“Payback is a bitch,” he warned her.
“That’s okay,” she said. “So am I.”
“Feisty. I like that.”
“Check your messages.” Mikelina tossed off her shirt. He liked the sexy lace bra she wore, but he’d like it better on the floor. “We may not have much time. We may have to skip right to the barricading part.”
He saw his father called once. He could wait. His office called twice. They could wait, too. Especially since Mikelina had just tossed her shorts into the room. Bastien had to stop himself from going into the kitchen and taking her on the island like he had been fantasizing about. Thankfully, Jace had texted him a few hours ago. Bastien scrolled down and nearly dropped the phone.
Gone to the casino. Don’t wait up.
Fear shot through him. What if Jace was doing to Kitty what Gina had done to Bastien? He had to check it out. He wouldn’t let Kitty go through the devastation of being married to a gambling addict. Been there. Done that. Burned the T-shirt.
“Mikelina,” he shouted.
“What?” she said, coming back into the room in her sexy underwear, carrying two espressos.
Bastien was completely distracted at the sight. “Wow,” he sighed. She took his breath away.
“Is everything all right?”
He closed his eyes and shook his head to clear it. “No. I’ve got a problem. Where are the nearest casinos?”
“Uh, the Gulfstream is the closet, but it only has slots, poker and horse racing. The Hard Rock casino has all the table games, but that’s about an hour away with traffic. Why?”
“Jace and the boys went to a casino. I need to find him. Let’s start at the Gulfstream and go from there.”
“Why?” She put the coffees on the table. “Why can’t you let them enjoy their night while we stay here and enjoy ours?”
Bastien rubbed his hand over his face. It was so very tempting to do just that. But he’d never forgive himself if he could have warned Kitty and he didn’t. “I’ll tell you on the way. Will you come with me?”
“Sure, but I’m not dressed for the casino.” She indicated her underwear.
He could have groaned in frustration.
“But neither are you,” she said.
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” He was in shorts and a T-shirt.
“Too casual,” she said.
“Who cares? We need to hurry.”
“The bouncers will care. If Jace and his friends are in the exclusive sections, we need to dress the part if we want to get in there, too.”
Figured. He didn’t want to waste the time to drive her back to her hotel. “Do you have anything that will work in your crates upstairs?” he asked.
She froze. “Did you go up there?”
Busted. He nodded.
“Why? That part of the house is off-limits.”
“Is it off-limits to you?”
“Obviously not,” she huffed.
“Does the owner know you use it for storage?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. I told you I don’t have a home base, so I keep the stuff that doesn’t travel well here. Satisfied?” She raised an eyebrow at him.
“Yeah, I was just asking.” Bastien had hoped that if she needed help, she would have used this opportunity to ask him, but maybe it was as she said and she and the owner had a deal going on. If Jace did buy the house, Mikelina would have to move her stuff. He wanted to ask her who Tanner and Tawny were, but maybe they were the owners.
“Well, now you know.” Mikelina flounced off into his bedroom, presumably to get dressed.
Bastien drank his coffee and tried not to freak out. He looked up the casino on his phone. The Seminole Hard Rock was more Jace’s speed, but he might have stayed local. The Gulfstream, on the other hand, was just across town. It was way tiny compared to the Native American casinos in Connecticut, but the lure of flashing slots and horse racing could have tempted Jace if he was truly addicted.
When Mikelina returned a few minutes later, she was in a short, black, sequined dress with sparkly, strappy shoes that he’d like her to leave on when she wrapped her legs around him.
“Wow,” he said again.
But when he approached her, she crossed her arms over her chest and said, “You should wear a suit.”
* * *
Mikelina wanted to stay mad at him for snooping around the attic, but it was difficult when he looked that good in a custom-tailored suit. Most men looked like Men in Black, but Bastien looked like a cross between a hot mobster and a fashion model. Besides, he hadn’t made a big deal out of the attic and had dropped the subject, so it was a win. She’d rather be skinny-dipping in the pool and making love in her bed, but if he couldn’t concentrate until he tracked down Jace, she’d be happy to help.
“What’s so important about finding Jace?”
Bastien gripped the wheel. “My ex-wife Gina was an addict. She was addicted to gambling. She hid it from me until just a few days after we got married—in Vegas, which probably should have been my first clue. I’m just a little paranoid that Jace is hiding a similar addiction.”
“Has he shown any similar behavior before this?” she asked. “Because it could just be a case of they wanted to play some slots or watch the horse racing.”
“Or it could be that he’s losing big and is hiding a gambling debt that my private eye didn’t find.”
Mikelina made a face. “You had him investigated?”
“Damn right.”
“And the PI didn’t find anything.”
“Well, no.”
“And you still don’t trust Jace?”
Bastien didn’t have anything to say about that, but Mikelina was beginning to feel sorry for Jace. She’d ditch Bastien if he treated her this way, too.
