No Limit

by L. P. Dover

  “I’m heading back to the hotel. Let’s wrap this up,” he ordered.

  Clearing my throat, I looked straight at Ronnie, even though she couldn’t see my eyes through the sunglasses. “I have a list of men we’re investigating. I’m going to say their names and all you have to do is give me a simple nod. Ready?” She nodded. “Drake Blackwell?” She blinked and reluctantly nodded. “Mark Chamberlain?” Again, she nodded. “Chazz Davies?” Lowering her head, she nodded. “I have one more . . . Will Randall.”

  Chuckling, she leaned her head on the seat. “Oh, dear Lord, no. William isn’t like the scumbags he hires. He’s the last person I’d loan one of my girls out to. Believe me, they’ve asked, but he always refuses. If he didn’t, I’d castrate him.”

  “Why is that?”

  “We’re family. His wife is my sister.”

  “I didn’t see that coming, did you?” I asked.

  Shaking his head, Jason pressed the button for our floor. We didn’t want Madame Chatfield knowing we were staying at Caesar’s so we’d waited for her to leave before venturing inside. “At least it clarifies that Randall hasn’t been with any of the murdered girls. Unfortunately, he’s still friends with our suspects. That could make him guilty by association. We can’t trust any of these people.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it. Hopefully, some of them will be at the casino tonight. I’m ready to get this shit over with.” I looked at my watch. “What time do you want to head down to the casino to meet Randall?”

  Jason set his phone on the counter when we got inside. “Probably around ten.” Nodding, I started off toward my room. “Hey,” he called.

  Stopping, I slid my hair out of my ponytail and turned around, running my hands through it. “Yeah?”

  His emerald eyes met mine and he had the cutest smirk on his face. “I was thinking, maybe we could get some dinner before work tonight? There’s a restaurant in town and I kind of know the owners, or at least the owner’s husband. I’m sure they’d reserve us a good table.”

  Hands on my hips, I studied him. “I’m not going on a date with you, Avery.”

  He chuckled and lifted his hands in the air. “It’s a good thing it’s not a date then. I thought I’d be polite and ask you to join me. But if you don’t want to go . . .”

  “No, I’ll go,” I blurted, maybe a little too excitedly. I cleared my throat and started again. “It’d be good to get something to eat. I don’t want to go out by myself.”

  “Ah, so you’re going with me because you don’t want to be alone. I can’t believe I finally found a girl who could actually resist me.”

  “Are you trying to tell me you can get any girl you want?” I asked incredulously. By the charming looks and devilish smile, I could believe it. I spent my whole life hating guys like him.

  He shrugged. “Almost ninety-nine percent of the time. Do you think I couldn’t get you if I tried?”

  “Oh, I know you can’t, smart ass.”

  Smiling mischievously, his gaze never wavered from mine. “You’re going to regret saying that, sweetheart. I might just have to prove you wrong.”

  I turned my back on him and walked to my room. “Whatever, Avery. I can’t stop you from trying. I’ll just be the one laughing and pointing when you fail.”

  Why was it so difficult to read men like Jason? In the line of work he was pleasant and serious, but when it came to women he was arrogant, self-assured, and overly confident. I wanted to smack the smug from his face, or at least take him down a peg or two.

  Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped out. Jason looked over his shoulder and turned around, a glass of wine in his hands. He was dressed in a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing his tattoos. “Looking sexy like always,” he murmured, handing me the wine.

  “Thank you. I didn’t know we had wine.”

  He smiled. “I had it brought up.” I took a sip of the cool, crisp Riesling. “You really do look beautiful. I think green’s your color.”

  “You think so?” I spun and stuck out my hip.

  He smirked. “Hell yes. We make a hot pair.”

  I drank the rest of my wine and set it down on the counter. Biting my lip, I walked over to him, bringing my fingers up to his jawline. “We do, don’t we?” I let my hand trail down his chest. “Say, what time is our ride going to be here?”

  Jason’s eyes got dark and he pulled me close. “I’ve got a ride for you right here,” he rolled his hips into mine, “if you want to hop on.”

