I shrugged. “Let the man decide.”
Captain Bellend looked irritated, but hid it behind a cool expression. “Now, I’m not exactly a novice. I’ve held my own before and walked out with more money than I had going in.”
“You know a table that would let me in?” I flipped the cards overs quickly before folding them back into the stack. “I’ve got the paper.”
“I might know a place.” His eyes studied me over the coffee cup. “I can make some calls.”
“Ugh. I don’t want to sit around in a dingy place filled with smoke while you take everyone’s money again.” Mavis leaned back and closed her eyes. “I’ll just stay in tonight and work. Ava, we’ll make calls to the Americans. We should get ahead while we can, I suppose.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ava closed the book in her lap and did a horribly perfect job of hiding her disappointment. “Excuse me, I need to use the ladies’ room.”
“Ah, of course.” The pilot stood up and motioned toward the head.
“Thanks.” She skirted past him, keeping her face down, but letting her body brush his.
It was surprisingly well executed. A damsel in distress. Which was hilarious when you considered how she had cussed and hollered at me when she really was running for her life.
“I feel bad, going back on my promise to show you Paris.” The captain sat down in Ava’s seat.
“I’m well used to Owen’s need to gamble.” Mavis waved a hand. “We’re here for business anyway. I’ll give my assistant tickets for the holidays.”
“Still, I might know a good place to visit that would appeal to all of you.” His smile was back in place. “It’s a real big deal in town, but I have to warn you, it’s not exactly government sanctioned.”
“That sounds like it’s exactly up our alley,” I said.
LEANING AGAINST THE railing of the Juliet balcony, I sighed. The Eiffel Tower glowed in the dimming light and I couldn’t stop looking around in awe. I was finally in Paris. I hadn’t been lying on the plane. I’d dreamed of visiting France from the time I was twelve.
Jasmine wrapped around the wrought iron railing and I took a deep breath. Tonight was a trip into the lion’s den, but I’d be damned if I could help enjoying this brief moment.
“Gold straps or pearl heels?” Mavis walked into the room from the spacious adjoining bathroom. She held up two pairs of shoes.
I pursed my lips. “Gold straps.”
“They’re definitely more eye catching.” She tossed them on the bed and put the other shoes back in the closet. “And on the plus side, blood washes off these with no problem.”
“I guess that’s something to consider.” I hoped my face didn’t show how I really felt about that tidbit of information. Instead I held up the slinky dress Mavis had suggested for tonight. “Are you sure this is the right one?”
“Trust me. You could be packing a bazooka in that thing and Captain Horny would never notice. He’ll be too busy checking out your ass and cleavage.” Mavis finished strapping on her last shoe. “He’s really not that bad. I’ve had to deal with much worse. One guy stuck his tongue in my ear while his wife watched. I would have killed him for free.”
She squirmed and rubbed at her ears while I tried to not laugh. “So you’d already been contracted to kill him?”
“Yes. The bastard had cheated on and beat his wife. After years of trying to have a baby, she got pregnant. She finally saw the light and tried to leave him, but he wasn’t having any of it. He pushed her down the stairs and she lost the baby. It was ugly and she almost died. He forgave her.” Mavis snorted before standing up and brushing the wrinkles out of the gold cocktail dress she was wearing. “Someone gave her my contact information. I accepted.”
“What a fuck-head.” I shook my head.
“Yeah, so at least Captain Randy hasn’t done anything so heinous.”
“No, he’s just busy chasing skirts and running from venereal diseases.” I frowned. “He’s like a used car salesman trying to park something dirty in my garage.”
Mavis’s deep laugh filled the room before she managed to get a grip. It was followed by a snort. She wiped her fingers under her eyes, careful to not smudge her makeup once she finished laughing.
“I thought Owen was going to encourage him to go sky diving without a chute,” I mused. He hadn’t said much to me since we’d arrived at Mavis’s place. The original plan had been to lay low at his place, but it made more sense to look like big wigs. He’d left pretty quickly with some explanation of trying to find backup.
“Don’t worry, dear. He’s not used to feeling jealous. It got to him.” She stood in front of the mirror and refreshed her makeup. “You’ve got to think about the world he lives in. He does what he thinks appropriate, even when that means killing someone. Watching someone grope the person you love isn’t easy. It would hit him harder than most people. Honestly I was coming up with a plan on how I’d explain the blood stain on the interior when you hugged Captain Horny. I thought for sure he was going to break the pilot’s neck.”
“I know.” I’d have been chewing on one of the plastic and wood tables to keep from killing a woman that rubbed all over Owen. The fire glowing in Owen’s eyes had been intense.
“You’ve got just over an hour before your used car salesman shows up,” Mavis said. “Go get changed and primp. You’re a bit ruffled.”