Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Grant
I take Cara’s hand tightly in mine as we make our way through the boisterous crowd of gamblers and spectators to the back room.
Originally, I was under the impression that I would have to continue to compete all night to prove my worth, but it was clearly displayed during the two I played.
As I took Cara’s hand in mine, the flicker of realization dawned on me. Taby has been the main player this whole time. Cordelia works for her and has the over-the-top guards to distract from the truth.
What we’ve already uncovered here is beyond what we would have been able to without being in the field and ingrained with this crew.
Cara squeezes my hand as we approach the guarded door. She looks straight ahead, trying not to cause any potential issues. It’s hard to focus on anything now that I have her.
Is catching the Kingpin and the Marlin really worth the idea of losing her? I know she’s strong and capable, but I can’t let anything happen to this woman. Not when it seems like we are finally on the same page.
Earlier, she asked me if I could tell her all my lies, and I understood what wasn’t said. Cara and I have big conversations we need to have. It’s not just my lies but her truths that need to be told out loud.
When she asked me that, I knew at that moment that I was going to make her mine forever. Cara may be my wife on paper, but I want it to be real.
I’m done playing pretend with Cara.
How could I deny her when she clearly wanted more? That kiss was palpable, and it solidified things between us. We’ve come so far, and after this mission, I want to make her my wife in every sense of the word forever.
“Taby asked us to wait in here,” I say to a guard.
“You’re on the list…” His eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
“Is everything okay?”
“Permanently,” he finishes.
Wow, that’s a shock to us as well.
The guard opens the door and lets us walk through.
Inside the room feels like another world—a darker one where I recognize so many people from the neighborhood and from all our preparations.
We take our seats on a set of empty barstools at the sleek all-black bar and settle in, trying to pretend this isn’t what we’ve been dying for.
There could be any number of cameras in this room, so Cara and I will have to talk to one another in code to confirm the plan is a go.
“I think Taby will want to speak to me privately,” I say.
“Of course.”
A bartender approaches us, and I order a whiskey neat, and Cara orders a glass of champagne.
“I’ll be here,” she says as she looks around the room.
I watch as something catches her eye—a door with a code panel next to it. That has to be the Kingpin’s office.
“Maybe I’ll get into a bit of mischief with one of these gentlemen,” she pretends to tease.
The bartender gives us our drinks.
We take them and give each other a slight cheers.
“Don’t get into too much trouble without me, love.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
She sips her champagne, and a playful expression takes over.
“Although I have a feeling that’s unavoidable.”
Right.
No doubt, there will be some type of security system outside the door panel to access the Kingpin’s office.
“Maybe I’ll join in on the fun if I can break away.”
“You’ll have to come find me.”
“Mr. Weston?” a soft voice asks.
Cara and I both turn around to find a petite woman with a clipboard in hand.
“Please come with me.”
“Can my wife come?” I ask.
The woman smiles warmly as she glances between us both.
“No.”
She turns around and starts walking away, expecting me to follow.
“Duty calls,” I whisper to Cara.
“See you soon.”
I catch up to the woman in question and am led through the very security door that we were just eyeing. The woman enters a passcode that I know Cara will catch, allowing her to enter moments after we go through.
“Where are we headed?” I ask casually.
“To Ms. Turner’s private quarters. They’re waiting for you.”
“Private quarters?”
“She doesn’t do this kind of business in the office.”
“Fair enough.”
Interesting. That means we’ll have to come back tonight and break into these private quarters. Cara may find something in the office, but no doubt, there is something in here that’s important.
Walking through the door, we head down a dark, long hallway. As we weave in and out, I’m discovering this is much larger than Cara or I assumed it would be.
The woman pauses before we go down another hallway. She enters another code on a discreet side panel.
I try to get the code, but it’s entered quickly and away from my line of sight. What does that look like? Four, nine, two, zero? I’ll have to share the pattern right away with Cara when I see her next.
Suddenly, bright lights turn on one by one, illuminating the hallway.
“Right through there, they’re waiting for you,” she says with her arm extended.
“By myself?”
“Yes.”
The woman leaves my side and walks back the way we just came.
I adjust the cuffs of my jacket and head toward Taby and Cordelia.
Step by step, I take in my surroundings. It’s interesting, really. There are high-security details and a hallway that no one would be the wiser of unless they had been taken down here before, like I am right now.
