  “Have you tried to call Greyson?”

  “Yes, and I’ve tried to call you too.”

  “That damn woman has taken over the entire casino. Greyson is so busy he can’t see what’s going on. I’ve tried talking to him, but Fiona is always next to him. I can’t get him alone.”

  “What about the men’s room?”

  Remy’s face twisted into a knot as if I’d suggested something dirty.

  “I just meant that Fiona won’t follow him into the men’s room . . . or would she?”

  “I guess that’s true, but it’s not something I like to do.”

  I chuckled. “It’s not like there’s a measurement competition or anything. Just start talking before he whips out his wand.”

  Remy shivered. “I don’t know why I talk to you.”

  “Because you like me, and I had good advice this time.”

  “Yeah, I guess. But there haven’t been many opportunities to speak with him.” Remy shrugged. “How’s it been going, Jet? You look a little red and puffy.”

  “I was pepper sprayed.”

  “Give me a name, and I’ll take care of it.” Remy’s brow creased to form his all-business expression.

  “Take care of it?” I chuckled. “What would you do?” I pictured Remy looming over someone like a Halloween shadow until they passed out with fright.

  “I might accidentally punch him, or I could crack my knuckles a few times and he’ll get the message. If I told Greyson, he might ban the guy from the casino.”

  Banned from the casino, hmmm? That would make my life about five percent better. I didn’t want to allow Catarina too much influence in my life, so she’s only allowed to irritate me up to five percent. At least I can delude myself into thinking that.

  “I’ll take the banning option,” I said.

  “Done. Who is he?”

  “Catarina.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. Catarina sprayed you?”

  “Yes, and she stole the trophy. Dagor has it now because he kidnapped Catarina. Sergio and David are out to stop Dagor, collect the trophy, and find Catarina.”

  Remy’s eyebrows lifted sky high. “Whoa, whoa, whoa . . . back up the train. What the hell’s going on? Why isn’t Greyson in on this?”

  “I called you both earlier when I was tagged with pepper spray and the trophy was stolen.”

  “Fiona didn’t let your call through?”

  I shook my head. “She said no personal calls. I was calling for help and wanted to make sure Mya was safely inside the casino. She turned away Mya too.”

  Remy gritted his teeth. The muscles on his neck bulged and pulsated. If there was an iron rod nearby, I’m sure he would have picked it up and bent it in half with a mighty roar.

  “Let’s head to the casino,” I said, attempting to distract Remy. “I want to make sure Mya is here.”

  “I haven’t seen her.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I’ve been standing near the doorway for most of the day. Fiona’s kept Greyson busy upstairs.”

  Busy upstairs? A zap hit me between the eyes, making me want to find that iron rod and smack Fiona over the head . . . over Greyson’s head too. I reined in my temper. Worry about Mya first; then beat some bloody sense into Greyson.

  “Can you call security and see if they’re able to find her in the cameras?”

  Remy had his phone out of his pocket and security on the line within seconds. While security was checking the monitors for Mya, Remy and I headed into the casino.

  “Double check one more time,” Remy said. “Make sure she’s not on-site before I search elsewhere.”

  I pulled out my phone. I could easily call her and find out where she was. Maybe she was still shopping. We hadn’t agreed on a meeting time. If she’s looking at shoes, there’s no telling when she might be done.

  “Let me know the minute she steps foot into the casino. Keep tabs on Catarina too. I want to know if she’s in the casino as well.” He ended the call. “That way, we know if she escaped Dagor.”

  I dialed Mya and listened to it ring. Her voicemail picked up on the fifth ring. I left her a message to call me back immediately.

  “Remy, I’m scared,” I said as I tucked the phone into my pocket.

  He cussed under his breath. “Tell me everything you know. Let’s head up to Greyson’s. I’m taking him hostage. I’ll be damned if that conniving woman is going to stop me. We could have had everything under control had it not been for her meddling.”

  I jogged behind Remy’s brisk pace, stepping twice for every long stride he took. By the time we reached the elevator, I was huffing.

  Remy and I stepped inside the elevator. He swiped his badge for the top floor. Nothing happened. He swiped it again. And again. The elevator stood motionless.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Remy growled.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Remy whipped out his phone. “Why doesn’t my key card work for the top floor?” he barked in the phone. I could only assume he was talking to security. “Are you shitting me? I was hired to protect Greyson, and I can’t access his floor. Does she have the authority to do this?”

  Remy’s neck veins pulsated. I stepped away just in case they burst.

  “How much access do I have?”

  His fingers curled into a tight fist; I stepped farther away, but I didn’t have much more room.

  “Damn it! How the hell am I supposed to protect the idiot when I can’t even talk to or get near him? Never mind. Just find Mya and route my calls through Steffi.” He ended the call and flexed his fingers.

  He breathed in a calming breath and collected himself. In a swift motion, he strode out of the elevator. I followed on his heels.

  “Let’s find Mya. I can’t do anything about Greyson right now. Mya is our priority. Tell me everything that’s happened.”

