Hooked on the Game (The Sterling Shore Series #1) (11 page)

Chapter 10

Daddy's Girl

My mind falls to Kade as the guards rifle through my belongings, checking to make sure I don't have anything dangerous.  I'm sure they're checking for drugs and stuff as well.

The last day we woke up at my mom's, Kade was already awake.  I was too out of it to know if he groped me in his sleep again.

It was odd but so much fun to have him with my family.  He fit in so well, even through he stood out so profoundly.  My mother did everything she could to build me up in front of him.  I'm sure it drove him absolutely crazy, but he never said anything.

I once thought him not to have any manners at all, but I've learned he's secretly a saint with a devilish exterior.  He listened to her, let her rave about me, and then he'd glance my way and give me a wink.  I think he enjoyed the fact she was humiliating me.

On our drive home, we stopped at random places and he bought me a few souvenirs to remember our road trip together.  I wouldn't have forgotten it even without the mementos.  Kade has become more to me than I ever thought possible.  Now I just have to figure out a way to tell him without ruining our friendship.  I couldn't bear to push him out of my life by trying to press for more.

Once I've met inspection, the prison guard lets me slip through to the visitor section.  Since I was twelve and had to watch my father being hauled away by men in black suits, I've had to come here.

As always, his award-winning smile is bright enough to outshine the orange jumpsuit.  I'm sure he could still charm the hell out of someone in that orange disaster.  Most of the women in town openly swooned over him for years before he was locked up by the FBI.  Now they swoon in private, as though he's a guilty pleasure.

A white-collar criminal who conned millions of dollars out of people was caught because he fell in love and stayed in one place for too long.  It's hard to be a con with a steady home life.  Eventually, you leave a trail.

"Hello, pretty girl," he coos as he sits down in front of me.

Physical contact is prohibited, especially with him.  They're afraid his daughter is just as clever and crafty as he is, and they expect me to pass him something he could easily find a way to hide from them.  All of his visits are heavily monitored to ensure no one is that clever.

"Hey, Daddy," I murmur with a smile.  "How much longer?"

He manages to look in-control and debonair, despite his prison attire.  It's no wonder he was able to con so many.

"I'll be getting out of here soon.  Have you been getting my checks?" he asks as he sits down in front of me.

I always hate this conversation.

"I have, but... I didn't cash them."

He groans while gripping his head.  "You tore them up... again, didn't you?"

Since I turned eighteen, I've been getting checks for two-thousand dollars from him.  I always tear them to pieces.  I don't know why he keeps sending them.

My silence answers the question for me.

"Raya, I've told you over and over; that money isn't bad.  I've earned that.  I've been consulting with banks and other businesses since I was recruited as a CI for the FBI.  I've even created new security protocols for them. It's a lucrative business.  They took every cent I conned from people when I was convicted.  It's clean, Raya.  Believe me.  I'm getting out after barely serving six years because I've been so damn good.  I just cracked a case that has been baffling the New York White-Collar division for years.  It's clean money."

He's only getting out of here because they couldn't convict him on more than one solid charge.  One mistake took my father from me.  Though he still lost all the money he had - supposedly - they couldn't link it to anywhere.  My mother wouldn't have touched it even if they'd let her keep it.

Ray Drivel is a con.  He can make you believe the sky is actually the ground with just a couple of words.  He's that good.  He knows ten languages, can fake any accent with ease, and can bend your mind to his will if you're not careful.  There's no way he's convincing me that money is clean.

"Let's move on.  I brought the cards.  What are we playing today?" I ask while pulling the deck from my purse.

As I start to shuffle, he answers, "Twenty-one."

I smirk and nod as I start dealing.

"When I get out of here, I plan to move close to your college.  I was hoping you'd consider living with me."

He never stumbled while saying that, but he's good that way.  I wouldn't think he's a bit nervous, except I see that fear of rejection in his eyes.  I'm his weak spot.  I'm the reason he was caught to begin with.  Mom always says he only shows vulnerability with me.

"I'll consider it, but... I kind of really like where I'm at right now.  I'd like to see... how it goes, I guess."

