Taken by the Con (12 page)

“Before you, I didn’t have this problem.”

“What problem is that? Being attracted to someone? Having chemistry with someone who is interesting and complex and not an exact replica of your father?”

She stood and set her fisted hands on the table. “You think a lot of yourself!”

He stood. “I don’t think much of myself at all, Lucia. Most days I wake up in a stinking hellhole, knowing I’m a bad father, knowing I’ll never be free of what I’ve done and knowing I have to work with you, a woman who is hell-bent on following some rulebook she’s created. It’s a wonder you permit yourself to do anything except sleep, eat and work. The worst part is, you don’t tell me the rules. You just get mad when I break one of them.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “For example?”

“For example flirting with Audrey’s friend. Why do you care who I talk to? You’ve been pissed off at me since then.”

“That is not why I am pissed off at you.”

“At least you admit you’re pissed. Now if only you’d tell me why instead of having me guess, we’d be on the same page.”

“I’m pissed off because you were flirting with Lexie and it would have gone somewhere if I hadn’t walked in, and then when I tried to come on to you, you rejected me. And, by the way, if I’m so hell-bent on following the rules, why would I have lied to Benjamin about where you were? I lied because I care about you, you jerk.”

Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked them back.

Cash absorbed the impact of her words. She cared about him. She had broken one of her rules for him. She was hurt that he’d pulled away when she’d made an advance. He thought he’d been protecting her, but she’d taken it as a rejection.

He circled the table and pulled her tightly into his arms. On top of it all, he had made her cry. He felt terrible.

“Lucia, I’m sorry. I didn’t reject you. It wasn’t about not wanting you, it was about not wanting to make a mess of the relationship I’m trying to build with you. You deserve better than me. I’m not good for you.”

Lucia rested her head on his shoulder. “I need for us to stay focused on the case. I need to not have this drama.”

He didn’t want drama either. He felt at odds with his loneliness and the boundaries that required him to keep people at arm’s length. “Thank you for covering for me when I missed curfew. You’re a good partner. I won’t put you in that position again.”

Cash hugged her before releasing her. He liked that she cared about him. It had been a long time since someone had.

* * *

“Wow. You look amazing,” Cash said.

The bright blue dress was short and tight at the bottom while the top was loose with sheer sleeves. It draped low in the front, hinting that if she moved in a certain direction she’d flash deep cleavage, but covering enough to maintain class.

Lucia looked down and set her hand on her hip, popping it to the side and looking up. “Does this fit the part?”

“You found that in the FBI’s costume closet?” he asked.

Lucia shook her head. “Since I’m not playing the part of a hooker, I needed something more upscale. I borrowed this from Audrey.”

“You look great.” Heart-stopping. Delicious.

“You look good, too,” she said.

He was wearing one of the FBI’s suits. “You know earlier when we talked about keeping our relationship purely professional?”

She nodded.

“We’re supposed to be together. You should look natural in my arms. We shouldn’t feel strange and tense around each other.”

Lucia straightened. “I know how to be undercover. Do you think I can’t handle this?”

“I think I make you nervous. You tense when I’m near you. Come here,” he said.

She walked to him and Cash set his hands on her upper arms. “See? You froze.”

She forced her shoulders down and set her hand on his hips. “Better? I needed a moment to get in character.”

“Lean into me,” he whispered.

Lucia slipped her arm around him, tucking herself next to him. His heart raced and the scent of her drove him wild.

He slid his hands to the shoulder of her dress and let his fingers brush over the fabric. Lower, he touched her sides and then her hips. He turned her around and ran his hand down her bare back where her dress dipped low, bringing her backside against him.

Was she allowing this to prove a point? He wanted to test her, to be sure she wouldn’t snap under the pressure. “Do you know how sexy you are?”

Her breathing increased, but she said nothing.

“Let’s forget about the casino. I’d rather peel this dress off you and do things I know you’ll love.”

She looked over her shoulder at him and for a brief moment, he could imagine what it would feel like to sink his body into hers from behind. To melt with her, panting, breathless with pleasure.

“How will you know what I love?”

“Your body is so responsive to my touch. I can feel how you lean into me. You’re moving your hips side to side, tempting me. I know you like to be in charge, and I’ll let you be in control. But sometimes, I like to have my way, too. My way is very good.”

Her eyes were wide. She spun and braced her legs apart, the dress hitching up her thighs. “You are good. I’ll play along with whatever you dish out.”

