Stolen Vengeance: Slye Temp book 6 (14 page)

Chapter 15

Dingo wove his way from the upper tier of the garden level where more guests had crowded in to speak with Daddy Warbucks, Perdido and Fontana. Once he dropped down a step and had the rear access to the hotel in sight, he said, “Find anything, Nick?”

“Nothing to do with our assignment. I’m taking a spin around the perimeter.”

With the team listening, Dingo kept his next words to a minimum. “Taking ten to hit the head and walk the west corridors.”  Because he had a hunch where Valene might be if she wasn’t out here clamoring for Warbucks’s attention.

That had to be the only reason she was here.

Right?

His logic was suspiciously silent. Maybe because that meant she held a ticket worth twelve thousand dollars.

Nick said, “Roger that. I’ll take your position outside.”

When Dingo spotted Tanner, he waited until he had Tanner’s attention to send a subtle hand signal that translated into
cover me
.

Tanner nodded and continued patrolling.

With Nick mobile, the rest of the Slye team on watch, an eight-man event security force and Daddy Warbucks’s personal squad of guards, Dingo could probably leave for a half hour and not be missed.

He wouldn’t do that, but he could justify a brief break to pin down Valene.

Things were finally falling his way, because he saw bouncing curls heading inside through the left set of doors that led to the ladies room.

That was in the west wing.

Walking with determination that sped up his steps, he hung a left in time to see her enter the last lounge on the right.

When he reached the ladies room, a tall brunette slipped out. Dingo went for his serious business voice and said, “Security check. Is anyone else in there?”

The brunette swept an appraising look over him from head to toe. “One more, but I’m in if we’re talking a full body search.”

That woman clearly fit his
other
category. One whose gaze and tone offered screaming sex.

Right idea. Wrong woman.

Dingo gave her a not-this-time half smile and she shrugged, then walked away.

The minute she turned the corner, he eased the door open and said, “Security.”

“Stay out. This is the
ladies
room.”

That was definitely Valene’s voice, one level before it hit full-blown pissed-off mode. Dingo stepped in and twisted the lock on the door. Not wanting to embarrass her, he eased around the corner.

She was leaned close to the mirror fixing her lipstick. He took another step in.

Her gaze shot to his in the reflection of the mirror and went from fear to shock to ready for battle. “What. The. Hell?” She swung around as she stomped out each word. Hand shoved to one curvaceous hip, she made hornet-mad look sexy. “What are you doing here?”

“Me?” Dingo asked, eyebrows lifting because they both knew she hadn’t been referencing his presence in a ladies room, but at this event. “I’m on the clock. What are
you
doing here?”

“I’m a ... guest.” But she hadn’t looked him straight in the eye when she’d said that.

Just the fact that she answered rather than blast him backwards with a jolt of Valene fury told him she was hiding something.

“At ten grand a pop?” Dingo argued. Evidently, his sense of self-preservation had taken a break, too, because he also asked, “How can you afford to come here when you’re living on ramen noodles?” 

Yes, he had no grounds for asking how she ended up here, but suspicion about Charlie haunted his mind. He hated the unknown. He wanted clear-cut answers.

“How I came by the ticket is none of your business.” She snapped her purse shut and slung the silver chain over her shoulder, staring him down.

There was his take-no-crap Valene.

Not
his.

How many times was he going to have to keep reminding himself? He needed to keep his mind on coming up with a believable lie that would get her to explain her presence. Inspiration struck. “It
is
my business since I’m here to insure no one enters the event unauthorized. I’m sure you’ve heard about Perdido’s stalker.”

Her face lost it’s healthy pink. Something was definitely off.

He asked, “Do you
know
anything about Perdido’s stalker?”

“No, of course not. I have no idea what’s going on in Perdido’s life. Everyone is news in LA. Politicians have to stand out for their news bites to reach the top of my online news feed. I’m here to see Tinker about a potential project and you’re holding me up.”

She was here.

Orion Hunters or the SGC might have sent an assassin.

No matter how many ways he added two and two, he kept coming up with someone dead. He didn’t want it to be Valene.

She took two steps to leave.

His gut was pitching a fit that something was definitely going down and he didn’t want her anywhere around it. Did he have any grounds for trying to get her to leave? No, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying.

Words were his worst ammunition so as she took a step to pass him, Dingo caught her around the waist and swung her around, pinning her back to a full-length mirror.

Eyes wide and blinking, she said, “Are you crazy?”

Evidently.

“Let me go.”

He wished to hell he could. “Not yet. I want you to listen to me just once, dammit.” Where was the calm and control that got him through every situation? It shattered in the face of anything happening to Valene.

She snapped, “This is ridiculous. I warned you once. I’m putting a restraining order on you tomorrow.”

“Dammit, Valene, I’m not stalking you and you know it.”

She leaned in, nose-to-nose, and clutching his biceps with sharp fingernails. “Really? Showing up unexpectedly yesterday. Breaking into my apartment last night. Now I see you at an event I’m attending. I think the police would side with me.”

“Do it and I’ll drag you away to a safe house before I call my team to get me out of lockup.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“You know I would.”

She sucked in and breathed out harsh breaths. All that lung action put her girls on display, but Dingo was not looking down no matter how much his DNA demanded he show them some appreciation.

