by Rachel Cade
“I had no idea. Were you born here or in the U.S.?”
“Here, but my parents left when I was barely walking. So I grew up in New York, then D.C.”
“Are you planning to have them live here with you?”
“No,” Marcus answered simply.
He added no explanation. Ciara smiled to move on from the awkwardness.
“Come on, I’ll take you outside and show you the grounds.”
“I really hope I didn’t intrude just showing up,” she said as they walked around his backyard. The sun was so bright, she was thankful he’d retrieved her shades and hat.
“I told you, it’s fine. I wanted you here so we could spend time together. I’m just glad you showed up.”
“Did you believe I wouldn’t?”
Marcus’s grin was lopsided as they settled by a palm tree. “I know you have other guys you could easily spent this time with. I’m just glad you chose me.”
Ciara only smirked in response. “What do you have planned for us this evening?”
“Are you trying to ruin the mystique? You can’t ever ask me questions.”
“Not ever?” She raised a brow in teasing challenge.
Marcus bit his lip. He really was a good-looking guy. Ciara had no idea where any of this would go. But it would be fun seeing what she could get away with from him in the meantime.
“Not about tonight,” he clarified.
Jack tossed his bag full of essentials on the bed.
Then he took a moment of silence.
He hadn’t just seen Ciara in this house. His eyes and ears were playing tricks on him. Pretty soon, he’d wake up in his dad’s house, tell Sam he wasn’t taking the job, and just go to Vegas or something.
What the fuck was she doing here? The reality of the situation crashed in his head. He was here on a job. A supposedly simple job, now this girl had dropped back into his life again, like a damn magician.
Wait.
Was she Kelly’s girl?
Jack’s teeth flashed.
He’d been so caught up in the unexpected sight of her he completely missed that possibility.
She was dating a dealer? It seemed so out of place for the high class diva he remembered. She seemed like the type that would go for a politician or a lawyer. Unless she didn’t know how Kelly made his money.
Jack felt himself getting angrier the more he thought about it.
He’d been doing his best to forget about her.
Change of plans. Estino wants to meet tonight.
Marcus stared down at his phone. He almost swore until he realized Ciara was standing across from him.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “It’s news from New York. You know what I’d like for you to do?”
“What?” she asked.
“Go back to the hotel and do some shopping. I have accounts at all the stores. Find yourself a nice dress to wear for our date.”
Two birds with one stone, he thought again.
“What the hell is it with this switch?” Marcus asked Jay as his driver pulled off with Ciara.
“I don’t know. I don’t like it.” His cousin shook his head, standing up from the couch.
“We need that fuckin’ money though,” Marcus said, pressing his fingers together. “Tell them we want to meet at the hotel. I can make arrangements with the manager. At least it’ll be someplace public.”
Jay grabbed his phone. “That chick’s hotel? Why?”
“I promised her a date. I don’t like looking bad.”
Jay started dialing. “You’re crazy, man.”
“Like a god damn fox.”
Ciara should have taken him up on his offer and done a little shopping. But she already had a dress she’d been dying to wear. A vintage, blood red Alexander McQueen cocktail dress that cinched her waist to scandalous proportion. Was it too much? Of course.
So that meant it was perfect.
She put her hair in an old school wave and kept her makeup simple, only a deep red lip.
Ciara smiled at her reflection in the mirror.
“Always be beautiful for yourself first.” She squeezed her lips together to smooth the red, then kissed at her reflection.
A half hour later, Marcus was at her door. Ciara scrambled out of the bedroom to slip on her shoes by the couch before answering it.
His eyes widened as her took her in. “You found that here?”
She offered him a gracious smile, holding her red crystal clutch beside her. “No. This is from my closet. I have better ways to spend your money tonight.”
Marcus chuckled, still staring down at her body. “That’s right. The casino.”
“You better believe it,” Ciara answered with a sure nod.
He took his time looking up at her. “Dinner first.”
Ciara stepped through the threshold, taking his well-suited arm. “You lead the way.”
“Roulette. I had you pegged,” Marcus said as he stood next to her near the table. They’d wandered through the gambling floor with him eyeing closely what she would choose.
“Really?” Ciara checked the chip stacks of the current players, all men of the rich international variety. Spectators crowded around the table to watch. Marcus’s body was behind hers, not too close but close enough. His presence shielded her from the other patrons, so she didn’t mind.
“So are you a good player or a bad one?” he asked.
“You’re just going to have to wait and find out.”
A half hour later, she was up twenty grand. They were offered drinks, but Ciara declined she needed to keep her head clear so she could clean all the gentlemen’s pockets.
“I guess I’m a little impressed,” Marcus admitted. “I think somebody likes you.”
Ciara was waiting her turn when Marcus’s low words hit her ear. She looked across the table to see an older Middle Eastern man with round cheeks and a well-trimmed beard raise his glass to her.
Ciara pointed an opaque pink nail at him in playful warning. She didn’t date grandfathers.
Why were his eyes so bright?
Ciara felt her breath abandon her.