It would have taken us a while to discover this wing and its significance.
I pause at the door.
I could be walking into a trap instead of being offered some type of deal. There’s also the possibility that they’ve discovered I’m really a spy in their midst.
Nothing about this is normal.
I reach for the handle and pull it down.
Well, looks like I’m about to find out.
The room I walk into is lavish, with crystal chandeliers and red leather everywhere I look—from the seating to the walls, and it’s over-the-top—probably Taby’s preference.
“Welcome,” a sultry voice greets me.
Taby.
She’s at the bar, pouring a drink.
“Would you like one?” she asks without turning around.
“I’d love one.”
I walk over to where she stands and see Cordelia sitting in a nearby room, not paying attention to us.
Taby pours two whiskeys neat into crystal glasses.
“I like what you’ve done here.”
She faces me with her ruby-red lips and a suggestive expression. I take in what she’s wearing for the first time: a black, tight-fitting dress that exposes her long legs and fake breasts.
Taby extends a glass to me.
“Thank you.”
She grins and gives a slight shake of her head.
“Follow me.”
She leads us over to a red leather circular sofa, and I sit on the side opposite her.
“What am I doing here?” I ask.
“Patience must not be something you possess.”
She takes a sip of her drink as she crosses one leg over the other. I lean back in my seat and wait for her to continue. It’s clear that Taby is trying to lure me into her fold. The art of seduction must be one of her usual ploys with men like me.
“Oh, you’re no fun, I see.”
“I can be from time to time.”
She leans forward, and her breasts start to spill over the edge of her dress.
“How fun?” she asks.
Ordinarily, I would give in to what she’s asking for. A beautiful woman in a position of power, whom I need something from.
Only things are different now. I haven’t even started with Cara, so I can’t mess it up, even if it is part of the job.
“I’m a married man,” I say while showing her my ring.
She grins and then laughs wildly as she sits back.
“Rare.”
With a bob of her head, she takes another sip of her whiskey.
“Good.”
I swallow down my whiskey and set the glass on the table.
“I have a job for you.”
“I’m listening.”
“In two days. On the coast. Go to this address at this time,” she says as she slides a paper across the table.
“There’s a poker tournament being hosted by one of my colleagues. Win. The prize is in diamonds. My contact needs you to win in order for the deal to be made.”
“Why?”
“Don’t go asking questions you don’t want the answers to.”
“What if I do?”
She considers this.
“Win the tournament and then come back here. I’ll let you know more if you can deliver the diamonds.”
“I take it these are special.”
“To say the least.”
I glance to my side and see Cordelia still in the other room, paying us no attention.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Taby shrugs as she tucks her legs underneath her and kicks her heels off one by one.
“Who are you?”
She laughs, reaching an arm behind her on the couch.
“Baby, if you don’t know by now, then you aren’t as smart as I thought you were.”
“The Kingpin.”
“Such an odd term for a woman in power, wouldn’t you say? No matter, I fought for my place here. One kill and deal at a time.”
Got her. She’s admitted that she’s the Kingpin of Charlotte and is sharing so casually about how she came to be.
“Does that scare you?” she asks.
“No.”
“Good. It would be terribly boring if it did.”
I pause, unsure of what she expects from me.
“You’re something different, Ace. I can tell. That doesn’t mean you’re going to pan out for what we need, but time will tell.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Not whatever it takes. You’ve just proven that.”
When I turned her down, anger had flashed across her face.
“You can go now,” she says with a fling of her hand. She gulps down the remainder of the whiskey and gets up with the glass in hand.
“Now,” she calls out as she saunters over to the bar.
Getting off the couch, I head to the door without another word.
I walk through the winding hallway and find myself back at the crossroads with the main door entrance to my left and what has to be the hallway to the office to the right.
If anyone finds me, I’ll just claim I’m lost.
I take a right and easily find Taby’s office. Her assistant is nowhere to be found as I walk past a desk and open the main office door.
It’s dark inside, so I pull out a flashlight from my pocket. After turning it on, I shine it around the room and still.
“Cara?” I whisper to the figure.
“It’s me,” she says, almost out of breath.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“I need to search one more spot.”
“It’s pointless. I’ll explain when we leave.”
