No Limit (Armed & Dangerous #1)(10)

“I killed both of them. It took three miserable weeks of being undercover and when one of them attacked me, I put a bullet in his head.”

“Were you there alone or did you have a partner?”

My jaw clenched. “I had one. He betrayed me for fifty thousand dollars and told them who I was. Too bad he never got the money. Once they had me in their grasp, they killed him, but not before he was able to wound the other guy. If he hadn’t done that, I don’t know if I’d be here right now.” I lowered my head.

“I think your trust issues are warranted.”

I wiped my eyes. “Being untraceable helps me feel safe. That’s why I changed to my mother’s maiden name, McFadden.”

“Are you Irish?”

I nodded. “My mother’s side. She was going to take me to Ireland, but never got the chance. I have my uncle though. He’s all the family I ever needed.” Sliding out of the chair, he let me go so I could walk into the living room. “Are we done with the questions?”

“Not unless you want to ask me some,” he countered.

I glanced back at him. “I already know everything about you, remember?”

He chuckled. “Maybe, but I’m sure there’s a lot you don’t.”

His statement was true, but we didn’t have the time. “You’re right, but it’s getting late. I just hope I’ve earned a little bit of your trust.”

He put his hand on my shoulder and turned me around. “You have, but I have yet to earn yours.”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I learned to take care of myself a long time ago.” Stalking past him, I picked up my clutch and stood by the door. “Ready?”

He joined me and slid on his black blazer. “One way or another, I will earn your trust. Even if you don’t believe me, I do take this job seriously. I won’t fail you like your last partner.”

We’ll see about that.





It was Saturday night and the Bellagio was packed. The strip really came alive at night. Vegas was indeed the city that never slept. Putting his hand on my waist and sliding it down, Jason leaned toward my ear. “Do you want to play tonight?” he asked, squeezing one of my butt cheeks in his palm.

I shook my head and smiled, speaking through clenched teeth. “After I break your hand, I might.”

Laughing, he moved his hand away. “Just keeping you on your toes, firecracker.”

“More like setting yourself up for harassment charges. I think I’m just going to follow you around. If we do find who we’re looking for, I need to look like arm candy—not a woman who could obviously dominate you.”

He held out his arm. “Let’s go then, before you turn me on any further.”

Rolling my eyes, I took his arm and we set off to get chips. When he asked for ten thousand dollars worth, I almost fell to the floor. “Holy crap,” I whispered, holding his arm tight. “Are you going to spend all of that?”

Chuckling, he patted my hand. “You’ve got to spend big to win big. But don’t worry, I expect to double up. All we have to do now is get in the door.”

I looked around the casino and so far no one of importance had popped up. “Where are we going first?”

“Poker tables, baby. That’s where the money is.”

We set off toward the tables and he sat down while I stood back, watching. My father had taught me how to play poker, especially Texas Hold’em. It was my favorite game as a kid. A part of me wanted to join in on the fun, but I had a part to play. Jason glanced back at me and I pointed to the tables off to the side; he nodded and winked.

As soon as I sat down, one of the waitresses came over. She had short black hair and a face for magazines. “Would you like something to drink?”

“A raspberry martini would be great, please.”

“Of course. Anything else?”

“No, that will be all. But say, it seems kind of dead in here. Is it always this slow?”

She shook her head. “The high rollers usually show up around ten o’clock. I have to be on my game when they do. They tip the best.”

“I can imagine.” As soon as she sauntered off, I checked the time on my phone. It was nine-thirty. I needed to be on the lookout if what she said was true. The waitress came back with my martini so I sipped on it lightly while I watched Jason’s game from afar.

It wasn’t long before a man walked in, surrounded by two men and a woman on his arm. I could feel the power rolling off him in waves. He wasn’t one of the suspects on our list, but I had no doubt he could lead us to them. He was middle-aged and so was the woman. From the wedding band on her finger, I assumed she wasn’t a prostitute.

The next time Jason looked back at me, I nodded toward the group. Keeping my eyes on the target, I watched them as they walked through the casino, speaking to people in passing.

“What’s going on?” Jason asked, brushing up against me.

I jumped, not expecting him to be done so fast. “What the . . . why did you leave the table?”

He shrugged. “This is more important. I only lost two hundred anyway.”

“Thank goodness it wasn’t the ten grand. You might need it.”

Jason followed my gaze. “I wonder who that is.”

“I don’t know, but we need to find out. I say we test the waters a bit.”