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After a short pause, she surprised him by changing topics. “Why are we going to Vegas?” He’d expected a barrage of follow-up questions regarding the mechanics of diamond smuggling, which made him a bit suspicious that she already knew something about Africa. Interesting.
But he couldn’t blame her curiosity. The trip to Vegas was a fun little twist. “I have a contact on Knoll’s staff,” he said. “He called yesterday to let me know that Knoll was taking an unexpected trip to Vegas. He had to cancel everything else on his schedule for two days to go.”
“Which tells us?”
He liked her use of the word “us.” “It tells us that Sedarno has summoned him, likely to discuss repayment.”
“You have a contact on Sedarno’s staff too?”
“No. I don’t mess with the families,” he said seriously. “That’s a good way to get killed. I formed this hunch simply by using Google.”
It was a well-known fact that Sedarno’s current mistress was a professional tango dancer. This week, the Skylar, Vegas’s new luxury hotel, was hosting the largest tango festival in America. “Sedarno’s mistress will be performing and teaching workshops. It’s a solid bet that Sedarno will be there to watch her. He’s mixing business with pleasure. Knoll borrowed the money almost exactly two years ago. Sedarno probably wants to yank his chain a little.”
Jess looked out the window, nodding, seeming to absorb the information. Today she wore dark jeans and a fitted white blouse. Her hair was pulled back in a low, neat ponytail. Small silver hoops hung from her ears. This was probably the version of herself she most often presented to the world, he realized, although he hadn’t seen her this way before. He found it disorienting—and more than a little disconcerting—that he was completely turned on by each version of Jess that he’d seen.
This could get complicated.
The flight attendant offered Jess a second mimosa. After a brief hesitation, she took it. “What exactly are we doing in Vegas?”
He smiled at the flight attendant, accepted a glass of champagne, and waited for her to walk away. “We’re going to find a way to listen to the exchange between Knoll and Sedarno. Knoll might offer up details of his plans. At the very least, we’ll probably learn more about timing.”
She sat back against her seat. He could almost hear the questions piling up in her brain. But he’d shared enough for the moment. Now, it was her turn. “Quid pro quo, partner.”
* * *
Jess swallowed, wishing her insides felt as calm as her outside looked. It was one thing to be high on endorphins and agree to a theoretical partnership with a criminal man of mystery. It was quite another to be on a plane with said man, heading to Sin City to try and eavesdrop on a mob boss.
What in God’s name was she doing? She was supposed to be digging herself out of trouble, not getting in deeper. But she had to admit—there was as much excitement as nervousness swimming in her veins.
Adam took a swallow of champagne and cocked his head, waiting. She cleared her throat. Too late to turn back now. “I was able to see what Knoll’s been doing with the unlimited system access.
“He used the student system to admit and enroll four transfer students late last fall. All four are atypical students for Ignatius. They’re older than twenty-three and don’t have good academic records at other institutions. Then, he used the Office of International Programs’ system to admit them into study abroad programs for the spring semester.”
She went on. “This is in clear breach of University policy. Transfer students are supposed to be at the Chicago campus for at least two semesters before even applying to go abroad. The staff at the Office of International Programs is usually really involved with all the study abroad students. I can’t imagine how they’re not noticing.”
Adam shrugged. “Bribery is one of Knoll’s most effective methods of getting things done. He probably just paid someone to look the other way.”
Jess frowned. “Oh. Right.” Clearly, she ne
eded to start thinking worse of people. Hadn’t she learned that much in the past six months?
He glanced over. “That’s probably what happened with your boss too.”
She dropped her eyes to her lap, feeling the familiar wave of sadness and humiliation. “Not probably; I know that’s what happened.”
“You do?”
She shrugged, eyes still downcast. “After I got fired and Seymour said those things to the press, I dug into his finances. He was absolutely flat broke a year ago. He’d invested his entire retirement portfolio in risky stocks that crashed. Last fall, he was existing paycheck to paycheck.”
Jess cleared her throat to break up the lump and wondered when she’d stop feeling so sad about Seymour’s betrayal. He’d always been such a kind boss, almost a mentor. His lies and renouncement had shaken her, almost more than anything else about the debacle.
“What happened next?” Adam asked. She was glad his tone remained conversational. If he’d sounded sympathetic, she wasn’t sure she could swallow back tears.
“A sudden deposit of $250,000. The week before I was fired.” She shrugged again. “The amount matched a withdrawal from one of Knoll’s accounts the same week.” It was disgusting and fascinating at the same time, to know the exact dollar figure for which she’d been thrown under the proverbial bus. She forced a bitter laugh. “I would have thought I was worth more.”
Adam didn’t say anything, but he reached over and squeezed her hand, held on to it. She shifted in her seat, flummoxed. She had no idea what to do with the tangible offer of comfort.
Gently, she pulled away. She appreciated his sympathy, but her entire body had started to tingle at the touch of his warm hand. Rule number one for this trip: no touching.
