Ten Hale
Ten
Hale
Tacos? Seriously? What the fuck was I doing? She was safe.
I had made up a reason to see her before I left. It wasn’t like I was gonna fuck her, although I wanted to. I didn’t need an attachment, and she’d likely require more than tacos and smooth talking to let me sink my dick into her. Too much work.
Yet when I’d seen her walk out of the airport, talking to another man, I’d…I’d not liked it. And now we were going to eat tacos.
I needed to get my ass back in Madison. I was almost positive we had the man using Vilmer as his puppet.
I’d gotten a lead the very next day after Opal bugged Vilmer’s briefcase.
Linc had found the connection and handed the information over to Blaise.
The man we were looking for was located in Florida, and it seemed like he was after the entire Southern Mafia.
Not just the Mississippi branch. His reasons we weren’t sure of yet, but his days were numbered.
We just needed a name. A real name. Vilmer had called him a bogus one that seemed to be some kind of code.
The cell in my pocket began to ring, and I eased it out, already annoyed at whoever it was, reminding me I had other things to be doing.
With a quick glance, I saw Linc’s name and knew I couldn’t talk to him with Bay in the vehicle.
He was going to have to wait. Silencing it, I shoved it back into my pocket and headed out onto the interstate.
“Do anything fun in Sydney?” I asked.
“I did manage to get out for a few hours,” she replied. “Dan wanted to go on a tour of the Opera House, so I tagged along.”
Dan. The guy she’d been with when she walked out of the airport. I still didn’t like it, and that shit was stupid. I shouldn’t give a fuck.
“Was that your first time seeing it?”
“Yes. Well, at least the tour was. I’ve seen it on every visit in passing. Last time I was on a long haul to Sydney with Dan, he wanted to do the BridgeClimb, and I was not about to do that.”
“Not a fan of heights? And you’re a flight attendant?” I asked with a glance in her direction.
She shrugged. “It’s different. There is a vulnerable feeling, being at the mercy of some straps that are supposed to save you if you fall. Not my thing.”
I chuckled and decided not to point out if the plane went down, she wasn’t surviving, but those safety harnesses would likely save her life if she fell off the bridge. Her livelihood was being in a plane regularly. If she wasn’t afraid of it, then no reason to put that fear in her now.
The burner phone in the glove compartment began to ring.
Motherfucker.
“You, uh, have two phones?” she asked with a small frown between her brows.
Annoyed, I shot a scowl in the direction of the offending sound. Linc had no patience. Crossing over the interstate, I took the next exit. Looked like he wasn’t going to wait until we got to the Mexican restaurant.
“Do you need me to get it for you?” Bay asked.
I shook my head. “No.”
I turned into the first service station we came to and pulled into a parking space. “I need to take this call. It’s my boss.”
She nodded. “Okay, I can go inside and get some gum if you need privacy.”
“I’ll step out and call him,” I told her, not needing the distraction of her going inside the store.
Whatever he wanted, it’d better be fucking important. We were ten minutes from the restaurant. He could have waited.
Stepping out of the vehicle, I jerked my phone from my pocket and pressed his number as I stalked far enough away that I was sure I wouldn’t be overheard.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Linc asked.
“Driving. What is it?” I snapped, annoyed.
“I could see that you were driving, but why weren’t you answering the phone?
” he shot back at me. “Fuck, it doesn’t matter.
We have a name. A real one. The man lives about an hour from Ocala, and he was going to start with us since he had McKenzie to get to us and work his way up. Blaise is ready to slice throats.”
My eyes swung back toward the SUV, where Bay was sitting. Dammit. I wasn’t ready to go home yet. Probably a real good reason to do just that.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“I don’t know him, but Blaise does. He’s the CEO of a marketing firm; he’s planning on running for governor next term, and he wants to clean up all his dirty secrets first.”
“I take it, he’s had involvement with Blaise in the past,” I replied.
“Not Blaise exactly, but he’s been placing bets through us without a beard for years.
He’s got a gambling addiction, and he doesn’t want that shit coming out.
Since the current governor is in office because of the Hughes power, he’s thinking if he shuts us down, then that clears two paths for him.
” Linc chuckled. “Dumb son of a bitch. Doubt he lives much longer.”
“Still not told me who it is,” I said, curious now.
“Harland Allen, CEO of Hark Allen Enterprises. It’s his father-in-law with the money though—Emmanuel Hark.” His voice began to sound as if it were coming through a tunnel as my complete focus was turned to the Escalade and the woman in it.
He might not have heard of Harland Allen before, but I sure as fuck had. Recently. On the background check I’d had run. The one I’d asked Wilder for. The one I was sure he’d read, so he, too, would recognize the name.
My entire body went rigid as disbelief and anger began to build inside me. This wasn’t a coincidence. She did know Vilmer.
Different scenarios began to play in my head as to how or why she was connected. And I’d walked right into it. They were probably laughing their asses off at their luck. Of my being on that flight, my interest in her.
“You there?” Linc asked, snapping me out of the blind rage slowly easing through me.
“Yes,” I bit out. “I have something I believe is important to Harland Allen that I’ll bring back with me. Let Blaise decide what to do with her.”
“Did you say her?”
“Yes,” I said through clenched teeth.
She went to open her car door. Had she figured it out? That I knew who the fuck she was?
“Ask Wilder. Tell him to look at the background check he sent me. I don’t have time to explain. She thinks she’s escaping,” I told him before ending the call and stalking back toward the vehicle.
Her gaze met mine, and innocent confusion made them go wide. Damn, she was a good little actress. I had been completely fooled.
I clamped a hand on the door and stood in front of her. “Going somewhere?” I asked, barely tamping down the fury at being made a goddamn fool by a piece of hot ass.
“Uh, I was going to get some water and, uh, gum,” she stammered nervously.
She should be nervous. She had no idea just how stupid she had been. Doing bidding for a fucker who I doubted Hughes would let live to see the sun come up tomorrow.
“I don’t think so,” I informed her, moving closer, causing her to back up until she was climbing back into the seat.
I slammed the door, not bothering to help her in this time. She’d played me and done so well at it. To think, I’d not wanted to leave yet because of her.
Jesus, I needed a good fuck. That was all this was. I’d been working too damn much. Letting a pair of pretty blue eyes reel me in was stupid. And weak. I wasn’t either, and I didn’t like her making me act that way.
Getting inside the car, I didn’t say one word as I turned and headed in the direction of the private airstrip, where a plane would be waiting on me.
I’d have to call and explain to Opal my leaving without coming to tell her goodbye.
There was no time. I had to get the lying bitch in my passenger seat to Madison.
She’d answer all my questions there, and I’d teach her what happened to those who fucked with the Southern Mafia.