Guilty Pleasures

by Donna Hill

  Rita chuckled. “The same thing you see in Jake.”

  “Not possible.”

  Rita put her hand on Eva’s to stop her fingers. “Look, I was never really sure what went down between you and Jinx. And … I don’t want to know. But Jinx is a good guy. Give him a break.”

  Eva sighed. “Maybe. He just rubs me the wrong way.”

  “That’s too bad, ’cause he thinks the world of you and would walk in front of a truck for his brother.”

  Eva angled her head at her look-alike cousin. She shrugged then lowered her gaze. “I never told anyone this—”

  “I know. He made a pass at you. He told me all about it, ages ago.”

  Eva’s head snapped up; her brows rose. “He did”

  Rita nodded. “Jake knows too. You’re the only one who thinks it’s this big ugly secret.”

  Eva chortled. “Wow, how dumb have I been”

  “Very. And here’s the best part. He thought you were me.” She winked.

  Eva put her hand on her hip. “You really believe that You know I’m cuter.”

  “You wish.” Rita grinned. “But seriously, it was a long time ago, cuz. He was a little high.” She shrugged. “He would never intentionally go after his brother’s woman. You should know that. Jinx isn’t that kind of guy.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “Listen, we’re all going to have to work together on this. Trust each other. You can’t let some damned near decade-old bullshit mess with your head.”

  Eva pouted. She knew Rita was right. It was a long time ago. Jinx had never tried anything since. He always treated her with respect, but she’d thought it was because he believed she would tell Jake. Hmph—she was the last one to know. The joke was on her.

  “You’re right.” She sniffed. “I’ll give him a break.”

  Rita patted her shoulder. “Good girl. Now come on. I want to get out of this thing.”

  * * *

  Jake handed Rita, Jinx, and Eva their PDAs.

  “Each of them is loaded with the the ship schematics. There’s a list of all of the rooms, staff names, and titles. I have the master file on the laptop and can beam information straight to each of the PDAs whenever necessary.” He looked at everyone. “Whatever you do, don’t lose it. Now let’s go over the list one more time. We can’t afford to forget anything.”

  For the next hour they rehearsed their roles, reviewed all the possible scenarios, went over the time schedule and the escape routes.

  “The plane leaves for Brazil at six a.m.,” Jake continued. He braced his forearms on his thighs and leaned forward. “When we arrive in Brazil, we’ll check into a little out-of-the-way motel that Jinx secured, board the ship the following morning, check into our rooms, and then get busy. We have six days before we reach Miami. Six days to put the finger on Suarez, make sure he has what we want, get it, and get out.”

  “Have you confirmed our transportation out of Miami after the meet” Eva asked Jinx.

  “It’ll be taken care of.”

  “Taken care of! We leave day after tomorrow, Jinx. When do you plan to take care of it”

  “I said I’d handle it, and I will.”

  Eva jumped up from her seat. “There’s a reason why they call you Jinx, John Kelly.” She pointed a finger at him. “You better not screw this up.”

  Jake clasped her wrist. “Relax, Eva,” he said softly.

  “Relax How can I relax, Jake, when one wrong blink and we’re all going down Tell me that!”

  Eva stormed off in a huff, slamming her bedroom door with such force, the mirror on the dresser shook.

  She rubbed her forehead as she paced the bedroom. Why was this freaking her out so She was a professional. Jake worked out all the details. Everyone was comfortable in their roles. Damnit, she felt like crying. Her eyes burned, and her throat tightened. She sniffed hard.

  This was ridiculous. It was like Rita said: they had to trust each other. She just didn’t know if she could trust Jinx. Yeah, he’d made a pass at her and he knew perfectly well who she was. But that wasn’t the whole of it, and that’s what scared her. Jinx had a very bad habit of promising and not delivering. One of his promises landed him in jail, and cost her and Jake fifty thousand dollars.