  I nodded as I jogged behind him to his Cadillac located in the parking lot. We hopped in, and Remy revved the engine to life.

  “Now spill it,” he said, pulling out of the parking lot. “I want every single detail, even if it’s insignificant.”

  Oh boy, that was a lot of details. I didn’t even know if I could remember it all—or assemble it in any sort of order. I had to at least try. I relayed the story from the break-ins and David’s reappearance. By the time I was up to when Dagor was going to meet Sergio to blow up Mya’s house, we were sitting a block away from her house.

  Remy shook his head when I finished the story. “You know those little dog collars that have cameras attached?”

  “I’ve seen them on TV. Why?”

  “I’m buying one and locking it around your neck. I’m surprised you’re still alive. I could monitor your every movement and keep you out of trouble.”

  He must be kidding, though Remy may resort to the drastic measure some day. I squirmed in my seat.

  “You’re supposed to protect Greyson, not me
,” I reminded him.

  “Greyson is on his own right now. He and I will have words later. Right now, you and I will find Mya.”

  “Do we just sit here and watch for her?”

  “I don’t want to go in if Dagor is watching the house. David and Sergio should be around somewhere. We need to locate everyone before I take any risks.”

  “Why is the trophy so important? It’s a twisted hunk of junk right now, but everyone wants it.”

  “I have no idea. From your description, I think it was designed to melt easily. That way, something can be hidden in it but not destroyed when it comes time to retrieve it. It must contain something of value for such a frenzy.”

  “I guess we’ll never know since no one is talking, and now Dagor has the trophy.”

  “I’ll get David to talk.”

  I nodded, but I didn’t believe he could extract the truth out of David. “You don’t happen to have anything to eat, do you? I’m starving. I can’t remember when I ate last.”

  “You do look a little too skinny,” he said, inspecting me.

  “I’ve never been too skinny, but my stomach is so hungry it’s eating itself.”

  “A lot of girls say they aren’t too skinny, but they are. Men aren’t into size-zero bodies. I’m not saying we don’t look, but that’s not what we want in the bedroom. There needs to be some booty and big breasts to keep it interesting.”

  I snickered. Remy was talking about booty and boobs.

  “Is it customary to talk about booty and boobs while on a stakeout?”

  “This isn’t a stakeout, Jet. But, yes, normally you can talk about anything because it can be a long, boring wait.”

  I smiled when he called me Jet. He gave me that nickname when I was all hopped up on my own strength from my round with the punching bag. I thought for sure he couldn’t force me into the casino to see Greyson, but I was wrong. I still have a welt from when I accidentally kicked the elevator doorframe.

  Remy pressed the unlock button. The back door opened and David slid in.

  “How did you find us?” I asked. “Where’s Mya?”

  David’s eyes widened. “You said Mya was heading to the casino to meet you.”

  “She wasn’t there when I arrived, and I can’t reach her on her cell phone. Remy drove us here to make sure she doesn’t try to return home first.”

  “Shit!” David ran his hand through his dark hair. “Dagor hasn’t shown up either. It’s way past the thirty minutes.”

  “Where’s Sergio?” I asked.

  “He’s hiding on the side of the house, waiting for Dagor. He’s called Dagor several times, but so far it’s just ringing.”

  “I’ve asked security to keep an eye out for Mya in case she arrives at the casino,” Remy said. “I don’t like it. Both Mya and Dagor aren’t answering their phones.” He eyed David from the rearview mirror. “What’s in the trophy?”

  “Data.”

  “What kind of data?”

  “I’ll tell you later.”

  Remy nodded, but I wanted answers. What was the big secret? Why couldn’t we know when it was our necks on the line? I took Remy’s lead and remained silent. I didn’t like it.

  “Do you want us to wait here?” Remy asked.

  “Let’s wait five or ten minutes.” David turned to me. “How well do you know Sergio?”

  “I hardly know him. He smells good though.”

  David and Remy groaned.

  “We don’t care how he smells, goofball,” David teased. “And you aren’t going to know him well enough to continue down that path.”

  “I can see who I want,” I said.

  “No, you can’t,” David said. “And that goes for seeing Greyson, too.”

  I bristled. “Not that I want to see Greyson since he’s currently an idiot, but you can’t tell me who I can or cannot see. Thank heavens you didn’t have a little sister; she’d hop on the back of the first motorcycle she saw just to spite you.”

  “I’m looking out for you. Sergio is heading back home after this, and I don’t know if I trust him. And Greyson . . . well, you already know he’s married to his work. Girls are clueless when it comes to dating. They date the wrong guy and completely miss the right guy.”

  I rolled my eyes. He might have a point in a very general sense.

  “And what guy have I been missing?”

  David leaned back and smirked knowingly. “I’ll let you know. Neither you nor he are ready. You’ll just have to wait.”

  I narrowed my eyes. Remy shook his head and chuckled.

