Page 40 of Dealing Dirty
“I’m coming with you,” Derrick says.
Jack groans.
“This is Sasha we’re talking about. How could I live with myself if something happened to her when I could have been there to stop it?”
Adrenaline pumps through my veins. I’m about to do something stupid.
“I’ll come too,” I say quietly, kicking up my chin.
All three of their heads swing my way.
“Absolutely not.” Derrick is the first to turn me down.
I gesture to Ben. “Don’t you think it’s a little suspicious to have Derrick show up by himself? If we’re going to play up the authenticity, you can’t have your ex-coworker randomly waltz into your boss’s casino. It’ll turn too many heads.” I place a hand on my hip, daring them to argue otherwise.
Just let him go.
Oh, look. There’s my sanity. But I can’t listen to that voice any more than I can deny that I’m actually starting to care for the guy.
Jack scrubs a hand down his weary face. “I don’t want to admit it, but she’s got a point.”
Sitting here in wait is only going to slowly drive me insane. My fear has controlled me for far too long. If there’s any way I can help, then that’s what I’m going to do.
“We’ll disguise ourselves,” I say. “Ben can help us sneak in, and then we intercept Sasha on the casino floor and give her the message to back down. We leave as soon as we make contact, and there’s no harm, no foul.”
Hazel hums as she studies me and Derrick. Her snap makes Cassidy jump. “I have some things that just might work.” The mischief in her wolf-like eyes has Derrick looking less than enthused.
“Is there any way you can call off some of the dogs for us to talk to her, Ben?” My heart pounds as I wait for his reply.
He sighs, but after an intense minute of silence, he relents. “I can keep them preoccupied for a bit, but probably not very long.” He then turns back to Derrick. “I’ll arrive first. Wait for me to give you the go-ahead, and once you get past the doorman, you get in and get out. This shit’s too close to her now to keep her in the dark. Sash has to keep her cool, and no matter what she does, she can’t tell the chief about this.”
Derrick nods his understanding.
“Since this is one of Bruce’s smaller casinos, it’s not as heavily guarded, but the longer you linger, the greater chance you’ll have of exposing yourself.”
“Just… don’t let anything happen to her before I get there.” The subtle tremble in his voice makes my ribs tight.
Jack’s brother places both hands on top of Derrick’s shoulders, giving him a gentle shake. “I swear on my life, I will protect her.”
* * *
“This is never going to work,” Derrick grumbles.
Hazel’s wide grin mirrors my own as Derrick turns in a circle. She bites her thumbnail, inspecting her work. “You look great! No one will ever suspect you.”
He shoots an incredulous look her way.
My blood thrums at seeing him in biker leathers. Cooper loaned Hazel his car tonight because her Harley’s in her dad’s shop. The old boots, gloves, and leather jacket were crumpled up in the backseat. But after a proper shake out, we were cookin’ with gas.
“Oh!” She pulls a black bandana out of her back pocket and ties it around his neck. “That way you can conceal your face if you need to.”
The thin material compliments his gray beanie and the bit of black eyeliner smudged beneath his lower lids. I hungrily slide my gaze over his shoulders and arms in the black jacket.
We are definitely adding role-playing to this deal of ours.
Hazel taps her chin. “There’s something missing… Ah!” She swipes a box cutter off a stack of boxes in the corner and pops it open.
“W-whoa, what are you doing, she-devil?” He backs up against the wall, frantically waving his arms.
