Her face broke into a cautious smile, but she wasn’t about to give in so easily. “Hmm. How about this…if this deal goes through, I might even give you a Christmas present.”
“Me?” he asked, feigning surprise. “Well…how can I pass that up?” She smiled like she had something up her sleeve, and he would have given anything to know what she was thinking.
He pulled to a stop in front of her building and turned to face her. “So what now?”
“I’m meeting with Antonio, my inside man, at noon. I’ll tell him you’re ready to make the deal and to have Carlos come to your club at ten tonight.”
“Are you sure meeting with him is wise? What if someone sees you?”
“I’ll take extra precautions, but I have to make sure no one can hear our conversation, which means we need to meet in person.”
Ramos shook his head. This was all happening so fast. She’d just barely asked him to help out yesterday, but it was obvious this operation had been going on for some time. “How long have you been planning this whole thing?”
She ducked her head. “Not long.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“Look…an opportunity presented itself, and I had to jump on it…that’s the way things work in this business.”
“Sure,” he said, shrugging. “Then I guess I need a list of everything on that truck…before tonight.”
“I’ve got the list right here.” She pulled a manila folder from her bag and opened it up. “There’s enough to start at five million, but I’m sure you’ll have to come down from there.”
He glanced through the papers, roughly estimating the cost and coming up with about the same amount. “That sounds about right. But Sloan…it all has to be there, or Carlos will shoot first and ask questions later.”
“Trust me. It will be there.”
Since he couldn’t inspect the truck ahead of time, he’d have to take her word for it, but it bothered him more than he let on. “I guess you’re coming to the club tonight, too?”
She shrugged. “I thought I would.”
He let out a breath and glanced at her. “Is there anything else I need to know?”
“No,” she said, but her gaze dropped to her lap, and Ramos tensed.
She glanced back at him, and he raised his brows, willing her to tell him more, but she pressed her lips together and moved to open the door. Before she could get out, he reached across her and pulled the door shut. “I get the feeling there’s something else you’re not telling me.”
Mere inches from her face, his gaze traveled from her eyes to rest on her mouth. She licked her lips, and his resolve to keep his distance shattered. As he leaned in to kiss her, a satisfied smile creased her lips. Like a dash of cold water, it brought him to his senses, and he pulled back.
“Wait,” Sloan said, her dark eyes filling with disappointment. “Look…I’m not at liberty to tell you everything, but you know enough to make this work. I know this is a big risk on your part, and I want you to know how much I appreciate it. I mean it. This deal wouldn’t get off the ground without you.”
He shook his head and sighed, unable to hold back his frustration. “You know…all day I’ve been asking myself why I was doing this. There’s no logical explanation because, if you think about it, it’s pretty stupid. You know who I am and what I do. You could be setting me up, for all I know. So why did I say I’d help you?”
She shrugged and let out a breath. “Maybe it’s for old time’s sake. We made a good team, even if you didn’t know who I worked for.”
“That’s true. But I should have known better. I mean…you could out-shoot most of the hired thugs, and you even landed me on my butt a few times. But you’re forgetting that we were in Mexico. You couldn’t touch me there, so it didn’t matter as much. This is different. You could haul me off to prison, and there would be nothing I could do about it.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Tell that to your team.”
“Ramos. I’ll make sure nothing like that ever happens to you.”
She almost made him believe that she meant it, and maybe she did, but it wasn’t enough. It was up to him to make sure he survived, even if it meant deceiving her. “I hope that’s good enough.”
Her eyes widened in dismay, and she frowned. With a quick jerk on the handle, she opened the door. “I’ll call you.”
Ramos watched her disappear around the building. What a mess. He started the car and began the drive to Thrasher Development. It was too late to back out now, but it wasn’t too late to make plans of his own and make sure he was ready for anything. He wished he could ask Shelby for her help on this, but putting her in danger was not an option. It was just something he’d have to manage on his own.
He pulled into the parking garage and soon joined Manetto in his office.
“How did it go?” Manetto asked.
“I think it will work.” Ramos explained the plan, including the place for the exchange. “Sloan agreed to the exchange at the factory, so at least that part went right. Now I’m supposed to meet with Carlos at the club tonight and set it up for tomorrow.”
“You sound upset. Is there something else going on?”
Ramos sighed. “I think there’s something Sloan’s not telling me…so yeah…I’m not happy about that. She is going along with the money transfer to our accounts, so at least that’s good. Now if I just had Shelby’s abilities, I’d feel a lot better about this.”
Someone cleared her throat, and they turned to find Shelby standing beside the open door, her brow puckered with suspicion. “What’s this about wanting my abilities?”
Ramos swore in his mind. From Shelby’s raised brows, he was pretty sure she’d picked it up. He also realized that he hadn’t blocked his thoughts about the deal and cursed again.
“Hmm…I’m not sure I like where this is going. What have you gotten yourself into?” Shelby asked him. Then she turned to Manetto. “He’s thinking he might get killed.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Manetto said.
