by Paige Tyler
“You’re telling me the police never realized what’s going on around here?” she asked Trevor.
He pulled into a parking space and turned off the engine. “I’m sure they know. But as long as no one causes problems, they apparently look the other way.”
Alina nodded. On some level, that made sense.
Beside her, Trevor flipped down the visor and adjusted his tie in the mirror. Damn, he looked good in the expensive silk suit Skye had picked out for him. And the light stubble along his jawline made him look even better. Then again, she’d always had a thing for guys with scruff.
“Who’s this guy we’re looking for, and why do you think he’s connected to John Loughlin’s death?” she asked.
“These days, he goes by the name of Doug Smith.” Trevor reached into the backseat, coming up with a thin manila folder. He flipped though the file until he came out with a photo of a man in his early forties with dark hair sprinkled with a little bit of gray.
“His real name is Dokka Shishani,” Trevor continued. “He’s from Chechnya, where he fought for years in the Chechen-Russian conflict. It’s also where he learned his trade as a bomb maker. He moved to the States in 2008, becoming a naturalized citizen in 2014. Since then, he’s been implicated in a few assassination-style bombings in South America and Asia, but nothing that’s ever stuck. He does a good job blending in with the local Russian community, which must be hard as hell considering how much Chechens and Russians dislike each other.”
Alina had spent some time over in Chechnya during the early part of her career in the CIA. The war there had devastated the country for nearly twenty years, and it was just now starting to crawl out from under the massive destruction. It was a tough place to live but an even tougher place to get out of.
She picked up the picture and studied it, committing the man’s face to memory. “With a background like his, I’m surprised he was allowed through immigration. The State Department normally would have flagged somebody like him long before he ever got a green card.”
“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Trevor agreed.
Stepping out of the SUV, Trevor came around to her side to open her door. She took the hand he offered her, telling herself that she did it simply because the guards might be watching. But as she slipped her right leg out of the SUV, flashing a good amount of thigh, she admitted to herself that maybe she did it because it gave her a chance to get a rise out of him.
And yeah…he looked. All the way from thigh to ankle and back up again.
“You really do look amazing in that dress,” he murmured, pushing the door closed.
“You look pretty damn good yourself,” she said as she rested one hand on his arm and let him escort her across the parking lot. She actually appreciated the assist. It had been a while since she’d worn heels this high. She was out of practice.
“You were saying something about how our guy got through immigration?” she prompted softly.
Trevor’s mouth twitched. “I do remember vaguely saying something about that. Before you derailed my train of thought.”
She laughed. Damn, he could be seriously smooth when he wanted.
“It turns out Mr. Shishani had a sponsor with enough power to pull the right strings,” Trevor explained. “That sponsor got our guy in the country with limited State Department review, accelerating his naturalization paperwork and getting him through in record time.”
Alina noticed the two guards watching them as they approached the front doors. The muscle-bound suits were eyeballing them so hard the building could have fallen down behind them and they probably wouldn’t have noticed.
“And what’s the connection between this guy and John?” she asked.
Trevor stopped, turning to look at her. “None between Shishani and John, but the guy who sponsored Shishani and got him into the country? Yeah, there’s definitely a connection.”
She blinked in surprise. “You’re saying Thomas Thorn brought a Chechen-born bomber into the United States and paid him to kill John Loughlin?”
Trevor didn’t answer but merely started for the entrance again. The guards opened the doors for them without a word. Once they were inside the little hallway that led to another set of double doors and the restaurant beyond, he stopped.
“There’s no indication Shishani ever came onto the training complex, but he definitely had the know-how to make the bomb, and the attack matched his style perfectly. Throw in his connection to Thorn and the fact that he’s been spending money like it’s going out of style the past few weeks, and that makes him somebody worth checking out.”
Alina let that sink in for a moment. “I would have preferred to hear some of this stuff before we’d gotten here, but for now, let’s assume everything you think you know is right. What do you hope to get out of this guy? I’m pretty sure we’re not going to get a spontaneous confession from him.”
Trevor shrugged as he motioned her forward and opened the door for her. “I can be very persuasive when I want to. You’d be amazed what you can get out of people when you say please.”
Alina would have called him on that, but the smell of cigar and cigarette smoke hit her so hard, she couldn’t breathe, much less talk. So much for a smoke-free Maryland.
She scanned the bar along the right side of the room, then the booths on the left, and the tables and chairs filling the space in between. Beyond the bar, she could see a nondescript door, which could just as well have led to a storage room or an office if it wasn’t for the big, muscle-bound bouncers standing on either side of it.
“What’s the plan here?” she asked Trevor quietly as the restaurant’s patrons eyed them curiously. “Because I don’t see anyone warming up to us enough to invite us into the back room.”
“We’re Trevor and Alina Hoffman, a filthy rich, newly married couple from Silicon Valley,” Trevor said, glancing around as if taking in the ambience. “We’ve been on an extended honeymoon for the past few months and are currently heading for a trans-Atlantic cruise out of New York City. We decided to do some gambling and got tired of dealing with all the crap at the local casino.”
