Page 110 of Close Pursuit

“You got it. And thank you. You’re a lifesaver.” Katie gave him her best smile before heading for the high roller’s area.

The room was paneled in black velvet, with dark lighting. Cool air wafted over her skin from vents sucking the smoke out of the air with shocking efficiency, given that a poker table with eight men, all smoking cigars, was just inside the door. Tiny halogen bulbs in the ceiling cast pools of bright light on the plush black carpet, but outside of those, it was twilight dark in here.

She moved deeper into the mini-casino within a casino. A craps table had drawn a crowd, and a shouted groan went up as she moved past it.

Tall, brassy, blond with dark eye make-up. How hard could Natasha be to spot among all these disheveled business men? Nearly topless waitresses with big chests and perfect legs reaching practically to their armpits moved around the room, handing out free whiskey. No surprise. A drunk gambler was a stupid gambler, and a stupid gambler was a profitable customer for a casino.

There. In the booth along the far wall. A gorgeous blonde displaying the best that modern plastic surgery had to offer. It had to be Natasha. She and Alex were friends? Well, friends with benefits. Huh. The woman looked somewhere over forty and less than seventy years old, but that was about all Katie could tell in this dim light. He went for older women, did he? Kinky.

Katie moved toward the table where Natasha appeared to be holding court. Several stunningly beautiful young women sat with her along with two huge men who couldn’t possibly be mistaken for anything but hired muscle. At the back of the booth in the position of honor was Natasha. Was she some sort of madam, then? She sure acted like the boss lady.

Katie approached cautiously, and the nearest hovering man threw her a look that would warn off most people. She ignored the scowl and approached the table anyway.

The guy muttered in a heavy Slavic accent, “Sorry, honey. What you’re looking for is only available by special appointment.”

She ignored him and spoke directly to the blonde. “Ms. Gudenov?”

“Who’s asking?” The blonde was polite enough, but an undercurrent of toughness was unmistakable in the woman’s voice.

“I’m a friend of Alexei Koronov’s.”

Not only did Natasha lurch, but both men sat up straight and looked past her aggressively. Checking to see if Alex was with her, no doubt.

Natasha stirred the ice cubes in her drink with a long, French-manicured fingernail. “He dares to show his face around here? Brave boy. Or foolish.”

“Although he is unquestionably brave,” Katie said softly, “we both know he’s not foolish, don’t we?”

Natasha glanced down at the baby sling. “That his?”

Katie threw the woman an ‘are you kidding?’ look. “He’s not stupid, either. No. He and I rescued this baby, but she’s not his.”

“How is young Alex? I heard he spent the last few years in Washington.”

Katie sensed a test. “The last few years he spent in jail.”

“Sit. Tell me your name.”

“I’m Katie McCloud. I met Alex on a humanitarian mission overseas. He got out of jail and works for a group that sends doctors around the world to provide free health care to people in need.”

“Alex? A humanitarian?” That sent Natasha into gales of laughter. Katie wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the reaction. Was his new lifestyle really that big a departure for him?

“Why do you come to me, Katie McCloud?”

“Is there somewhere private we could talk?”

* * *

“Good evening, Mr. McCloud,” a male voice said from the doorway.

“Hey, Doc Kowalski,” Ian said.

Alex relaxed fractionally. If McCloud knew the guy, he wasn’t a threat. Except something wasn’t right about the set of the doctor’s shoulders. They were hunched too high. The guy was wicked tense. Alex slid quietly to the side, slightly behind the doctor. Ian noted the movement and arched a questioning brow.

“We got some interesting lab results back on you, just now, Mr. McCloud,” the doctor said. He glanced over his shoulder at Alex. “If your guest would step out into the hallway for a minute, I’d like to go over them with you.”

“He stays,” McCloud bit out.

Interesting. Katie’s brother must sense the doctor’s abnormal tension, too. Or maybe he trusted Alex’s instincts. Operators tended to listen to their guts more than the average bear.

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