He grins when he sees my blushing cheeks, but then his smile falls flat as a look of horror crosses his face.

"You're living with a guy?  No.  How long have I been in here?"

I let a laugh out while dealing the cards.  He picks his up, still frowning, letting his eyes prompt me to answer.

"Yes, I'm living with a guy, but it's platonic.  I'm eighteen.  A lot happens in six years."

His frown grows and he slumps in his seat, seeming too defeated.  "Hit me," he mumbles.  I wait to see if he needs another card, but he waves me off, his posture still sagging.

Then I take a card for myself, keeping a stoic face.  He sighs before turning his cards up.  Twenty.  Of course he has twenty.  But, there's one thing I learned from Ray - how to win.

"Twenty-one," I murmur with a grin.

"You cheated," he accuses, as always.

"You never taught me any other way to play," I say while shrugging, prompting him to laugh.

I keep control of the deck as we continue to play several hands, all of which I win without him catching my slide-of-hand - even though he knows I'm doing it.  If he didn't want to lose, then he shouldn't have left me ingrained with the skills.

We talk as we play, and I fill him in on the highlights of my life between school and my bizarre living arrangement.

"I'm not going back to the life, Raya," he says suddenly, killing our casual conversation.

I look up at him, praying I can believe what he says.  "I hope you're right."

He sighs out hard as he searches for the right words.  "I'll be working with Brody, just as I do now, and I'll still be conning, but it'll be legal.  Believe it or not, the FBI has more cons working for them than they do agents."  He chuckles, which makes me smile as well.  "It's actually more of a rush to con cons.  It takes more strategy, which makes it more fun.  I have numerous jobs lined up, as I've already told you.  Everyone wants Ray Drivel to make their shit untouchable."

Amused, I mutter, "And who says crime doesn't pay?"

He laughs, but it's a sad laugh; a laugh I understand.  He only lost six years of his life to pay for the millions he stole, but those six years had a lot of life to lose.  My first date, my first dance, my prom, my graduation, going off to college... he lost his chance to be a father for some of the most important years of my life.  And... he lost Mom.

"I love you, Raya.  You know that, right?"

It's rare he says those words, even though I know he wants to say them all the time.  I smile as I look up from behind the ace and king.  "I love you, Daddy.  But you suck at this game."

I put my cards down, and he chuckles a more heartfelt laugh that warms my soul.

Too soon my time with him ends, just as it always does.  "How did you get here?" he asks, possibly prying to see if I let Kade drive me.

"I borrowed some money from Mom when I went to see her."

He frowns again.  "You'll take her money but not mine?  You're just like her.  She always tore up my checks, too.  I assumed it was because she hated me."

I shake my head as I stand.  "She doesn't hate you.  Never did.  She just hated what you did to earn that money."

He forces a tight smile just as they announce visiting hours are over.  I'll be glad when I can hug my father again.  As we say our awkward farewells, I turn to walk out.  In just a few more months, I'll have my father back.

Chapter 11

Baby Steps

The house is quiet when I get back.  Kade is most likely out with some friends.  We leave for
Aspen early tomorrow morning.  It's already seven in the evening.  He begged me to tell him my plans, but I just told him I had errands to run.  I hated to lie to him, but it wasn't exactly like I could tell him the truth.

I'll have to find a way to ease him into understanding where I come from, and then pray he accepts it better than the others who have found out.

A knock at the door draws my attention just as I finish settling into a pair of sexy pajamas I hope pique Kade's interest.  Ember called earlier to see if she could borrow a dress from my closet, so I guess she's here to collect.

When I swing open the door, my greeting smile turns to fear.  I'd know a Fed anywhere, and this guy has it tattooed on his forehead.  Clean-shaved, sexy but militant hair, a charming but authoritative grin, and a rigid, dominant posture that seals the deal.

"What did he do?" I groan, cursing my father silently.

He laughs momentarily, but it turns into a sharp breath when his eyes scale up and down the length of my body, settling on my exposed inch of stomach for a minute, and then they ride back up to my cleavage.

"Damn.  Not what I was expecting," he murmurs to himself, seeming a little breathless.

