Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Hayden
Iload up my tray with a salad, chicken fingers, and a cookie.
Some women forgo desserts, but that’s madness.
If my sweet tooth doesn’t get quenched once a day, I’m cranky.
I accommodate by eating my delectables at noon instead of right before bed.
Gives me plenty of time to work it off while running around this crazy casino.
Mira plops a tray in front of mine on one of the cafeteria tables.
Her meal is about as sensible as the one I have, minus the salad.
Our metabolisms, however, are not the same.
Mira has a supermodel’s figure, while I’ve got what some might call an hourglass.
Or a pear shape when I’m hard-core PMSing. “What have you found on Blackwell?”
“Nothing,” I grumble.
Mira pauses mid-chew, her cookie dangling from her hand.
She eats her desserts first, which I’ve got to admire.
“Nothing? It’s been months since Drake was convicted.
” She sets her cookie down. “He’s already serving time for the assault and the money-laundering thing the casino pinned on him.
Drake was a bully, but no one gets caught that spectacularly unless they’re a pawn. Someone else is in charge.”
“I know.” I dismiss the healthy food and eye my cookie. Maybe Mira’s got the right of it. Dessert first.
I’ve tried to find something on Blue Casino to take to the police.
I’ve scoured every database and file I have access to, which has taken weeks in between working.
I’ve even spent my personal time at functions the casino holds, thinking I might catch something.
But nothing. Not one darn thing has gone down lately that I could label as suspicious, unless you consider Adam’s promotion. Which I do.
Unfortunately, it’s not illegal to promote someone, just like it isn’t illegal to fire someone for poor performance.
Adam’s boss was fired after the file that held information on the suite Mira and Tyler found landed in my hands while the woman was out sick.
It’s clear the old hospitality manager got fired for inadvertently leaking information—information that went mysteriously missing from my desk.
On paper, Blue Casino is as clear as the lake it’s named after. But dig deep enough, and there’s a murky center. I just know it.
Like Mira said, it’s hard to believe Drake was the only criminal in this place.
Maybe I’m allowing past bullies to tarnish my relationship with the CEO.
There are bad bosses out there who aren’t involved in illegal activities.
And I might believe that—if Blackwell wasn’t so adamant about keeping me out of the business he has going on with his Blue Stars, and if Mira and Tyler hadn’t found the suite filled with drugs the casino seemed to be supplying.
“I can’t pin anything on him, and believe me, I’ve tried.
” I bite into my cookie. I don’t believe for a minute that the Blue Stars quit what they were doing in that suite just because it was suddenly stripped.
And there’s something about these guys getting away with it that really pisses me off.
Maybe it’s because I was on the receiving end of people ruining lives—different bullies, same town—but there’s no way I can walk away from this.
I set my half-eaten cookie down. “I can’t find a paper trail. Blackwell and his Blue Star assholes have been extra cautious since Drake Peterson was jailed.”
Mira winces. “I’m glad, in a way. Maybe they’ve cleaned things up?”
I shake my head. “I’ve considered that, but you said they were clearing things out when you and Tyler found the suite, not closing up shop.
I’m happy there haven’t been recent reports of assaults and that we haven’t found another suite with drugs, but the casino is hiding something.
Why else would Blackwell keep me out of the hiring of new employees?
It’s like he’s setting something up he doesn’t want me involved in. ”
“You’re right. That is strange.”
“I’ve given up looking internally. Blackwell keeps everything buttoned up around me. I can’t get into his little Blue Star crew, so I’ve started researching his background. Maybe I’ll find something there.”
“Can’t hurt.” Mira takes a bite of her main dish, now that she’s eaten her cookie. She studies my face as if deciding something. “There is one person among Blackwell’s sapphire ring boys you could get close to.”
I take a bite of the chicken finger. Okay, maybe grease is just as good as sugar for a pick-me-up.
I swallow the bite in my mouth. “Pretty sure there isn’t.
I’ve tried, and not without a good deal of humiliation.
Those jackasses who kiss Blackwell’s ass taunt me.
They let me know I’m not welcome, all while flirting shamelessly.
I’m sure one or more would be game to sleep with me, but I wouldn’t be getting any information out of it.
Not that I would ever consider doing something so disgusting.
” I shiver at the thought of sleeping with Paul, or any of the men who walk around the casino wearing Blue Star rings.
“I wasn’t referring to those guys.” She smiles knowingly.
“Oh no.” The sparkle in her eye should have warning signs. “Don’t even go where I think you’re going.”
“Come on, Hayden. What do you have against Adam? I know you want him.”
I choke on that last bite of chicken. “Want him? I’d rather have my eyebrows shaved than get close to that oily bastard. He’s all charm and good looks, but you can’t trust him.”
Mira takes a sip of her lemonade. “Your eyebrows, really? I’m just saying, you should try. Does he push you away like the others?”
“Not exactly,” I say warily.
“Right. He doesn’t. You even said last night that it wasn’t him you were angry with, but some of the things you’ve had to put up with at Blue.
From what I’ve seen, Adam has tried to be your friend.
Granted, he pushes your buttons, which I think he does intentionally to get a rise out of you. He’s not a bad guy.”
“He harasses me.”
Mira’s face scrunches in disbelief.
“He argues with me nonstop,” I add.
“That’s not harassment,” she points out.
“It makes me want to throw a stapler at his head, so I consider it pretty darn harassing.”
Mira balls up her napkin and spins her legs over the metal picnic-style bench, which causes every male head to swivel in her direction. “I’m just saying, in addition to your background check on Blackwell, be…a little more open to a friendship with Adam. He’s a resource you’ve yet to tap.”
“Tap?” What exactly does she want me to do with him?
She rolls her eyes. “Poor choice of words. You know what I mean.”
I dab the corners of my mouth with my napkin and stand. “I’ll try. But I make no promises. If he bugs me enough to consider strangling his handsome neck, I will not be held accountable for murder.”
She chuckles. “You two. You should have gotten a room months ago.”
Get a room? Is she crazy? “I don’t care how good-looking Adam is; he drives me nuts. I’ll remind you when disaster strikes that this was your suggestion.”
She grins. “This should be interesting.”
After parting ways with Mira in the Blue cafeteria, I head to my office, speed-walking past Adam’s door, just in case he’s out loitering. I said I would try. I didn’t say it would begin today.
I’m a few steps past his office when I hear my name called. My shoulders slump. I groan quietly and turn around.
“Do you have a moment?” Adam asks, his hands tucked into his suit pants, coat opened to a dress shirt stretched over an athletic chest and trim waist.
I am strong. I can do this.
Maybe Mira is right. Maybe now is the perfect time to start being more civil toward Adam. I plaster a smile on my face. “Sure, what’s up?”
Adam’s eyes widen marginally. Okay, so maybe that was a little too cheery compared to my normal demeanor around him.
“I thought you might want to know that I found an assistant. I hired her this morning. She’s ideal.”
The glint in his eyes can’t be a good sign. I saw Adam last night. How the hell did he find and hire someone in a few hours? “She?”
“She.”
“How did you recruit her?”
“Let’s just say she’s a customer service professional. She’ll be perfect in hospitality.”
Civil, friendly, I remind myself. “Well, congratulations. I look forward to meeting her.” My civility has its limits. “But you know, you haven’t won the bet yet. We agreed on two weeks. If she’s still here after that, then we can talk.”
He grins, but his eyes narrow. “You can’t fire her, Hayden. That would nullify our deal.”
I turn and continue walking down the hall, saying over my shoulder, “Oh no, that’s your job.”