“You think they’ll buy that?” she asked as he led her across the room toward the door with the guards.
“You sell the fact that we’re a newly married couple, and I’ll make them believe I’m a rich guy with a gambling addiction.”
She could do that. Then she realized one big flaw in their cover story. “If we’re a newly married couple, shouldn’t I be wearing a ring?”
Trevor gave her a sidelong glance. “What makes you think you aren’t?”
She looked down at her hand in confusion and almost fell off her stacked heels as she saw the monstrously large diamond he’d somehow slipped onto her ring finger when she wasn’t looking. Oh crud, it was huge! And as beautiful as any she’d ever seen.
“When did you put this on? More importantly, is this thing real?” she whispered.
Thank goodness she had his arm to keep her steady. She was feeling faint at the idea of wearing a diamond that was probably worth more than her entire apartment.
“I put it on you when we were married on the first of June in Monaco,” he whispered back. “And of course it’s real. I would never put something fake on the love of my life.”
“Trevor, I’m serious,” she said.
He made a face. “Okay. I slipped it on your finger when I was helping you out of the SUV. And yes, it’s real, so don’t lose it. I had to sign my life away to get it out of the DCO safes.”
She gulped. “How much is it worth?”
“Nothing compared to you, sweetheart,” he said in a romantic tone as they stopped in front of the two guards.
The bouncers working this door were a little bit more professional than the ones outside.
“Can I help you?” one of the men asked in a deep, rough voice that made Alina w
onder if he chewed gravel for fun.
“Someone told me a man might be able to find a friendly game of poker somewhere near here,” Trevor said casually. “I don’t suppose you two might be able to point my wife and me in the right direction for a game like that?”
The two men regarded him suspiciously.
“I think you’re talking about the Horseshoe Casino,” Gravel said. “It’s nearby, very clean and friendly.”
Trevor chuckled. “The Horseshoe is very friendly. But the place doesn’t have the quite the atmosphere we’re looking for. It’s a little too…what’s the word?…sanitized for our liking.”
Gravel studied Trevor for a moment, then glanced at the bar, giving someone there a nod. Ten seconds later, a slim man in an expensive suit appeared at their side.
“My name is Teddy,” he said in a cautious yet friendly tone. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m Trevor Hoffman. This is my wife, Alina. We’re getting ready to head out on a cruise in a few days and decided to do some gambling while we’re in town. Someone told us this place runs a clean game, so I thought I’d spend some money here.”
Teddy surveyed them with a practiced eye, taking in the cut of Trevor’s suit and her expensive gown, not to mention the big honking ring she wore. He must have liked what he saw, because he nodded.
“If I could get some identification and a credit card from you, Mr. Hoffman, I can quickly check your credentials and set you up with a line of credit.”
Alina tensed as Trevor handed over the requested ID and credit card. They could be in trouble. The fake ID and credit card by themselves would have taken quite a bit of time and money to pull off. Coming up with an Internet background to support that would take even longer.
“What are they going to find when they run your name and that credit card number?” she whispered as he slipped his arm around her and casually urged her away from the two men guarding the door.
“Relax.” He flashed her a grin. “They’ll find us with all the relevant financial and societal tidbits one would expect to see when looking at the rich and bored.”
She glanced at Teddy. He typed something into a computer just out of sight behind the bar. A moment later, he lifted his head and frowned in their direction.
“Something’s wrong,” she whispered.
Even the two guards were eyeing them funny now. She was starting to wish she had a weapon. If things went bad, they were in trouble.
“Alina,” Trevor said softly as he tightened his arm around her waist and tugged her closer. “Now’s the time for you to sell the newlywed thing.”
She opened her mouth to ask him exactly how he suggested she do that when he pulled her even closer.
She wished she could have said it was years of CIA training that took over and made her kiss him. But that wouldn’t have been true. Instead, it was a totally different kind of instinct. The kind that made a woman want to kiss a hot guy.
She weaved her fingers possessively into his dark hair, parting her lips and inviting his tongue in to play. Trevor slid one hand down her back, molding her so tightly against him she could feel the outline of every muscle in his amazing body.
“Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman.”
It took a minute for Teddy’s voice to register, and when it finally did, Alina reluctantly stepped away from Trevor. She swayed a little on her feet, suddenly breathless. If Trevor’s arm hadn’t been around her, she might have melted into a puddle on the floor. She’d never been affected by a kiss like that before.
Teddy smiled at them. “I’ve started you with a hundred-thousand-dollar line of credit. If you step this way, security can clear you. Then I can take you in so you can start enjoying your evening.”
I was already enjoying my evening, Alina thought.
Trevor looked at her, his mouth curving into a sexy grin, as if he’d been thinking the same thing.
Teddy and the two guards might have thought the flickering yellow glow that rimmed Trevor’s eyes was a reflection of the light. But Alina knew better. As he stood there gazing at her while the guard waited with the handheld metal detector, she couldn’t help but wonder what that flash of gold had meant.
