Seduction of Steel: The Complete Series (20 page)

As he approached the cabana, the Russian was greeted by another man.  It was Mr. Kim!

They shook hands and walked inside, closing the canopy behind them.

Jessica wasn't sure what to do.  She'd found both people she was looking for, and they almost certainly had the chip with them.  Now they were inside the cabana where they couldn't be seen and where Jessica couldn't get the photo she needed. 

She had her smartphone, but how was she going to get inside to take the picture?  She couldn't exactly barge in and ask them to pose.

Jessica did her best to keep her distance, but she was determined not to let this opportunity get away.  After thinking about her options, she walked over to the nearest bar and ordered a double vodka Martini with extra olives.  It took a few minutes to get her drink, as the pool bar was rather busy.  Jessica kept her eye on the cabana, making sure that neither one of the men left while she waited for the bartender.  She paid for the drink, took a sip, and as she left the bar area, she intentionally spilled some of her drink on her blouse.

Jessica walked over to the cabana, and approached it with her drink in one hand and her smartphone in the other.  She was intentionally walking in a sloppy, haphazard manner, and she blundered into the cabana entrance, acting like she belonged there and as if she'd been drinking double vodka Martinis all day long.

The two men were sitting at a table with their briefcases open.  They both stood up as Jessica wandered in.

“What are you doing here?” the Russian asked.

“What am
I
doing here?  You're the one who's in my cabana,” she said with slurred speech.

“You are mistaken, madam.  You are obviously in the wrong place. You need to leave.”

Jessica took another sip of her Martini.  “I'm not going anywhere.  In fact, I'm going to take your picture and show it to security.  They'll know you don't belong here. Then they'll throw you and your friend out.”

She pointed her smartphone at the Russian and took his picture.  He grabbed the phone out of her hand.

“Hey!  You took my phone!”  Jessica went to grab it back.  A minor skirmish ensued, but Jessica, drunk or sober, was no match for the much larger man.  He pushed her out of the way and she fell to the ground, dropping her drink and breaking the glass.

She approached the man again.  “I want my phone back!”

When he refused, she said, “Fine.  I'm going to find security.  They'll straighten this out.”

As she turned to leave, Ryan, on crutches, appeared in the doorway.

“Excuse me, gentlemen.  Is my girlfriend making trouble again?”

The Russian said, “She came in here and said this was her cabana.  I think she's drunk.”

Ryan turned to face Jessica.

“You know you shouldn't drink so much, honey.  This is not our cabana.  It belongs to these men.”

Jessica played along.  “Oh, I'm so sorry.  It looks just like ours.”

Ryan turned to face the men.

“Once again, I'm sorry.  We'll get out of your way.”

Ryan slowly put his hand in his right pants pocket.

“Please go,” the Russian said.

“I want my phone back!” Jessica said.

The Russian had placed her phone on the table.  As the Russian turned to get the phone, Ryan saw Kellerman's briefcase on the table.  It was open, and he saw the chip inside in a small case.  Ryan approached the table and pressed the button on the pulse gun in his pocket.

The Russian handed the phone to Jessica, who noticed that it wasn't working.

“Hey!  You broke my phone!”

“I'm sorry, madam.  You should not have come in here.  Please go.”

Jessica frowned and turned to Ryan, who said, “Come on, honey.  Let's go.”

He turned to the two men.  “Once again, I'm sorry that my girlfriend caused trouble for you.”

They walked out of the cabana and started to walk back towards the hotel.

“That was close.  I thought that guy was going to hurt me.  How did you find me?”

“I just went to the window after you called and watched you walk towards that cabana.  I thought you might need my help.”

“He broke my phone!” Jessica complained.

“No, Jess. 
I broke your phone.
  I set off the pulse gun while we were in there.  It should have destroyed the chip, too, along with any other electronic devices that were in the cabana.”

They walked about fifty yards and then hid behind some trees.

“Let's keep an eye on them for a while,” Ryan said.

They watched for a few minutes, and the Russian came out of the cabana.  He turned around and was yelling at someone, presumably the Korean, inside.  He was obviously quite angry.  He shouted for another few seconds and then stormed off.

“I'm guessing that the deal is off.  The Korean probably tried to test the chip and noticed that it, and all of his electronics, were not working.”

“Then we're done here?” Jessica asked.

“I think we are.  Let's go before they start looking for us.”

They walked back to the elevator and went back up to Ryan's room.

Ryan began to pack his belongings. 

“Are you leaving now?” Jessica asked.

“My work is done here.  I'd like to be gone before those two guys figure out who destroyed the chip and ruined their business deal.  The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

Ryan finished packing his things, and said, “Let's go.  Straight to the parking garage.”

