Relentless (Benson Security 2)

“Why, Julia, do you think I would try to get you to play strip poker? Shame on you.”

He was grinning now. Playing with her. Teasing. All things Julia didn’t know how to deal with. Her face burned and she didn’t know what to say. Even if she did, it would invariably be the wrong thing anyway.

She concentrated on her luggage instead, even though she was finished checking it. A couple of seconds passed before she felt Joe come up behind her. When his hands softly cupped her shoulders, she froze in place. Now, she not only didn’t know what to say, she also didn’t know what to do.

“I’m teasing,” he said softly. “You’re safe with me. You can’t say or do anything wrong.”

Her body was so tense and tight that she was sure she’d snap in two if she tried to bend.

“Come play cards, Julia. It will take your mind off things. I can promise there will be no stripping.” He kissed her temple before retreating.

Julia started to breathe again as he walked away. That was, until she heard him say one word— “Yet.”

Chapter 3

“I don’t think we should be playing cards,” Julia said as she sat at the tiny dining table opposite Joe. “Alice is missing. Gran is in jail. We should be doing something about that instead of wasting time.”

Joe started shuffling cards. “We’ve called the cops, the hospitals and the airlines. Elle is checking hotels, bus companies and credit card movement for Alice. Short of going door to door, I don’t know what else we can do to find her right now. As for your gran, Ed’s dealing with her, and they don’t let visitors hang out at the prison overnight.” He started dealing cards. “And it’s dark outside. You can’t go wandering around the streets with a photo of Alice, looking for leads, in the dark. It’s a much better idea to stay in here and play with me.”

“It feels wrong. I should be doing something.”

“Like what?”

She moved the cards he’d dealt, to ensure they were parallel with the table’s edge. Better. “I don’t know.” And she hated that she didn’t.

“Then we play cards. We eat. We sleep. And tomorrow we start again.”

Julia looked up at him. She knew he was right. She knew there wasn’t anything she could do except worry—and she was fantastic at worrying—but the thought of her gran spending another night in that awful jail and Alice lost or worse… What if she was suffering? What if Gran got ill or hurt? What if?

A big hand covered hers, the heat from Joe’s touch searing her skin. “Time to take your mind off things. Pick up your cards. Spending an hour playing with me isn’t going to change anything. The problems will still be there when we’re done. And tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep, we might think of something else we can do.”

“Is it always like this?”

“Every op is different. Sometimes there’s waiting when you don’t want to wait. It’s the nature of things.”

“What did you do when you were waiting, when you were in the Marines?”

“Well, I didn’t play cards with a pretty girl, that’s for sure.”

Julia felt her cheeks burn as she looked back down at the cards. Her stomach was doing somersaults, and she regretted eating even the small amount of fries she’d managed to get down. Joe got up, headed for the bar fridge and came back with a tiny bottle of wine and a glass.

“Here, it will help with your stomach and your sleep.”

Julia looked at the glass, then at Joe. “Do you realise that most glasses found in hotel rooms haven’t been washed properly? I watched a documentary about it. Maid service were just rinsing them under the tap, then polishing them with a towel.”

He unscrewed the bottle and handed it to her. “Then don’t use the glass.”

Julia took the bottle, drank a hefty swallow of cheap red wine, then looked at Joe. “Okay, let’s play.”

She could do this. Right? If she didn’t think about being alone with Joe. In a hotel room.

“Now that’s what I like to hear.” His eyes sparkled with mischief, making her stomach do the flipping thing again. “Do you know how to play poker?”

“No.”

“Rummy?”

“No.”