The hired man didn’t look at her as he scooted by to resume his silent vigil in front of the elevator doors.
“Well? Am I who I said I was?” Kellie stayed in character, clinging to her bravado, but it was definitely slipping.
Something was wrong. Either Tony’s penetrating gaze saw right through her, or he simply wasn’t interested. Either way, her sixth sense said it was time to go, regroup and try again another day.
A smirk twisted Tony’s features, and his silence battered her flagging confidence. She pushed to her feet with a deep sigh. “It’s settled then. You have your money back, and I promise never to set foot in your casino again.” She stepped toward the desk and reached for her handbag. “I’ll let myself out.”
Tony moved quicker, catching the strap of her handbag, and ripped it from her fingers. “I’m afraid I can’t let you leave, Kellie. You see…counting cards is a felony, if you use a computer.” He reached inside her bag and brought out a pocket-sized device she’d never seen before.
Kellie’s uneasiness grew. “That’s not mine.”
“You know that, and I know that, but the Nevada Gaming Commission will believe what I tell them. And I’m going to tell them I found it in your handbag, where you hid it after I caught you cheating.” Tony stepped closer, draped his arm around her shoulders and led her back to her chair.
Kellie was tempted to break his oh-so-perfect nose with a well-placed fist, but elevator-man wouldn’t let her leave anyway, and splattering blood all over Tony’s white shirt would likely make him less amenable. Diplomacy was undeniably the best course of action.
She cocked her head and studied him for a moment. “Youwantsomething from me. What is it?” Unless she missed her guess, Kellie already had the answer. He was trying to blackmail her into sleeping with him. She wasn’t proud of her attempt to manipulate him into a similar scenario, but she had a reason that justified her actions.Hewas simply perverted. “You sonofabitch.”
He laughed as he strode around the desk and took his seat. “Let’s get down to details, shall we? I have a proposition for you.”
Kellie hadn’t been able to persuade Anna that Tony was bad news. To be fair, not even she had realized the depths of his depravity until now. Could she sleep with him to stay out of jail? She’d been willing to compromise her values in order to find Anna, but that was different—important.
“No.” Kellie stared unflinching, instantly pleased by the surprise and irritation that flashed over his countenance.
“No?”
“I’m not sleeping with you, so do your worst. Put me in jail. I don’t care.”
Tony scowled. “You think I want a romp in the sheets? I have plenty of women…willing women for that. What I need is awife.”
Kellie inhaled audibly. Her lips moved, but shock had apparently curtailed her ability to form words.
“Ah, I see I have your complete attention, so here’s the deal. Marry me…and I’ll overlook your criminal activity. If not, I’ll turn you over to the authorities and let them prosecute you according to the letter of the law. The State of Nevada takes its gaming industry quite seriously, so I can almost guarantee jail time.”
The threat fell from Tony’s lips so easily, Kellie didn’t doubt, for an instant, he was serious. The idea was ridiculous. Absurd. Bizarre.
She tamped down a string of four-letter words and nearly choked with the effort. “Are you crazy? Absolutely not. I can’t think of anything more revolting.”
Tony leaned back, and his piercing regard swept from her eyes to her lips and slid lower to her legs beneath the hem of her short skirt. Before she could stop herself, she reached to pull the swatch of fabric farther down her legs…as though that were possible. His gaze bounced back to hers, and the lust in his nearly black eyes chilled her.
“Who is Charlie Webster?”
Kellie jerked as though he’d slapped her.Charlie is off limits.Forcing herself to remain seated, she crossed her arms and glared. “Leave my stepfather out of this.”
“You live with your stepfather? The two of you must be very close.”
“I needed a place to stay for a while after I…moved back to town.” Pop was the only family she had left. She’d protect him with her life if necessary. “Why do you care?”
“Your address is on your driver’s license. My associate Googled you. I wanted to know if my future bride had a boyfriend or husband I’d need to deal with. You can find anything on the Internet, if you know where to look.”
Oh God! What else did he find? Does he know Anna is my sister?Kellie had changed her name after returning from Iraq, dyed her hair blonde and purposely stayed away from places where she might be recognized. She’d taken measures to disassociate herself from Anna, but, obviously, she’d not done enough to safeguard Pop.
Calm down.If Tony knew about Anna, he’d have led with that—not tried to nail Kellie on a bogus felony charge. Now she needed to downplay her family ties to Charlie. “If I go to jail, I’m sure the old man will be glad to have his house to himself again.” She studied her fingernails and gave him her best I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude.
Tony was silent for a moment. When he spoke, he took his time and enunciated each word. “Well done, Kellie. You’ve managed to convince me you’re prepared to pay for your crimes. The question is—will you let Charlie pay too?”
Kellie was tempted to reach out a hand to steady herself on the edge of his desk. “Meaning what?”
“I’ve got friends in this town. It would be a small thing to make your fingerprints, and Charlie’s, appear on the computer you used to cheat in my casino. I can enlist at least a half dozen eyewitnesses who’ll swear you and Charlie worked together to steal from me.”