Deuces Wild (Gemini Project Book 3)

by Bianca D’Arc

  She’d never found clothes that really fit. Not like Max’s creations. There was definitely something to be said for having your clothes tailored to you. Especially for someone Maya’s size and shape. If she could afford it, she promised herself she would get a few things from Maximilian on her own, after this job was over.

  As it was, Maya was confident she had plenty for her long weekend trip. She left on the private jet with Hiram and a team of his aides at sunset. She wasn’t going to be the only line of defense, but she would be the one at his side when they were at the public events. He had his long-time head of security—a tough customer named Spencer—along with a number of assistants who could both help Hiram continue to run his businesses and defend their employer during the day, should problems arise.

  They’d timed the flight so that they would be settled into the mansion in Virginia where the tournament was to be held well before dawn. It was Maya’s job to help sniff out all possible threats to Hiram and his people, and accompany him during the social events of the weekend. She knew how important her task was, and she wouldn’t let them down.

  The house was a rental. A mansion that had been built for a tech billionaire who had gone bust because of his lavish lifestyle and lack of new business innovations. Since he’d lost the house, it had been turned into a hotel and conference center catering to the elite of Washington D.C. and the world.

  Spencer had done a site visit before Hiram had ever accepted the invitation and selected the penthouse suite Hiram and his team would be staying in, personally. There was a safe room built into the suite that they would use and, perhaps, improve upon, while they were there. Maya inspected every inch of the suite while Hiram sat at a conference table in the main room, going over business details for the day ahead with his staff. Spencer was doing something to the safe room with equipment he’d brought with him, but the mechanisms already in place were impressive.

  There was a false lock that looked like the real thing. The idea being that anyone trying to crack open the locked safe room would waste their time on the false lock while getting nowhere. In the meantime, the person or persons inside the safe room could call out for help with the independent communication gear installed inside. It was really quite impressive.

  She and Spencer had already pointed to various hard-wired listening devices that had been installed around the rooms, on their first, joint inspection of the place. He’d briefed her on the plane ride in that there was electronic surveillance in almost every room of the mansion. It was something the new owners had installed and Spencer had very specific plans to disable every last camera, mic and sensor he found in Hiram’s suite.

  Since their skills were slightly different, Spencer had tasked Maya with sniffing out the things that he wasn’t as good at discerning. Magic, for instance. With his request firmly in mind, Maya put her nose to work and checked the suite out again from top to bottom, on her own, while Spencer did his thing with the electronic surveillance gizmos they had found on the first round.

  A while later, Maya gave her thumbs-up to the suite, catching Hiram’s eye as she reentered the main room. Nothing smelled off, and nobody had been in the room since the cleaning people, whose solvents and cleaning chemicals had, thankfully, dissipated enough not to clog her sensitive nose. Hiram smiled at her as he continued issuing orders to his staff, who would implement them during the day while he slept. She took a seat on the couch across the room and relaxed a bit. She considered herself still on duty until Hiram was safely ensconced in the safe room for the day.

  *

  Marlon Parkhurst and Jeff Shera shared a suite of rooms in the mansion where the illicit poker tournament was to be held. They’d wangled invitations at the last minute through friends of their respective families. Both their families were filthy rich and had been for generations. They could, if they chose, move in elite circles. Mostly, they chose not to, but they had connections they could call on, if needed.

  They’d done just that when Marlon and Jeff needed a way in to the secret tournament. This high-stakes weekend of poker was about much more than just the game. Other games—power games—were being played, as well.

  It was no coincidence that the event was being held near the corridors of power in Washington, D.C. Marlon had spotted at least three senators, two ambassadors, five directors of government agencies, and a very casually dressed member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, already. And that was just on the way into the lobby.

  Both Marlon and Jeff had grown up in the jet set because of their families. They knew many of the senators from their home region. Marlon was a Texan, and Jeff was from Oklahoma. Oil and cattle had been the main topics of conversation in their homes, respectively. Their parents had done their share of lobbying important people over the years and supporting philanthropic and charitable organizations in their region of the country. As a result, both Marlon and his partner were well-versed in how to act in this kind of rarified company.

  In fact, they already knew, or were acquainted with, several of the political people on the guest list. More surprising had been the appearance of several normally reclusive business tycoons. Marlon had stopped to chat with Senator Guthrie from Texas on the way in and had been told that Sam Kinkaid was expected among the guests.

  Kinkaid was a Texan. He was a longtime competitor of Marlon’s family business. In fact, Marlon wasn’t too proud to admit, the empire Kinkaid had built made Marlon’s family firm look like small potatoes. Kinkaid had taken his oil money, and his contacts overseas, and created a conglomerate that stretched from Africa to Ireland and all the way back to Texas.

  Sam traveled all the time and was seldom seen in Texas society these days. When he was home, he kept to himself, for the most part. But Marlon still knew him well enough to chat with, and he’d take a few minutes to do so, if he happened to find an opportunity.

  “Quite a turnout,” Jeff said casually as he reentered the main room of the suite. It consisted of a main seating area and two bedrooms with a luxurious bathroom between them.

