Page 21 of Cocky Prince
Mira squeezes between Tyler’s legs on the other couch. “We could try to get in with the security guys who work the surveillance system. Like, oops, we just stumbled upon this here footage of an old guy paying the casino for drugs and kinky sex with a beautiful woman.”
“Already looked into that,” I say. “The surveillance guys signed confidentiality agreements. They could serve prison time for stealing surveillance footage. And like Lewis said, I don’t think it would count in court.”
“And they need a strong reason to order a warrant.” Gen sighs and slides down the arm of the couch until she’s sitting on one of Lewis’s legs. He absently pulls her higher on his lap. “According to my dad, as far as the police are concerned, Drake Peterson was the cause of the casino’s illegal activities, and he’s been taken care of.”
“So we have nothing.” I tip my head back and stare at the planked wood ceiling. I love this ceiling, but right now I barely see it. “I work as a manager. It should be easy to find something to take to the police, if there’s really something going on.”
Have we been wrong?
Mira snarls. “Those sapphire ring guys are such bitches. How the hell are they hiding everything?”
I shake my head. “I wish I knew.”
“What about the background search? Did you find anything on Blackwell?”
Remembering the articles I found, I rock forward and stand. “I did, actually.”
I head into the spare bedroom and grab the printouts I made. I hand one to Tyler and Mira, and the other to Gen and Lewis. “Blackwell comes from money. And he has serious connections. His family started out in San Francisco real estate, made a fortune, then bought and ran several successful hotels. Check out the connection between him and a Mexican drug guy.”
Mira scans the article. “The suspected drug trafficker? There’s nothing to confirm it.” She pulls out her iPhone and starts searching.
“No proof, but come on, a major drug dealer? We know Blue stockpiled illegal drugs in the suite you and Tyler found. That can’t be a coincidence.”
Mira shakes her head as she reads from her phone. “One or two articles suggest a connection between him and that guy, but there’s not much.”
“I know,” I say, “but don’t you think it’s possible he’s Blackwell’s supplier?”
Tyler shifts behind Mira. “Kind of a stretch. Plenty of drugs in this town. If Blackwell wants connections to dealers, all he has to do is step outside his door.”
I bite the corner of my lip. “Am I the only one who thinks the link is suspicious?”
Mira sets down her phone. “We’re just playing devil’s advocate, Hayden. You could be right, but that’s not the point. We need evidence. Regardless of whether or not Blackwell is getting help from De la Cruz, everything is behind closed doors. We’ve got nothing to go on.”
Blackwell wouldn’t be able to get away with selling drugs and prostitution at one of his hotels in San Francisco. But here? Nevada promotes gambling and sin. It’s the perfect setup. On the other hand, Blue Casino isn’t some legal brothel off the beaten path. If Blackwell is hiding illegal drugs, and what we suspect is a prostitution ring, it would be inside a conventional establishment.
“What about Adam?” Mira asks. “Did you take my suggestion?”
I roll my eyes. “I thought about it, and you’ll be proud. I actually smiled at him after we parted the other day after lunch.”
Mira shakes her head. “That’s a start, but you had better be prepared to make an about-face and kiss his ass.”
“Mira.”
“What? Work on that, will you? He’s our best lead.”
Lewis inches over, giving Gen more room to sit. He stares at Mira. “What does Adam have to do with this?”
Tyler tosses a chocolate-covered peanut in his mouth from the bowl of snacks I left out during my Blackwell research. “Mira and Hayden think Adam’s getting involved with the Blue Stars.” He chomps on the food and scratches his head. “Adam and I were on the soccer team together in high school. He can be a jackass, but he’s a decent guy. I don’t think he’d do that.”
“That doesn’t sound like Adam,” Lewis agrees.
Tyler raises his brow at Mira as if to say,I told you so.
She crosses her arms. “Tyler, you saw the same thing I did.” She glares at Lewis. “And what happened to family loyalty?” Mira is like a little sister to Lewis. She’s clearly pulling the family card. “Something’s going on. We can’t just ignore this.”
“No,” Lewis says, “but I don’t think Adam is involved. Not to mention, his family is richer than this entire town. What would he get out of it?”
I scrunch my nose. I’d forgotten about Adam’s family. I mean, he walks around like a runway model for Armani. Even with his management salary, it’s nothing compared to the cash he must earn just by being a Cade.