She glanced between them with disbelief and shook her head. “Selling weapons to a Mexican gun dealer? Wait…you’re doing it for…a government agent? Are you serious?”
“How come you’re here?” Manetto said, trying to take control of the situation.
“You asked me to come, remember? To talk to Jackie about a Christmas present.”
“Oh, right.”
“By the way…she doesn’t want diamonds.” Shelby glanced down the hall toward Jackie’s desk, then closed the door behind her. “She was thinking about going on a trip. Did you know she’s always wanted to go to Italy?”
“No,” Manetto said, his eyes widening with alarm.
“Yeah. She wants to meet some of your relatives there and do the whole ‘Find Yourself in Tuscany’ thing.”
“Well damn, I’ll have to think about that.”
“Right,” Shelby answered, trying not to smile. “But if you want to get her diamonds…I think she’d like a necklace best.”
“Okay…good to know.”
“So what’s going on?” She glanced pointedly at Ramos.
Before he could reply, Manetto turned to him. “You have to admit, having Shelby there tonight could be just what you need.”
Ramos wasn’t so sure about that. Usually when Shelby was involved, things tended to get a little crazy. What if it made things worse?
“I heard that,” she said, raising her brow.
He huffed out a breath. “I didn’t want to involve you in this, but…maybe if you could listen in, I’d get a better picture of what I’m up against.” He quickly explained the whole story and hoped Shelby didn’t pick up anything personal between him and Sloan.
“So this was her idea,” Shelby said, shaking her head. “It doesn’t take a mind-reader to know that you don’t trust her…although I did pick up on that. Sheesh! She could be setting you up. Are you sure that’s not what this whole thing is a
bout?”
“No I’m not, but she said she’s been after Carlos for a long time, so I think that’s her main focus.” He didn’t add that she might have wanted to see him again…for old time’s sake, then he did a mental head slap, knowing Shelby probably heard that.
“So she’s after both you and Carlos, but for different reasons…” Shelby raised her brow in a way that always made him feel like he’d been caught doing something wrong. It irritated the hell out of him.
“But you don’t trust her, so you’re not sure. I can certainly see why you’d need me. Uh-oh…” Shelby let out a breath, apparently picking up more. “She told her team that you’re a hitman for the mob? Holy hell! That’s like putting a target on your back.” She shook her head with astonishment. “Sheesh, and here I thought I was a trouble magnet.”
“Dammit,” Ramos said, not liking that she’d caught all of that from his mind before he’d had a chance to put up his barriers.
“Oh…um.” She shrugged an apology. “I guess I wasn’t supposed to hear that.”
“No you weren’t,” he agreed.
She twisted her lips and met his gaze. “Maybe I wasn’t. But, since I did, I just have to say that I don’t like what’s going on here. This has put you in a very bad place, and I think you really need me. Isn’t there something I can do to help?”
Ramos couldn’t be too mad at her for worrying about him, but he couldn’t help wondering if it was because Sloan was an agent, or because she was an old lover. Then he caught Shelby’s flushed face and hid a smile that she’d picked up on that.
In the silence, Manetto chimed in. “Why don’t you come to the club tonight Shelby. Ramos is meeting with the gun dealer at ten, so I can have Ricky pick you up around nine.”
“You’ll need to come in the back way,” Ramos added. “Because I’m pretty sure Sloan will be here in the club and probably watching the door. I’d rather she didn’t know you were here.”
“How would she know about me? Wait a minute…has she been spying on the club? Has she seen me?”
“Yes. But she doesn’t know who you are, and I’m planning on keeping it that way. We can’t afford to have another federal agent poking into your connection to us. It’s bad enough that Blake thinks you have premonitions.”
“Uh…okay.” Her face went a little pale, and Ramos could see that the ramifications of the situation had finally dawned on her. He shook his head, hardly believing that she’d called him a trouble magnet when getting involved in stuff like this was her own fault.
Shelby caught his gaze, and he knew she’d picked that up. With her lips pressed together in annoyance, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I’ll be ready at nine.”
“Thank you Shelby,” Manetto chimed in. “We’ll figure out the logistics tonight, once you get to the club.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.” She glanced between Ramos and Manetto, and it was easy to pick up that she was a little disgruntled by both of them. With a quick goodbye, she exited the room.
Manetto made sure the door was closed before turning to Ramos. “So how does Sloan know about Shelby?”
“She’s staying in the apartment above the diner across the street. She’s been taking photos of our comings and goings, and had one of Shelby from last night. She wanted to know who Shelby was, but I didn’t tell her.”
“Hmm…that’s good to know. I guess I’ll have to buy that building so something like this doesn’t happen again.”
Ramos shook his head, unsure that would prevent anyone from spying on them if they wanted to bad enough. “Sloan wants me to start at five million and go down from there. I think she’s right, but will you take a look at this list?”
After studying the list, Manetto nodded his agreement. “Those rocket launchers go for thirty-two grand each, but on the black market we could easily get twice that much. The stinger missiles make up for the rest. Wow, this is quite the set-up. Where did she get all of these weapons?”
“Her boss.”