  “I found two listening devices in my bedroom. How about you?” Jeff sent to his partner.

  Their unique ability to speak silently among themselves was a major reason they’d been tapped for this particular assignment, in addition to their family backgrounds that got them in the door. Marlon and Jeff were part of a Top-Secret military project, code named Gemini. Pairs of Special Forces soldiers had been treated medically and trained to develop telepathic gifts—but only with each other. They couldn’t listen in on other people’s thoughts, and they could only send thoughts to the one guy they’d trained with. The military had several pairs of Gemini operatives that were mostly used overseas and in black ops.

  Doing any sort of work on U.S. soil was not normal—or quite legal—but this wasn’t a situation where they were expected to have a shoot-out with a bunch of bad guys. This was much more subtle. They were here to gather information and learn all they could about the players at this exclusive tournament. They were here as themselves, using their real names. Technically, they were on leave for the weekend. Only their commander, and maybe his direct report in the chain of command, knew what they were really doing.

  “One audio bug, and a camera,” Marlon replied telepathically to Jeff’s words, confirming the tight surveillance in the building.

  “I heard someone say that they expected Mark Pepard to show up sometime today. And Hiram Abernathy arrived last night from the West Coast,” Jeff said out loud, to keep the overt conversation going.

  “Senator Guthrie claims Sam Kinkaid is coming. I haven’t seen him in a couple of years, but he’s a great guy. If we get a chance, I’ll introduce you,” Marlon replied.

  “Pepard took an interest recently in a town not too far from one of my family’s holdings. Place called Big Wolf. Very close-knit community. They named everything Big Wolf. The airport, the diner, the laundromat, the steak house. It’s like they couldn’t think of any other names, Dad says.” Marlon chuckled.
“I flew into the airport once. Nice place, but a little odd.”

  “Odd in what way?” Jeff asked, interested.

  “Hard to define,” Marlon admitted, shaking his head. “The people were nice enough, but…strange. Everyone—and I mean every last one of them that I saw—was fit, lean, muscled and in prime condition. Like a town full of athletes or models or something. It was just weird.” He shrugged and went to the small wet bar along one wall to check the mini fridge. He scored two cold beers and passed one to his partner. “They had spooky eyes, too,” he said silently. “Like something…not of this world.”

  “Well, partner, you and I both know there are stranger things in heaven and earth…” Jeff replied, paraphrasing Shakespeare. Of the two, Jeff was the one with a fondness for literature. Marlon often teased Jeff that there was probably nothing much else to do on a cattle ranch than read old books by dead poets.

  “Impressive guest list at this shindig,” Marlon said aloud. “I’m surprised they let us in.”

  “Well, we’re both good card players. Some are here for the game, after all, though judging by the people I’ve seen so far, some are definitely here for the networking opportunities,” Jeff replied. “I overheard some speculation that the criminal types that were invited pulled out at the last minute and we got admitted to make up the numbers.”

  “I guess they need some real players, like us, to balance out those that are just here to schmooze,” Marlon agreed, taking a long sip of his beer. “Why would criminals pull out at the last minute? Were they tipped off? Or, is something going to happen here that they wanted no part of?”

  “First round of play starts at sundown,” Jeff reminded his friend. “I think I’ll go take a dip in the outdoor pool before it gets too late in the day. It looked inviting.” He added a silent shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

  “I’m going to explore the grounds a bit and stretch my legs,” Marlon said. “And do some reconnaissance, obviously.”

  They’d planned this out ahead of time. Marlon would scout the perimeter during his “walk” while Jeff acquainted himself with as many people as he could. The power brokers at this shindig had all brought along spouses or playmates. Some had brought secretaries and clerks to continue working, even while on vacation. Marlon and Jeff would both take the time to talk to as many as seemed willing to chat. Their mission was to gather intel, and they would do their best to cultivate sources on all levels.

  Marlon finished his beer and headed out of the suite for his walk, leaving Jeff to do his thing by the pool. They’d stay in contact via their mind link, which was a definite advantage they had over every other military team except the other linked guys in their unit.

  He walked out of the mansion and took the garden path that led, he thought, away from the golf course and into the wooded area beyond the planted borders. He noted the surveillance installations as he passed them, surprised a bit by the density of coverage. Big Brother was definitely watching, so he’d have to be discreet in his perusal of the area.

  “Find anything, yet?” Jeff asked silently from wherever he was.

  “Lots and lots of eyes in the trees, under rocks, in the bushes and even in the sky. This place takes the phrase surveillance society to a whole new level.”

  “Can you see the perimeter fence at all?”

  “Not easily. I’m in the woods, on a walking path that skirts the perimeter—sort of. I can’t get close to the wall without being a little too obvious,” Marlon reported.

  “Best not blow our cover our first day here,” Jeff mused.

  “Agreed. I’m going to complete the walking circuit and head back to the house.”

  “I’ll be at the pool.”

  “Roger that.”