“You have issues. Don’t you think you’re being too rough on Jace? Maybe he’s rebelling against the schedule and your disapproval?”
“I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he makes it hard. He hasn’t gone on one scheduled event. I could have done nothing and still had this week go off the same.”
“Sometimes you have to throw the schedule to the wind, even if you worked really hard on it. Embrace the spontaneity.”
“I’d like to embrace you,” he said.
“There’s still time for you to turn around and go skinny-dipping.”
“You’re killing me,” he said.
“I think it’s more self-inflicted.”
“I wouldn’t be able to relax and enjoy our time. Not until this question is out of my head.”
“All right,” she said. “I’ll humor you. But if you think I’m not going to try my hand on a few slot machines, you’re crazy. Mama needs a new pair of shoes.”
He smirked and she was glad he was starting to lighten up a bit.
“I admit, I’m a little gun-shy when it comes to marriage, but I am worried for my sister. They broke up a year ago when he took her for granted. I told you about him leaving for trips and not telling her? They had a fight. I don’t know even what it was about and he didn’t call or text or return her messages for two weeks.”
“So he has a history of disappearing,” Mikelina said. “No wonder you’re on his ass so much.”
“I want to trust him, but he’s done this before and it doesn’t look like he’s changed his ways.”
“Do you know if he’s ghosting your sister this week?”
“He talked to her the other day. I don’t want to call her and get her worried in case he is. Until I have proof, I want her to think he’s having too much fun with me to check in every day. She’d be all right with that.”
“It’s putting you in a tough spot.”
“At this point, I’d be happy if I don’t even see him for the next week and a half. But I want t
o make sure he’s not screwing around or hurting my sister by doing shitty things.”
“I can understand that. What are you going to do when you find him?” she asked.
“I’m going to peacefully observe.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. If he is just out for a good time, more power to them. I’ll buy them a few rounds of drinks and buy them a suite so they can stay the night. Then you and I are going to go home and spend some quality time together in that beautiful house.”
“And if they’re not?” she asked.
“I’ll let Kitty handle it. After seeing what Gina put me through, she’s not going to accept any bullshit from a gambling addict.”
The Gulfstream had more shops than they did poker tables and the big draw was the off-track betting and the horses. Still, the lights and sounds were set up for maximum excitement and as she strolled around the casino looking for Jace and his friends, she couldn’t resist the siren call of the slot machines.
“You mean to tell me you’re not going to put a few quarters in these slots?” she asked as she won ten dollars.
“Do you want me to tell you the odds of winning?”
“Never tell me the odds,” she grumbled in her best Han Solo impersonation.
“Three thousand seven hundred and twenty to one.”
She blinked at him. “Did you just quote Star Wars back at me? That’s like nerd foreplay. First Doctor Who and then this. I think there’s a movie marathon in our future.”
“There are a lot of things in our future.” He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it.
Mikelina sighed. She forgave him for snooping in her closet. Maybe she should come clean and tell him everything. She would. After the bachelor party. That way if he didn’t want to associate with her because of her father, she could move on because he’d be going back to New York. If she did it while the party was still going on, she’d still have to face him in order to do her job.
As they continued to walk through the poker room, the thick smoke began to tickle the back of her throat. “I wish the casinos were smoke-free.”
“Can you imagine the money they would lose having people step out for a cigarette break?”
“You’re cynical.”
“Damned straight. Hey, isn’t that your boss?” Bastien nodded to the screens that showed the horse races.
Kirk Diamonte was placing a bet, but that wasn’t what held her attention. Hanging on to his arm and looking up at him adoringly was her mother. Mikelina had to steady herself on Bastien as she craned her neck to keep them in sight while Bastien methodically went up and down the rows looking for Jace.
“Excuse me a minute,” she said when they were about to get out of line of sight of her mother. “Keep looking. I’ll be right back.”
Kirk and Tawny were watching the screen intently. Mikelina approached them, unsure what she was going to say. She knew they were friends, but there was something in their body language that caused her to look twice. It was confirmed when Kirk’s horse won and Tawny threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss that dropped Mikelina’s jaw. It was similar to the kisses she and Bastien had shared.
“Mom?” she said, gawking at them.
Tawny broke away from Kirk and stared at her, equally shocked.
“What are you doing here?” they asked each other at the same time.
“I’m with a client.” Mikelina turned to Kirk. “Bastien thinks Jace is here and I offered to show him around if he’s not.”
“Good work,” Kirk said.
“Why were you kissing my mother?” she asked.
“I wanted to,” he said.
“You know she’s married,” Mikelina said, crossing her arms.
Kirk waved his winning ticket. “I’m going to cash out. Tawny, why don’t you address that with your daughter?”
After he walked away, Mikelina whirled to face her mother. “What is going on here?”
“I probably should have told you sooner, but there was never the right time.”
“Tell me what?”
“I’m divorcing your father.”
Mikelina couldn’t hear anything over the roaring in her ears. “Does Dad know this?”