“They must really want this guy.” Manetto handed the sheet back to Ramos and rubbed his chin. “Are you sure there’s no connection to the cartel in Mexico?”
“She showed me a picture of the dealer, Carlos. I’ve never seen him before, but she was just as involved as we were. I’d think if there was a connection, she would have told me.”
Manetto nodded. “True, but it’s a good thing Shelby will be there tonight. Is there any chance you can pull out? Sloan’s not threatening you with anything, is she?”
“No. At least not yet. But who knows? Maybe she’s saving it in case I try to back out.”
Manetto sighed, clearly unhappy with the whole thing. “I’m almost sorry you’re involved with this. But with Shelby’s help, we’ll figure it out. Just make sure that Shelby keeps her distance from Sloan. We wouldn’t want her striking up a conversation with the agent.”
Ramos chuckled. “You’re right. She’d probably do it too, since that’s the only way she’d really get Sloan thinking about me and her intentions. I’ll have to tell her that she can’t do that. But since we both know that Shelby doesn’t always do what we tell her, I hope she’ll listen this time.”
Usually people did what Ramos told them, but not Shelby. She knew he had a soft spot in his heart for her, so it didn’t work as well.
“I hope so too,” Manetto agreed. “You also need to find out if Carlos has the money, so be sure to ask about that. Now let’s set up the account for the money transfer today, so at least that will be ready.”
Once everything was set up, Ramos left to get ready for the meeting, hoping that if he left nothing to chance, he might just make it out of this a free man.
Chapter 3
At eight o’clock, Ramos strode into the club and straight to the meeting room. He needed to make sure everything was ready, as well as find a place for Shelby to hide where she wouldn’t be visible. That proved harder than he’d thought, since it was a big, open space without a closet in sight.
The room held a round, wooden table and upholstered chairs in the center, with a black leather couch along the wall and two stuffed chairs at the back. A beautiful, hardwood wet bar was nestled on the other side, complete with stools in front of the curved, granite-topped bar.
On the wall behind the bar was a sink with a matching granite countertop. Tall cupboards with tinted glass doors stood on both sides of the sink, and were filled with expensive varieties of liquor. A big-screen TV rested in the dark elegance of the upper middle cupboard.
He moved behind the wet bar and glanced inside the cabinets under the granite countertop. He found glasses stored there, along with some cleaning supplies. If he shifted them to the far side of the cabinet, there might be enough room for Shelby to squeeze inside.
After he moved everything over, his burner phone buzzed, and he fished it out of his pocket. “Yes.”
“Everything’s set up,” Sloan said. “Carlos will be there at ten.”
“Do you know how many men he’s bringing with him?”
“Probably two,” she answered.
“Is your guy one of them?”
“I don’t think so. He’s not high enough in the ranks. If the deal falls through, he’s the first person they’d want to kill since he set it up. So we’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Okay,” Ramos said. “I’ll be taking Carlos into a private room to talk. Once we’re done, I’ll come out and find you.”
“Shouldn’t I come to the meeting?”
“No.” Ramos braced for her argument, but heard only silence before she finally answered.
“Fine. But don’t make me regret this.”
He took a breath, but refrained from telling her that he already regretted this whole deal. “Don’t worry, Sloan. You’ll get what you came for.” Satisfied with his comeback, he disconnected before she could answer.
Since Ricky had left to get Shelby, he called the two men who worked as bouncers to the room an
d informed them about the meeting with the arms dealer, making sure they were prepared for Carlos’s visit.
“He’ll have two men with him. I want you to pat all of them down outside before you let them into the club. If they have weapons, tell them to come back without them. Once you’ve cleared them, I’ll want Ricky to escort them to this room while you wait outside this door.”
He sent them back to their posts and checked the room one more time, but couldn’t come up with a better place for Shelby. It might be a little cramped, but there wasn’t another option, and he hoped she’d be okay with it.
A knock sounded at the door, and Shelby stepped inside. He took one look at her and smiled. She had on her black wig and the black clothes he’d purchased for her a while back.
“Going incognito?” he asked.
“Well, you said the agent had pictures of me,” she replied. “So I thought it might be best.” She looked him over with an appreciative nod. “Hmmm…You’ve sure got the whole crime boss thing going in that black suit. I think Carlos will be impressed.”
Just to get a rise out of her, he tilted his lips into a sexy grin and thought that Carlos wasn’t the only person he wanted to impress.
“You dressed up for Sloan, too?” Shelby asked.
Ramos chuckled since she’d missed that he’d wanted to impress her as well. “Hey. I have a reputation to uphold, and I need to dress the part. It impressed you, didn’t it?”
“Well…yeah.” Her gaze caught his and she swallowed, clearly captivated by his good looks and trying not to be. “You’re like a devil in a black suit.”
His grin widened, and he nodded. “I like that.”
“Try not to let it go to your head.” She glanced around the room, and her brows drew together. “There’s no place in here for me to hide.”
“Yes there is,” Ramos said. “There’s a spot back here.” He motioned to the other side of the bar, and she followed him behind it.
“On the floor?”