7. Hello Barbi
HELLO BARBI
HALSTON
Halston—disguised as a pirate wearing an eyepatch, a hat, and a super sexy costume—had spent the last hour tucked away in a booth talking with Evangeline.
Since the ambassador was arriving tomorrow, she had nothing to report, but Evangeline had asked her why she’d snapped a pic of the embassy’s social director.
“Her reaction to the power outages in the seven cities struck me as odd,” Halston had said. “She smiled.”
Evangeline had wanted Halston to know she wasn’t alone. And Halston appreciated that. Most of their time together had been getting to know each other.
Though not originally a fan, she now liked Evangeline.
A down-to-earth woman, she was filled with a quiet confidence.
She was a total team player, committed to her husband’s company and to their charitable organization, The Develin Center for Runaway Children.
Though she and Sin had no biological children, Evangeline loved the children at the center as if they were her own.
To Halston’s surprise, Gabriel Santini had been escorted in by the owner. Then, the entire club had made such a fuss over him, she couldn’t believe it. Yes, the man was dope handsome with a killer body. And yes, he could screw, but she’d done most of the work.
C’mon, give him a break. He got shot… or stabbed. Probably by some angry girlfriend.
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but she pursed her lips to kill it.
Unlike the harem lurking behind him, she did want to make her presence known.
Her only issue? Instead of wearing yesterday’s short, light-brown wig, she had on a curly, blonde one.
Her sexy pirate costume—with the low-cut white shirt and long skirt that was cut short in the front to show off her legs—was topped off with a pirate hat and knee-high boots.
Though she was displaying way more skin than she had in forever, Sydney had insisted she rocked the costume.
Even Caroline had given her blessing… but with another stern warning.
“Text me as soon as you get home.”
“Or when the clock strikes midnight,” Sydney had added.
Despite last night’s decision to stay away from Gabriel, Halston ponied up to the bar, slid onto a stool two away. She had to admit… Mr. Santini had it going on.
Hawk set a napkin in front of her. “Another sparkling water?”
“Please.”
“What happened to Evangeline?” he murmured.
“Her husband,” Halston whispered in her Russian accent.
Hawk set down her sparkling water before moving on to Gabriel.
With Santini’s attention focused on Hawk, the blonde sitting between them dropped powder into Gabriel’s whiskey, then slithered away. Halston whipped her head around, but the woman had vanished into the crowd.
What the hell?
Halston moved to the just-vacated stool next to Santini.
Gabriel regarded her, then shot her a smile.
Energy streaked through her.
He’s so damn handsome.
“Lookie who’s here. How you doin’, No Name?”
He lifted the glass with the now-dissolved powdery substance. “Here’s to you.”
She wrapped her hand around his forearm, pressed his arm down. “Don’t drink that,” she said in her thick Russian accent.
“What are you talking about?”
She leaned close, brushing her lips to his ear. “That woman—the blonde who was sitting here—she poisoned it.”
He laughed.
She did not.
“You’re joking, right?” Then, his smile fell away. “How do you know?”
“I saw her.”
“She wanted to seduce me, not drug me.”
A shot of anger pounded through her. She didn’t need to help him out. She’d seen something. She’d acted on it. If he wanted to risk his own damn life and drink that poison, that was on him. Still… she couldn’t knowingly let him drink it.
“She dumped white powder into your whiskey.” Halston waved down the club owner.
“You need another drink?” Hawk asked.
“Do you have video you can pull up?” She made sure to maintain her Russian accent. “A woman dropped powder—” she pointed at Gabriel’s drink— “but he doesn’t believe me.”
Hawk took the glass, tossed its contents down the drain.
“My office.” He spoke with the other bartender before leading them down a hallway, stopping in front of a closed office door.
After standing in front of a scanner, the light changed from red to green.
He opened the door, gestured for them to enter.
They filed in, he shut the door.
“Have you two met?” Hawk asked.
“Yes,” Halston replied. “I’m No Name.”
Hawk stared at her for an extra beat. “Got it.”
“And he’s an idiot,” Halston said as she glared at Gabriel.
Hawk sat behind the desk, got busy on his computer. Seconds later, he blurted, “Come check this out.”
They stood behind him, leaning close to see.
The second Gabriel looked away, the stranger dropped a vial of white powder into his drink and left.
Halston crossed her arms, glared at Gabriel. “Pozhaluysta. You’re welcome.”
Without waiting for a response, she walked out. As she passed the men’s room, the door opened. A chubby guy exited, they made eye contact.
“Hey, pirate girl, you wanna dance?”
“Sure,” she replied.
Halston was fuming, so releasing angry energy on the dance floor worked.
