worse than death for a man like Alistair.
The light on the mini-drive went green indicating that the download was complete and Jake unplugged the drive and glanced at his watch. Less than five minutes. So long as he headed back now and no one had needed the john, he should be in the clear.
He made to stand but a movement in his periphery caught his attention, and he froze in place. Maybe one of the dogs roaming the grounds?
Motionless but for the turning of his head, he peered out the massive window, every nerve-ending firing off at once as his brain processed what he was seeing.
Twenty yards away, kneeling beside a neat row of azaleas was Sadie Van Bergen, Waitress/Countess of Bavaria. This time, she was dressed as a stocky maid, but even crouching, that dancer’s posture and swanlike neck were dead giveaways.
He stared, brain abuzz at this new turn of events. What the hell was she about? Nothing good, that much he knew, but that didn’t stop his heart from thrumming with a dual rush of adrenaline and anticipation. Which was bonkers because her presence meant one thing for sure.
She hadn’t given up on Alistair at all.
She’d just changed her plan of attack and was either about to rob him now, planning to rob him later, or already had and was on her way out.
Son of a bitch.
He watched as she looked around before scurrying across the lawn toward the back of the house and out of sight.
He stood and padded quickly out of the office and back toward the poker room, mind reeling. Sadie had definitely thrown a wrench in his works. Time to do some damage control.
"Good God, man, this place is bloody massive,” he said to Alistair as he stepped back into the room. “That bathroom is big enough to put a bed in it.”
Perfect thing to say apparently, because the peacock preened and strutted, making sure to share with the table exactly how many dollars the estate had set him back.
It was Jake’s own perverse sense of humor that made him delight in saying, "I do appreciate the meal and the game, but something I ate isn't sitting well with me, I'm afraid."
"I'm sure it was nothing you were served here," Alistair muttered, looking at the other men for confirmation. They all nodded like the bobble-headed suck-ups they were, but Jake raised his brows and lifted one shoulder in a non-committal shrug.
"I can't say for sure, but the shrimp did taste a little off." He waved a hand like it didn't matter either way, and pushed the rest of his chips toward Alistair. "Either way, I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow. Hang on to these and just record my stake since I'll be back next week...if that's all right with you?"
He was down fifteen thousand dollars, and Alistair and the rest of the men were all in happy agreement to let him return for another week of losing.
Even if he never returned for it, fifteen thousand was a small price to pay in order to skip out early and make sure he didn't lose any of the ground he'd gained.
Because no matter how sexy, ballsy, or damned intriguing she was, he wasn’t about to let some Sadie take this from him.
* * *
S adie stared at the estate in the distance and peered at her watch once more. Ten fifty-three and, as expected, the last of the servants was long gone. She’d given herself more than enough time to ensure that none of them would come back for a forgotten cell phone or misplaced house keys.
She rose and grabbed the black leather satchel at her side, and scurried from the copse of trees she'd been hiding in to cross the expansive lawn. Alistair had two dogs, Gus and Lito according to their nametags, both of whom began to bark at the movement but quickly changed their tune when they caught her scent.
"Hey guys," she whispered as they ran in her direction. Didn't matter that they'd already run this drill twice. When two-hundred-pound Rottweiler’s came barreling at a body, it was hard not to get a little nervous. Her already pounding heart beat double-time until they slowed in
The light on the mini-drive went green indicating that the download was complete and Jake unplugged the drive and glanced at his watch. Less than five minutes. So long as he headed back now and no one had needed the john, he should be in the clear.
He made to stand but a movement in his periphery caught his attention, and he froze in place. Maybe one of the dogs roaming the grounds?
Motionless but for the turning of his head, he peered out the massive window, every nerve-ending firing off at once as his brain processed what he was seeing.
Twenty yards away, kneeling beside a neat row of azaleas was Sadie Van Bergen, Waitress/Countess of Bavaria. This time, she was dressed as a stocky maid, but even crouching, that dancer’s posture and swanlike neck were dead giveaways.
He stared, brain abuzz at this new turn of events. What the hell was she about? Nothing good, that much he knew, but that didn’t stop his heart from thrumming with a dual rush of adrenaline and anticipation. Which was bonkers because her presence meant one thing for sure.
She hadn’t given up on Alistair at all.
She’d just changed her plan of attack and was either about to rob him now, planning to rob him later, or already had and was on her way out.
Son of a bitch.
He watched as she looked around before scurrying across the lawn toward the back of the house and out of sight.
He stood and padded quickly out of the office and back toward the poker room, mind reeling. Sadie had definitely thrown a wrench in his works. Time to do some damage control.
"Good God, man, this place is bloody massive,” he said to Alistair as he stepped back into the room. “That bathroom is big enough to put a bed in it.”
Perfect thing to say apparently, because the peacock preened and strutted, making sure to share with the table exactly how many dollars the estate had set him back.
It was Jake’s own perverse sense of humor that made him delight in saying, "I do appreciate the meal and the game, but something I ate isn't sitting well with me, I'm afraid."
"I'm sure it was nothing you were served here," Alistair muttered, looking at the other men for confirmation. They all nodded like the bobble-headed suck-ups they were, but Jake raised his brows and lifted one shoulder in a non-committal shrug.
"I can't say for sure, but the shrimp did taste a little off." He waved a hand like it didn't matter either way, and pushed the rest of his chips toward Alistair. "Either way, I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow. Hang on to these and just record my stake since I'll be back next week...if that's all right with you?"
He was down fifteen thousand dollars, and Alistair and the rest of the men were all in happy agreement to let him return for another week of losing.
Even if he never returned for it, fifteen thousand was a small price to pay in order to skip out early and make sure he didn't lose any of the ground he'd gained.
Because no matter how sexy, ballsy, or damned intriguing she was, he wasn’t about to let some Sadie take this from him.
* * *
S adie stared at the estate in the distance and peered at her watch once more. Ten fifty-three and, as expected, the last of the servants was long gone. She’d given herself more than enough time to ensure that none of them would come back for a forgotten cell phone or misplaced house keys.
She rose and grabbed the black leather satchel at her side, and scurried from the copse of trees she'd been hiding in to cross the expansive lawn. Alistair had two dogs, Gus and Lito according to their nametags, both of whom began to bark at the movement but quickly changed their tune when they caught her scent.
"Hey guys," she whispered as they ran in her direction. Didn't matter that they'd already run this drill twice. When two-hundred-pound Rottweiler’s came barreling at a body, it was hard not to get a little nervous. Her already pounding heart beat double-time until they slowed in
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