  “Seriously? Ew!” I smacked his arm and stepped back. “I was just teasing, and you—”

  His laughter cut my words short. I watched as he shook his head and chuckled. “Like I didn’t know what you were doing, sauntering across the room.” He reached for his jacket and slipped it on. “You should have seen your face!”

  “Ha-ha. Really funny, asshole.” I rolled my eyes and huffed.

  “Don’t try to play a player, firecracker. Besides, if I was really trying . . . you’d be so caught up, you wouldn’t even know it was happening.”

  I pouted. I hated being out-maneuvered.

  “By the way, while you were getting dressed, I called and talked to Kacey. She’s the owner of that restaurant I told you about.”

  “Yeah? We get a table reserved?”

  He winked, holding out his arm. “We have a lot more than that. Come on.”

  Taking his arm, he held it tight as we walked out the door to the elevator. My heels were a little taller tonight which made us almost the same height. Hopefully, I didn’t fall flat on my face. The second I got home I was going to throw every single high heel into the garbage. Wearing them was torture, and unfortunately, I was thankful to have Jason to lean on.

  “First day on heels?” he joked as I tried to get in the car.

  “Hey, I can’t help that your car’s so low to the ground. Not to mention, I’m in a short ass dress. I don’t want to show my lady bits to the whole world.”

  He froze as I got in the car. “You’re not wearing any underwear?”

  I winked up at him. “You’ll never know.”

  He groaned. “You’re going to fucking kill me.” Then he shut the door and I laughed.

  Yes, I was wearing underwear; I just liked torturing him. But after his moves back in the hotel room, I should probably have on a metal chastity belt like Marion in Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

  Once on the road, the traffic was bumper to bumper. “It’s just down the street,” he informed me.

  “How do you know the owner?”

  “We’re more like acquaintances really. The owner’s husband is Tyler Rushing, the UFC Heavyweight Champion.” He looked at me and I shook my head. I never kept up with MMA fighting to know who was who. “Anyway, I did some undercover work for a girl who works at his gym not too long ago. It’s like a huge circle of friends.”

  He found a vacant parking spot and helped me out of the car, pulling my arm through his. I was going to tell him he didn’t need to pretend, but I kind of liked being close to him. “I never really had a lot of friends; especially since my family moved around a lot. I guess you could say I’ve been kind of a loner. When I moved to Maine and things became more permanent, I was able to make friends. And by friends, I mean two.”

  “Three,” he added. I lifted my brows and he winked. “Don’t deny it. You’re going to miss me when this case is solved.”

  “That’s what you think,” I countered.

  When we got inside, Jason stood close to me, chills cascading down my skin. The host was a young man, probably in his early twenties. “Good evening. Do you have a reservation?”

  “Yes, sir. It should be under Avery,” Jason replied.

  Nodding, the young man grabbed two fancy menus and led us past the tables to a circular staircase leading to the loft. There was just one table with candles and a bottle of wine. “This is for you,” he said.

  “Wow,” was all I could muster.

  Jason nudged me forw
ard and pulled out my seat. “Aylee?”

  “Oh,” I laughed, snapping to attention. “This is all so . . .” I was thinking romantic but I didn’t want to say it out loud.

  “Mrs. Rushing said it had to be the best for her friends. I’m sure she’ll be up here to greet you soon. Your waitress will be here shortly, would you like me to open the wine while you wait?”

  Jason shook his head and sat down. “Nah, it’s okay. I got it.” Once alone, Jason opened the bottle and poured me a glass.

  Taking the offered glass, I sipped the wine and swished it around my mouth; I was a wine whore. My uncle would always let me sample them when I was younger. When I got older, it was my job to pick out the types of wine we kept stocked for the guests. “I’ve never been out to dinner like this,” I confessed.

  He stared at me in disbelief. “You expect me to believe that?”

  I shrugged. “Why not? It’s the truth.”

  “I guess because someone like you has to have a million guys following you around. Didn’t you date at all? What was your last boyfriend like?”