Whirling and moving, she shimmied and shook as the fast-paced melody came to a crescendo.
She’d come to the club to unwind, Evangeline had suggested a sync-up, so they’d met there.
Then, she saw some woman try to roofie her mark.
The same man she’d hooked up with a day earlier.
“Ugh,” she blurted as the song came to an end.
I’ve gotta stay away from Santini. He’s trouble. But… what if the thumb drive wasn’t in Italy? What if it’s here with him…
The next song began. One with a slow, seductive beat. The man assumed she wanted to dance close and stepped into her personal space.
Halston backed away. “I’m gonna pass.”
He lunged for her, ended up shoving a woman aside to grab her. But he missed as she headed off the dance floor.
“Ow!” shouted the clubber he’d banged into.
Ignoring her, the man forced his way through the dancers and over to Halston.
“Why’d you bolt?” he asked.
“I don’t want to dance with you,” Halston replied.
“I like your accent,” the stranger said. “Where are you from?”
“Russia.”
“C’mon, one dance, then you can kick me to the curb. It’ll be fun, Russian pirate girl.” He winked.
She winced. As she turned to go, he grabbed her arm.
“I said no.” She yanked her arm away, turned to leave, and bumped into Gabriel.
He wrapped his arms around her. “You okay?”
“What do you want?” she growled.
“To grovel,” he said.
“Hey, dude, we’re hangin’,” said the stranger.
Ignoring him, Halston said, “Go ahead, grovel.”
He clasped her hand, sending tingles flitting through her, and led her to a dark corner of the dance floor.
“Please dance with me, No Name.” He pressed his hands together in prayer pose. “I will do anything to repent. Anything.” Then he shot her a smile.
One simple smile that sent a bolt of lightning zinging through her. Yes, she was attracted to him, along with most every woman in that club.
The stranger loomed into view, leading with fisted hands.
“That creep is coming,” she said. “Fists over your right shoulder.”
Rather than cower, she shoved Gabriel out of the way as the stranger’s arm came swinging toward her.
She blocked his attack, stomped his foot—with Caroline’s four-inch boot heel—and punched him in the gut.
Then, she grabbed him by his arm and hauled him through the crowd over to Hawk. “He went to punch Gabriel. I stopped him.” She shoved the stranger to the floor, then waited, hands on hips for Hawk to hurry around the bar.
Seconds later, Gabriel was by her side, his expression one of surprise and awe.
“I’m pressing charges,” said the stranger.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Gabriel hissed. “I’d walk.”
Hawk snapped the clubbers pic, then got busy on his phone. When finished, he said, “You went to strike this man, but this woman stepped between you.”
“That’s not it at all,” protested the man.
Hawk yanked him to his feet. “Tell me what happened.”
“She and me, we was dancing. She said no, I wanted more, so I went after her. That dude got between us. I went to move him.”
“So, she told you no, but you didn’t stop?” Hawk asked.
“Just one slow dance. She’s got a hot body. I was hoping she’d go upstairs with me. Play out a pirate scene.”
Hawk eyed Gabriel and Halston. “Do you want to press charges?”
Neither did.
Halston had come to the bar to have fun. This was not her idea of a good time. “I’m out.”
As she made her way to the front door, Gabriel caught up with her. “I didn’t get a chance to finish groveling… and to thank you. Please, dance with me.”
As she stared into his eyes, the anger stood down, but a different emotion took hold.
Lust.
The song had changed to an upbeat tempo, and she started tapping her foot in time with the beat. “I’ll dance with you.”
They returned to the dance floor as Hawk escorted the stranger out. Gabriel’s gaze stayed locked on hers and she found herself getting lost in the music… and in her sexy partner. Around and around they danced as if time had no beginning and no end.
She felt free and happy. For those few minutes, she didn’t think about her job, didn’t think about anything. She just danced. When the song came to an end, the one that followed had a sultry beat.
Gabriel halved the distance, his fiery gaze drilling into her. Without overthinking—or thinking at all—she stepped close.
“Please dance with me,” he murmured.
She smiled, then a nod. “Yes.”
His strong arms held her close, and she wrapped hers around his neck, played with the ends of his hair with her fingers. It was soft and silky, and he smelled good… he smelled like a man.
“Are you still in pain?” she asked, not knowing why she’d care.
“Much better,” he replied. “I give props to the meds.”
“Pain meds can be addictive.”
“I took Tylenol.”
A smile ghosted across his face as he leaned close. “What’s your name? We can do better than No Name.”
“What about Pirate girl?” she suggested.
With his piercing gaze searching hers, he said, “You can do it. Start with your first name.”
Silence.