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I’m standing in the shadows of the run-down resort, watching the dim-lit area fill with gamblers, waiting in the wings for her to appear.
Logan discovered the Divi on the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands and decided to check it out. It was a long shot, but it paid off. We’d spent a day on Tortola, doing our best covert investigation, trying to adjust to “island time” despite our sense of urgency. We waited and waited, and neither Zelda nor Seth ever appeared.
Visions of Helen Regis dead in a Miami bathtub flickered in my mind, and my fists came out. I took a few chances asking questions around Road Town.
Harbor guards insisted no one matching her description had passed through any of the docks they monitor. I was on the verge of searching boat to boat when Logan suggested we try this place.
The resort needs renovations. It’s nothing like the Royal Casino back home, but I suppose I grew up in the gold standard. It’s not an entirely fair comparison.
A few green-felt tables for poker and blackjack are surrounded by brown leather high chairs. A wall of slots glows like a carnival, filling the air with their tinny music. In the center of the room is a roulette station.
Zelda is a shark at blackjack. I remember the night I watched her turn one hundred euros into eight hundred without batting an eye, and I was such a love-struck fool, I accepted her “Daddy taught me” excuse. It won’t happen again. I’m wise to Zelda Wilder. According to Ava, she’ll head for that shiny brass wheel if Seth decides they need money.
As much as I don’t want it, my stomach tightens at the thought of her with Seth. I’m simultaneously furious and over-protective. The first night I met him at the yacht party, I could see he made Zee uncomfortable. The way she flinched when he danced with her, the annoyance touched with fear in her eyes is on my mind.
She belongs at my side. I’ll deal with her lies and her role in what happened to Rowan, but when the reckoning is over, Zelda is leaving with me.
A thump pings my wrist, and I look down at the text on my smart watch. It’s from Logan: Target spotted. Making my move.
Every nerve in my body sparks to life, and I sweep the room again searching for her pale blonde hair. A man in a dark blazer approaches the table just behind the wheel. I see Logan’s tall, beefy form casually approaching from the left. My brow furrows, and I don’t understand why I can’t find her. I watch as he walks around the group. His eyes are fixed on a woman with her back to me. She’s wearing a black dress with straps of fabric crisscrossed over her back. Her hair is a severe, dark bob like the woman in Pulp Fiction.
Then it hits me—it’s her.
I watch as Logan speaks to her, and I recognize the movement of her shoulders, the way she pulls away defensively. I hold the brass rail in front of me to keep from storming out there and grabbing her, throwing her over my shoulder and carrying her out of here like some ridiculous cave man.
Lingering in the shadows, I watch her sit on the tall barstool at the table. She crosses her legs, and I allow my eyes to glide down them to the black heels she’s wearing. Zelda Wilder isn’t tall, but she makes up for it by wearing shoes that accentuate her gorgeous legs.
I’m furious and relieved, and as much as I have to keep this part of me on a leash, I want those luscious legs wrapped around my waist. She won’t run away from me again.
Seth strolls up to her other side, and my anger is back. I’ve researched this guy since learning how much influence he has over my girl, and I’ve learned several things—for starters, he is not a Kentucky colonel.
He’s a con artist from Kansas. He’s been arrested a few times for petty crime, nothing major. Still, I can tell from his track record he’s smart. The only thing keeping him from real jail time is his brain. He’s a tricky bastard with no clear motivation, which makes him dangerous. He’s helping Zelda in order to get something in return. But what?
Commotion at the table draws me from my reflection, and I see Logan p
ulling back. He does a little nod and walks away from her. We agreed to verify and walk away, hang around outside then follow them to wherever they’re hiding.
It’s what we agreed to do, but I can’t stay away from her. As if pulled by invisible chains, I take the short flight of steps down to the main floor. I cross the room to where she sits, her back to me as she faces the wheel.
I want to touch her, inhale her sweet scent. I want to hear her voice. I want her to know I’m here and come to me. I want her to say she’s sorry for all of it.
At the very moment I reach her, she steps back and makes a comment about leaving. I look at her stack of chips on the table, and while I don’t know what they’re doing, I know it’s something illegal. No one wins that much at roulette.
“You shouldn’t break a winning streak,” I say near her dark head.
Her entire body tenses as if I’ve shocked her, and she spins around. Crystal-blue eyes lock on mine, and my chest squeezes. Everything between us floods my brain. She can see it in my eyes. I can see it in hers, until she blinks away, pulling closer to Seth as if for protection.
No, beautiful. I’m the one who protects you. I step into the gap left by Logan, closer to my girl. She’s cowering like a puppy who knows she’s done wrong. I’ll deal with her, but I won’t have her turning to a snake to escape me.
“Have we met?” I say softly, letting my warmth pass over her bare shoulder. Her little shiver makes me smile. “You seem familiar.” Very familiar.
She twists her hands, not looking at me, and that asshole Seth gives her some order about staying. I want to pop him in the mouth. Instead I watch Zelda, waiting to see what she’ll do.
I know my Zee, and she’s strong. She’s smart as a whip, and she’s loyal. What will she do now that she’s cornered? I almost laugh as the answer springs to the front of my mind—she’ll slide open a window, jump into the ocean, and swim away.
And I’ll swim right after her.
“No more bets!” The dealer passes his hand over the table.