He had met his match in Lucia Huntington.

“The chemistry is an unexpected bonus,” he said. “I don’t have to pretend to want you. I don’t have to pretend that I’ll be thinking about getting you home, alone, stripping you naked and making sure you know exactly who you belong with.”

Her chest rose and fell. “I know how women talk to you and I’ll make it my personal mission tonight that you don’t forget that I don’t share. My character is possessive and protective and provocative. It said so in the profile.”

Cash gathered his control and stepped back from Lucia. He jammed a hand through his hair. “Is everything you do this intense?”

She winked at him. “I don’t believe in doing things halfway.”

She may have meant her job, but his mind had its own interpretation and she had succeeded in planting the idea of making frantic love to her all night.

Selling it that she was his girlfriend might be the easiest part of this job. Convincing Anderson to let him inside his circle of trust would be the difficult part.

* * *

Cash and Lucia took a taxi to the location Boots had texted. Lucia’s skirt was short and when she crossed her legs, it was even shorter. Cash pretended not to notice. If he fixated on her bare legs, he would lose his mind.

The cab dropped them at the address on a quiet street. Cash knew what to look for to locate the casino. They waited until another couple entered an alley along the side of the brick townhouses. Cash and Lucia followed at a stroll.

Cash wrapped his arm around Lucia. “This is an interesting neighborhood.”

Lucia fluffed her hair. “You mean, interesting as in too quiet and much too suspicious?”

“Yes, that.”

“Do you think it’s a trap?”

“Could be. But what kind of trap? Why would Boots tell me to come here?”

“I’ve studied the lifestyle, but I can’t say I understand it. I don’t think anyone who commits crimes for a living is especially trustworthy,” Lucia said.

“You expect something bad to happen,” he said.

“I prepare for the worst. If this goes well, then color me surprised.”

“If I sense anything is off, we’re leaving. Immediately.”

Lucia looked at him sideways. “We’re partners. We’ll decide together.”

Cash took her wrist and pulled her against him. He brought his mouth close to her ear, to a sensitive spot on her neck. He flicked his tongue over the area, eliciting a moan from her. “I know Anderson better than anyone. I’ve lived my life following my instincts. If this goes wrong, we leave.”

He angled his head away so she could meet his gaze.

“Don’t be overprotective. I can take care of myself,” Lucia said.

He kissed her firmly on the mouth and swatted her bottom. Anderson had eyes and ears everywhere. They were being watched and Cash wanted it to be clear to everyone watching that he was smitten with Lucia.

Cash and Lucia walked around to the side of the building. An orange dot over the door, almost looking like a misguided drop of paint, indicated he’d found the right place.

He waited for the door to open. No knocking. His identity was being confirmed.

The door opened slowly and he took Lucia’s hand. They stepped inside together. He said nothing, but followed a man in a suit down a hallway that was in desperate need of a paint job. The floor was made of rusty metal grates and echoed with every footstep.

But the decor was flipped on its head when the man opened a door into an opulent game room, complete with lush cream-colored carpets, attractively dressed dealers and comfortable chairs around the game tables.

Lucia slipped her arms around his, as if he were her life preserver. She wasn’t a clingy woman. She was into her part.

Cash looked around the room, both deciding his next move and checking for anyone he recognized. No sign of Anderson. He sauntered to the craps table and withdrew his wallet. He set down ten crisp hundred dollar bills, a gift from the FBI for this mission.

Three hours later, he was up four thousand dollars. Four thousand dollars would change his life. He hadn’t had such a lucky streak before. It killed him that none of this money was his. Whatever he lost or won was property of the FBI.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a man approaching. Cash had drawn attention. He was running hot and money was flowing fast.

“Excuse me, sir, a moment of your time?”

The gathered crowd watching the game groaned, but Cash held up his hands. “I’ll be back.”

“You’re new here,” the man said.

“Yes,” Cash said. The man would know who Cash was. He wouldn’t have been allowed inside the casino otherwise.

Lucia was at his side, staring up at him. He knew she was listening to every word and absorbing every detail.

“How about you come with me to the VIP room? I have someone who wants to speak with you.”

Anderson? Cash nodded and took Lucia’s hand. The man shook his head. “She stays out here.”

Lucia pouted. “This is supposed to be a date. What am I supposed to do alone?”

The man waved over their heads and a scantily clad waitress approached. “Come on, ma’am, I’ll get you a drink.”

