I don’t want it to be too easy for him to take her from me. That could make him suspicious. So feel free to use your imagination.”
Lazie grinned. “It’ll be a pleasure, mon ami. It’s been years since I’ve had a chance to go a little crazy.”
“When you get to the Glitterbug and settle our friend, hire Frog to guard him overnight. Tell him there’s a grand in it if he wants to play.”
“He’ll play for less.”
“But he’s worth a grand. Tell him I said so.”
Lazie dried his hands, and untied the dishcloth from around his waist. “I’ll take off right away.”
“Remember, these guys enjoy playing rough. Watch your back.”
“And you watch da ladies. I want ta learn more about Cookie. She’s da kind of woman a man meets once in a lifetime.”
Pierce didn’t comment, though he wasn’t sure when Lazie learned the story behind the famous stage actress he would like any of it.
This mission was a can of worms, as his friend Bjorn Odell would say. He didn’t like the way Merrick and Polax had chosen to keep Casmir in the dark. Maybe Lazie was right. Maybe when he called Merrick about the two men spying on them in the woods, he’d express his feelings. She should know the game and how she was supposed to play her hand. And there was also the possibility that she could take off with her mother before the game started.
“You said you picked up their luggage?”
“It’s in da car. I’ll toss it out before I take our friend for a ride.”
After Lazie left, Pierce called Merrick. He told him that Petrov knew their location, and that he’d apprehended one of Yurii’s spies. He told Merrick he could pick up the man at the Glitterbug in New Orleans in the morning. He also told him that he wanted to share the mission information with Casmir.
Merrick didn’t agree that it was necessary, but Pierce turned stubborn in his argument, and in the end Merrick conceded.
“All right, I’m giving you clearance to tell her just enough to keep her butt grounded in Le Mystère until Petrov makes his move. Lev won’t be happy about it, but I’ll tell him what you said. We can’t afford for her to take off. Balasi is this mission. Without her we have nothing.”
“Exactly.”
Pierce hung up, then picked up the luggage off the porch where Lazie had left it before he’d rounded up their hostage and headed for town. He stepped back inside and set Ruza’s bag down behind the couch, then hooked a finger through the straps on Casmir’s sexy blue shoes.
He grabbed her travel bag, and had just started down the hall when he saw her dart out of the bathroom and into the bedroom wearing nothing but a towel.
Chapter 9
W hen Casmir spied Pierce in the hall she didn’t say anything; she breezed into the bedroom never expecting that he would follow her. Her hand was on the door when he pushed his way inside.
“Why don’t you come in?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” He handed her shoes to her, then dropped her bag on the bed next to her clothes.
“A nice gesture. My gun?”
He pulled it from his pocket and laid it on the nightstand. “We need to talk.”
She noticed his jaw was set. He was here to tell her something she wasn’t going to like.
She closed the door, then bent to set her shoes on the floor.
“Another shower?”
When she straightened, she caught him eyeing her thighs. “My feet were dirty. Do you have a robe I could use?”
“Never owned one.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Shy in front of your fiancé.”
“Very funny.”
She rounded the bed and unzipped her bag. Much to her disappointment, she saw that she was going to have to live without a robe, and a lot more than that. Whoever had packed for her obviously didn’t know where she was going, or how long she was staying. There were three outfits inside—none of them appropriate for the swamp. Ditto on both pairs of shoes.
When she looked up, Pierce had grabbed her teal blue bra from the bed.
“Interesting
Lazie grinned. “It’ll be a pleasure, mon ami. It’s been years since I’ve had a chance to go a little crazy.”
“When you get to the Glitterbug and settle our friend, hire Frog to guard him overnight. Tell him there’s a grand in it if he wants to play.”
“He’ll play for less.”
“But he’s worth a grand. Tell him I said so.”
Lazie dried his hands, and untied the dishcloth from around his waist. “I’ll take off right away.”
“Remember, these guys enjoy playing rough. Watch your back.”
“And you watch da ladies. I want ta learn more about Cookie. She’s da kind of woman a man meets once in a lifetime.”
Pierce didn’t comment, though he wasn’t sure when Lazie learned the story behind the famous stage actress he would like any of it.
This mission was a can of worms, as his friend Bjorn Odell would say. He didn’t like the way Merrick and Polax had chosen to keep Casmir in the dark. Maybe Lazie was right. Maybe when he called Merrick about the two men spying on them in the woods, he’d express his feelings. She should know the game and how she was supposed to play her hand. And there was also the possibility that she could take off with her mother before the game started.
“You said you picked up their luggage?”
“It’s in da car. I’ll toss it out before I take our friend for a ride.”
After Lazie left, Pierce called Merrick. He told him that Petrov knew their location, and that he’d apprehended one of Yurii’s spies. He told Merrick he could pick up the man at the Glitterbug in New Orleans in the morning. He also told him that he wanted to share the mission information with Casmir.
Merrick didn’t agree that it was necessary, but Pierce turned stubborn in his argument, and in the end Merrick conceded.
“All right, I’m giving you clearance to tell her just enough to keep her butt grounded in Le Mystère until Petrov makes his move. Lev won’t be happy about it, but I’ll tell him what you said. We can’t afford for her to take off. Balasi is this mission. Without her we have nothing.”
“Exactly.”
Pierce hung up, then picked up the luggage off the porch where Lazie had left it before he’d rounded up their hostage and headed for town. He stepped back inside and set Ruza’s bag down behind the couch, then hooked a finger through the straps on Casmir’s sexy blue shoes.
He grabbed her travel bag, and had just started down the hall when he saw her dart out of the bathroom and into the bedroom wearing nothing but a towel.
Chapter 9
W hen Casmir spied Pierce in the hall she didn’t say anything; she breezed into the bedroom never expecting that he would follow her. Her hand was on the door when he pushed his way inside.
“Why don’t you come in?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” He handed her shoes to her, then dropped her bag on the bed next to her clothes.
“A nice gesture. My gun?”
He pulled it from his pocket and laid it on the nightstand. “We need to talk.”
She noticed his jaw was set. He was here to tell her something she wasn’t going to like.
She closed the door, then bent to set her shoes on the floor.
“Another shower?”
When she straightened, she caught him eyeing her thighs. “My feet were dirty. Do you have a robe I could use?”
“Never owned one.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Shy in front of your fiancé.”
“Very funny.”
She rounded the bed and unzipped her bag. Much to her disappointment, she saw that she was going to have to live without a robe, and a lot more than that. Whoever had packed for her obviously didn’t know where she was going, or how long she was staying. There were three outfits inside—none of them appropriate for the swamp. Ditto on both pairs of shoes.
When she looked up, Pierce had grabbed her teal blue bra from the bed.
“Interesting
Similar Books
