wanted to get it back.’
‘Something, what?’
‘You won’t understand.’
‘Try me.’
‘You’re angry,’ she said. ‘I can tell when you bark at me like that.’
‘You went to an ex when we were together.’
‘I didn’t see Saul on our wedding night. I left my bags from Trudi’s at my friend’s place, and he picked them up the next day. I came back here to you.’
‘But you didn’t get that one bag? The things you took to your live-in job?’
‘No, I didn’t,’ she said, picking at her cuticle. ‘I was an idiot for going over there. I thought that… that Darryl Kay was a real person. He was probably made up. But I… I’m not ready to give up yet. If Trudi doesn’t know him, then there’s a chance that Carlos will. He’ll be able to tell me who his contact was.’
‘No, he won’t,’ Dax said, dashing her hopes. ‘We don’t leave contact details and transactions like that happen in the shadows, chances are Carlos never saw a face.’
‘How can you—‘
‘Because I’ve been that guy, the guy offering a payoff to someone for carrying out a simple task. You said Trudi gave you the info?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Someone went to Carlos with an envelope full of money and the details. He was told to give the information to Trudi and to make her pass it on to you. Carlos got his money and a piece of paper to be delivered to you, that’s it. He probably never saw the person before or since.’
‘Probably,’ she said, bouncing to her feet. ‘I have to take the chance. He might know. Trudi said she got the job details from a client. Maybe the person offering Carlos the payoff was a client, maybe he knew—‘
‘No,’ Dax said. ‘Being discreet is part of the job. Even if they were our guys, they wouldn’t have approached a hooker they used or her pimp. They might make a recommendation on how to get to you, but someone else would make the drop.’
‘Great, way to break the news gently, Dax.’
Seating herself on the couch again, she tried to think of other ways to get to Darryl Kay. But Trudi had been her ace, Ivy didn’t have any other link to that job.
‘Did you think about coming to me?’ Dax asked.
‘You?’ she asked. ‘You weren’t there. I would have remembered it if you were.’
‘Mauri kept me out of it because you and me interacted. But I have contacts of my own, I can find out how it went down.’
‘You can?’
‘Maybe,’ he shrugged. ‘Pinning down the exact guy who made contact with Carlos will be tough, we’re trained not to talk. But if he wasn’t a top guy, he might be sloppy. If he’s mouthed off to someone about working for Mauri, then I can find that out… though the chances are if Mauri’s heard that the guy has opened his mouth, then the guy won’t be around anymore, if you get me.’
‘I don’t need to speak to that guy,’ she said, springing to her feet and rushing over to her husband. ‘I need to find out what happened to my things.’
‘The bag you never retrieved?’
She nodded. ‘Everything that’s important to me is in it.’
‘Would Mauri have gotten rid of it?’
‘Probably, if you were any other mark,’ he said. ‘But your role was supposed to be at Trystan’s side, they might have sent your things to the California mansion.’
‘Damn.’
‘Damn? I thought that would make you happy, why does that disappoint you?’
‘Because if Trystan has my possessions then I’ll have to ask him for access to them. He’s never going to be nice and just hand them over. You know how he likes to play with people. He’ll want to question me or make me beg.’
‘You don’t have to do anything,’ Dax said, taking her hands to bring them to his shoulders. ‘If there’s anything that belongs to you in Trystan’s suite, I can get it.’
‘How?’ She wouldn’t ask Dax to beg for her, and she didn’t want either of them owing Trystan any favours; he was a sick, twisted man, who could not be trusted.
‘Don’t worry
‘Something, what?’
‘You won’t understand.’
‘Try me.’
‘You’re angry,’ she said. ‘I can tell when you bark at me like that.’
‘You went to an ex when we were together.’
‘I didn’t see Saul on our wedding night. I left my bags from Trudi’s at my friend’s place, and he picked them up the next day. I came back here to you.’
‘But you didn’t get that one bag? The things you took to your live-in job?’
‘No, I didn’t,’ she said, picking at her cuticle. ‘I was an idiot for going over there. I thought that… that Darryl Kay was a real person. He was probably made up. But I… I’m not ready to give up yet. If Trudi doesn’t know him, then there’s a chance that Carlos will. He’ll be able to tell me who his contact was.’
‘No, he won’t,’ Dax said, dashing her hopes. ‘We don’t leave contact details and transactions like that happen in the shadows, chances are Carlos never saw a face.’
‘How can you—‘
‘Because I’ve been that guy, the guy offering a payoff to someone for carrying out a simple task. You said Trudi gave you the info?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Someone went to Carlos with an envelope full of money and the details. He was told to give the information to Trudi and to make her pass it on to you. Carlos got his money and a piece of paper to be delivered to you, that’s it. He probably never saw the person before or since.’
‘Probably,’ she said, bouncing to her feet. ‘I have to take the chance. He might know. Trudi said she got the job details from a client. Maybe the person offering Carlos the payoff was a client, maybe he knew—‘
‘No,’ Dax said. ‘Being discreet is part of the job. Even if they were our guys, they wouldn’t have approached a hooker they used or her pimp. They might make a recommendation on how to get to you, but someone else would make the drop.’
‘Great, way to break the news gently, Dax.’
Seating herself on the couch again, she tried to think of other ways to get to Darryl Kay. But Trudi had been her ace, Ivy didn’t have any other link to that job.
‘Did you think about coming to me?’ Dax asked.
‘You?’ she asked. ‘You weren’t there. I would have remembered it if you were.’
‘Mauri kept me out of it because you and me interacted. But I have contacts of my own, I can find out how it went down.’
‘You can?’
‘Maybe,’ he shrugged. ‘Pinning down the exact guy who made contact with Carlos will be tough, we’re trained not to talk. But if he wasn’t a top guy, he might be sloppy. If he’s mouthed off to someone about working for Mauri, then I can find that out… though the chances are if Mauri’s heard that the guy has opened his mouth, then the guy won’t be around anymore, if you get me.’
‘I don’t need to speak to that guy,’ she said, springing to her feet and rushing over to her husband. ‘I need to find out what happened to my things.’
‘The bag you never retrieved?’
She nodded. ‘Everything that’s important to me is in it.’
‘Would Mauri have gotten rid of it?’
‘Probably, if you were any other mark,’ he said. ‘But your role was supposed to be at Trystan’s side, they might have sent your things to the California mansion.’
‘Damn.’
‘Damn? I thought that would make you happy, why does that disappoint you?’
‘Because if Trystan has my possessions then I’ll have to ask him for access to them. He’s never going to be nice and just hand them over. You know how he likes to play with people. He’ll want to question me or make me beg.’
‘You don’t have to do anything,’ Dax said, taking her hands to bring them to his shoulders. ‘If there’s anything that belongs to you in Trystan’s suite, I can get it.’
‘How?’ She wouldn’t ask Dax to beg for her, and she didn’t want either of them owing Trystan any favours; he was a sick, twisted man, who could not be trusted.
‘Don’t worry
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