Page 18 of Stealing Iris

“No, you’re not.” Her tone turns sharp as she squares her shoulders.

I’m used to getting my way, so her wanting to argue the point leaves me stumbling into reality. Her look of determination warns me this might take a turn I won’t like. However, I haven’t gotten where I am by letting someone else control the situation. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that there are easier ways to get what I want, even if I have to set things up myself.

“So, if I show up for one of the coldest drinks in town,” I say, quoting the words on the fridge. “You won’t let me take you home afterward?”

She purses her lips. “Uhn-uhn. Even if you’re sitting out here, I’m not going to let you pick me up.”

With that, she seals her fate. She just doesn’t realize it.

I tighten my lips, letting her think I accept her decision. “Fine.” I lower my head in mock defeat. “You can be sureIwon’t be here tonight.”

Her shoulders lose most of their stiffness. I pull her close, and she leans in then immediately pulls back, as if she suddenly remembers where we are. Her gaze goes to Conrado’s car, parked two aisles away then to the sliding door. I glare at the ridiculous car as if I’m burning through the guy himself. Damn it all, I’m tempted to pull up. Because if I drive by, I’ll be visible from inside, and he’ll know. But that’ll make things more difficult for Iris, and she’s clearly rattled.

“I need to go.” She unbuckles the seat belt, looking anywhere but at me. “I’m—I’m really late.”

Something scrapes at my insides. There were times I’d been with a woman while she was tied to someone else. I’d had no qualms about it because the decision was hers. This time, things are different. I don’t like that she’s going back to him. And I don’t like that I’m supposed to be some dirty little secret.

I’m not stupid enough to ignore that it’s pride and jealousy that are eating me up. I feel like I’m a second stringer tohim—and I don’t consider him more than a piece of shit.

She opens the door and starts to step down. I put the gearshift in park and reach out, grasping her wrist to hold her in place. “I want to see you again.” It’s a statement, not a request.

“I don’t know, Dante,” she says, her voice full of uncertainty. She draws an unsteady breath, as if she’s trying to find something to say and failing. Her gaze runs across the parking lot. “Carol’s off tomorrow, and Thursday things start picking up for the weekend.”

Would I end up waiting a whole week? Anxiety tightens my chest. “Saturday, then.”

She takes a deep breath. “It’s our busiest night…and I…”

I want to drag her back to the seat and slam down on the gas until we’re far away. I don’t do any of those things. Instead, I come up with a way to keep her secret. “Tell Conrado I invited you to a party, at my place, Saturday night.” I fight the bile pushing its way up my throat. “And he can be your plus one.”

The fucker will likely change his tune in a heartbeat once she tells him. She’ll be fine. He’ll be ready to piss himself. I kiss her hard because I’ll need something to hold me. I have to wait for most of the week to see her then spend the whole night figuring out a way to separate her from him.

*****

DANTE

“That’s it.” Kassy, my IT guru, closes the file she shared on the seventy-inch screen. It’s how she joins us for these pre-event meetings, from her home in the upper northeast part of the country. Montoya calls in from the lodge. And this time Tino and I sit in the office at my place in the city.

“That’s all?” Tino asks from the oversized couch. “Seemed kinda quick,” he adds, pulling up the files on his iPad.

“Yeah. Only twenty-three this time,” she explains, looking back at us from a secondary screen. She drags a beanie with cat ears over her long, purple-tipped hair. Why someone who’s always cold would choose to move up to snow country is beyond me. “D’Santo hasn’t made the transfer, and the Russian came up on FBI chatter so I nixed him.”

“Is D’Santo backing out?” Montoya asks through the phone line. He prefers not to use the video function on the computer.

“It can’t be a money issue,” I supply, since I did the first leg of the extensive background check. “He has several offshore accounts. In fact, one of my first recommendations includes changing his banking habits. If I can find all his information, anyone can.” Many times, when it comes to money, the threats come from those closest to a client.

“The guests will start arriving at the estate starting at three.”

The estate. I still can’t wrap my head around the term. The ranch had been home during the summer, and breaks, when I was a kid. Just a big room with a kitchen and an outhouse, up until I was about thirteen. Now, thanks to an unforeseen accident that landed Montoya on the ranch, we have room for twenty-five, plus staff, at the main house. A separate building houses the ladies who choose to entertain or participate in the auction. We bring our guests in via two private airstrips, so they won’t know where they’re landing.

“Iris Gloria.”

Hearing her name snaps me back to attention. Her DMV photo fills the screen, younger, and with a little more weight on her. “What?” I push up in my seat, trying to grasp the strands of the conversation.

Tino adjusts on the couch, looking straight over to where I sit at my desk. Meanwhile, Kassy brings up her live feed on the big screen, scoping out the scene with more detail. “I said I ran the plates Tino sent me.” She scrutinizes me as she speaks. “Tan, late model Toyota Camry registered to Iris Gloria.”

The image of Iris strutting by in little more than a towel fills my head.I don’t have a car. She just confirmed it, not more than a couple of hours ago. Didn’t she?It’s not far… I frown at the memory. I’d cut her off earlier. She hadn’t actually said anything about the car this time.

“What’d I miss?” Kassy asks in a stage whisper. She’s looking at Tino, expecting more details. She’s not the only one wanting an explanation. Why is Conrado Villa driving around in Iris’s car while she’s walking home in the middle of the night? If she sold him the car, there would be a registration. Unless he hasn’t transferred the title yet.

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