  She and Jake had been working in Arizona. Jinx wanted in on the scam. And Jake, being the “good” brother, agreed. Jinx was the one who was responsible for securing their exit. He swore he had connections with the airlines and could get the packages of heisted goods on board without detection. That never happened, though.

  An hour before boarding, he got picked up for using a stolen credit card. The packages remained on the loading dock at the airport with Eva’s and Jake’s aliases on them.

  When they called Jinx on his cell moments before boarding to confirm that everything was a go, but only got his voice mail, they had to nix the whole plan. They drove back to New York from Arizona in a rented car.

  Jinx spent three years in jail, and Eva hadn’t trusted him since. Everyone seemed to have forgotten that fiasco, but she hadn’t.

  “They’re gone. Said to tell you good night.”

  Eva turned to the door. Jake stood backlit from the living room lamps.

  She nodded but said nothing, went to the closet and pretended to look for something.

  “Talk to me, Eva. Please.”

  She lowered her head, fought back a rush of tears. “I don’t know what to say, Jake.”

  “I find that hard to believe. You always have something to say, whether I want to hear it or not.”

  She smirked in spite of herself. She turned to him. “I’ve never felt this uneasy about a job. Never. And with Jinx involved…”

  He clasped her shoulders. “Jinx is going to be fine.”

  “How can you say that Every time Jinx is involved, something goes wrong. There was the time in Atlanta with the hotel security. Instead of paying attention to the guard, he was in the lounge with some woman. He was supposed to have an in with tickets for the Astrodome in Houston, said we could make a killing in one night, and the second ticket he scalps was to a cop. Not to mention Arizona.”

  Jake grimaced, remembering.

  “Should I go on There’s a reason he’s got that nickname. Baby, this time it isn’t the local toy cops or hotel security we’re dealing with. This is the FBI. If we go down on this job, we’re going away for a very long time.”

  Jake sat down on the side of the bed. He stretched out his hand toward her. Eva came and sat beside him.

  “Have I ever broken a promise to you in all the years you’ve known me”

  She shook her head.

  “I don’t intend to now. No matter what happens, we’re going to get out of this clean. I swear to you. I’ve checked and double-checked everything. And believe me, I’m gonna be on Jinx like white on rice. Don’t worry. You just concentrate on your part. I’ll take care of the rest.” He paused, took her chin in his palm, and turned her face toward him. “For better or worse.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder. “We could do without the ‘worse’ part.”

  Jake chuckled. “You got that right.” He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. “Come on, let’s get some sleep. I have cars to sell tomorrow, and you have a business to run. It’ll be our last night of real sleep for a while.”

  * * *

  They made love for the first time in days. It was slow and gentle, as if they were sealing a pact, reaffirming their commitment to each other.

  Afterwards, Eva lay curled in Jake’s embrace, wishing she could hold on to the moment, but she knew that it was only temporary. Tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed.

  Jake listened to Eva’s deep and regular breathing. She was sound asleep. Gingerly he eased out of the bed and tiptoed out of the room.

  He went into the office where the computer was set up. Eva was right. Jinx was a screwup. But in this instance, he wasn’t so much worried about Jinx, but about himself.

  He turned on the computer and brought up the
grid for the security system. There was still one glitch. If he couldn’t crack the code for the ship’s safe, they were fucked. Plain and simple. He’d beat it; he had to.

  Eva turned onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. If Jake was doing what she thought he was, they had more worries than they were prepared to handle. She squeezed her eyes shut and for the first time in more years than she could count, she prayed.

  14

  JFK Airport was packed, even for five in the morning. Eva and Jake arrived together and went directly to the international check-in. This was the first test.

  The counter clerk examined their passports for so long, it made Jake uncomfortable. He traded small talk with Eva as the clerk flipped through the pages, checking his picture against the face on the passport. Finally she handed it back and clicked a few keys on the computer. She gave him his ticket. “Have a safe flight.”

  “Thanks.”

  Eva was next, but she wasn’t subjected to the same scrutiny.

  “One down,” Jake said under his breath as they headed toward the second level of security at the departure gate. He put his arm around Eva’s waist as they jockeyed around the crowd.

