Page 17 of Jack of Hearts
“I don’t—”
“Before you say no, think about it, okay? Why don’t you come by tomorrow and look around?” It would be perfect for her mother. Not only get her out of the house and interested in something, but it would mean less time to spend with Jose. “Please?”
“I would like to see your bookstore.” Angelina gave her the kind of disapproving look only a mother could. “You wouldn’t let me come before.”
True. Madison had wanted her mother’s first view of High Tea and Black Cat Books to be after they had the place finished. “I’ll be there all day, so stop by whenever you want.” The rain had slackened while they’d talked, and after helping her mother carry her birthday presents into the house, Madison headed home.
Lauren wasn’t back from her date, and Madison took a quick shower, and then crawled into bed, moving over to make room for Hemingway. She tried not to think about Alex, tried not to wonder where he’d gone, and especially tried not to think of him being with Trina. It was a wasted effort.
CHAPTER SIX
“Wait here. We’ll be back in a few,” Ramon said as he and Trina exited the SUV.
“Sure thing.” Alex had hoped they’d let him come with them, but no dice. Ramon opened the hatch, and when he was visible again, he carried a large duffel bag. The two disappeared into a condo.
They obviously still didn’t trust him, but that was expected. If nothing else, he had a new address to check out, one he would put in as a request for surveillance. Then there was Trina. She’d not given a last name, but at the party he had taken a picture of her giving Jose a birthday kiss. It hadn’t been an innocent kiss either.
During the twenty-minute drive, she had frequently leaned around the front seat headrest to talk to Alex. She had asked many personal questions, quizzing him on Aces & Eights’ finances. That was to be expected since Ramon’s operation would want to know how much money the bar could launder, and he’d been prepared with answers. He just hadn’t expected her to be the one asking. Nor did he like the way she eyed him. She was going to be trouble, the kind he and his brothers hadn’t planned for.
He was tempted to get out of the Hummer and see if there were any open windows in the condo, but the chance there were security cameras mounted somewhere stopped him. Instead, he sent Nate the condo’s address, along with Trina’s picture and the license plates photos, while waiting for Ramon and Trina to return. After he hit Send, he deleted everything from his phone on the outside chance Ramon somehow got his hands on it. While he was at it, he got rid of the text messages between him and Madison.
Thirty minutes passed, and Alex was getting annoyed. He got out to stretch his legs. The condo complex was upscale, and he guessed the units sold for a million or two. Considering the size of the bag Ramon had carried in, Alex figured Ramon and Trina were making a big delivery.
Ramon’s specialty was heroin, and Alex wished he could make a phone call and rain down every law enforcement division available before that shit hit the streets. But they were under orders to learn the names of the dealers Ramon was selling drugs to and where he was getting his supply, which was going to take some time. Alex’s greatest hope was that Madison knew nothing of her cousin’s activities. If he had to put handcuffs on her, it would kill him.
Ramon and Trina finally appeared, and Alex leaned his arms on the SUV’s roof, watching them. They were in a heated conversation, but, unfortunately, he couldn’t hear what they were saying. Trina was the first to notice him standing outside the car. She punched Ramon, and they stopped arguing.
“I told you to stay in the car, dude,” Ramon said when he neared.
“No, you said, ‘Wait here,’ and I did. Just stretching my legs.” Alex opened the rear door and returned to the backseat, but before he could close it, Trina slid in next to him. And wasn’t that just peachy? He scooted to the other side, and she came right along with him. Another inch and she’d be on his lap.
“Were you a good boy while we were gone, Alex?”
“I was a bored boy.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew what was coming and wished them back.
“Poor baby.” She trailed her fingers over his thigh, edging them toward his groin. “Sounds like you need some entertainment.”
She had that purring, sultry voice down pat, he had to give her that. “I appreciate the offer, darling, but I have an iron-clad rule. I don’t mix business and pleasure.” He put his mouth close to her ear. “No matter how tempting.”
“I’m pretty sure I can change your mind.”
Alex grabbed her wayward hand, putting it on her lap. “If anyone could come close, it would be you, Trina. But I learned the hard way that mixing business and pleasure gets messy.” He hoped she bought his off-the-cuff excuse.
“Trina, leave him alone.” Ramon tossed the duffel back over the seat. “Here’s your chance to prove you’re not talking smack.”
Alex caught the heavy bag. “How much is in here?”
“Sixty thou,” Trina said.
“I believe you, but don’t be offended, because I’m going to count it. Had a dude try to pull one over on us once. Best if we all agree, don’t you think?” He unzipped the bag and started counting the packs of hundred-dollar bills. He counted one pack to see how many bills were banded together, then fanned through the rest to make sure the money was real.
Not only did he need to verify the amount of money in the bag but they would be suspicious if he didn’t.
He zipped the bag closed, setting it at his feet. “As soon as we run this through our businesses and set up the offshore accounts, I’ll give you the numbers.” They were finally getting a foot in, and if the first deposit meant to test him was sixty thousand, the operation was quite possibly bigger than they thought.
“Don’t try to cross us, Alex. It would be very bad for your health and that of your brothers,” Trina said, her eyes cold as she stared hard at him.
“Not to worry, darling. I like my health and that of my brothers just the way it is.” Offshore accounts actually would be set up, and the money made accessible to Ramon and his father. What the two wouldn’t know was that the FBI would also have access. Some operations lasted as long as a year, sometimes longer, and Alex hoped this wasn’t one of them. He wanted Madison separated from Ramon and his father, and the sooner the better.
