plate. They seemed a lot more appetizing when I ordered them. Of course that was before they were delivered by my own personal spawn of Satan. Admittedly I may have been exaggerating the perceived evil of the man sitting across from me. The problem was that Dominic Caldwell both scared and unsettled me. I firmly believed in the benefits of civilization. Everybody is supposed to work within the rules of the law. Dominic has his own interpretation of what those laws are and how they apply to him. Usually they don’t. I had been made acutely aware of this when I found myself arguing the strict definition of what a kidnapping actually was. I picked up the burger and took a bite out of it. If I was going to be kidnapped again I may as well have it happen when I had a full stomach. Dominic watched me quietly as I ate the burger. The silence seemed to stretch out uncomfortably and I could feel my entire body tensing up. Finishing the burger I wiped my hands with the napkin and sat back. “What do you want Dominic?” I was pleased that my voice didn’t shake. “ Just a chat,” said Dominic. “I have so missed our chats.” I hadn’t. I was quite happy with a life that did not include chats with Dominic Caldwell. “What exactly did you want to chat about?” I asked. “I wouldn’t have believed my thoughts on any topic would be relevant to you.” “ Oh Trudie,” said Dominic. “I thought I had made myself clear that I treasure the time we have together. I find your insights into certain matters to be invaluable.” “ And what insights are you looking for at the moment?” I asked, because there was no way that I was ever going to believe that this meeting between the two of us was coincidental. Even I’m not that unlucky. Dominic sighed. “I believe that you found Hamish Pollard’s body.” I nodded wondering why that would mean anything to Dominic. “Mr Pollard and I had a business relationship.” “What kind of business relationship?” I asked. “ Mr Pollard was a frequent customer at several of my establishments” said Dominic. That explained it. From what little I knew about Dominic he owned several casinos in Las Vegas. Considering the level of interest shown in him by both local and federal law enforcement agencies, I am sure there was far more to his empire but I was only aware of this small area. “ I’m guessing he owed you money,” I said. “ As usual your insight astounds me,” said Dominic. I was confused. “What are you doing here Dominic?” I asked. “Whatever Hammy owed you could not possibly be worth you coming to LA yourself and chasing up the money.” Dominic smiled. “You are correct or course. I would usually not be dealing with this issue myself but I heard of your involvement and it did pique my interest.” I did not want to pique his interest. I had never wanted to pique his interest. Dominic Caldwell was a handsome, rich and powerful man, but he had a way of doing business which was slightly left of completely legal. All of a sudden I had a very frightening thought. “ You haven’t sent one of your colleagues to talk to Denise Pollard have you?” I asked, the dismay obvious in my voice. I had met two of Dominic’s colleagues. The first one stuck a needle in my neck, rendering me unconscious for nine hours. The second kidnapped me from a drugstore. I started to get out of the booth. Dominic placed a hand over mine on the table, effectively trapping me in place. “Where do you think you are going?” he asked quietly. “ I’m going to rescue Denise from whatever thug you sent after her.” “ Mrs Pollard is in safe hands. My colleague has been informed that he is to treat her with the utmost respect. My instructions were made very clear in this regard,” Dominic said. I stayed standing. “I don’t have the greatest confidence in your communication skills.” Dominic smiled. “I do like you.” I wasn’t particularly fond of that