Cara steps out of the darkness with a perplexed look.
“What happened?”
“I found her quarters. We’ll have to come back.”
“Private quarters? At the casino?”
Cara searches my expression for any sign of what happened.
“I promise. I’ll tell you at home.”
“Okay. I trust you.”
Fuck, that’s good to hear.
Back home, Cara and I silently go into our separate rooms. I take a quick shower and change into a pair of black joggers and a white T-shirt, something casual after the long night we’ve had.
We’re so close to catching the Marlin, I can taste it. The only problem is I need Taby to introduce me. If I take on these small missions for her, then hopefully, I’ll gain her trust, and she’ll tell me the truth.
As I leave my room, Cara comes out of hers at the same time.
She looks breathtaking in a silky pair of pajamas that I don’t think she would normally wear around me. The tiny shorts have a hint of lace trim to them that also outlines the top of the matching low-cut tank.
Cara’s chest heaves as she watches me drink her in.
“Beautiful,” I say.
“Come on, lover boy,” she teases as she takes my hand in hers and leads me down the stairs.
I’ll gladly follow this woman anywhere.
Tonight, we admitted the first of our truths to one another. I know I have a lot more to share with her, and this is it.
“Want a drink? Water? Wine? Vodka?” I say to lighten the mood.
Cara takes my wrist in between her delicate hands and pulls the face of my watch in her direction.
“It’s three a.m.”
“Wine it is,” I rasp.
She smiles as she lets go of my hand.
“I’ll get the glasses out if you can find a bottle.”
She bends down and pulls out two glasses from a bar cabinet. I open the wine fridge and find a vintage bottle of a cabernet.
Another comfortable silence lingers as she slides the glasses over to me and I pour the wine. She takes hers, and I do the same.
Walking over to the living room, Cara slides onto one side of the sofa and pats the seat cushion for me to join her.
As I sit down, I notice a hint of something new in Cara’s expression.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
“Did she come on to you?”
Cara’s eyes are on mine as she waits.
“Yes.”
Cara nods and takes a large gulp of her drink.
“I told her no,” I continue.
Her eyes snap up to mine as she lowers the glass.
“You know you shouldn’t have.”
“Yes, I should have.”
Cara sighs and settles further into the pillows behind her.
“Grant, I would have understood.”
“I wouldn’t have,” I counter.
“You wouldn’t have?”
“No. It’s different now. Don’t you agree?”
Cara’s breath hitches at the declaration.
“I suppose I do.”
She leans forward and sets her wine down. I take a sip of mine and set it down on the coffee table as well.
She comes closer to where I am and fidgets with her hands in her lap.
“We need to talk,” I say.
“Yes. Yes, we do. Grant…”
“Let me go first.”
“Okay,” she says, relieved.
“Since the day I met you, I have always known that something was different about you. From the way you handled yourself to the fierce look of determination you would get when I challenged you, I always knew that you were different.”
Cara laughs lightly.
“I hope this is a good thing.”
“Love, it’s the best thing.”
She swallows and focuses on me.
“You call me that now.”
“I do.”
“I thought it was something just in the field. Something pretend.”
“It’s not. Do you really think I’ve been pretending this whole time?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Can you say the same?”
“Are you asking if I’ve been pretending?”
“Yes, I am.”
“No, I haven’t been since the day we said ‘I do.’”
“Me either.” A faint blush stains her cheeks.
“What about the other day?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you wanted this to be temporary.”
She looks confused.
“Ahead of the casino?”
I nod.
“I was scared. Afraid that you would only want me for the time being, so I was trying to say what I thought you wanted to hear. I’d been driving myself crazy trying to get your attention. I normally don’t have to work that hard,” she admits.
“I’ve wanted you since that very first time I saw you.”
She gasps and tries to regroup. The hem of her shirt rises, revealing a sliver of her tight stomach.
“So distracting.” I grip the end of it and pull it down slightly.
“Come on, it’s just a little skin.”
“You can walk around naked, but right now, I’m trying not to kiss you.”
She moves closer to me and takes my hands in hers.
“I know we have a lot to discuss. A lot of the past that you need answers to. But being with you out here. Getting married. Going through this together. Finding a true partner in you. It’s done something to me.”
“What has it done?”
“You know.”
“Tell me.”
“It’s made me fall in love with you.”