Guilty Pleasures (24 page)

He shook his head. “Ego thing, I guess.”

“Ego
”

“Didn't want you to see me weak or afraid.” He sputtered a laugh.

“I would have seen you as a human being who experienced a traumatic event. We all have stuff that messes with our head.”

He challenged her with a hard look. “What messes with your head, Eva
”

She thought for a moment. She wanted to be honest. “I have a constant fear that I'll lose everything, including you.”

He turned on his side and propped himself up on his elbow. “Why
” he asked, his voice rising an octave.

“You know some of my life growing up.” She looked at him. He nodded for her to go on. “When my mother walked out on me and me never knowing my father, then Rita's mom dying on us and my grandmother not wanting to be bothered with either of us left me feeling like you can't put your feelings into anyone, because if you do, they can be taken away or, worse, not share those same feelings for you.” She looked at him.

The sadness he saw in her twisted his stomach with a pain that he very well understood. He sat up, gathered her close. “You'll never lose me, Eva,” he breathed into her ear. “Never. I swear that to you.”

She held on for a moment before easing back. “How can I ever be sure
” Her dark eyes danced over his face, searching for the truth.

“There are no guarantees in life, but as long as I have a breath in my body and the ability to do so, I'll be with you.” He stroked her cheek. “I've never broken a promise to you. Never.”

She lowered her head. “Guess we're two pretty messed-up individuals, huh
”

“More like kindred spirits.” A half smile softened the lines of his face. He tucked his finger beneath her chin and lifted her head. “Let's make a deal.”

She twisted her lips to the side, eyeing him with suspicion. “What kind of deal
”

“You keep me from flipping out on this ship, and I promise to make sure that you're never alone. How's that
”

When she grinned, the corners of her eyes crinkled. “I like the sound of that.”

“Good. I have to be honest.”

“What
”

“This safe thing is bugging me. But I'm going to nail it. I need to play around with the encryption program some more. I'm close—I can feel it.”

“You'll pull it off. You always do.”

He pushed up from the bed.

A blast from the ship's horn signaled their departure.

They looked at each other.

“No turning back now,” Eva said.

“Not a chance. Let's get to work.”

“I'll call Jinx and Rita. Is an hour enough time
”

Jake nodded. “We should be well under way by then.”

Eva pulled the toss-away cell phone from her purse and dialed Rita's room. “Be ready for the first round in an hour.”

 

17

The quartet met at the entrance to the casino. They hadn't been out to sea more than a couple of hours, and already the blackjack and roulette tables, and the one-armed bandits, were experiencing heavy traffic. The sights and sounds were similar to those of any of the major casinos in Atlantic City or Vegas. Lights flashed, money changed hands, and laughter and drinks flowed.

Jake, Jinx, and Eva were dressed in their crew-member attire: white button-up shirt, with the ship's insignia on the sleeve, black vests, and matching slacks. Rita was the hook. She wore white, a deep V in the front of her summer dress exposing just enough cleavage to be tempting to the eye. Her shoulder-length auburn weave was pulled away from her face and neck and held on top of her head with a gold barrette.

They each had the standard headsets for communication among employees, except that theirs ran on a separate signal. Rita's was a single earpiece with a high-powered microphone, courtesy of Jinx.

“Remember,” Jake said before they separated, “blend in and look busy.”

Jake took the casino floor, Eva went to the upper deck, Jinx took the lounge, and Rita combed the sky pool, all with the intention of getting a lay of the land, identify any potential problems, and of course, to spot Xavier Suarez.

For the next few hours they rotated floors, covering all fourteen levels.

“What if he's not here
” Jinx spoke into his headset from the Promenade Deck. He walked across the deck, stepping around the waves of passengers heading to the game rooms.