* * *
Trevor couldn’t believe how badly he wanted to bail on the mission and spend the rest of the night kissing Alina. He’d thought she was attractive the first time he’d seen her, but holding her in his arms and feeling her body against his, knowing she wasn’t wearing anything underneath that dress, damn near made him burst into flames.
But then he remembered he might be only a few feet away from the man who’d built the bomb that had killed John. He couldn’t let this opportunity to get something on Thorn slip away, not after all the work Skye and Evan had done to track Shishani down. He owed John that much at the very least.
He took a deep breath and got his inner animal under control. He hadn’t been quite sure about bringing Alina with him tonight, but Skye had convinced him that he stood a much better chance of getting into the place with the cover she’d concocted. Flat-out, a lone man trying to weasel his way into a private gambling establishment was an uphill battle, no matter how rich he was supposed to be. Besides, Skye had already created their fake identities and set everything up. According to her, it had been too late to change the plan. Trevor was pretty sure she’d been working him.
In the end, though, Trevor hadn’t needed anyone to twist his arm to get him to go along with the plan. His head still wasn’t a hundred percent sold on his new partner, but his gut told him to trust her.
“Just hand your credit chit to the dealer at the first table you choose,” Teddy said as he escorted them into the private gaming area.
Trevor thanked the man, fighting back the growl clawing its way out of his throat as Teddy gave Alina a long, lingering look before he walked away. The urge to rip the guy’s face off for having the balls even to lay eyes on her was so strong, his claws actually extended.
He cursed under his breath and forced them back in. His animal nature was merely trying to lay claim to someone who didn’t belong to him. Alina was his partner, not his wife. That kiss, amazing as it had been, had just been part of their cover.
“Chill the hell out,” he muttered to himself.
“What was that?” Alina asked, raising her voice to be heard over the cheering at the nearest craps table.
“Nothing,” Trevor said. “I was just saying it’s nicer in here than I imagined.”
She turned slightly to survey the room, giving him a nice glimpse of cleavage. Couple that with the intoxicating pheromones she was putting off, and it was enough to make his inner coyote howl.
Get a fucking grip! What the hell is going on in your head?
“Is that him?” Alina asked, pulling Trevor out of his daydreams.
Trevor dragged his gaze away from her and looked over to see Shishani standing at one of the craps tables, dark eyes intent on the bets his fellow gamblers were placing while he sipped the drink in his hand.
“Do we keep an eye on him until he leaves, then follow him?” Alina wanted to know.
Trevor shook his head. “No. As much as he likes to gamble, he could be here until this place closes. I sure as hell don’t feel like waiting around that long to talk to him.”
“You have a better plan?” she prompted.
“Yeah, I do. One that revolves around you and your distracting beauty.”
She grimaced. “I hesitate to ask.”
Trevor gave her a smile as he reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and came out with two very fancy-looking pens. She watched curiously as he turned toward the wall so the security cameras couldn’t see what he was doing, and started taking the pens apart. One held a tiny vial…like one of those tubes that sample perfumes came in. The other contained a tiny piece of plastic, not much bigger than the eraser on a pencil.
“Don’t worry. It’s nothing too extreme. Which, I admit, is rather disappointing for me.” He motioned off to the left with his chin. “The restrooms are down a hallway over in that direction. At the end of that corridor is an emergency exit. As you can imagine in a place like this, the hallway is covered by cameras, and the door is heavily alarmed.”
He held up the small piece of plastic. “Step one of the plan involves me planting this device in the hallway. When I activate it, it will momentarily pause the cameras and trip a piece of software code in the security system that will disengage the door lock and alarm. Once I activate the device, it should give us about thirty seconds to get Shishani out the door and into the alley out back.”
“Nice toy,” she murmured, looking at the tiny device. “But I have a question. How are we going to get Shishani into that hallway so we can get him out the door?”
Trevor held up the small glass vial. “That’s where this—and you—come in.”
“You want me to drug him?” she asked in confusion. “Don’t you think security will get suspicious when Shishani starts stumbling around as we lead him toward the restroom?”
Trevor chuckled. “It’s not that kind of drug. It’s a powerful diuretic designed to make him have to go to the bathroom really badly—as in really, really badly. We simply need to follow him casually down the hall when that happens and take him right out the back.”
“Not a bad plan. You need me to slip the drug into his drink?”
Trevor shook his head. “I can do that. I need you to distract him—and anyone else who might be looking our way—long enough to let me do it.”
She looked doubtful. “What if I can’t distract him, or anyone else, long enough for you to slip it in his drink?”
Trevor arched a brow as he slowly scanned her up and down. “Something tells me that’s not going to be an issue. If anything, you’ll have so many guys after you, we’ll never make it to the back hallway without a bunch of them following you like lovesick puppies.”
She laughed. “You’re really good for a girl’s ego, you know that?”