Shattered Rules (6 page)

Chapter Eight

Spring semester was over and the summer session hadn't started yet. The University Inn had rooms available. Brick registered and got a room for each of them.

The
y were on the third floor directly across the hall from each other. Though he didn't think anyone would know they were at the inn, he wanted her nearby, but not too close. For her protection from him, there’d be no adjoining rooms. Her proximity wasn't making it easy to keep his hands off her. He needed the cold light of the hallway between them.

He
explained he had an errand to run and asked her to stay in the room until he got back.

He drove
out of the lot and parked on the street. He’d watch to see if she could do what she told this time.

After
thirty minutes he called her room. She answered and he hung up.

H
e called his boss. “Don anything new on your end?”

“
Old man Vega, Johnny's grandfather and leader of the Vega crime family is dying. Rumor has it he's about to name a successor. A lot of guys want the job, but Johnny wants it most. Talk is he's planning something big to get his granddad's attention.”

“
What does this have to do with Kelly?”

“
Good question. I was hoping you could tell me. She’s Johnny's girlfriend. Maybe she's helping him plan his ascent to the top of the Vega crime family,” Don said.

“
Not likely.”

“
How do you know? She sure as hell wouldn’t tell you.”

“
I know everything that has happened recently.”

“She could be
holding back.”

He bristled at Don's words, yet he'd had similar thoughts. If it were anyone except Kelly
, he might believe she’d lied. But not Kelly, he knew her. And he’d seen the bruises on her arm, the terror in her eyes, and her bewildered expression as she tried to understand what was happening. She’d been completely truthful with him. He’d have trouble believing otherwise.

“
You haven't seen her in five years. People change, get desperate. They do things you'd never think they would. She’s not the sweet young thing you remember,” Don continued.

“
She isn’t involved with Vega’s business. She’s a kid who got mixed up with the wrong guy.”

“
Just keep your eyes open and stay in touch.” His boss ended the call.

The thought of Kelly
being involved with the Vega family’s business turned Brick’s stomach. He considered it for a moment. No. He didn’t believe it. Yet he’d been deceived before, fooled by his partner, a best friend, and the man he trusted with his life. Because of that the witness he’d been protecting was murdered and he’d nearly died along with her. His shattered knee was a reminder of his failure to see a friend's treason and everyday he lived with that incompetence.

The doctors had put his shattered knee back together
, but putting his life back together had been harder. While he lay in the hospital bed wondering if he would lose his leg, Carrie had returned his engagement ring. To her credit she’d cried and said he deserved someone better.

Then i
n order to keep his job, his superiors had made him go see a shrink. The doctor had told him not to let a single act of betrayal color his whole life. That advice had stuck in his throat, but he'd forced himself to swallow.

Finally, h
e was allowed to return to work.

Now he was reliving his partner's betrayal. The treacher
ous friend had been right beside him smiling at him. Why he hadn't he known? There must’ve been signs, but he hadn't seen them. If he had, Annie, the woman he was assigned to protect, would still be alive and Carrie would be his wife.

Another thing the doctor said came to mind. The past could
not be changed. Living had to be done in the present. He could create a better future by letting go of the past and living in the present, one day at a time. That was good advice. Except Kelly was part of his past. And though he didn't want to, he was being forced to live with her.

He
returned with just enough time to get back to the University Inn for a shower and a shave before dinner.

He
thought about leaving Kelly at the Inn while he went to the Big Top alone. But he didn’t like the idea of her being out of his sight. She was safer with him and with her wig she was in disguise.

***

The Big Top Casino, a beige monolith with a twenty-seven-floor tower, looked like a castle, with a blacktop parking lot as its moat.

When
Kelly walked into a gaming room it was as if she had entered a live video game, with loud music, flashing lights, bright colors and ringing bells. Throngs of people, in various styles of casual dress, moved in all directions.

Fear
rippled through her. What if someone recognized her? She tugged on her wig. It pinched her scalp. She adjusted it and hoped none of her blonde hair had poked out at the back.

Brick stood
next to her watching the scene before them. Since he’d picked her up for dinner, his behavior toward her had changed. His manner was more reserved. During the ride to the casino she’d tried to engage him in conversation, with little result. She shouldn’t take it personally. He must have a lot on his mind. There was no way to know what other pressure he might be under. Again she reminded herself whether she liked it or not, his life was none of her business.

He
led her to the first floor bar, a bustling enterprise filled with patrons. They found seats at the bar and he ordered two cokes.

“
Drink it. You need to stay awake. It could be a long night.”

She didn't usually drink soda, but since it was for medicinal purposes, she sipped the caffeine-riddled drink. Too sweet, she should
’ve told him to get a diet soda.

He gulped down his drink
. “Wait here, I'm going to talk to some of the hotel staff.”

He didn't wait for her to answer.
It was an official order. She watched him leave, his broad shoulders back, his head high and his ass tight.

T
he crowds increased. The decibel level rose in the bar. Forty minutes went by and he didn't return. A man in ill fitting jeans and a white T-shirt checked her out. He came close and was about to speak but belched instead spewing alcohol breath in her direction.

A
grin spread across his face. “Mind if I join you little lady?” He sat on the bar stool next to her.