Through the crowd, directly across from her, Jack stood with his arms folded, staring at her.
He was chewing gum, slowly, and wouldn’t take his eyes off her.
Bigger than everyone standing around him, she thought briefly how it was strange seeing him mixed with other people.
Physically however, she was frozen.
Things around her were moving, but she couldn’t interact.
It was the way he was looking at her. Jack knew damn well how intimidating he was, but her reaction to it this time was a dragging heat that snaked up her inner thighs.
On that she found her breath, and thankfully some motor skills as she swiftly scooped up her chips. “I think I’m going to quit while I’m ahead.”
It wasn’t enough that she was wearing that dress. She had to lean forward, exposing more cleavage beside her swept over hair.
Jack had to go buy a damn jacket because they wanted to do a drug deal in a luxury casino instead of a dirt road or warehouse like normal criminals. So he had to be here and dress the part. He was wearing the biggest size and it was still a little tight around the shoulders. And now he was standing here, probably scaring the shit out of a lady that helped him because he was pissed she was anywhere near this.
She was talking to Marcus, who touched her arm. Despite them having an intimate conversation, she could feel her awareness of him across the table.
He should have stayed out of sight and let her play. She was having a good time and winning.
Now he’d probably ruined her night. Hopefully she’d be so mad she’d pack, and take herself back to the States.
“You want to stop playing? Why?” Marcus asked gently.
“I just don’t like to test Lady Luck too much.”
Marcus nodded. “Okay.”
Jay walked up to them as they were leaving the game floor. Tonight he was in he
ad to toe Fendi.
“Damn.” His eyes widened at the sight of Ciara, but he quickly recovered. “How are you both this lovely evening?”
“You know, my feet are actually killing me. I think I’m going to head to my room for the night. I want to get up early tomorrow if you’re taking me sailing.”
Marcus took her hand. “I’ll walk you up.”
“No, that’s okay. I mean it. I’ll be fine. The elevator isn’t that far. Have some drinks with your friend. Enjoy the rest of the night.”
“Okay.” He kissed the top of her forehead. “I’m going to by you some lower heels.”
Ciara chuckled. “There’s no such thing.”
Then she turned and left them, her smile flattening.
Tropical fish swam through colorful plants that waved underwater in the aquarium.
Larger fish weaved through, coming near the glass. An orange and white striped fish swam right up to her face, and Ciara lifted her finger to it, pressing it against the cool glass. The fish stayed there while the others roamed in the display that covered the wall. The irony was that he was probably freer than her.
“It’s late. You should be in your room.”
Ciara resisted closing her eyes at the sound of his voice.
“It is,” she admitted, “but I’m also not a child.”
“Yet you’re here finding Nemo.”
Ciara groaned and rolled her eyes before turning to him. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I planned on askin’ you the same thing.”
“I’m not stalking people and making bad jokes,” she countered.
He stood a couple feet away, but he might as well have been looming over her. His hair was still a bright dirty blond, but a little longer at the top. The gray suit jacket he wore over white t-shirt and jeans would have looked terrible on someone not built like Jack.
“Have you even seen a doctor to make sure you’re okay?” She glanced at the fading scar near his temple.
It was only then she realized they were alone in the space.
Jack sighed, his head lowering a bit. “I’m fine.”
“Okay, then what are you doing down here? Are you on vacation?” Her brows raised as she leaned toward him a bit.
“Yeah, a paid one,” he answered from the side of his mouth.
“Did you ever find out-” A wide finger pressed against her mouth, cutting her off.
There was a warning look in his eyes.
Ciara wondered if he’d done it to keep someone from overhearing or just because he wanted her to shut up.
The hold wasn’t harsh but his finger pressed her top lip against her teeth.
Jack’s eyes lowered to his hand and didn’t move.
His skin was cool against hers as the rest of his fingers smoothed under her jawline.
After a moment she realized she was holding her breath. Releasing it she closed her mouth. The action slid her bottom lip up his finger. Jack’s hand tightened against her jaw. Not too much, but it was a firm hold. Her lipstick smudged a bit when his heavy finger lowered to the side. He took in a deep breath, hard through his nose as he stared down at her.
The small room was off the side of the lobby but anyone had access to it and could walk in.
Ciara reached for his wrist with both hands, her breath shallow, not sure what she was going to do. Before she could even speak, Jack lifted her jaw a fraction before swooping down and covering her mouth with his.
He immediately took his other hand and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her to him. His lips weren’t gentle, but they were a lot softer than she thought they’d be. With the first touch of his mouth Ciara abandoned all thought about where they were, giving into the craving she felt for him. Everything. She wanted all of it; his hands on her body and all the strength behind it. Ciara let go of his hand and grabbed his t-shirt, letting her fingertips scrape against the muscles it was hiding. He held his tongue back from her, but turned his head slightly, deeply caressing her mouth with his. She pressed her chest into him, just needing to be closer, and he tightened his hold against her back, fisting the fabric.
Jack’s kiss was exactly like him: hard and skilled.