Ha.  Me leaving someone that looks like him breathless.  That's laughable.

"What did he do?" I ask again, crossing my arms over my chest since he can't seem to stop staring.

He snaps his eyes up to meet mine as a grin grows on his face.

"How did you know who I am?"

"You wreak of FBI.  Call it a gift."

He tilts his head as a challenge streams across his deep brown eyes.  "Should we be watching you, Ms. Capperton?  You're a little too good at spotting agents, considering I'm in street clothes"

His street clothes are very... aesthetically pleasing to say the least; a tight black shirt tucked into a pair of jeans.  His black belt is simple but sleek.

"You can watch me if you want to be bored to death."

"Something tells me I'd never be bored," he says under his breath, making my cheeks flush.  "Ray sent me.  I have a gift for you.  Can I come in?"

I step aside to show him in, and then I push the door shut behind him as he wanders into the elegant living room.  He looks around, seeming to gauge my very lavish surroundings.  Crap.  It probably looks like I'm running a con.  How else would a girl from the trailer park end up in such a snazzy home.

"They bulldozed my house," I blurt out, needing to explain myself.  That sounded so random.

"Ray told me," he says, grinning as he continues to look around.  He lets out a low whistle when he sees the numerous works of priceless art hanging proudly in various places.  "Don't invite Ray over."

I chuckle, but then I tilt my head.  "Are you Agent Sparks?  His handler?"

He finally meets my eyes again as his beautiful smile stays fresh.  He's almost as tall as Kade, just not quite.  If this is Brody, he's not at all what I was expecting.  He can't be older than twenty-three, twenty-four.

"Just call me Brody."

Well I'll be damned.

"Mmkay, so, what's going on?"

He tugs a folded envelope from his back pocket and hands it to me.  Warily, I accept it and open it up.  A loud gasp falls through my lips when I see at least three thousand dollars tucked inside.

"You're supposed to be FBI," I whisper, feeling as though now I'm actually being watched and listened in on.

"I am," he whispers back teasingly.  Bastard.  He laughs and then continues, "Ray said you didn't believe the money was clean.  In fact, he said you wouldn't believe it unless he sent someone you knew for a fact couldn't hand it over to you without definitively disputing how very untainted it is.  So here I am; delivering this money I can assure you has not been acquired by any illegal means."

I smile down at the envelope that holds more meaning than the dollar amount.  My father cares.  Really cares.  He's been trying, and I've been refusing.

"Thank you," I murmur softly.

"Anytime.  I have to say... Ray never mentioned how... grown up you are.  I was almost expecting a child to answer the door."

I chuckle and then shake my head.  "I was just a kid when he was locked up.  He's still catching up.  I go to see him at least once a month, but it isn't enough to let his mind wrap around the fact I'm an adult."

"He'll have time to adjust soon.  Are you going to move in with him?"

"I don't know yet.  I'm actually-"

The door opens before I can finish that sentence, and I hear Kade's voice filling the foyer on his way toward us.

"Raya?  You home?  I went and got everything we need for tomorrow..."  His voice trails off as he rounds the corner to join us in the living room.

He eyes Brody for a minute, probably wondering what some strange guy is doing in his house.  When he looks back to me, his jaw is tense.

"Raya?  Care to introduce me to your...
friend?
" he asks, sounding a little irritated.

Crap.  How do I explain Brody?

"This is Brody Sparks.  A friend of my father's.  He came by to drop off a gift from my dad.  I told him I was going with you to Aspen, so I guess he wanted to make sure I had some cash to spend."

Kade's eyes soften, and I realize this is quite possibly the first time I've ever mentioned my dad in front of him.  Brody doesn't correct me and tell Kade about Ray being a convict or a con artist.  I'll thank him one day for that.

"Raya, I was planning on covering all the costs.  You don't have to spend your money," Kade says, sounding like he wants to soothe me.

I'm the mooching friend.  Fucking eh. Not this week.  This week is going to be different.  It can be.

Brody's grin continues to grow as he watches us.  I roll my eyes as I go to stand beside Kade.

