Gian’s burner phone rang, wrenching his mind from its obsession about the stupid ledger that was firmly in the hands of law enforcement. He jumped, dug the device from his breast pocket, and cursed as he brought the small device to his ear. “Yeah.”
“I got you a gift.” His uncle’s gravelly voice sounded pleased.
“What’s that?”
“You’ll need a pen.”
“Gimme a second.” He opened the top drawer of his desk and tugged out sticky notes with the casino’s logo on them, along with his favorite Montblanc.
“Go to this email, but only if you’re on a secure connection.” Uncle Dino rattled off an address and the password.
“What will I find?”
The old codger chuckled in his ear. “You’ll see. And you’re welcome, nipote.”
With that, his uncle hung up.
They always tried to keep their calls short and to the point, but ghosting with no info was a bit ridiculous. Gian had never been a fan of riddles, either. He was too impatient.
He cursed as he unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk and tugged out an iPad he kept there, because it wasn’t safe to keep in the penthouse. Elise didn’t know about it, and it was encrypted, complete with its very own internet connection; one separate from the casino’s.
It only took a few touches of the screen to pull up the email Uncle Dino had directed him to.
There were two unread messages, and the ‘from address’ was listed as ‘unknown sender.’ Both emails had no subject.
Curiosity got the best of him, and he opened the first one. The text was short and sweet and didn’t have a signature, any more than the specific sender.
US Marshal running the taskforce.
Gian opened the attachments, which were a series of photographs of a fair-haired woman. One had to be a driver’s license or work ID picture, with the standard blue background and not much of a smile.
Other shots were of her in what appeared to be a conference room, and another of her crossing a populated street with a takeout coffee cup in hand.
Several depicted a badge around her neck on a chain, and a gun holstered at her hip, but she was dressed mostly in khakis and dark long-sleeved button-downs.
The woman was really pretty, probably in her early thirties, with wavy, honey-colored hair kissing her shoulders. Most of the shots had her locks bound in a ponytail, and in only a few she wore it free.
The close-up shot revealed hazel eyes, a heart-shaped face, and a full mouth that could do some damage to the right man.
The last two pictures showed her holding the hand of a small dark-haired boy. A third person stood beside them, a younger woman with blonde hair a few shades lighter than the marshal.
Was the kid hers? Who was the girl?
The shot was from a distance, so it was hard to judge age on either additional party, but if she had people she cared about, and he could identify them, it could help in the long run.
None of the images had been taken in Vegas. He recognized downtown Chicago. He’d know the city he’d grown up in from any distance. Knew those streets like the back of his hand.
So the cat chasing his mouse was from Chi-town?
Pity he’d never run into her before. Blonde was his type, after all.
Gian opened the second email. The little paperclip indicated another attachment.
When he touched the icon, a PDF opened instead of a picture. “Madison Granger, huh?” he whispered, and kept reading. “Senior Investigator, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Department.”
The document was a complete dossier, including her residential address and ID for the two others in the photos.
The kid was her son, Jake, and the girl, her sister, Jamie.
Her address was local.
Google told him it was an apartment building off the strip, but only a ten minute drive.
“Thank you, Uncle Dino.” He grabbed his miraculously re-located cellphone and snapped a photo of the dossier and two of the photos before stowing the iPad and locking the drawer.
He probably shouldn’t do it on his regular phone, but it wasn’t like the device wasn’t password protected, and the burner phone had a shitty camera. On his iPhone, he could zoom if he wanted to reread the marshal’s stats.
His uncle had done his homework, but that info packet on Marshal Granger was definitely not from a PI, or the like. Uncle Dino had mentioned everyone had a price, and it looked like that held as truth.
Be it FBI or the Marshal’s Service, someone from the inside had provided the information, and perhaps the pictures of the woman trying to catch him laundering money.
Well, she wasn’t going to succeed, because he was too smart to get caught, and now…well, he could turn the tables on her.
Oh, the things he could do with these details.
Gian leaned back in his chair, grinning.
“Knock, knock,” Elise called from his open door. “It’s nice to see you smiling. Get good news or somethin’? I could use some about now.”
“Just thinking about you, tesoro.”
His fiancée cocked her head to one side, as if trying to decide whether or not to believe him, but her answering smile was sweet. “That’s better than worrying, I suppose.” She sauntered into his office and plopped in the single chair on the other side of his desk.