  “Have you seen Jinx and Rita” Eva asked, keeping her focus in front of her.

  “They’ll be here.”

  Eva sighed.

  “I spoke to him before we left. He’ll be here. He was going to pick up Rita on his way.”

  “We should have all come together.”

  “No. We don’t want to be seen together. We don’t want to give anyone cause to make a connection between us.”

  His cell phone rang just as they approached the security checkpoint.

  It was the phone from Lenora Ingram. He flashed Eva a look and then answered the call. “Yeah.”

  “Your flight leaves in one hour.”

  “We’re going through security now.”

  “I know.”

  Jake frowned, took a quick look around.

  “Don’t bother trying to spot me in the crowd, Mr. Kelly. Be sure not to give them any reason to stop you, and everything will be fine.”

  He clenched his jaw. “Anything else We’re holding up the line.”

  “Have a wonderful flight. I’ll contact you when you land.”

  The call was disconnected.

  Jake shoved the cell phone back into his pocket. “She’s here somewhere.”

  “Figures. Probably watching us from a camera somewhere.”

  “We can’t worry about her. Just keep our eyes on the prize—that’s all.” He pulled down two of the plastic bins and began dumping out his jacket pockets: watch, cell phones, and computer into the containers. Eva did the same.

  “I still don’t see Rita and Jinx,” she said, taking off her shoes and adding them to the pile.

  “They’ll be here.”

  Jake walked through first without a hitch.

  Eva was next. She kept her eyes on her overnight bag. Part of the goods was in her bag, just in case they got separated from their luggage; the rest had been checked through. In case of trouble, she’d printed out the bill of lading at the office and had tucked it away in her purse.

  The minute she stepped through the security machine, the lights began to flash.

  Shit.

  Jake looked back as one of the security guards instructed Eva to turn around and try again. The alarm went off a second time.

  “Female officer, please!” the guard shouted in a heavy accent. “Step over to the side, miss.”

  Eva did as she was instructed, all the while watching the X-ray screen that was examining her bag. The screener signaled for another guard. They both looked, one pointed, the other muttered something she couldn’t hear.

  “Hold your hands out to your sides, please,” a female guard instructed Eva.

  She snapped her head in the direction of the voice, praying that they did not decide to open her bag. She held her arms up and to her sides while the guard stroked her body with a hand wand.

  “Turn around, please.”

  Eva did as she was told. The wand slid down the back of her body, hesitating for a moment at her bra strap and then her waist.

  “Turn around, please.”

  Eva drew in a breath and turned around.

  “Open the zipper of your pants, please.”

  “What”

  “Open the zipper of your pants.”

  “This is ridiculous,” she spat as she fiddled with her belt, then the zipper.

  The guard moved the wand around the inside of her waistband. “Thank you.”

  Eva snatched a look at the conveyor belt and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her bag coming through.

  “You’re good to go, miss. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

  “Sure.” Eva fixed her clothes.

  “Great belt,” the guard said.

  Eva glanced down at the sparkling belt. “Thanks.”

  “Where’d you get it”

  “I made it.” She grabbed her bag and walked over to Jake. “We should have gone Greyhound,” she muttered.

  Jake laughed. “You got everything”

  She took a last look around as she adjusted her feet in her shoes. “Yeah. You”

  “Yep. Come on let’s go. I need a cup of coffee.”

  * * *

  Eva spotted them first. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  “What”

  She lifted her chin in the direction of the seats at the departure gate. “There’s Jinx and Rita.”

  “See, and you were worried. Two large coffees,” he said to the woman behind the counter. Although he wouldn’t admit it to Eva, he was pretty relieved.

  They took their coffees and walked past Jinx and Rita, taking seats on the other side.

  Rita was not her usual flamboyant self, going instead for low-key in her off-white tank top and white denim pants. She wore a belt almost identical to Eva’s but in white. Her auburn wig framed her face in a perfect pageboy cut. Her eyes were shielded behind wide dark sunglasses as if she expected the paparazzi to leap upon her if recognized.

