Hayden took one of the rolling suitcases and Jay wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Is everyone here?” he asked, pulling her tight against him.
She was thankful for the small show of support. She didn’t know what to expect right then and was glad that despite his annoyance and anger with her, Jay was showing her that she could count on him.
“Yeah.” Hayden nodded and gave Ellie a half-smile before stepping back so they could come in.
Jay left the other bag near the front door as Hayden shut it and locked it behind them. Ellie could hear the low hum of voices as they strode down the short interior hallway to the living room. The room was decorated with a simplistic style, but there were splashes of vibrant color in all the accent pieces. She wasn’t surprised to see the long drapes covering the 12 foot windows pulled closed. She was surprised, however, to see Iris and Vadim there waiting with Wyatt. Jay hadn’t said much on the drive over, and she wondered if he knew they’d be here.
Unfortunately one quick glance at his hard expression didn’t reveal anything. Since the explosion he’d been in what she called battle mode. The man didn’t reveal anything.
“Hey hon, how’re you feeling?” Iris asked, the woman’s uncharacteristically soft voice and expression taking Ellie off guard.
Throat tight, she nodded, touched by Iris’s concern. “Good…okay, that’s a lie. I’m terrified.” That being an understatement.
Jay squeezed her shoulders again and she leaned into him. The man was an absolute rock. Her rock, if she’d let him be. Iris murmured understanding as Jay nodded at the living room. “Let’s sit.”
Ellie made her way to the plush, bright pink chaise that should have been a ridiculous color but somehow fit with the rest of the room. A sparkly chandelier hung high in the middle of the room, its soft glow illuminating everything while creating a peaceful atmosphere. As Jay sat next to her, she cuddled up next to him.
He jerked a little as if surprised, but immediately pulled her into the safety of his arms, wrapping both of them around her. “It’s going to be okay,” he murmured quietly against the top of her head, for her ears only.
Wyatt—who Ellie had been avoiding eye contact with since she’d entered—sat next to Iris on a longer couch, and Vadim and Hayden sat on two single chairs angled toward the glass coffee table.
“We’re going to take care of this,” Wyatt said, his voice steady and determined.
Ellie met his gaze to find no censure there. The relief that slid through her was potent. “I’m sorry I—”
Wyatt just shook his head. “I understand why you ran. You wanted to protect those you care about and I can respect that. Just don’t do it again. I’m already losing my mind without you and…” He trailed off as Iris nudged him. “Anyway, do you know a Tadeo Bejar?”
She shook her head. With how many people she dealt with daily, she was very good at names and faces and that wasn’t familiar. “No, should I?”
“He’s the owner of the phone your ex called you from. They both did time together, and got out of prison around the same time. So, they’re in on whatever scheme they’re running together.”
“Okay.”
“Bejar is part of Carlo De Luca’s crew.” Wyatt watched her carefully as he spoke, as if looking for a reaction.
All she felt was pure shock. “What? Kevin rob…” She shot a quick glance at Jay who just nodded that yes, he’d told Wyatt everything. He hadn’t told her all the details he’d covered with their boss and she wanted to make sure. She looked back at everyone, feeling uncomfortable being in the spotlight. “That doesn’t make sense. Kevin robbed De Luca before he went to prison, but as far as I know De Luca doesn’t know.” It had been years ago, back before De Luca had the crew he did now. He’d still been dangerous, but his reputation was even worse now. And she knew it was one based on truth.
Wyatt was silent for a long moment. “And he wants his money back.” Not a question.
“Yeah. And before you ask, it’s somewhere safe.” Even Jay hadn’t asked her where it was and she didn’t plan on sharing that information even with him. Not because she didn’t trust him, or any of them, but because if she told them the location, they’d become even more involved than they needed to be.
“Why’d you keep it all these years? Especially if he wasn’t supposed to be out for another couple decades.” Iris asked.
“Fear.” Ellie’s answer was instant. “I could be fifty when he’d gotten out and if that money wasn’t waiting for him, he’d kill me.”
Wyatt glanced at Vadim. He gave the pale eyed man a subtle nod. Apparently that was the computer genius’s cue because he half-smiled at Ellie, though it was more of a baring of teeth. V was nice enough, but if she was being truly honest, the Russian scared her in a way she couldn’t define. She wasn’t afraid he’d hurt her and she’d seen how sweet he was with one of the waitresses who worked at Sierra’s restaurant, but something about him screamed that he was a predator—and everyone else was prey. It was unnerving to say the least.
“We want you to call Kevin back,” he said, just the barest hint of an accent in his voice. “I’m going to record and attempt to track the call.”
She had no clue how that was possible but she was pretty sure it was illegal. Ellie looked at Jay, who nodded and said, “This is all part of our plan. We want to find out what Kevin’s end game is and we want you to agree to help him. If V can lock onto his signal now, he’ll be able to keep better tabs on him from this point forward.”
Her eyes widened. “You want me to agree to help him rob the casino?”
“Depending on what he asks, yes. But you can’t seem too eager or agree right away or he’ll get suspicious.”
“Okay, then what?”
“Then we’ll make a decision from there,” Wyatt said.
Even though the thought of talking to Kevin made her skin crawl, she nodded. “I’ll call him whenever you want.” She pulled her cell phone from her jacket pocket and held it out to Vadim. “How are you going to record?”
With a practically gleeful smile, he took it. “Just give me a moment.”
It wasn’t exactly an answer. She watched as he retrieved a small black bag, set out her cell phone, a slim black device that looked like a magnet and some other small black boxes that she had no clue what they were. He laid everything on the glass table, snapped the magnet looking thing to the back of her phone then handed it to her. Moving quickly, he typed in commands on his ultra thin computer and plugged in the boxes together and joined them to his laptop with a cord. Yeah, this definitely wasn’t legal. Finally he nodded at her.
She wiped a damp palm on her jeans before looki
ng at Jay for support. She hated that everyone would have to hear this conversation, or at least her half of it right now, especially Jay. But there was no choice.
“You can do this, baby.” That deep, encouraging voice of his rolled over her.
Taking a deep breath, she called the number Kevin had called her from.
He picked up on the first ring. “Took you long enough. You hang up on me again and you’ll lose more than just your car.”
Just hearing his voice made fear detonate inside her. “What do you want?” she asked, sounding much braver than she actually felt, especially since he’d basically just admitted to bombing her car. The only reason she had any courage right now was because of Jay’s presence. She hated that he was hearing all this, but she was grateful for his presence.
“My money and your help taking The Dragon Collection.” He was all arrogance, just like she remembered.
It took a moment for his words to register. Then she started laughing, as if he was stupid. Because he was. “You’re insane!”
The Dragon Collection was a set of eight rare green diamonds, all a little over seven carats each. When they’d first been discovered, the man who’d found them had said they looked like dragon eyes. The name had stuck. Currently the stunning display was in a very secure room at the casino as part of an international celebration of artwork. The display was open to the public for a small viewing fee and Ellie knew they’d earned a nice bit of revenue from the showing. Individually each diamond was valued at twenty million dollars. Together, they were pretty much priceless. And Kevin thought he was smart enough to steal them. That alone was enough to make her dissolve into hysterical laughter.
But Wyatt nodded that she should agree. Steeling herself, she hoped Kevin bought what she was about to dish out.
Before he could respond, she continued. “I’ll give you your money but I’m not helping you with some stupid scheme.”
“If you don’t help me, the next time a car explodes, your boyfriend will be in it. Money or no money, you’ll do what I want.”