The Player's Club: Finn (23 page)

He shrugged. “I wasn’t always a Player, Diana.”

She let that stand. “All right. We’ll get our hands on Victor. And when we do I think he’ll be more than happy to sell out his partner.”

Lincoln nodded. “You’re tough,” he said. “All right. Victor, here we come.”

“Lincoln.” He stopped abruptly and turned. “About Finn.”

Lincoln glanced down the hallway. “I think he’s on the phone with his lawyer. What’s happening?”

“I actually understand how much this all means to him.” Diana took a deep breath. “I’ve never felt this way before—with anyone. He’s changed my life.” She paused. “The Club has changed my life.”

For the first time since she’d met him, a grin lit up Lincoln’s face. He looked years younger, and almost incandescently happy. “That’s what we do.”

She smiled in response before she could stop herself. “He’s convinced that the thrill of living life a certain way is what completes him.” She bit her lip. “ I want to know that.”

“What are you saying?”

“Skydiving.” Even the word made her clench her stomach. “I…I want to do that.”

“Maybe you should do that with Finn,” Lincoln said.

“Finn’s so protective of me. I’d rather do this, and then tell him about it.”

Lincoln smiled warmly. “You want to pull a Finn. Better to beg forgiveness…”

“Than ask permission,” she finished, nodding. “Would you help me?”

Lincoln’s grin widened. “It’d be my pleasure. About time somebody gave that kid a taste of his own medicine.”

GEORGE CHECKED HIS WATCH for the time, then scowled at his buzzing phone, hoping against hope it wasn’t Jonesy. Ever since the man—no, the
con artist
—had dropped his act and started demanding George pay him for keeping silent, George had been drinking steadily. He’d also started showing up late to work, and leaving early. Part of him wished he’d get fired: it would serve Jonesy right, wouldn’t it?

Then he wondered what Jonesy might do if he couldn’t come up with the payments he felt he deserved, and swallowed hard.

But it wasn’t Jonesy. He answered the call with a growl. “Victor, what now?”

“I’m leaving town, George.” Victor’s voice shook. “If you were smart, you’d do the same.”

“What?” George couldn’t believe it. He straightened. The martinis he’d drunk as a sleep aid weren’t working, only serving to slow down his thinking. “Leaving town? Why?”

“The con’s falling through. Somebody’s infiltrated the network and has been copying data. I’ll bet it’s that bitch Diana.” Vic’s voice was high-pitched and frightened. “The cops’ll be onto us soon.”

“Jonesy said that they probably wouldn’t find out it was us,” George said, his own voice starting to shake.

“He said that they wouldn’t if they believed the evidence we planted,” Victor countered, irritation creeping into his voice. “I
knew
we shouldn’t have underestimated her. The police might not have dug deeper, but she got in, George. I don’t know how, but she
did
.”

“How do you know anybody did?” George asked sharply.
Please, please, let him be overreacting....

“Because Jonesy had me add this thing that dinged a security alert if anyone other than me accessed the file with the evidence,” Victor snapped. “And it looks like there were a few people who tried to get it until someone with high enough clearance was able to.”

“So?” George gripped the phone tighter. “There’s an open investigation.”

“Yeah, well, the guy’s account they hacked into hasn’t worked in the company in nine years,” Victor spat back. “And it was Diana’s old boss…the lawyer before her, so the account had clearance.
And
she could’ve remembered the password!”

“Maybe…maybe somebody else…” George said, feeling less sure.

“Oh? And would that same someone make sure the file she’d marked as blackmail against Finn also mysteriously disappeared?”

George went hot with fury, then cold with realization.… “The Players. Finn drafted the Players.”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” Victor said. “But when it all comes out, I’ll be in another country, George. And unless you’re willing to roll over on that psycho pal, Jonesy, of yours, you should get a one-way ticket out of here.”

“Grow a pair,” George snorted. “This will all—”

“I’ve helped you as much as I can,” Victor snarled. “I shouldn’t have bothered.” And he hung up.

George flung the phone against a wall, watching as the expensive model bounced on the ground. He stomped it a few times for good measure.

Then, slowly, he started to get his bearings…and realize just what sort of mess he was in.

Victor was right. Jonesy complicated everything. Even if—and the thought had him queasy—even if he took the rap and went to jail, Jonesy would still be ticked that he didn’t have the money he was expecting.

Maybe Jonesy wouldn’t think jail was punishment enough.

Grimacing, George went to his house phone, dug up Jonesy’s number.

“George,” Jonesy answered, sounding amused and a little bored. “Not calling to beg, are you? I hate hearing a man beg.”

“There’s a problem.” As fast as he could, he told Jonesy what Victor had told him. “What are we going to do?”

Jonesy was silent for a long, tense minute. “This has been a cock-up from day one,” he spat. “I suppose our rabbit Victor is already on the run.”

George froze, as if unsure. Victor had already had his leg broken. What else was Jonesy capable of?

“No, no, that’s fine,” Jonesy said, his voice almost soothing. “As it happens, I figured he’d choose that route. Why else’d I break his leg? He’s more scared of me than the police, and too right, he should be. But his running works into my plan.”

