Thrill Ride (Black Knights Inc. #4)(89)

“Ozzie,” Boss interrupted, “get back to the point.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” he nodded. “So, according to these gossip boards, Dr. Ward likes to snag a secret smoke after each fundraiser. Out in an alley, in a tucked-away bathroom somewhere. You know, out of sight of the high-falootin’ sorts.”

“Doesn’t appear her smokes are very secret considering it’s all over the Internet,” Ghost muttered.

“Hard to keep much a secret nowadays.” Ozzie grinned before adding, “We can grab her then, and I’ll knock out the city surveillance cameras on that block, you know,” he shrugged, “just in case our activities become nefarious.” Oh, geez Louise. They’re activities might become nefarious. “And we can park the Hummer out back in case we need a getaway car.”

Getaway car…Eve’s blood pressure rose with each sentence out of Ozzie’s mouth.

“And what if she doesn’t go for a smoke?” Becky asked.

“Considering the best-laid battle plans never survive contact with the enemy,” Ozzie answered, “we’ll just do what we do best.”

“Which is?” Dunn asked.

“Improvise,” Ozzie and Steady replied simultaneously.

“Okay,” Boss slapped a hand on his knee. “So, we confront her in the bathroom or alley if we can, or pick a place on the fly if we can’t. And we hope like hell Rock can use his woo-woo head-shrinking skills to get her to crack.” He turned to the man in question.

“I’ll crack her,” Rock assured them, his face set in hard lines.

“Donna Ward won’t stand a chance,” Vanessa smiled at Rock so softly, so sweetly.

Eve watched Rock’s face soften and, if she wasn’t mistaken, that was the man’s heart she saw reflected in his pretty, hazel eyes. Then, suddenly, as if he realized he was letting everybody in the courtyard see too much, he shook his head and glanced away.

“Thanks, chere,” he muttered before standing and marching toward the shop. He stopped just before he reached the back door, spinning back toward the group. “Are you all sure you want to do this?” There was no mistaking the hesitation and…yes, that was anguish plastered all over his face. “You could get in serious trouble if this thing goes sideways.” Which was what Eve had been thinking all along. “And you’ve all…” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “You’ve all risked so much already.”

“Shut the hell up, pendejo,” Steady growled. “Even if you had died on that porch in Costa Rica, we’d still be bustin’ our ass to clear your name. All for one and one for all, hoo-ah?”

“Hoo-ah!” the Knights shouted in unison, and Eve nearly jumped out of her skin.

Holy moley, and here she was again, having to slap herself on the forehead.

So much for thinking you were closer to growing that set of balls…

A few more logistics were discussed and then the Knights broke apart. Eve went to push up from her chair when Billy stopped her with a warm, rough palm on her shoulder. She glanced up to find him standing beside her. And with his dark-chocolate hair falling across his forehead, his warm, brown eyes watching her so intently, he looked very much like the boy who’d laughed and kissed and taught her so much all those years ago.

Then he spoke, and his harsh tone obliterated that little fantasy right then and there. “You sure you’re cut out for this tonight?”

She felt the pilot light on her temper ignite. “I’m made of much tougher stuff than you think,” she declared, scrambling to her feet so they were on a more level playing field. She’d always lamented her height, her giraffe neck and gazelle legs, but she’d learned to use it to her advantage. Most men were intimidated by an Amazon woman.

Unfortunately, Billy had never been most men. He grabbed her arm, giving it a squeeze. “This is important, Eve. Men’s lives are at stake.”

“Stop manhandling me, you big brute!” She jerked her arm away, glaring. “And don’t you worry about me. After all, this is my pond we’re going to be swimming in. So you’d do better to worry about yourself.” And, with that, she spun on her heel, stomping toward the shop, feeling his piercing gaze on the center of her back the entire way, trying not to let the fact that he had absolutely zero faith in her cut her to the marrow.

***

“Have you seen Rock?” Vanessa yelled over the din of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive.” She was very sure they had Ozzie to thank for that particular musical number—the guy sometimes had a sadistic sense of humor.

All around her, the shop was buzzing with activity. Everyone, even Jonathan Dunn, was in various stages of readiness for the fundraiser. Tuxedo jackets hung on the backs of chairs, a pair of high-heeled silver pumps lay on the conference table, and Becky, in fire-engine red chiffon, sat at the bank of computers with Ozzie, watching the guy compile what information they’d been able to find on Dr. Donna Ward into a nice tidy dossier. Eve stood behind her in a stunning blue evening gown, bobby-pinning her hair into a sleek bun.

“I, uh,” Becky had to shout over the music, “I think he’s up in his bedroom, clearing his head!”

And that made sense.

Unquestionably, this was going to be the most important interrogation of his life. He needed to outwit and outmaneuver the mind that’d dreamed up The Project, and he needed to do it double quick. Because it wasn’t like they’d have a ton of time with Donna Ward before someone came looking for her.