"I'll go show Brody out, and then we'll watch a movie if you want.  Unless you're going out," I murmur, trying to sound brave.  I want to spend time alone, possibly seduce him.  I don't know.  It almost sounds ridiculous.

"Ah, being tossed out.  Well, it was nice to meet both of you.  Raya," he says walking up beside me as I lead him away, "I'm sure I'll see you around.  Have fun.  I mean that.  You deserve to kick back a little."

I smile tightly, and then hold the door open for him to leave.  He does so without any further awkward moments.  When I turn around, Kade is leaning against the doorframe of the foyer.

"Your father?  So he's alive?" he asks, acting as though he's been waiting patiently for Brody to leave so he could question me.

I rack my brain, trying to think of anything I might have said to make him think he was dead.  Nothing.

"You thought otherwise?" I ask while moving back toward him.

His arm slides over my shoulders like it so often does as he takes me back into the living room.  "I assumed he was because you never talk about him.  He's alive but you're not close?"

I sit down on the couch beside him as I try to think of vague but informative answers.

"We're close."  That's just vague.  It won't sate his curiosity.

"That's all I get?" he chuckles out.

I don't want to lie to him, but I'm not ready to pour out the truth, either.  "My father and I are really close, but things are... complicated.  I'll tell you one day.  If you decide to hang around me after the end of school."

"I think you're stuck with me at this point," he says with a grin, but the butterflies shuffle through my stomach without any concern for how they distort my face.  "You okay?" he asks.

I wish I knew what he meant by that.  How am I stuck with him?  Romantically?  Are we friends?  Are we only ever going to be friends?  So frustrating.

"I'm fine.  So we're flying out tomorrow, right?  On your dad's jet?"

"Early tomorrow, as in four in the morning.  My dad loves to be the first on the slopes."

Rich people and skiing.  I've never understood it.

"I've never skied before.  Is it hard?"

His grin spreads over his face when he finds amusement in that.

"You've never skied?  At all?"

I snort out a laugh.  "Don't sound so surprised.  You saw my home.  I lived there from twelve until I moved out here.  People from Springton trailer parks don't spend much time in Aspen."

His smile quickly dissolves, and I look away when I see pity.  I can't handle that.  It's too embarrassing.  I shouldn't have said anything.  I was trying to be funny.  Now this just got too heavy.

"So you didn't always live there?"

Good.  He's not going to comfort me with all the poor-pitiful-you speeches.

I look back up to meet his eyes as memories flash through my head of a warm tan house with a big backyard.  It was small in comparison to what Kade is used to, but it was home.  It was full of love and life.  My father had millions, but he didn't flash it around for all to see because he needed to stay under the radar.  So, he found a small but comfortable home to be with his family.

Nice, but reasonably priced vehicles stayed in our driveway.  My room was big and perfect.  He'd made sure of that.  It's those memories that kept me close to him all these years, despite his betrayal.

In my opinion, no saint goes without sinning, and no sinner goes without having some saintly qualities.  You can judge one for their mistakes, or you can love them for the flaws they try to correct.  I choose to love my father.  That might make me stupid, but I'd prefer to be called stupid instead of cold.  You only live once.

"I had a house once, with my father.  It was nice.  We were happy.  But we lost it later on."

"Did he leave you and your mom?"

I wish I could just tell him.

"Yes and no.  He left because he had to; not because he wanted to.  It's a long story I don't want to delve into tonight."

He nods, but I can see the determination in his eyes to pry further.

"Did... did he do something to hurt one of you?  I'm trying to understand, Raya, but I'm starting to feel like I should hate him.  I don't see how someone just runs off; no matter what the reason."

My heart swells with so many emotions.  It's adorable to see him so concerned and protective.

"My dad isn't a bad man.  He's good man that made some bad mistakes.  Believe me, I know the difference.  I promise I'll explain one day.  Right now, you need to help me learn to ski.  I don't want to look like an idiot."

His smile returns and his laughter breaks free.

"You're going to look as goofy as a baby deer learning to walk.  Get over it, Raya.  You can't always be perfect," he teases.

"Perfect," I scoff playfully, shaking my head.  I've never been perfect.  Jaded?  That's me.