Lib Novel Page 64
He leaned closer and looked down at her outfit. He had almost called off the entire operation. The tight black knit halter-top dipped low between her breasts.
“Eyes up here, Sean,” she said.
He looked up with what he hoped was an angelic smile. “Besides. I know one woman who likes to play a little, and she is definitely bold.”
Her lips twitched. “Yeah?”
Randy shared a smile with Sean and scooted closer to Jaime. “Yeah, definitely.”
The waitress returned with the drink order, and they spent their time watching some of the scenarios. If he hadn’t been so on edge about the situation, they would not have lasted long. They did their best to pretend to be interested in the performances for the night, but his gut was telling him there was something very, very wrong. It seemed like something in their plan was off.
“I have to go to the bathroom.”
Jaime did not like the idea. It was easy to see from her reaction. She frowned at him and opened her mouth to argue.
Randy leaned closer and she snapped her mouth shut. He tossed him a thankful glance, then headed toward the bathroom. He was stopped three times before he could make it to the hallway that lead to the back.
“Mr. Kaheaku,” someone said from behind him. He turned but someone stepped up and zapped him. A force of electricity coursed through his body as he staggered. Pain filtered through him, and every nerve ending in his body felt as if it were on fire.
He blinked as his vision wavered. His attacker was wearing a leather mask, so there was no way he could make out who he was. The man said nothing else, but he held up a phone. There was a video of Lassiter, strapped to a chair, his usually styled hair a mess and his face beaten and bruised. Blood stained his shirt, and he looked like he had lost a few pounds.
“Mr. Lassiter sends his regards.”
“Sean, don’t listen to them. They only want to get you here to kill you,” Lassiter said. “Get Jaime to safety.”
It was then Sean realized it was real time and not a video.
For his troubles, Lassiter was given a right hook by whomever held him captive.
“Stop. I’ll go.”
He stepped forward, but his attacker shook his head. Sean opened his mouth to argue, but he was hit with the stun gun again, and everything went black.
Twenty-seven
Jaime had to fight the urge to follow Sean when he left. Randy had been giving her worried glances, and she didn’t blame him. She hadn’t been this nervous about anything since she first picked her first pocket. To make matters worse, the crowd seemed to swell with each passing moment. It made sense. It was high tourist season, and it was a weekend. Rough ‘n Ready was the only club in Honolulu. They had to be crazy to think this was a good idea.
She took a sip of her water and started to watch the clock. Five minutes since he had disappeared, and she was ready to crawl the walls. Everything was irritating her, including Randy.
“Settle down. He’ll be back in a second,” he told her as he sipped his water.
“You always just want to let things go.”
“Of course, and you and Sean are the planners. Makes things easier.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but she saw Micah making his way through the crowd. The look on his face left her blood cold. He was watching the crowd like he was looking for an attack. He was always a man of few words, and he always seemed to be on guard. But tonight, there was something different in the way he looked around the club.
“We have a situation. Come on,” he said, not waiting for them to comment. She slid out of the booth and followed him to the back of the club and up to the office. It was hard to keep up with his long strides, and people kept trying to stop them to chat. Randy set his hand in the small of her back and guided her through the crowd.
When they reached the top of the stairs and stepped into the room, she was stunned. She had expected a small room with some monitors. She did not expect all the cool colors or the fabulous sofa. Of course, that probably had more to do with Dee than Micah.
A stern-looking man was there, along with another man, who looked vaguely familiar. They sat in front of several monitors and seemed to be going over footage from the club. If her blood was cold before, it was iced over now.
“Jaime and Randy, meet Conner Dillon and Devon Stryker.”
Of course the second man looked familiar. He was one of the richest men in the world, along with being married to the infamous Ali—the woman from Sean’s past who did not like Jaime. Both men nodded, but did not look away from their duty.
“Ross, I think they took him out that side door. I told you to get rid of that,” Dillon said. She knew of him because their professional world was small. He was also former FBI, and someone she not only respected but also admired.