Guilty Pleasures (52 page)

“What about your family
”

“I take good care of my family. All of them. The money that I make goes back to the town in which I grew up. They have schools now and a small clinic that helps many.”

“Not many people would do that. Most would want to get as far away from their pasts as they could.” She thought of herself and Eva, always running, always seeking.

“I am not like anyone you have ever known.” He leaned back and looked into her upturned face. “Always remember that.” He kissed the top of her head and finished the dance. He took her back to their table. “Would you like dessert before we leave
”

Her heart jumped in her chest. “No. Actually, I want to freshen up a bit.” She rose and so did he. “I'll be just a minute, and then we can go.”

He nodded and watched her as she headed off to the restroom.

Rita pushed the restroom door open, checked all the stalls before taking out her cell phone.

Jake picked up on the second ring. “Yeah…”

“It has to be tonight.…”

*   *   *

“Tonight!” Eva sputtered. “Are we ready
”

“We have to be. Not much of a choice. We needed Rita to gain access to his room, and tonight is the night. We may not get another chance.”

Eva paced with her fist pressed to her lips. “Okay, then we have to get busy. But what about the safe
”

“I'm hoping that everything we need is in the suitcase. If not, we have one more day.”

Eva sighed. “Okay. Call Jinx and tell him to bring the bag. And I'll get ready.”

“Rita will call us as soon as everything is set on her end.”

Jinx arrived shortly with the bag. “She's with him now
” he asked as he set the bag down in the center of the room.

“Yeah,” Jake said, and went over the information on the computer.

Jinx grumbled something incoherent. Eva flashed him a look. “Rita will be fine. For what it's worth, she's a professional.”

There was something about the way she'd looked at Suarez, in a way she'd never looked at him—almost with longing. And it worried Jinx more than he was willing to admit out loud.

“I'm going to get dressed,” Eva said, and left the room.

Jake turned to his brother. “I know what you're thinking. Don't.”

Jinx wandered aimlessly around the cabin. “I just have a bad feeling about Rita and this guy. You haven't seen them together, I have.”

“She's doing her job, Jinx. That's it. When this is over, we'll all walk away, and Rita will too.”

“I don't know, man.” He shook his head. “I really don't.”

Jake studied his brother's worried profile. He knew how much Jinx cared about Rita, how much he always had. But Rita was a wild card. Sure she probably had a soft spot in her heart for Jinx, but Rita—even more so than Eva—was always out for the next big score. And this time Xavier Suarez just might be the jackpot for her. He hoped not. If Rita pulled a fast one on Jinx, he was pretty sure it would do his brother in.

*   *   *

Rita took a last check of her makeup in the bathroom mirror, applied a bit more powder to her nose, and freshened her lipstick. She made sure the vial was tucked deep inside her purse and then shut it.

She looked at her reflection. Would a night with Xavier be everything that she imagined
And what about the morning after
But if she did what she was supposed to do, she'd never find out.

That was the dilemma that plagued her. She turned away from the image of accusation in the mirror and returned to the table.

Whatever happened between her and Xavier would happen. She'd be sure to hold up her end of the arrangement for everyone else's sake. Other than that—the chips would simply have to fall.

 

30

Rita stepped out of the restroom and was on her way back to her table when she spotted Traci crossing the room in the direction of Xavier. She stood off to the side, out of sight.

Always the gentleman, Xavier rose when Traci approached. His two bodyguards who'd remained unobtrusive during the evening stood as well. The diners seemed not to notice the scene unfolding in front of them.

Traci at first seemed to be cooing and cajoling, while Xavier's expression remained amiable. Rita wasn't sure what Traci said, but Xavier raised his right hand, ever so slightly, and the two men approached. Traci looked from one to the other as they came up on either side of her. Her voice rose as she snatched her arm away from the first man.

Xavier sat down as if nothing out of the ordinary was transpiring in front of him and continued to drink his coffee.

With the speed of a ninja, Traci reached for the table, snatched up Rita's half-filled glass of water, and tossed the contents at Xavier. He barely moved. Rita's heart stopped, expecting a scene right out of
The Sopranos
to jump off.

Xavier picked up the linen napkin and casually wiped the streaks of water from his face and the front of his jacket. His lips barely moved as he said something to the men, but Rita saw something in his eyes that was a first cousin to pure evil. A chill hardened her nipples.

The two guards securely took both of Traci's arms and removed her from the restaurant. The music continued to play; the revelers continued to eat and make merry with hardly an eye turned toward what had just taken place.

Rita's legs felt weak, but she certainly couldn't continue to stand there, and she didn't want to even imagine what was happening to Traci.

She put on her best face and returned to the table. “Sorry I took so long,” she said, settling into her seat.

Xavier got up and pulled her chair out without a word.

She sat opposite him, watching his jaw clench and unclench, the coiled fury held at bay only through sheer will.

“Is everything okay
”

Dark, almost empty eyes looked at her. “Yes. Everything is taken care of.”

She didn't want to entertain the thought of what that meant.

The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. “If you are ready, we can leave now.”

“Sure.”

He stood up and came around to help her rise from her seat. He put his large hand at the small of her back and ushered her out of the restaurant.

*   *   *