Page 14 of Hidden Ties

“Lucca Caruso.”

Her mouth dropped open. You couldn’t live in Kansas City and not know who the hell Lucca Caruso was. The Caruso family owned the Horseshoe’s biggest competition, right across the street, and recently, Lucca Caruso had become the CEO of the Casino Hotel.

“Lucca Caruso?” she repeated the name to make sure she had heard it correctly.

Mr. Bryant gave her an amused smile. “Yes, Mr. Caruso asked me to represent you.”

“I’m not usually in the position to look a gift horse in the mouth, but are sure you’ve been shown into the right room?”

“Are you Valerie Monroe?” he asked, opening a plain file in front of him.

Stuttering, it took her a moment to get the word out. “Y-yes …”

“Then I’m in the right room.”

Past confusion, she wiped her sweaty palms on the thighs of her pants.“I didn’t hack into the Horseshoe’s computer system, if Mr. Caruso is afraid I’m going to attack his computers.”

Was this room wired for sound? She lowered her voice to a whisper, her lips barely moving in case one of the officers was trying to lip read their meeting. “I wouldn’t, even though I could,” she added in a rush. “I would never,everbe stupid enough to try to hack into the Carusos’ computers.”

Kent’s blue eyes dropped to her lips. “Why are you talking so weird?”

“In case they’re reading my lips.” Valerie used her chin to point to the camera on the wall.

Her lawyer looked at her as if she had stepped off a UFO. “Why would they want to read your lips?”

She wiggled her eyebrows at him, hoping he would get her meaning.

He didn’t. He only looked more confused.

Valerie looked at him pityingly.Did he not know who the Carusos were? And the poor hot thing worked for ’em, too. It would be a real shame if they ever tried to whack him.

“The Carusos are dangerous.” Making her voice barely audible, she told him while wiggling her eyebrows again, “Everyone in KC knows they have ties to the mob.” Seeing him take the news differently than she’d expected, she suddenly narrowed her eyes on him. “Are you laughing at me?”

Mr. Bryant bent his head, seemingly to read the papers in front of him. “No.”

“You sound like you are,” she hissed. “Listen up. It’s nice meeting you, but I’m going to decline your offer to represent me. I’ll hire my own lawyer.”

Raising his head back up for her to view, there was nothing on his expression that showed any amusement. “Do you have enough to pay a lawyer? There’s going to be a hearing Mondaymorning to arraign you. The DA is going to ask for a two-million-dollar bail.”

Her jaw dropped yet again. She wanted to cry at the fact she would be stuck here all weekend, but it seemed to pale in comparison to the fact oftwo million dollars!

“What the frick! I can’t afford that!”

Mr. Bryant nodded. “I’m aware of the that fact.”

“How?” Suspiciously, she stared at him.

“I researched you before I took your case.”

Now,thiswas her kind of man.

“Your house was two hundred thousand when it was last listed, but you’re behind on two mortgage payments, and your credit cards are in even worse shape. Currently, you have no source of employment.You’re a flight risk with no known family in the area, or anywhere I could find. The Horseshoe is pressing charges, saying they lost over one point four million dollars before they could get their computers online. The DA wants to make an example out of you to keep others from attempting the same crime. He’s going to go for the maximum sentence he can get.”

With her throat slowly closing as each word passed his lips, she felt as if she couldn’t breathe.“I’m going to rot in prison …”

“Val—” He suddenly cleared his throat. “Ms. Monroe, are you all right?”

“Do I look all right?” Wildly, she looked around the room, feeling as if the walls were closing in around her. “I need to get out. I can’t stay in here any longer! I need my Twizzlers!”

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