“He was served papers yesterday. I was going to tell you, but you rushed me off the phone so quickly last time.”
“Divorce? Mom, are you sure?”
“Trust me. I’ve been thinking about divorcing Tanner ever since it happened. It’s taken months for me to get up the courage to do it. But now that the papers have been served, I feel so free.”
“I don’t know what to say or how to feel,” Mikelina said honestly.
“It’ll take time. I know it did for me. But in the end, I feel it’s for the best for my sanity. I can’t go on living in limbo waiting for your father’s appeal trial or after he’s been granted parole in a few years. I don’t want to waste my life or my time on someone who doesn’t have my best interests at heart. I know Tanner is your father and you love him, but Tanner has always been about himself. I need more.”
“Is that why you were kissing my boss?”
“Kirk and I go way back, you know that. He’s an attractive man with a fat bank account and he doesn’t mind spending it on me. You should find yourself a guy like that. Take him for a ride, enjoy yourself. You’re young. Enjoy it. And whatever you do, don’t tie yourself down to a man who doesn’t know how to have fun. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see if Kirk will buy me something pretty with his winnings. I’ll call you later in the week.” Tawny kissed her cheek and wandered off to find Kirk.
“Interesting advice,” Bastien said from behind her. His hands were jammed into his pockets and he was glaring at her.
“I guess.” Mikelina’s head was whirling. Her parents were getting divorced.
“Who was that?”
Mikelina thought about lying, but she didn’t want to start now. It was bad enough she was going all out to keep Bastien from finding out her last name. “That was my mom,” she said faintly.
“Is Kirk your father?”
Mikelina barked out a laugh. “I wish. No. He’s just a family friend.”
“Looks like more than friends to me.”
“I guess it’s gotten a bit more serious.” She looked into his eyes. He still looked on edge, but it was replaced with curiosity. “That was a bit of a shock.”
“I take it you don’t get along with your father?”
“That would be safe to say, and since my mother just told me she filed for divorce yesterday, my guess is it’s over between them. I’m not sure how I feel about it.”
“Was your dad surprised?”
“Wouldn’t you be?” Mikelina was desperate to get off this subject. “I don’t think Jace is here,” she said. “Let’s take the drive to Hard Rock and see if they’re there.”
“Are you okay?”
“I will be. I just need a distraction. Let’s stop on the way for snacks and we can listen to the music or discuss geeky TV shows. I don’t care. Anything. I need to get out of here. It’s getting hard to breathe.”
She hurried toward the exit, not even looking back to see if he was following her.
But Jace wasn’t at the Hard Rock and he and his dipshit friends weren’t answering their phones either. “I’ve about had enough of their shit,” Mikelina said and then winced. They were paying her to put up with their shit.
“Is there another casino?”
“Yeah, but we went to the most popular ones.” She rattled off a few, one of which she wouldn’t be caught dead in.
The next casino they went to had a live racetrack and Mikelina schmoozed the desk to let them go down to the horse pens.
“Tell me again why I had to get dressed up like this to dodge horse shit?”
�
�Smile for the camera,” she said to him, handing him a glass of champagne as they appeared on the big screen for the entire casino to see. “Tell me that if Jace and his friends are here, they wouldn’t want to be down here with us. Enough of this running around. Let them come to us if they’re here.”
“You’re smart and beautiful. I like that in a woman.”
They made their way to the showing pen where the jockey led around a horse with a red number five on his bard.
“He’s a pretty one,” Mikelina said as the jockey patted the horse and crooned to him. “We should bet on him. Do you know anything about horses?”
“My dad always said bet on the one that does his business before the race.”
“That’s profound.”
“That’s my dad. Did your dad have any nuggets of wisdom like that?”
Did he? Mikelina couldn’t even remember. It was like her brain stalled on seeing him taken out of the courtroom in cuffs. “About horse racing?” she said, recalling an old joke. “Don’t bet on a horse named Jetlag.”
“Was it expected? The divorce?”
“No, I suppose I should have known it was coming. They’ve been separated for over a year. I guess I just thought they’d always be together. It’s a bit of a shock to see my mom with another man. I mean, how would you feel?”
“Yeah, you’re right. It would be uncomfortable. I’d feel twisted. Like I wouldn’t know who to support.”
“Caught in the middle?”
“Exactly. Is that how you feel?”
“I don’t know. Still processing it, I guess.”
“Was your father cheating on your mother?”
“No.” Not on her mother but cheating everyone else. Mikelina needed to nip this conversation in the bud. “I want to bet on number five,” she said, forcing her voice to sound bright and carefree. “I have a good feeling about him.”
Bastien grumbled about it, but he went with her to make a bet. He even refrained from saying I told you so when poor old number five crossed the line in the middle of the pack.
“At least he wasn’t last,” she said.
“I don’t think they’re here,” he said, squinting into the crowd as if he could pick them out. “Let’s go to the next one on your list.”
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