  My lips turned up in a smile. “He was a good one, but not the kind of guy who was ready for a woman like me.”

  “How so? By the smile on your face, I’d say you still care for him,” he mentioned, regarding me with serious eyes.

  “He was one of my two friends. After we split up, I dated here and there, but nothing ever serious. Then when I got done with FBI training, I went back to Maine and we started a relationship again.”

  “Recent?” he asked.

  “Not really. Things went downhill when I found out the truth about my parents. I was consumed with exacting revenge, while Adrian wanted to settle down with a wife and kids. I just couldn’t commit.”

  “I’m sure you will one day. When that time comes, are you going back to him?”

  Shrugging, I took another sip of wine. “I don’t know. I’m not promised to live through this mission. I can’t have kids and do this job. When I do decide to settle down, I’m not really sure where I want to be.”

  About that time, the waitress came up and I quickly looked through the menu and decided on the filet, Oscar-styled with au gratin potatoes. My stomach growled and Jason chuckled before ordering his food. When she left, his piercing green gaze bore into mine.

  “So, basically what you’re trying to say is that you need adventure, someone who can keep up with you and not put a limit on what you can do.”

  I smiled. “Something like that. Why, you want the job?”

  “I don’t do long-distance, firecracker. Maine’s a little far away from North Carolina.”

  “How will I ever find the strength to go on?” I asked. “Anyway, I bet you have tons of women waiting on you when you get home.”

  “Does that bother you?” he asked in all seriousness.

  “Why would it?”

  He poured himself a glass of wine and held it up. “Here’s to our freedom.” I touched my glass to his and we both took a sip.

  We got back to Caesar’s Palace around eight o’clock. Randall and his friends hadn’t shown up yet so I decided to play my luck at the tables.

  “Do you want some of my chips?” Jason asked.

  Smiling, I shook my head. “Nope. I got this.”

  I paid for my own and walked to one of the Texas Hold’em tables. It was my favorite style of poker. There were a few men at the table, so I sat down and grinned. They looked at me like I was easy prey. Jason took the last seat.

  “What are you doing? You’re not supposed to play against me,” I whispered low.

  He smirked. “I couldn’t resist. Let’s see what you got.”

  The dealer passed out our cards and I gently lifted the corners to see what I had. Not bad. I had a queen of spades and a six of hearts. Jason winked at me and I rolled my eyes. Two of the men folded, which brought us down to seven players. The dealer laid out the flop which happened to be a two of diamonds, four of clubs, and a six of diamonds. A pair of sixes wasn’t the best hand, but it was still something. Having my queen helped. The bid started out at a hundred dollars and Jason raised to two hundred. Keeping a straight face, I tossed in two hundred.

  Jason’s gaze focused on something across the room and he tensed, knocking my knee with his. “Incoming,” he warned.

  I looked over to see Will walk in with a group of men in tow, which seemed to be made up of the entire pool of suspects we were investigating, minus Drake Blackwell. Will found us and directed his friends to another table before coming to ours.

  “Good evening, Mr. Randall,” the dealer announced.

  “Same to you, my friend.” The energy in the room lifted and the men all sitting at our table sat straighter, puffing out their chests. It was funny how people liked to be intimidating. Will didn’t seem to be effected at all. Instead, he watched the game in amusement.

  After the last card was thrown down by the dealer, everyone checked except Jason, who tossed in three hundred more. Knowing he was either bluffing or just lucky, I called, determined not to back down. Four of the other players folded, leaving one other player in the game. Turning over his cards, he revealed a pair of fours. Judging by the look on his face, he knew he was grasping for straws.

  “What ya got, firecracker?” Jason said, grinning slyly.

  “Together?” When he nodded, we both turned our cards over at the same time. Eyes wide, I glared down at his cards and both Jason and Will bellowed. “You have got to be kidding me. How the hell is that possible?”

  Jason stood triumphantly as the dealer split the pot. We both had a six and a queen, which left us even. “At least you didn’t lose.” Taking my hand, he helped me up and smacked my ass. “You can earn some of that money back tonight.” I gritted my teeth and smiled. Putting his arm around my waist, he handed me my chips and winked.