Cash didn’t like splitting from Lucia. The FBI didn’t have eyes or ears inside yet. They’d agreed that any surveillance would be uncovered. He had his GPS tracker, but it had been too risky to modify it and add an audio recorder. “Go ahead, Lucy. I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes.”

Lucia frowned. “Hurry up. I’ll be bored without you.” She kissed him, a slow, open-mouthed kiss, and then ran her hand down the front of his pants.

He’d been turned on, but her little maneuver dialed his libido higher.

Cash strolled away and followed the man to the VIP room. The room was locked, the door requiring a badge and a passcode to gain entrance. When the door opened, Cash expected to see Clifton Anderson.

His heart fell when his eyes landed on a familiar and unexpected face. Wyatt Stone, his long-lost father.

Chapter 6

“W
hat are you doing here?” Cash asked his father.

Wyatt Stone stood and strolled over to him, drink in hand. Though the surprise had shaken him, Cash controlled his anger and outward reaction. At least, he hoped he did. This wasn’t a joyful reunion. His relationship with his father was difficult on a good day and it was an unwelcome surprise tonight.

“I have the same question for you. You get out of jail and you don’t call me?”

Was his father serious? After what they had been through, he expected a call? “You made it clear you didn’t want to see me,” Cash said. Why was his father mixed up with Anderson again? Though they were longtime friends, his father wasn’t into big cons. Unless Anderson had flipped him. Cash didn’t like anything about this meeting.

The room had a wall of video monitors, each trained on a different section of the room and areas outside the casino.

“Of course I want to see you. You’re my son. When did you get out?” he asked.

“Little while ago. Work release program,” Cash said. His father looked relaxed and happy, and that somehow worried Cash even more. His father was always scrambling for money or working an angle.

“Who’s the lady?” his father asked.

His father had been watching him on the cameras. “My girlfriend, Lucy.”

“She’s pretty.”

That was an understatement. Lucia had the kind of beauty that was almost hard to look at for too long. Because she also kept to herself in social situations, and because of her family’s wealth, people took it to mean she was snobby or full of herself. Cash knew that interpretation was erroneous. “She’s beautiful and she’s been good for me.” Not a lie. Lucia had been incredible to him. Too incredible.

“Can I meet her?”

He didn’t want his father involved with this con or the problems at Holmes and White. He didn’t want his father involved with Lucia. “No,” Cash said.

His father took a swig of his drink. “Don’t be like that. I know you’re mad that I didn’t help you in prison, but I explained about that.”

Cash considered his response. If his father was working with Anderson, Cash needed to stay on his father’s good side. But it was hard to balance that against his personal feelings. “I don’t want to mess things up with her.”

“I won’t mess anything up,” his father said.

Sure he would. He would lie to her. He lied to everyone. “Next time.”

“You’re planning on gambling often?” his father asked, less fatherly concern and more curiosity.

“I need cash,” Cash said.

“For Adrian.”

Defensiveness rose up inside Cash. He didn’t want his father or Anderson or anyone from this world near Adrian. “For a new life.”

His father nodded. “I heard from Boots you were looking for work.”

“That’s true.”

“I heard you were working for the FBI.”

Cash snorted. He lifted the leg of his pants. “They have me on the box.”

His father swore. “They’ll follow you here.”

“Give me more credit. They monitor that I stay in the city. That’s it,” he said, a lie. Though he’d known undercover work would require lies, he resented his father forcing yet another lie from him.

“Then you can’t work any side jobs,” his father said.

“Working for the FBI means I have to work side jobs. Do you know what they pay me? Next to nothing. I’m living in a dump. No car. Nothing.”

His father clapped him on the shoulder. “Your position gives you a unique strength, if you’re willing to use it.”

His father was an opportunist. Cash was glad he’d seen the angle. It prevented Cash from speaking the treasonous words and suggesting Anderson use him to spy on the FBI. “I’m willing to do what I need to.”

“That’s my boy.”

Cash grinned, but inside he was mentally distancing himself from his father. He wasn’t anything like the man. He’d put that life behind him and it had taken his son’s life being at risk for him to run a con again. He wouldn’t go back. “You’ll put in a good word with Anderson?” he asked.

“I don’t need to put in a good word. Anderson knows you’re an asset. Now clear out before you get on Anderson’s bad side. He likes for the house to win. Next time you come in here, we’ll talk business and I’ll meet this woman, your Lucy.”