George goggled. “What are you talking about?”

“Running makes a person look guilty. Cops may think he’s in it with her, or behind it on his own,” Jonesy explained, as if a child should have figured it out. “It’s inconvenient that it’s shaking out this way, but there it is.”

George frowned. “So, we don’t have to worry that Diana and Finn are the ones digging into this?”

“Listen, it’s in my best interest to make sure you stay off the hook and get that fancy-pants, high-paying board position,” he said. “It’ll either be Diana on the hook for this, or Victor, or the both of them. Don’t worry.”

“And if they dig deeper?” He didn’t know what sadistic streak made him push Jonesy this way, but he was tired of being treated like an idiot.

“They won’t.”

“But how can you be
sure?
”

“You really want to know the details? Now?” Jonsey’s tone took on a more sinister edge. “Well, then, I’ve been having that bitch lawyer followed, haven’t I. I can’t imagine why she’d consider skydiving now, since so many accidents have been known to happen.”

A chill traveled up George’s spine.

“If anything were to happen to her, I imagine the police would definitely suspect Victor of tying up loose ends,” he said.

George was stunned. “Wait. What?”

“With both of them gone and Finn no longer in the picture, you’ll find the avenue cleared for promotion. And you’re going to be pushing plenty of cash at me to cover…well, some unexpected expenses.”

George gripped the counter of his wet bar. “You’re talking about murder.”

Jonesy hissed. “You’re on an open phone line, Georgie, so watch yourself. I’m just conjecturing.” He paused. “Be careful. It’s a dangerous world out there.”

He hung up.

George placed the phone in its cradle, then slid down the wall until his backside hit the floor.

He’d always wanted what Finn had. Just wanted what Georgie deserved.

How did I get here, instead?

16

“I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY didn’t tell me,” Finn groused to himself, shifting his car into fifth and zooming toward the airfield.

He’d spent the morning talking with his accountant about cutting back on his expenses, and with his lawyer, since they’d all need a really good one once this was over. So today he was particularly annoyed. He didn’t want to miss Diana’s first jump.

He knew that she was becoming more open to the Player’s Club, since he’d explained why he started it. He was sure she was scared, and wished that she’d chosen to skydive with him. Why hadn’t she told him?

Or maybe she’d just tried to reconcile with Lincoln; he was still pretty mad that she’d had him investigated. He frowned. He doubted that, though. And again, why wouldn’t she have told him?

Maybe she’s trying to impress you? Maybe she wants to surprise you?

But he couldn’t be more impressed with her, or admire her more than he already did.
But did she know that?
He did like the idea of a surprise, though. And he knew for a fact that she hated doing things she wasn’t good at…maybe she was embarrassed, trying to save face.

He finally smiled. That was a habit he would coax her away from.

Still, if she wound up loving skydiving, it’d be the best thing for them. The rush, the thrill…the only thing that made him feel alive. Or at least, it was before he’d gotten to know her.

If she didn’t understand his need for adrenaline, if she, like his parents, tried to pressure him out of it, or like the Club, suggested that he had a death wish, he didn’t know how long their relationship would last.

That idea unnerved him.

She’ll enjoy it,
he told himself. And then the two of them would have adventures all over the world, with the Player’s Club and without it. But even if she didn’t, she’d accept him and what he needed.

I hope.

His phone rang, and he turned on the headset. “I’m driving.”

“Finn, it’s George.”

“I’m driving,” Finn repeated, and started to disconnect the call.

“Don’t hang up!” The desperate tone in George’s voice had Finn complying. “Listen, this is an emergency. Are you planning on skydiving today?”

“I’m headed for the airfield right now,” Finn said. “But just to watch. I don’t think I’m jumping today.”

“Oh, thank God.”

“What’s up?” Finn would’ve given him a harder time, but there was something different, frantic, in George’s voice. “You sound well and truly freaked out.”

“Just don’t go skydiving, okay?”

“Okay, now you’re freaking
me
out. What’s going on?”

George took a loud, shaky breath, and Finn heard the glug of a drink. “Your life’s in danger, Finn.”

Finn burst out laughing. “Well, you know me—”

“No. I mean somebody’s trying to kill you.”

Finn blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Damn it, I’m not joking!” George shrieked. He was usually a bellower, but fear ratcheted his voice up an octave. “This guy…Jonesy. He… I met him, and he came up with this plan for me to make some extra money, and damn it, the family owed me.... I was tired of being odd man out.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “If this is your usual rant—”

“He came up with the plan.” George rolled over his interruption. “The embezzlement plan.”

Finn went cold. “You? You embezzled the money and framed Diana?” His hands gripped the steering wheel, but he wanted to strangle George’s neck. “You idiot. We’d traced the fact that the funds had been embezzled, and we’d found that Victor guy. But we didn’t know you were behind it all.”

“Yeah, whatever,” George said. “Fine. You can turn me in to Uncle Thorn, or the police, or whoever, I don’t care. But the thing is, now he’s tying up the loose ends.”

“He who? What loose ends?”