  “All right, you two, it’s time to play,” Will called, nodding toward his table. His wife wasn’t in sight, which sucked monkey balls because I wanted to talk to her again. I planned to grill her about Madame Chatfield to see if she’d admit they were sisters. For all I knew, she could be embarrassed by her sister’s profession.

  “Surely, you don’t expect me to play,” I commented.

  Will looked back at me and winked. “Why not? You seem to know what you’re doing. It’ll be refreshing to play against a woman.”

  His friends stood when we arrived, along with Will’s two bodyguards. Will placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder and went down the line. “You already met my security, Butch and Tom. This right here,” he said, pointing to the blond-haired, green-eyed pretty boy, “is Chazz Davies. He’s head of the music department at Randall Industries. He finds the talent.”

  Jason and I shook his hand, but his gaze lingered a little too long on my body for my liking. I felt like a piece of meat being waggled in front of a pit bull.

  “And this handsome man,” Will continued, pointing to the serious man with dark hair and brown eyes, “is Mark Chamberlain. He does all of my team scouting. I think I’m up to ten teams already.”

  “Eleven now,” Mark said, smirking.

  “Impressive,” I added.

  Will smiled at me. “I’m glad you think so. Guys, Jason Avery and Aylee McFadden are going to join us tonight. Surely, there are no objections?”

  Chazz held out a chair for me and Jason nudged me toward it, even though I could feel his hand tense on my lower back. I nodded at Chazz with a small smile. “Thank you.”

  He took the seat beside mine. “My pleasure. We don’t get many women who play.”

  Will sat down across the table and snorted. “I’m pretty sure she knows what she’s doing.”

  Jason’s lip tilted up in a smirk. “That she does.” Then he turned to Will. “We going to play with seven?”

  Will nodded. “Drake couldn’t make it tonight, but he’ll be at the party tomorrow. Would you like to join us? I’m sure my wife would love to see the lovely Aylee again. All she could talk about was how gorgeous a
nd sweet she was,” he explained, smiling at me.

  Jason put his hand on my thigh and squeezed. “Then we’d love to come. I’m sure Aylee can deal with me for one more night?”

  I batted my eyes. “I think I can handle it.”

  Will’s eyes brightened. “Great, then it’s settled. Make sure you don’t spend all your money tonight. You’ll need it tomorrow.”

  By the end of the night, Jason was on edge. The tension was so thick I could cut it with a knife. Honestly, I liked knowing he was protective of me. He wanted to beat the fuck out of Chazz Davies and a part of me wanted to see it. I could still feel the way he pressed against me earlier. My body wanted more, but I had to convince my mind.

  “Jason, you okay?” I asked.

  He opened the door to our suite and held it for me, before storming inside. He threw his jacket on the couch and huffed. “I’m fine, just a little pissed off.” I caught his gaze in the window as he looked out at the city lights. “I know you’re not mine and I know you’re a strong woman, but when the others looked at you tonight, I wanted to tell them to back the fuck up. I want to protect you from them.”

  The air left my lungs and I froze. His words touched me in places I never thought I’d have feeling in again. “I could tell,” I whispered. My heart raced in my chest, especially when I got the courage to touch his shoulder, to make that contact. I wanted to hear more. “Is that the only reason why you’ve been in a mood? Are you mad because you lost a round?”

  He scoffed. “No, that’s not a big deal. I can’t always win.”

  “Then what is it? We’re finally in the game we’ve been waiting on. Granted, we haven’t met Drake yet, but this is a huge step for the case. The party tomorrow will be the perfect chance to get a feel for what they’re really like.”

  Sighing, he turned to face me. “That’s what I’m afraid of. I didn’t like the way Davies looked at you. Just do me a favor and stay away from him tomorrow.”

  “That’s what you’re mad about? Really?”

  Jaw clenched, he stood there, eyes blazing. “It was a stupid idea having you pretend to be a whore. Now those fuckers won’t respect you.”