She wasn’t his Lucy. Cash hated that his father had strong-armed a meeting with her. His father didn’t do anything without compensation. If Cash wanted to work for Anderson, he’d have to introduce his father to Lucia.

Cash shook his father’s hand and left the room. He found Lucia sitting at the bar, swirling a glass of wine. “How’d it go?” she asked, leaning up and kissing his cheek. This time, she spared his sanity by not touching him any other way.

“My father is here.”

Lucia set her wine glass on the bar. Cash would guess she had taken a few small swigs to stay in character. “You okay with that?”

The bartender was lingering close, likely eavesdropping.

“Sure. It will be nice to reconnect.” A real family reunion. Anderson, Cash and his father. If his mom, the woman who walked out when he was two weeks old, showed up, it’d be the stuff of childhood nightmares. “It’s been a long night. Let’s go home and get you out of that dress.”

“You don’t want to play any more games?” she asked. “You were doing well.”

“I’ll keep my money here on credit,” he said.

Lucia slid her hand down his arm and to his thigh. She lightly touched his inner leg, close to where his erection sprang to life. “Come on. Bed awaits.”

They strode toward the exit, almost home free. The first meeting wasn’t as bad as he’d expected and in a few minutes, he’d be alone with Lucia.

One of the dealers stopped him. “Sir, don’t you want your chips?”

“Put it on my house account,” Cash said, keeping his eyes on Lucia. If his money was in the casino, he’d have a reason to return. It would please both his father and Anderson.

* * *

Lucia poured them each a glass of wine. She and Cash had reviewed what had happened with his father at the casino, but she sensed more below the surface. He had been shaken by the encounter with his father. Though everything he’d reported had been innocuous enough, Lucia wondered if he was hiding something.

“Do you want to talk about your father?” she asked, sliding her computer to the side. She would send her report detailing the evening to Benjamin later.

“I’ve told you everything I can remember,” Cash said, sounding defensive.

“I know you did, but I was asking about how you felt.”

Cash watched her through emotionless eyes and Lucia knew he was holding back. He wasn’t telling her something. His facade was masking his hurt.

“Felt about what?” Cash asked, sounding tired.

“What was it like to see your father?”

“Strange. I haven’t seen him in a long time. I didn’t know he was working for Anderson again.”

“Were you angry to find out he was still living in DC and hadn’t come to see you?” If she asked enough questions, he might admit the truth.

“He didn’t know I was out of jail. I didn’t call him.”

He hadn’t let his father know he’d been released from prison. “Did he seem happy to see you?”

Cash folded his arms. “I guess. He seemed worried about my GPS tracker.”

She tried not to think about how that would affect the case. The team could discuss it tomorrow. Right now, she wanted to focus on Cash. “Do you want to send someone else in undercover?” If he didn’t feel he could handle seeing his father, she wanted to give him an out.

“If I’m off the case, I’m back in jail.”

Lucia ran a hand through her hair. If he wanted off the case, she didn’t have the power to change that. “If you don’t want to deal with him, then we can find another place for you on the team.” Maybe. Did she have enough favors to call in to keep Cash working with the FBI and out of jail? Her time with violent crime hadn’t ended well and Lucia wasn’t sure any favors would be returned from them. But she’d made good friends at Quantico, and their current teammates liked Cash.

“Getting close to Anderson won’t be easy for me, much less someone else. Without my history with him, I doubt I could have talked my way in.”

They were running on limited time. Anderson had scored big with the Holmes and White embezzlement and he’d cash out soon. If they lost Cash as part of their undercover team, Anderson could slip away before anyone had time to find the money. “If you catch Anderson and bring him down, his empire could collapse. That means people who work with him are in jeopardy.” Like Cash’s father.

“I thought of that,” he said.

“If it comes down to it, will you let your father be caught?” Lucia asked. Emotions could override logic, especially in the heat of the moment.

“Are you asking if I would sabotage a sting if it meant my father would be caught? I’m in for a penny, in for a pound. I have a lot to prove.”

Lucia stood. She wasn’t making any emotional progress with Cash. “I need to change. This dress is making me feel twitchy.” She could think more analytically if she wasn’t tugging the hem of her skirt down every fifteen seconds.

“Feeling twitchy because the dress reminds you of the life you never wanted to lead?” he asked.

