Chapter Four
Cross stared at the black granite wall of the steam room and felt the first rivulet of sweat run between his shoulder blades and down his back. Despite the fact that he was alone and the guard outside would ensure he remained that way, he was still careful to maintain his neutral expression, masking his emotions out of habit rather than need.
With a hiss, a new wave of steam rose through the piles of volcanic salt in the centre of the room and the wall in front of him disappeared from view as his thoughts turned inward, wrestling with the problem of the girl .
He knew her name now, indeed he’d memorised much of the hastily assembled file he now held on her life, but he still preferred to think of her as the girl . The thief. The lying little bitch who’d been rolling the membership of his exclusive club for months. Months!
This shouldn’t even be a matter for deliberation and if word reached the partners, it wouldn’t be. She would be found in a back alley somewhere in one of the rougher parts of the city with her pretty throat cut. No one stole from the club. No one abused their position of trust and got away with it.
But there were two details that made him hesitate before giving that order. One was the simple fact that she had not directly stolen from the club. He’d had the accountants run the numbers twice, and there was barely a penny missing from their takings, or a single bottle of unaccounted for stock. She might have been dipping her fingers into various pockets, but she’d kept them out of the till.
The other, far more compelling, argument was that no one had noticed. She’d managed to keep her entire racket off his and everyone else’s radar for nearly a year. That not only took skill, it took patience and required an enormous amount of self-control. Never taking more than would be chalked up to carelessness by her various marks, always ensuring that she covered her tracks, returning wallets to their owners, or placing them where they would be found naturally and all the while concealing her actions from the multitude of watching eyes and cameras. If he wasn’t so angry he’d be impressed.
With sigh his head fell back against the warm, smooth wall behind him. But he was impressed, that was what was leading to his internal conflict.
So what now? Even if he was intending to gift her with her life, he should still have bounced her to the curb without hesitation or reference. And yet she remained on site, cooling her heels in his holding cell. Why? He let his thoughts smooth over that question, worrying away at the rough edges. Because, he admitted, at least part of what she’d said was true. Anyone seeking to eavesdrop on illicit conversations would have engineered their way to the top table. That was where the lifeblood of deals flowed. And he had no doubt she could have ensured herself an invitation.
He felt the towel across his lap shift as the image of her standing beneath the shower suddenly flashed across his memory, her sodden clothing clinging to her lush figure like wet paint. His shaft hardened at the thought of his hand wrapped around her throat, those pale grey eyes wide with fear. He had no doubt that she would have been summoned to the top table if she had done anything to bring herself to his attention. Avoiding that attention so completely was unheard of and could be nothing short of deliberate.
His brows pulled together in a frown. He was confident their secrets remained secure, so there was no need to inform the partners, but she couldn’t be left in place while the risk remained. What if Mickey Barnes worked out how she was getting his money each week and decided she should pay him in a different currency? He might present no threat at this moment, but all too often low level thugs got delusions of grandeur, perhaps fancying a spot at the top table for himself.
Every rational bone in his body told him she needed to be removed from the club. Either paid off or disposed of via some more permanent means. And yet, still he hesitated. Was it simply her talents and abilities that intrigued him? Lord knew the Board could use her skill set, particularly now. Was there a way to secure her services and ensure her loyalty?
He took a deep breath of the heated air, feeling the burn in his throat and in his lungs. His thoughts settled, if not into a plan, at least into a direction for travel. If he was to keep her and that enviable skill set at his disposal, then Mickey Barnes would need to be removed from the equation.
Satisfied with his decision he allowed a cold smile to kick up one corner of his mouth. Yes, those ties would need to be severed and his hold over her removed, permanently.
Though of course, she didn’t need to know that.