Page 12 of Dark Horizon New Dawn

"Oh, my." Margo fanned herself. "I don't think I can handle such a potent drink."

"It's really tasty. But if you want something else, I'll order it for you." Jaz chuckled. "I've just pulled an Alberto, deciding for you what you wanted to drink. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. If I feel like it's going to my head, I'll just stop drinking. Speaking of Alberto, we are not done talking about him and why you are still hanging around despite the warning signs."

"Here you go, ladies." The barman put two large margaritas in front of them.

"Thank you." Jaz lifted hers and took several sips before turning back to Margo. "We haven't been dating for long, and we are not living together." She rolled her eyes. "Thank goodness for that." She leaned closer and whispered, "I'm mad at myself for agreeing to go on vacation to Mexico with him, but on the other hand, I might not have discovered what was hiding under the charm and affluence if I hadn't come here with him." She took another sip from her margarita. "I'll be fine. All I need to do is pretend that I'm having a great time until we get back to Los Angeles, and then I can dump his ass."

Margo wasn't convinced that was true, especially in light of Jasmine's passport question. Given that Jaz was reluctant to speak about her boyfriend within anyone's earshot, Margo leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "You asked me about boarding a cruise ship without a passport. Is Alberto holding yours?"

Jes's eyes widened for a moment, and then she nodded. "He says that it's unsafe because of pickpockets and that hotel safes are not really secure because every employee knows how to open them. He also took all my credit cards and left me with just forty bucks in my wallet, telling me I could have whatever I wanted and to just charge it to the room. I don't doubt that he will return my things, but his excuse about my so-called safety is bogus. That's just how he ensures that I can't leave the hotel. If he's so concerned, why isn't he here?"

"Good question. Where is he?"

"God knows." Jasmine sighed and cast a furtive look at the barman. "Perhaps we can continue our talk in your room?"

Margo's hackles rose.

What if this was an elaborate setup to rob her? Usually, guys fell for pretty girls with sad stories who needed rescuing, but it seemed that women could also be manipulated that way.

On the other hand, what if Jasmine's story was genuine and she needed help for real?

Margo cast a glance at the woman's large satchel. She could be hiding a machine gun in that thing, and as soon as they were alone in Margo's room, she could rob her at gunpoint.

"I share my room with a friend. Maybe we can go to yours?"

Beatrice was on her way to the Mandala club, but Jasmine didn't have to know that.

Or did she?

Margo hadn't noticed Jasmine until that obnoxious guy had started pestering her, but she could have been there when Lynda had told Margo about her plans for tonight.

Jasmine grimaced. "We could, but I have a feeling that we won't have privacy there either." She pursed her lips. "But maybe we can sit on the balcony." She leaned closer to Margo again. "I suspect that Alberto bugged our suite. I've searched for cameras or hidden bugs as best I could, but I didn't want to be too obvious about it. The balcony might be safe, though. Even if he planted anything there as well, we can sit near the waterfall, where it's really noisy."

The hotel had a huge waterfall running down its front, starting from just below the penthouse and spilling into the artificial lake below, so Jasmine might be right about the balcony being safe. Still, it surprised Margo that the woman suspected her boyfriend of bugging the place.

Someone who had been naive enough to fall for charm and lavish gifts couldn't be an overly suspicious type.

Margo was precisely that type, though, and it tickled her that Jasmine and she might have that in common.

"Why do you suspect that he bugged your hotel suite?"

"Because he never calls to check on me when I'm there. Only when I'm away. He doesn't even try to hide that he knows I'm not in the room. He asks me where I am and what I'm doing."

"That's suspicious."

Jasmine waved a hand. "Right?"

"Totally."

8

BRUNDAR

It had been a good day for Brundar, and he felt a rare sense of contentment.

He'd killed some vermin and made the world a tiny bit better for a little bit of time and for a small enclave of people. It was not even a blip on the tapestry of existence, but it gave him some small measure of satisfaction.

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