Chapter 14
Adrenaline tightened my body, so familiar it made my mouth water. I loved the dizzying rush I got at the beginning of a mission. Tonight, The Unseen wanted me to seduce my target and take him out.
The muffled sound of chips clattering and the braying, intoxicated laughs of patrons filtered into the bathroom.
The tasteful, dim lighting suited Den, an invitation-only casino nestled in a nightclub called Revolver.
I gave myself a final once-over before I found my target.
I adjusted the form fitting skirt, tugged it up rather than down, and slapped on another layer of blood red lipstick.
The dark-eyed woman staring at me through the mirror had a gaze too haunted for a seductress.
There was a roiling sensation in my stomach I rarely had when completing my missions.
Maybe it was having Beck in my ear and a tiny camera nestled between my breasts.
"You look gorgeous. Now stop preening and find our poor sap."
Beck rasped in my earpiece, and I dropped my lipstick.
My cheeks flooded red as I fumbled about on the black-tiled floor.
Hearing Beck in my ear, voice thick with lust, was new.
How many years had I longed for him to see me as more than an agent?
Now he did, and my life couldn't be more complicated.
"It won't take me long. He's half wasted already. Lisa is my name, right?"
"Doesn't suit you, Little Liar." Beck sighed. "You're not rusty, are you?"
I pursed my lips at the mirror, turning to the side and showing off my ass, perfectly encased in the racy little number. Could I seduce Cole Lacott enough for him to follow me upstairs to a hotel room?
"I don't squat heavy at the gym for nothing. Do you know why they want this guy dead?"
"We're not supposed to ask questions. You know that."
"It's just strange, that's all. I researched this guy, and he's a prick with morals. Just fired his entire board because they were taking shady deals."
Beck made a noise, half snort, half sigh. "And you wonder why they want him dead? It's the villains who prevail, Little Liar. Always."
A shiver iced my spine. "Is that what you are?"
"Of course."
What did it make me? I stared in the mirror, my eyes dark like portals. Dressed to entice a man to his death. There was no guilt in my heart. This was the life I'd chosen so I would never end up in a dark hole again, covered in blood and wondering when it would be mine.
"Have you heard from our little friend?" Beck asked.
I shook my head. "He's clever."
I'd received no more threatening messages, and it made the back of my neck prickle if I thought about it too long. He knew Beck was in Greenich Bay. It was the only explanation.
Beck let out a rumbly noise, and I blew a kiss to the mirror.
I stalked past swathes of drunk Greenich Bay elite and searched for Cole.
A server passed me with a tray of overpriced cocktails, and I plucked a glass of bubbly off the top.
I wasn't planning on drinking it, but it was scary how much more willing a man is when he thinks you're drunk.
I spied my target, grinning to myself. Unfortunately for Cole, he wasn't getting anything close to pleasure tonight.
I glided toward him, and the thrum of the music pulsed in my veins.
Adrenaline, thick with sparks, livened my step.
He slouched at a blackjack table while a girl with eyeliner sharp enough to slice cooed in his ear.
Anticipation bubbled as his gaze drifted over me and snagged right back.
His watery attention was unfocused as it crawled up my figure.
His flushed, rounded cheeks lifted, the edges smug.
He gave a self-assured jerk of his head to the empty seat beside him.
The girl hanging off his arm stifled a pout.
Cole tossed the dregs of his drink back and tapped his finger on the rim.
"Take a seat, beautiful. Can I get you another drink?" His fingers slipped on the table's edge. Did he not see the full drink I had in my hand?
"Just the man I was looking for." I offered a honeyed smile. Sweet enough to snare a man too rich to realize he was beneath my notice. "I'm Lisa."
Cole's expression brightened. "Ahh Lisa, I wasn't sure if my friends were being serious." He brushed off the other girl's hand without even looking at her, and she slunk away, but not before leveling a scathing look in my direction.
Sorry, sweetheart, this guy is all mine.
I perched on the stool and clinked my glass to Cole's replaced whiskey. "Have you been here long?"
"That's the best you've got?" Beck stifled a laugh, and I smoothed the frown that marred my forehead.
I shimmied over to Cole, leaning close enough to smell the liquor pouring off his breath.
"Long enough to lose ten thousand." Cole's hand drifted to my waist, and he pulled me closer still. "You can be my good-luck charm."
The dealer raised an eyebrow and tapped the cards until Cole placed a bet of five thousand.
The table was full, and the other players sifted through their cards, all drunk and rich, except for a couple at the end of the table.
They sat pressed up against each other, much like Cole and me.
But attraction was palpable between them.
The woman was a petite blonde, and she fumbled with her cards as the man in a leather jacket sent her a lopsided grin.
Cole scowled as he lost, and the dealer dragged his chips away to the winning couple at the opposite end of the table.
"You know…" I danced my black nails down his arm. "Maybe we should check out someplace else, somewhere quiet."
Cole's hand landed on my upper thigh, and as I looked down, Beck hissed in my ear. What did he think was going to happen when he had me on this mission? I'd been groped in more scandalous places than this for The Unseen.
"Abort mission. I'll take him out instead." Beck spoke as if through gravel.
"In a bit, I can feel my luck changing," Cole slurred.
"You could get lucky in my hotel room." My breath tickled his ear, and Cole's hand slid higher.
That's right, buddy, think with your dick.
My body flushed with rare energy, and I wriggled in my seat. Some people gambled to get the euphoric rush, but I just had to trick rich shipping heirs into thinking I was going to fuck them.
"Tell him to take his hand off." Beck growled, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
Cole tossed in some chips with a flick of his wrist and winked, slow and wonky. "There's no rush. Order another drink."
"Take his hand off your thigh. You won't like what happens if you don't."
What was Beck's problem? I rubbed my shoulder against Cole's and laughed, fake and high-pitched.
"Let me blow on the chips," I teased, and Cole held them out obligingly. The dealer waited patiently while we flirted.
"Last chance, Little Liar."
"I'll give you something to blow." Cole winked, unaware of the fuming man in my ear.
Beck's expletive was loud enough to make me wince.
"NOW," Beck shouted.
His voice pinched my eardrums.
For a moment, I froze, so shocked I couldn't process.
Beck didn't feel emotions, not really. He was made of ice.
Unless he was between your legs, a helpful voice reminded me.
I didn't think I'd ever seen him lose his composure.
The closest was after Angelo Amato almost killed me, and he devoured me on a dead man's bench.
I grabbed Cole's hand and moved it further up my inner thigh.
Until my unsuspecting mark let out a soft groan and Beck cursed loudly.
"You asked for this."
With practiced ease, I slipped out my earpiece and crunched it under my heel, doing the same with the micro camera. If Beck wanted to have a tantrum about a man touching me, I wasn't going to give him a front-row seat.
I was here to do my job, so what could he actually do?
Was part of me secretly thrilled? Sure, don't tell my therapist, though. Beck was all talk. He'd breathe through it and come back cool as a cucumber like always. I would get the job done and not ask questions.
It was time for me to remember who I was.