He hesitates, looking from me to the captain of the speedboat to the tall man standing beside me.
“One hour,” he shouts, and I nod, giving him a wave.
“Let’s go,” the man to my right says, and the speedboat roars to life. “Please, take your seats.”
Ava is already sitting with her arms hugging her stomach. I take the seat beside my sister, putting a protective hand on her. Miguel doesn’t move as we turn and shoot away from where he’s anchored.
“A thousand dollars for an hour.” The man’s accent is thick, and it mak
es his words sound slurry. “Your time is quite valuable.”
“Then you’d better get on with it,” I snap.
Unlike Ava, I’m sitting straight, unafraid on the outside, shaking like a leaf on the inside. This could be one of the dumbest decisions my curiosity has made.
The man laughs as he reclines in the leather seat beside me. “I like your spirit, Miss Wilder. I was quite captivated by it last night at the tables.”
“Is that why you pulled that stunt with the chip? You must think I don’t watch movies.”
His eyebrow quirks, and his blue eyes twinkle. “Hats off to you. Few people would catch the Hitchcock reference.”
“Our parents loved classic movies,” Ava’s voice is quiet.
“No, I used the ‘stunt with the chip’ as you put it hoping I might secure a meeting with you.”
“Perhaps you should look up the term backfire in your French-to-English dictionary.”
His expression hardens, and he straightens his coat. “I’m an official in the Monagasco government, and the con you pulled at the roulette wheel last night was first executed in one of our most luxurious casinos. Only that time, they used a pack of cigarettes to activate the transmitter.”
My stomach drops. He’s with the gambling commission! Ice filters through my veins, and my mouth goes dry. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you do.” He’s smiling, but it’s like the cat that has the mouse cornered and is ready to pounce. “The trick you and Mr. Kentucky pulled involved your gold bracelet emitting a radio transmission that guided the ball into one of three possible trays.”
Ava stiffens at my back, and I’m glad she’s wearing her dark sunglasses. My sister does not have a poker face—one of the many reasons I don’t let her gamble.
“You must have watched one too many movies yourself, Mr. Winchester. I’d never laid eyes on that man from Kentucky before last night.”
He’s quiet, smiling as we continue to bounce along the waves. A little spray of water shoots over the side, and he pulls out a cloth handkerchief to wipe it away.
“That’s good,” he nods. “Very good. You lie in broad daylight as well as you lie in the evening. I suspected as much.”
I’m sick of this shit. “You’d better get to your business before you run out of time.”
“My business won’t take long to explain. We’ve time for a little polite conversation.”
“I’m not known for being polite.”
“Or for being honest,” he grins, “but I won’t hold it against you.”
“You took a chance. Too bad it didn’t pay off for you.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” His eyes move to my sister, and then back to me. “I’ve got other things in mind.”
Scooting closer to her, I lower my brow. “You and every other straight man on the planet. Take a hike, Frenchie. She’s not interested.”
He leans his head back and laughs loudly. “What did you call me?”
“I’ll call you worse than that if you try to put your pampered hands on my sister.”