  Jeff swam a few laps in the Olympic-sized pool, enjoying the late summer weather. It was sunny. Just perfect for a cool dip. He loved the water and had been a Navy SEAL before volunteering for the secret experiment that had made him and his swim buddy members of the elite black ops team so classified that not even their well-connected parents knew what they were doing.

  Luckily, it had never been an issue. Both Jeff and Marlon were from large families, and nobody expected them to settle into the family businesses anytime soon. There were plenty of siblings to keep the businesses going, and everyone was proud to have a soldier in the family, even if they didn’t quite know what their boys actually did in the military.

  Jeff swam laps like someone at home in the water. He didn’t have to hide his prowess in the pool because he’d been a swimming champ in high school back in Oklahoma. That would explain his steady, lap-eating strokes well enough without revealing the specialized training he’d received as a Navy SEAL.

  He was just getting to the point where he was nice and warmed up when he noticed a woman get into the pool near him. She started swimming, matching him almost stroke for stroke before he really knew what was going on. When he got to the wall, he stopped, turning to watch the tall woman flip around like a competitive swimmer and push off the wall for another lap.

  Sweet mercy, she was something to behold.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Jeff just floated there for a moment, holding onto the rim of the pool with one hand while he watched the woman speed through the water away from him. He was pretty sure his mouth was hanging open, and when he chanced to look up at the other men seated nearby, he realized he wasn’t the only one gaping at her.

  Every male gaze, and quite a few of the female ones, as well, were glued to the statuesque woman as she made it to the other end of the pool and executed a perfect return, heading back his way. Jeff did his best to get himself under control. It wouldn’t do to ogle the poor woman, though everyone else was. He scowled at some of the older men who should know better, but it didn’t seem to have any effect.

  When she hit the wall next to him, she stopped, lifting her head out of the water to give him a hesitant smile. “Hope you don’t mind,” she said, her voice making his spine tingle with awareness. “You made swimming laps look like fun, so I thought I’d join you.”

  “Don’t mind at all, ma’am,” Jeff said, caught a little flat-footed. “But forgive me for saying, most people can’t usually keep up with me. Where did you learn to swim like that?”

  She shrugged, water sluicing off her rounded shoulders. She was a well-built woman with defined muscles that made his mouth water. She was gorgeous.

  “Oh, here and there. I live on the West Coast, and I swim in the ocean a lot. I love the water,” she explained. Everyone around them was still watching them, but Jeff was the one privileged enough to be talking to the stunning woman.

  “I’m Jeff Shera,” he said, deciding to introduce himself and get her name before she swam away. He held out his hand over the lane marker, and she reached to shake it. “From Oklahoma.”

  “That’s a long way from the ocean,” she said, smiling in a way that invited him to join her. “I’m Maya Marshall. I live on the Washington coast, just south of Seattle.”

  “At least you didn’t say your name was Esther Williams,” he teased, wondering if she’d get the reference to the old film star who had been a world-class swimmer.

  “Oh, I used to love her movies,” Maya said, getting it right away. “I loved how they always came up with some lame excuse to have her in the water swimming, diving, even water skiing.” She shook her head. “I always tried to copy some of the stuff she did when I got to the beach when I was little,” she admitted. “I guess that was the start of my love of the water. What’s your excuse?”

  “My schools always had swim teams, and I was always on them,” he explained, trying to ignore the sharp jolt of attraction shooting up his arm from their handshake. Damn. This woman was something else.

  “It shows. You move like a fish,” she told him, letting go of his hand, much to his regret. “You want to do a few more laps?” She jerked her head toward the length of the pool with a challenging grin.

  “Sure, why not? You can be my swi
m buddy for today,” he quipped. She gave him an odd look. Almost as if she understood the wider connotations of his words. But she didn’t say anything, merely nodded, and they set off, in parallel lanes, heading for the other end of the pool.

  Jeff toyed with the idea of telling his original swim buddy about the woman he’d just met, but he decided to keep Maya to himself for a little while longer. He wanted to get to know her, but there was no way to talk aloud while swimming with her, so he settled for stealing glances of her lithe form next to him in the water. Man, she was amazing. He’d never seen a woman able to keep up with him in the water, and he got the impression that she wasn’t really pushing.

  Neither was he. Jeff had drawn quite enough attention for one day. He took it easier on the remaining laps, though he could’ve gone harder. For one thing, he didn’t want to betray the full limits of his abilities to anyone who might be watching a little too closely. For another, he didn’t want to scare off the lovely creature swimming alongside him. She fascinated him, and he wanted to keep her around as long as possible.

  Marlon suspected something was up when Jeff was silent for so long. Usually, his partner would be giving him updates on everything he was observing in real time during an op. If there’d been anything to report other than the impossibility of accessing the perimeter wall and the occasional stray chipmunk, Marlon would have been doing the same. The whole reason for cultivating their ability to speak mind-to-mind had been to share intel and work as a team.

  Right now, they might as well have been any other two regular guys on vacation in a mansion filled with the world’s elite. And that just wouldn’t do.