Page 6 of Double or Nothing
“No, we’re fine,” she replies. “Thank you.”
She waits until he closes the door on his way out, then pours me a cup of coffee and hands it to me. “Natasha, would you like a cup, too?” she asks.
“Not unless it has vodka in it,” Natasha replies. She jumps up from the chair and walks over to the long two-way tinted window overlooking the strip club. From the office’s high vantage point, everything happening in the club can be seen; the dancers, the crowds and even the bartenders working fast and furious to keep the drinks flowing.
“Why did the Cat Man carry you out of here last night?” Natasha asks abruptly.
“The Cat Man?” It takes me a minute to understand she’s referring to Kit. Her name for him almost makes me laugh before I stop myself. “Oh, you mean Kit. He’s a friend.”
Of course, the episode with Kit throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me out of the club would’ve caught their attention. He caught everyone’s attention, including most definitely mine.
The thought of Kit waiting at his house for me makes me anxious. He’ll be worried when I’m not back by the time I said I would be. God, I should’ve called him.
I’ve made so many mistakes where the guys are concerned.
“Do yourfriendsalways pick you up and carry you around?” Natasha asks. “I’m aware of who he is. Everyone in Vegas knows the Cat Man. He’s a recluse and is never seen in clubs. To see him here was quite unexpected.”
“He’s more than a friend,” I admit. “He’s worried about my safety and didn’t want me coming here alone.”
“Does he know you were searching for Natasha?” Eva asks, a touch of alarm in her voice.
Oh, shit.
“Yeah, he does,” I reply, not wanting to lie to them. “But he won’t tell anyone, I swear. There’s no reason to worry. He’s on our side.”
“Our side?” Natasha snaps. “Wedon’t have a side.”
“Yes, we do,” I argue. “You need me to reverse engineer the slot machine code and we’re both running from the Russian mafia, so yes, we have a side. We’re on the same side and we need to work together. It’s the best way.”
“Work together?” Eva repeats, giving me a curious glance. “What exactly are you suggesting?”
I take a long sip of coffee before speaking. “I’ve had time to do a little investigating into Natasha and the slot machine she stole. I can reverse engineer the code. It would take time for me to do it, maybe even a week. Believe me, I’ve accomplished more difficult tasks than this. I’m suggesting that you take me on as a partner. I have a general idea of how the scheme has worked in various casinos across the world. With the right team, we could do it faster and better than anyone else has before. Natasha put out the word on the darknet. You’re looking for someone and here I am.”
Natasha steps closer to the two-way window and peers out. “What did the two men who kidnapped you look like? You said one was named Ivan. What about the other one?”
“They were both tall, dressed in dark business suits. Their eyes were blue and cold, with no soul. They were both balding. My best guess would put them in their middle to late forties. It was dark when we were on the boat, so I couldn’t see any identifying tattoos or marks on them.”
I pick up my cup of coffee and walk over to stand beside her at the window. “Why are you asking me for more description of the men? Do you know them personally?”
She doesn’t answer and instead lifts her long, slender arm to point to a lone man sitting at a table near the bar.
Oh my God.
It’s one of the fucking men who kidnapped me.
They’re already here.
3
JADE
“That’s him,” I say. “That’s one of the men who tried to shoot me on the boat. I’m going to kill that son-of-a-bitch with my bare hands.”
I set my cup down on the table and head for the door. Pulling my switchblade out of the purse slung over my shoulder, I flick it open. I’m already thinking of how damn good it will feel to sink it into the side of his ugly, thick neck.
“Whoa!” Eva shouts, rushing to block the door. “Stop! Where do you think you’re going?”
“To kill him,” I say. “Before he kills us. Move out of my way.”
