Page 44 of Texas Hold Em'
Bates cracked his knuckles. “Whatever you do, make sure Jackson is in the lead when they roll in.”
Caroline chuckled.
“Consider it done,” I said. “And once the job is done and they’re all dead? How do I get out of there?”
“I’ll be waiting close by in my Rover,” Caroline said. “So long as you keep up your end of the bargain, I’ll pick you up and get you out of there when the slaughter is done. I can take you back here or straight to the airport. I suggest you get the hell out of this city as soon as possible.”
“Airport,” I said.
She nodded.
These fools actuallybelievedme.
A small voice in the back of my head muttered over and over that they were playing me, but my heart knew that wasn’t true. They were in on this. They really thought I was going to betray Jackson and his men. I could tell by how hungry for the kill they both were. They were showing me their whole hand.
This might actually work.
“Walk with me.” Bates turned and made for the house.
I fell into step behind him and Caroline walked languidly behind me, her heels clicking on the cobblestones and the marble floors of the hallway when we moved inside. We passed several rooms before Bates ducked into a study, where he opened a desk drawer and pulled out an old flip phone.
He tossed it to me. “Keep this on. It’s how we’ll communicate.”
I put the phone in my purse. “Is that all?”
Bates walked to the corner of the study, where a liquor cart glittered with crystal carafes full of assortments of liquors. He poured himself something with a dark amber color and swirled it around in his glass. The liquid kissed the edges as it continued to swirl even as he lifted it to his lips. He took a slow sip and let it linger on his tongue while he watched me.
I tried not to let his one-eyed gaze ruffle my feathers.
“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you, Hart?” Bates purred.
My stomach hardened into a heavy rock in my belly.
Shit.
I forced myself to smile as naturally as possible. “What about any of this makes you think I expected it to be easy?”
Bates leaned against the window frame beside the liquor cart. The moon had inched out of sight, and the lightening sky concealed most of the stars, save for a handful that winked over his left shoulder against a backdrop of the orange and blue pre-dawn sky. “I’m going to need more than just words from you to believe you’re on our side, Hart. A man of my position can’t afford to take risks, even if he is intrigued by the little package from which the risks come.” His blue eye slid up and down the length of my body and he let out a primal grunt before licking his lips. “A tight little package indeed.”
Caroline huffed and rolled her eyes. “Let’s not get distracted.”
Her father shot her a menacing glare. “Who said anyone was distracted?”
She didn’t say another word.
The question I needed to ask lingered at the tip of my tongue. “What do you need me to do?”
Bates pushed off the window frame. “Clever girl. All I need is some assurance that you’re as good as your word. Surely you can understand why I need to exercise caution, Hart. I want a gesture of good faith from you.”
A gesture of good faith.
I wished I had something to do with my hands. My palms had begun to sweat and I felt fidgety. I wanted to play with my purse straps or pick at the split ends in my hair.
I settled for gnawing so hard on the inside of my cheek that I tasted blood. “Just spit it out. What do you need me to do?”
Bates continued toward me, his shoulders swaying with every step, and stopped when we were only a foot apart. He was a tall man, so he had to lean down so that we were eye level. His lips peeled off hiscrooked teeth in a sadistic smile that made my skin crawl and the hair on the nape of my neck stand on end.
What have I gotten myself into?