  “Can we return to the topic at hand?” Remy asked. “Mya isn’t here, and Dagor is MIA.”

  Remy’s phone rang. He answered it with his standard, “Remy.”

  “She’s there? Can you double check and make sure?”

  I smiled. Mya was at the casino and safe. David and Sergio could sort out Dagor, and I could have a margarita with Mya and trash-talk Fiona.

  “Keep tabs on her. I’ll check in again.” Remy ended the call. “Catarina is in the casino, but not Mya.”

  “How’s that possible?” I asked. “How could Catarina be kidnapped and then walk into the casino only hours later?”

  “We know she wanted the trophy since she took it from you, but I don’t understand why she would want it,” David said.

  “She’s working for Pierre, the French guy. How much is the trophy worth?”

  “It depends who you’re selling it to. To the right party, you could sell it for a million easily.”

  “A million?” I sputtered. “Well, it answers the question as to why Catarina is involved. She’s tapped out and has been attempting to coerce Greyson to lend her a buy-in so she can get back to the tables. Pierre offered her one hundred grand to retrieve the trophy.”

  “Has he been hanging around?”

  “I’ve seen him before. He’s so nondescript and average that I don’t notice him.”

  “The best agents are like that. The more average the better. Government and secret service agencies know that if they place an everyday Joe look-alike into the mix, they aren’t as likely to be picked up by someone because of telltale characteristics.”

  “This guy could win an award. I never remember exactly what he looks like.”

  “That would be the perfect agent.”

  “He’s a good guy?”

  “He’s in the good-guy range. But I wouldn’t trust him and don’t want him to have the trophy if I can help it. If he hands it over to the military, it could start a war.”

  “A war?” I gulped. “And here I thought it was just a hunk of junk.”

  “Remy, return to the casino and drill Catarina on Dagor and the agent. See what she knows and what she was told to do. She’s not acting on her own right now, so be wary. We already know she has pepper spray. Nadia, go with Remy and sit tight. I don’t want you getting involved, but I don’t want you at home either.”

  I nodded. If there were foreign agents, Dagor, and pepper spray involved, I wanted nothing to do with it. I could wait in the lounge or maybe play a few hands. It was the chicken way out, but I wasn’t feeling too confident. Remy could handle Catarina on his own.

  David slid out of the Cadillac and disappeared. Remy started the engine and pulled away from the curb. I tapped my foot and hummed “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” while Remy drove us back to the casino. He flicked a few curious glances my way.

  “It’s calming,” I explained. “I have so much nervous energy, I could power Vegas.”

  “Don’t worry about anything right now except keeping yourself out of danger. Once we arrive at the casino, I’ll find Catarina. She has a way of making men talk. I’m hoping she used those skills on Dagor and Pierre. It’s the only possible reason she’s alive and free.”

  I shuddered. “Yuck.”

  Remy chuckled. “She isn’t my cup of tea, but most men who see large cleavage would do anything to see the rest.”

  I groaned. “I don’t want to talk about Cat’s cl
eavage. Why isn’t she your cup of tea?”

  “I like classy, not trashy.”

  “Really? I pictured you as the trashy type.”

  “Are you kidding me? I have a Cadillac. Trash isn’t allowed in a caddy.”

  “Caddies are also the choice of pimps.”

  Remy’s lips thinned into a straight line. “Jet, you need to take that back.”

  “No way,” I said with a grin. Remy could make a person nervous and timid when he’s angry, mostly because of his size and gorilla strength. Teasing him about his caddy was fun, and it took my mind off of Mya. “Whenever I see a pimp in a movie, he always has a large, white caddy, an ugly fur coat, and a fedora with a red feather.”

  “That’s not how it is in the real world. The movie industry took the good name of Cadillac and smudged it.”

  “While movies aren’t always accurate, there are truths in it. You can’t watch tons of movies where they all have pimps with caddies and then tell me it isn’t true. It’s now the pimp industry standard. Pimps today will drive caddies just to be like the pimps in the movies. It’s an evolutionary cycle.”

  “An evolutionary cycle based on movies? That’s absurd, Jet.”

  “You’re just mad because it’s true.”

  “It’s not true. I saw a pimp the other day with a hybrid.”

  “I can’t imagine a pimp with a hybrid. That doesn’t seem right.”

  “I’m just telling you what I saw. The man may have some business sense and is economical. It would be less of a target for cops.”

  “So, you admit that cops may not look for a pimp in a hybrid. But they certainly would look for a tricked-out caddy in the slums.” I grinned.

  “I’m bringing back the Cadillac and making a new evolutionary cycle.”

  “You’re not making a good case.”

  He threw me a cutting glare that I took as a warning. “How am I not making a good case for it?”

  This was just too easy. If I had known men’s egos were attached to their cars, I would have used this to my advantage long ago. But I should give Remy a break. He was my ride and currently my protector.

  “I just mean you don’t seem the type to go around playing tennis or golf at the country club. You’re more badass. You probably have four guns hidden in your car.”