She hated him so much for making her feel like this. Her legs were rubber, yet everything from between her thighs to her mouth throbbed viciously. Now his hands lowered to her ass, he grasped both sides in his palms, inching her torso up the planes of his. Not long after she felt her shoes leave the ground.
What could he do to her? A man as powerful as he was?
She whimpered against his mouth right before he wrenched it away. Her heels plunked into the carpet when he released her.
Two sets of heavy breaths echoed in the room. The fish continued to swim, oblivious to the show they’d just been given.
Jack’s mouth was flushed. Taking a few steps away from her he tugged his shirt down to straighten it. Instead of seeing bare skin Ciara noticed the dark fabric of a bulletproof vest.
His voice snatched her eyes to his face.
“Go to your room and stay there.” He pointed at her before turning. “I mean it.”
When Jack left into the bright hall of the luxury hotel, he realized he had lipstick on his fingers. He quickly darted into a bathroom to wash his hands.
On sight of himself in the mirror, he could see the same red on his mouth.
He snatched a bunch of paper towels out of the dispenser and shoved them under the faucet to dampen them before wiping hard at his mouth. He needed to get his head back in the game and get back to the job: checking the grounds for anything suspicious. Then heading back to the private room before the Columbians arrived.
Jack took a deep breath and looked himself over in the mirror. All traces of the lipstick were gone. He buttoned the coat up to hide his hard on and left the bathroom.
Ciara was barefoot when she entered the hallway. No one was around, but she couldn’t have cared less if they were. She went to the elevator and tapped hard on the button to bring it down. She just needed to get to her room.
When the doors opened, she rushed inside, thankful it was empty.
Once she was got to her room, she tossed her shoes and bag to the ground before she closing her door. The couch was the closest thing to her, and that’s where she collapsed.
Her body still felt like it was pressed against his.
He’d talked to her like she was ten.
Because he was an asshole.
He didn’t answer any of her questions then he just-
Groaning, Ciara pressed both her hands against her face.
She was here with another man.
Marcus.
She’d completely forgotten about him when Jack showed up.
The man from the woods.
“Paid vacation?” she murmured.
That meant he was working. But doing what? It wasn’t legal; on that she was ninety nine percent sure. He probably wasn’t even healed from being shot.
And it worried her.
Wherever Jack was, trouble wasn’t too far behind.
Chapter Eleven:
The High Life
“Everything was good outside?” Marcus asked as Jack entered the room.
He nodded.
Marcus didn’t look well. Jack had no idea what he’d been talking about with the other men. Jay was there with three other men he remembered from the Marcus’s house and the two mercs: a show of strength for the Columbians at least in manpower, which was smart. Jack just hoped Kelly had the mental fortitude to back it up.
He just wanted this to go down smoothly so he could get his money and get out of Nassau.
There was a knock at the door that quieted them all. Jay checked through the peephole before turning to nod at Kelly.
Marcus motioned for Jack to be the one to answer the door.
Jack had his Glock at his waist and another concealed at his ankle along with a hunting knife on the side of his vest. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to use any of them.
/> The Columbians were dressed well, putting in efforts to blend in, he supposed. Jack kept his face neutral as they entered in a line, spreading out through the other side of the room.
The second to the last person to enter was a woman who was wearing sunglasses, despite being indoors, and a black jacket cast over her shoulders the way only wealthy women wore.
Marcus showed his surprised with some raised brows.
“I was expecting to meet Estino.”
“You are,” she answered.
Marcus seemed a bit dumbstruck as he started at her, but quickly recovered and stood up. “Right. Let’s get to business then.”
“Of course. You have the money?”
Jay went to the closet and pulled out a simple black suitcase. He set it on the rectangular meeting table between them and opened it.
“Two million exact if you want to count it,” Marcus gestured to the case.
“We will,” she assured. One of her men moved to the other side of the table and plopped down a duffle bag, removing kilos of plastic-wrapped coke. “The purity makes up for the quantity.”
“May I?” Jay asked. She nodded and he proceeded to put a small cut in the bag, letting a little into a vial and shaking it up to test her word.
“Works for us,” Marcus said, after Jay showed him the vial.
They made the exchange without any surprises while Jack stood against the wall, wishing he had some gum.
“We’re having a yacht party. You should come and bring your associates. We can celebrate our new partnership.” Estino scanned over the room as she spoke to Marcus.
The invite really wasn’t optional.
“Of course,” Marcus said.
“We’ll be seeing each other soon, then.”
Jack sat in the front of the vehicle as Kelly’s driver brought them back to the mansion.
“A woman.”
Jack kept his eyes ahead, occasionally checking in the rearview mirror as Kelly spoke.
“You think she was really Estino?” Jay asked.
“I don’t know. But she’s close enough to represent him, if she’s not. And it’s bullshit.”
Jay huffed.
“I had to do the deal. You know that. This is going to set us up just like I told you. I needed a direct connect because we weren’t going to make it with that middle man shit. But I don’t care for doing business with chicks. I just want them to stand at my side and look pretty. That’s all I need them for, you know?”