  Jinx was just as casual in a pale blue shirt, sleeves rolled halfway up his arms, and a pair of dark jeans. They looked like any other couple traveling on vacation.

  Eva had taken out her weave and wore her permed hair in a short spiked look reminiscent of the early Halle Berry cut. Short hair worked much better under the wigs she would have to don during the course of the trip. Jake, always Mr. GQ, went about as casual as he allowed: a white shirt without a tie and a navy linen jacket and matching pants.

  “Well, all here and accounted for,” Jake said, taking a sip of his coffee.

  Eva was finally beginning to feel a little better about the whole operation. She had to admit that Jinx surprised her. Not only was he at the airport, but he’d obviously arrived before they did. The knot in her gut began to loosen.

  She slid her hand along Jake’s thigh. He turned to her, taken aback but delighted. It had been days since Eva had reached for him. Even the other night, it was he who made the overture. He missed the fire, the lust that erupted between them.

  “We’re gonna be all right, babe,” he said only for her ears.

  “I think so too.” She took his hand. “I know we are going to be on that ship to work—” Her gaze danced over his face. “—but the day has to end sometime.”

  He ran his tongue along his full bottom lip, but before he could respond, his name was barked out on the intercom system—his real name.

  Eva and Jake’s gazes collided.

  “Jake Kelly … passenger Jake Kelly, please pick up a white courtesy phone.”

  “Shit,” he spat.

  Eva grabbed his wrist. “It has to be her.”

  “I know,” he whispered as he rose from the hard plastic seat. “Be right back.”

  Eva picked up a newspaper from the seat next to her and feigned interest. She took a glance across the crowded seating space and caught the eye of Rita. Rita shrugged in bewilderment.
Eva turned her attention back to the words that were dancing in front of her.

  There were several scenarios playing in her head. Either Lenora Ingram was changing the plan, something had gone wrong, or they were screwed before they got started.

  She tapped her foot in an uneven rhythm, waiting for Jake to return. Her body tensed when she looked up and saw him approach. His face was unreadable to those who didn’t know him, but not to her.

  He sat down.

  “What happened”

  “It was Stan.”

  “Stan”

  “Yeah.”

  “What did he want”

  “A slice of the pie.”

  15

  Stan hung up his office phone. Satisfied. He wiped perspiration from his brow with a white handkerchief, which he then tucked back in his breast pocket. He’d never gone against Lenora. Everything she’d ever wanted he’d done without question, no matter how he felt about it.

  He knew what she planned to do. He’d gotten into her computer files at home. Hmph, and she thought he was a fool. But he had plenty of free time at his job to master the computer and had become quite the hack.

  This was his way out, and she wasn’t going to deprive him of it. He would get out of his loveless marriage and his dead-end job, and he would start a new life.

  That night in the hotel with Leslie, or Eva Kelly, rather, was a blessing in disguise. He knew from the moment he dumped those photos on the coffee table that Lenora would spring into action. All he had to do was play the role of the hapless husband, which he’d gotten down to an art. For the first time in years he saw light at the end of his tunnel, and Lenora was going to get him there.

  * * *

  Lenora stood in front of the team she’d recruited for the Task Force on Border Smuggling, and was issuing their assignments. At first she thought of the detail as yet another albatross around her neck. But maybe she could make it work to her advantage.

  “As you all know, Congress is establishing a panel to review smuggling across the U.S. borders. We’ve been assigned the task of providing the most current information, including names, shipments, and time frames.” She looked into the eyes of the three faces: Virginia Holmes, Mike Fuller, and Eric Borden. Eric was a decent-enough fellow; at least he treated her with a degree of respect. Virginia, as much as Lenora disliked her ass-kissing ways, was a whiz with research, and Mike had previous experience on task forces and knew their importance. A motley crew if there ever was one, she thought. But this was what she had to work with. Everyone else in the department was tied up in other projects.