“Aren't you going to check out?”

“No.  I'll call later and tell them I'm not coming back.  Right now, I just want to leave.”

They walked down the hall to the elevator, and found their way to the hotel's parking garage.

They reached Jessica's car, and Ryan hopped into the passenger seat. 

“What shall we do now?” Jessica asked.

“At some point, I need to contact the chip company and explain what happened.  Since I don't actually have the chip, they'll need a full report.  I assume that you need to go home to Denver.  I think we're both done with our business here in Las Vegas.”

“Are you in a big hurry?”

“Not really.  I mean, I need to turn in a report fairly soon, but other than that, no.  Why?”

“I've got a motel room outside of town that's paid for until the end of the week. It's not as nice as the Bellagio, but it's clean, it's got a pool, and it's paid for.  Want to relax for a few days?”

“Relax?  That might not be a bad idea.  My foot is still pretty sore.  Spending a few days by the pool might be fun.  Spending a few days with you sounds like fun, too.”

Jessica pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the Sundown Inn.

Chapter 12

Jessica and Ryan spent the next few days simply taking it easy.  They weren't exactly living the high life in their motel, twenty miles from the glitz of Las Vegas, but they had peace and quiet and the pleasure of each other's company. 

Ryan's ankle was still swollen, so they spent most of their time lounging by the pool.  It gave Ryan a chance to rest his injured leg, and it gave Jessica an opportunity to work on her next book.

Jessica had gotten a lot of good material and some new ideas from talking to Ryan about his work on this trip.  Of course, the entire point of following Ryan to Las Vegas in the first place was to watch him work as a spy.  Jessica ended up doing a lot of the spy work herself, and that included finding the stolen chip.  She couldn't help but be proud of that, even if Ryan didn't entirely approve.

They talked about it as they relaxed in their hotel room after having a light dinner at the coffee shop next door. 

“I'm not really sure I learned all that much about how you work this week, seeing as though you spent a lot of the time in bed in a hotel room.”

Ryan laughed.  “You're right.  If you came all this week to watch me be a spy, you're probably disappointed.  If I were you, I'd ask for my money back.”

She smiled at him.  “Well, I did find a lot to write about.  First of all, I had no idea that your work was actually dangerous.  Adding an element of danger to my stories will probably help my sales.”

“I didn't
actually know
that my work was dangerous, Jess.  I guess we both learned something this week.  So what are you working on now?”

“I'm just starting the next story about my fictional spy, Bryan.  You know - he's hot, and in great shape, and he goes all over the world solving problems...with the help of his clever blond girlfriend.”

“Sounds like a familiar story.  I almost feel like I know these people.”

They both laughed.

Ryan continued: “One thing I've learned this week is that my job is a bit more complicated than I'd previously thought.  I've been doing this for a couple of years now, and I've always gotten along fine on my own.  But...”

“...now you realize that you might need occasional help?” Jessica asked.

“It does seem that way.  I don't want to get you in trouble, or put you in danger, but it does occur to me that you might be able to help me from time to time on my little adventures.  Would you be interested?”

“Maybe.  I'm a writer, first and foremost.  That's what I like to do and that's what I intend to keep doing.  On the other hand, a little 'field experience' can go a long way towards helping me write better books.”

“So you're willing to help me every now and again?”

“Yes, on one condition.”
 

“What's that?”

“That you establish some sort of home somewhere near where I live.  I don't want to spend all of my time wondering where you are or when I'm going to hear from you again.”

“I suppose you're suggesting that I move to Denver?”

“Denver would be convenient, seeing as though I already live there,” she said with a smile.

“I might be able to do that.  I'm mostly living out of hotels now, but having some place to call home might not be a bad idea.”

“...especially if you think you're going to need my help every now and again.  If you're going to have a partner, don't you think she should be nearby?”

“You're probably right.”

“Come a little closer,” she said.

Ryan leaned in towards Jessica and she gave him a big kiss.  As their lips met, Jessica felt that head-to-toe tingle she always felt when she was kissing Ryan.

She was looking forward to having the source of that tingle living closer to her from now on.

The End of
Vegas Encounter

Stolen Secrets

Chapter 1

...Bryan took Jennifer's hand as they walked along the beach, enjoying the gentle breeze, the gorgeous sunset and, of course, the pleasure of each other's company.

As the sun went down, Bryan stopped to put his arms around Jennifer's waist.  He pulled her to him and gave her the kiss of a lifetime, claiming her lips as his own.  As their tongues tingled, Jennifer did her best to enjoy the moment, fully aware that this bliss, exquisite as it was, would not last.