It was her turn to be on the receiving end of a loaded question. If she wasn’t an FBI agent, if she had done as her family wanted and become a socialite or philanthropist, she’d be spending her days differently, likely wearing designer labels and gowns unaffordable on an FBI agent’s salary.

“It’s shorter than I’m accustomed to wearing. I feel like when I sit, I’m risking flashing the room.”

“It’s you and me here,” he said, gesturing around.

“You know that’s an especially strong reason to change.”

“I won’t revisit that conversation, but I haven’t shut the door on us.”

“That’s good to know,” Lucia said, retreating for her bedroom. A change of clothes would be like armor, keeping Cash away.

* * *

Benjamin tossed a file onto Lucia’s desk. “The bomb that detonated inside the car was on a remote. Someone was watching and waiting for the right time.”

Jonathan Wolfe had shared the information with her, but Lucia had agreed not to tell Benjamin she’d caught her tail. She hid her annoyance that Benjamin hadn’t told her about the tail or given her the bombing information sooner.

“The bomb squad said the device used the car’s battery to draw a charge before it exploded. If the Bureau’s car wasn’t in such poor condition, it would have blown you and Cash to pieces before you had time to get away,” Benjamin said.

Comforting to know. “Was the bomb maker an expert?”

“Depends on what you mean by expert. Anyone can build a bomb by reading information online and then visiting their local hardware store for the materials. The remote detonator implies a level of skill, but it could have been a stronger bomb. To go through so much trouble and not make sure you were dead seems strange.”

The stronger the bomb, the more people who would be hurt or killed. “I doubt whoever built the bomb was looking to take out an entire city block,” Lucia said. She’d worked with criminals who didn’t care about the fallout of their actions, but too much force and too many bodies resulted in a proportionally strong law enforcement response. No bomber wanted that.

Lucia opened the file. Pictures of the remains of the bomb, a sketch of what the bomb expert believed the bomb looked like prior to the explosion and photos taken at the scene were laid out in order with descriptions accompanying each. “He’ll come after me again.”

“He might be waiting for our leads in finding him to go cold.”

“Do we have leads?” Lucia asked.

Cash strolled in carrying a bag of pastries from a local bakery and a box of fresh coffee. She hadn’t seen him since the night before and she was struck by how good he looked in his crisp white shirt, blue tie and suit.

He dropped the bakery bag on Lucia’s desk along with the coffee. The team converged on it. “I bring food, drinks and a lead.”

He was showing off now.

“What do you have?” Benjamin asked, opening the bag of pastries, grabbing a napkin and taking one out.

“Kinsley, Hammer’s lover and former personal assistant, is Grace Tidings, well-known grifter, known at Holmes and White as Kinsley Adams. She is the fiancée of Matt Mitchell, a close colleague of Anderson. Mitchell has a diverse skill set—money laundering, bank fraud, computer fraud and bribery.”

“How did you find this out?” Lucia asked, pouring some coffee and ignoring the tempting pastries. She had willpower and she’d proven it time and again with Cash.

“Kinsley Adams’s personnel file was added to our case notes early this morning. I looked at her picture and recognized her,” Cash said.

“Where is she now?” Benjamin asked.

Cash shook his head. “I don’t know. I can ask around, but I’m guessing somewhere Matt Mitchell can find her.”

Benjamin smiled and clapped Cash on the back. “That’s great work, Cash.”

Lucia was impressed. Cash had gotten an early start to have reviewed new case notes before she had.

“What about Anderson?” Lucia asked.

“I haven’t heard from him, but I wasn’t expecting to,” Cash said. “It’s early in the game. He doesn’t need me to help him. He runs his empire fine without me. If I look too desperate, he’ll keep his distance.”

“Then how will we get in?” Lucia asked.

Cash seemed unconcerned. “My father will talk to him about me. We’ll keep showing up at the casino. They have my money on a house account. I have a good reason to visit it.”

Benjamin took another pastry from the box. “We need something to make Anderson want you.”

“Too bad Anderson isn’t a woman,” Lucia said. The thought popped from her mouth before she could censor it.

The look on Cash’s face said he didn’t appreciate her comment. Benjamin let out a sharp bark of laughter. “Relax, Cash. It hasn’t escaped my notice the ladies enjoy you.”

Cash poured himself some coffee. He didn’t appear to take pleasure in the statement. “I’m open to doing whatever you think will make Anderson more interested in me.”

“Your father was nervous about your GPS tracker,” Lucia said.

Cash looked down at his ankle.