S
he turned her back on him.

“Okay girly, I can take a hint.” He belched again. “There are lots of girls around here who want my company
,” he yelled.

People
in the bar stared at her, some sympathetic, some disgusted. A young blonde woman walked by and the man stumbled off his bar stool and followed her. A pang of sympathy for the unknown woman shook Kelly.

If
FBI Agent Ted Simmons hadn’t talked her into taking the damn flash drive in the first place she wouldn’t be sitting in a bar being harassed by a drunk.

She hissed under her breath.
How long was she supposed to sit on her butt and wait for Brick?

Agent Simmons
had mentioned that he worked undercover as a waiter in this casino. Was he here now? If she could find him she could end this mess tonight. She’d take him to the hidden flash drive. It would be hard to get there at night. Still, she’d do it.

With a gulp of her soda she made up her mind to find Agent Simmons.

“Can I get you another one?” the bartender asked.

“
No thanks. I'm leaving, but if the guy that was with me returns, please tell him I'll meet him in the car.”

S
he smiled her best sexy smile and hoped that would help the bartender remember her. He nodded and went to serve his other customers.

An open
hallway led to the gaming rooms. Herds of people mingled in the space. Jostled by the crowds, she weaved in and out of the throngs. The multitudes closed in on her.

Panic rose in her.
She had the sense she was being watched. The intruder had said he’d find her anywhere. She pulled on her wig and pushed back the blond hair that threatened to peek out. She quickly moved down out of the room and down the hall.

Customers
moved in both directions and she peered at their faces hoping to find Agent Simmons among them. In a gaming room, a man collided with her as he jockeyed for position at a corner slot machine. The noise grew louder and the flashing lights and ringing bells set her nerves on edge.

She
found a bank of elevators and pressed the up arrow. A few seconds later one arrived the door opened and the elevator emptied. She entered. Two people were still in the elevator, but she didn’t look at them.

She pushed a
button for the twenty-fifth floor. A lounge and restaurant with view of the city was on the top floor. She thought Simmons worked there. Even if he didn't, it’d be a relief to get away from the crush of people on the first floor.

What was the name
Simmons was using? He’d told her once. Craig something, Craig Fletcher, he told her to ask for that name if she needed to call him at the casino.

The
four star restaurant and lounge was buzzing as the waiters moved quickly around the window flanked room. She told the maître d’ she wanted to see Craig Fletcher.

“You just missed him
,” he said. “Gone home early. A family emergency or something. You can leave a message you if want.”

“
Uh, no thank you.” A message couldn’t help now.

What kind of an emergency had called him away from the casino? Was it really a family problem or was it the FBI family
summoning him with new orders? There was no way to know. She’d have to wait for their planned meeting. Her body tingled as she fought disappointment. She pushed the button and waited to be taken back to the first floor.

T
he elevator was empty when she entered. The doors were about to close when a masculine hand stopped them. He pulled the doors open she stared at the eyes of the intruder, the one who had kissed her, hurt her. She quickly gazed down at her feet. When she looked up again, he had turned his back on her and faced the doors.

As b
ile rose in her throat she held her hand to her mouth. Her chest heaved and she took a controlled breath. Because of her disguise, he didn't recognize her. Nonetheless, he must have felt her staring at him because he turned and said. “Yo bitch, what you lookin at?”

“N
othing.” Her voice choked. Just then the elevator stopped and the doors opened. A woman with three noisy kids charged into the elevator car. She used the opportunity to rush out the door just before it closed.

In the hallway she
gulped for air tried to stop shaking. What floor was she on?

Calm down
. This time she wasn't trapped in her home and at the mercy of the intruder. Even though the man saw her, the wig kept him from recognizing her. All she had to do now was find an exit and go back to the car.

She w
alked quickly down the corridor and looked for an exit sign. Finally, she found one and turned toward it.

The hair on the back of her neck
rose. Someone was following her. She looked back to see a man, average height, brown hair and brown eyes. He was well dressed in a flashy kind of way with a brightly multicolored silk shirt, green pants and shiny black leather shoes.

J
ust a patron of the hotel that’s what she told herself, but she didn't buy it. Her back muscles tightened and instincts told her this man was trouble. A phony smile spread across his face and his dark eyes narrowed when he said, “You're Kelly.”

He must
’ve seen the fear in her eyes because he said, “Relax honey, nobody's going to hurt you.”

“
How do you know my name?”

“
Carrie told me. Come on we'll get a drink and I'll tell you all about it.” He sent another insincere smile in her direction.

N
o one should’ve recognized her. Her sister wouldn’t have given her a second glance. Earlier when she looked in the mirror, she didn't even recognize herself.

He
walked toward her.

H
ow close she was the exit. Maybe she could sprint to it before he knew what she was doing. She turned to look. The hall ended a few yards behind her. No exit. She must have made a wrong turn.

She took two
steps back from him. He matched her step for step. Soon she’d be trapped at the end of the hall. She stopped.

He
stopped. “Come on, we'll get a drink and I'll tell you all about how I met your sister.” A smile formed on his thin lips.

Maybe he
did know Carrie, even, knew where she was. He could tell her why her sister hadn’t answered her cell phone. She wanted to believe that but couldn’t.