When she started trembling, he took stock of her and realized she wasn’t intimidated, not in the least. She snarled, “If I didn’t have to walk out of here looking fresh, I’d kick your ass all the way across this room.”

Ah, hell.

She used to threaten to kick his ass on a regular basis and finally admitted it was because she missed him.

Hearing that shot lust straight to his groin. The last time she’d yelled those words at him, they’d made love for six hours straight.

Dingo kissed her, really kissed her and then some.

She dug her fingers in.

He grunted at the pain. Bring it. Because she was digging in to pull him close. She kissed him right back, reaching up to grab a fistful of his hair, holding on for the wild ride any kiss between them turned into.

His hands found their way to her breasts and he made up for lost time with the girls, rubbing his thumbs across the sheer material barely covering the hard tips.

“I’m wet,” slipped from her lips when she took a breath.

“I miss that. Miss you. Everything.” The words were out before he knew he’d said them.

She stopped kissing and let go of his biceps.

His dick was shouting, “
What?”

But his brain knew she’d stepped over some line she’d drawn since he’d left her last night, and she had not intended to cross that line again.

He lowered his forehead to hers, lungs begging for air, and moved his hands to her arms. “I’ll make you a deal,” he said, finally conceding that he was getting nowhere by pushing her for answers. “Tell me what you’re doing for Charlie and I’ll leave you alone.”

“No.”

Dingo couldn’t tell her what he’d found out on Charlie, because if he did manage to convince her that Charlie might be dealing in illegal antiquities, Valene would confront Charlie. That could end with either Valene being harmed or Charlie getting away, which would send Sabrina over the edge.

No good choices.

“Let’s get one thing straight, Dingo,” Valene told him, sliding sideways to get away. “I signed a nondisclosure agreement that I’m not breaking for you or anyone else. That should end this conversation.”

Dingo took a stab in the dark, arranging his question so that he didn’t reveal intel. “How have you vetted your projects with Charlie to be sure you’re not looking for something stolen?”

She went rigid and shut down, quick to answer, “I’m not and I’m insulted you think I don’t do my homework.”

In the past, she would have considered that her client might be doing something illegal. She’d have started pumping Dingo for information, even if she wasn’t going to share what she was looking for. But not this time.

Why was Valene stressed and shading the truth?

It wasn’t out of fear over what he’d think or say. She’d never been afraid or cautious around Dingo. Never hesitated to get up in his face and give him what for, which he’d loved about her.

He didn’t intimidate her.

He never wanted to.

But something, or someone, had his rambunctious beauty acting as if she were operating under a microscope.

Had to be the money.

“I hate fighting with you, Val,” he told her and stroked his fingers along her face, trying to calm her. Maybe to calm him, too. He’d missed touching her so damn much, that just standing this close shook his body to the core.

She closed her eyes. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Doing what?” He lifted his head so he could see her and try to figure out what she was hiding.

His radio clicked twice.

That would be Tanner signaling him to head back.

She shook her head and opened her eyes. “I have to go. I’m here on business. I can’t waste this opportunity.”

Fuck it. Her showing up here meant Dingo was taking a bigger risk by
not
telling her about the new Satan’s Garden Club. And if he was straight with her, she’d be more open to talking with him about this client. She’d never hidden anything in the past, not back when she’d have welcomed Dingo’s input.

But she was protecting someone and he had to find out if it was Charlie. He had to figure out whether Valene either suspected, or knew, that Charlie was dirty. Dingo said, “Neither one of us has time for this now. Let’s meet later.”

~*~

Valene had to take her eyes off Dingo’s mouth.

Actually, she had to mentally block out what he’d done to her last night with that mouth.

Dingo stepped away, “Did you hear me?”

No, she was too busy thinking about finishing what he’d started. “What?”

“I said, let’s meet later.”

“Why?” Meet Dingo? Bad idea because clothes would come off and she’d regret having opened herself up to a level of pain she wouldn’t survive again.

His face gave up nothing. Classic Dingo. He said, “Because you want answers, right? You’ll get them, but I have to get back to the event, too.” 

Should she believe what he said? That he’d give her answers? “Uhm...”

“Yes or no, Val.”

Who was she kidding? “Yes. Where? When?”

“The cove. Midnight.”

He
would
pick what used to be their spot at El Matador Beach, where they’d watched sunsets blaze over the Pacific and made love to the sound of the ocean crashing against huge rock formations. One of her all time favorite LA locations.

Meeting him was probably a mistake, but she’d been born with an insatiable curiosity that had gone into overdrive around him before and was even stronger now. “Fine. But come prepared to answer my questions first. Don’t be late or you’ll miss me.” She walked out ahead of him.

“I miss you already,” he muttered.

She heard him, and the longing in that one sentence had her wanting to turn around and jump into his arms. To hear him say he couldn’t live without her. That she was his world and all he’d ever want.

Dream on, Eklund
. She kept moving toward the event, sounds of conversation and music growing louder as she reached the garden area.

When Dingo didn’t pass by her as she’d expected once she was outside, she looked around and he was gone.

Maybe he didn’t want to be seen with her.

That stung, even if she had been concerned about him talking to her in public.

Valene snagged a glass of champagne and strolled around to keep from being conspicuous by standing in one spot. When she recognized a former client she’d heard had recently contracted with Aram, she smiled politely.