Sitting hiked her already-short black skirt mid-thigh, and his mind went to the forbidden. They hadn’t had sex in forever. Her mind had been on the investigation, and he hadn’t been able to convince her to relax enough to let him inside her.
For the first time since he’d been with her, Gian was tempted to get laid elsewhere.
He was stressed, too. Needed a release his hand couldn’t satisfy. Maybe he’d give her one more chance before he did something ‘drastic.’
It wouldn’t take much effort. He could order an escort; there were even some girls that worked The Giovanni, but something was holding him back.
Funny, his relationship with Elise Giovanni wasn’t real, despite his intention to go through with the marriage, but with past girlfriends, genuine ones, he’d never been faithful.
Sex with one woman had been a foreign concept. He’d only been with Elise since he’d been in Vegas. Nine months. One pussy.
It was a wonder he’d not grown tired of her, but she was sensual and responsive, and it kept his blood at a constant simmer. A constant want. He could barely keep his hands to himself.
“What’s up?” he asked, to distract himself from stupid ideas, along with a half-hard cock.
“Did you finish compiling the finance reports Paul’s team wanted?” She smiled again, as if to let him know her question wasn’t really a demand, but it was.
“Sure did. I was about to get them from the printer and bring them to the conference room. Are they still in there?”
“They should just be getting back from lunch. Did you eat?” Elise’s brows drew tight, her instant concern on him.
“I’m fine, baby. I was hoping you and I could grab dinner together later. Let me take you out on a date.”
She frowned. “Oh, I dunno, there’s so much to do—”
Gian leaned across his desk and grabbed her hand. “You need to get your mind off things. Let me help.”
Let me in your bed again. In your body.
He seriously needed to get laid.
Her expression softened. “You’ve already helped so much over the past few days. If I didn’t have you by my side, I wouldn’t be able to handle this stuff. Seriously.”
He forced a smile. “Happy to help. But I want to help you on a more personal level.” Gian waggled his eyebrows and was pleased when she managed a small laugh. “Let me pamper you, tesoro.”
“The past three days have been hell,” she mused. Elise let out a little sigh, but her smile widened. “I suppose I could do with some pampering.”
He’d won. Gian told himself this was all about getting laid, but he loved that look on her face. In his direction.
Adoration.
“Well, I don’t call you my treasure for nothin’,” he teased. “You have standards to maintain. You need shined and buffed once in a while.”
His fiancée rolled her eyes, but her delectable mouth was still curved up. “Thanks, Marco, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Don’t think on it. It’s not a possibility.” He kissed the back of her hand. “You’re holding up wonderfully. Running this place, and dealing with this investigation. No one can tell how stressed you are. You’re a queen, really.”
Her obvious relief sagged her shoulders and lifted her gorgeous tits with a large audible inhale. “Oh, good. I’m falling apart. I still haven’t been able to tell my dad what’s going on. I just can’t. The doctors have him stable and say no stress. This wouldn’t help at all, and he can’t do anything anyways. Dom and Sam are as pissed at Gio, as am I.”
“Have you talked to him yet?” Gian was dying to have her ask her cop brother about the ledger, but he couldn’t justify why he’d want to know something that was none of his concern. How the hell had they found it so easily when he’d searched several times and managed a whole lotta nothin’?
She’d said it had been in Big Tony’s office.
Damn, he wished he could’ve seen it just once.
Elise frowned again, and it was full of sadness. “No. Paul still thinks no contact is better for now. I don’t really know what I’d say to him anyway. Dad always worried Gio’s career choice would come between the family, and…” She shrugged. “I guess he was right. For something we’re not even guilty of. Dad would be heartbroken. Will be, when I finally break down and tell him.”
Why did Big Tony worry about having a son in law enforcement? Maybe he hadn’t forgotten his roots after all? Had he really been running a completely clean business all these years?
Gian couldn’t remark on it, of course, but it certainly gave him things to ponder. From what he’d understood, Big Tony’s falling out with his eldest son had been years ago, not long after his wife’s passing. Had it been because he was a cop?
His fiancée had never been decisive in her explanations. It was another thing he couldn’t ask for clarification on.
Elise sighed and rested her head on the back of the chair, staring up at the ceiling for a few seconds.
Again, he was struck with that odd urge to comfort her.
He wheeled his chair closer, around the side of his desk so he could grab both her hands. “Hey.”
She met his eyes and seemed so damn sad it almost slayed him.
Gian cursed and plastered on what he hoped was a soft smile. “It’ll be okay. Why don’t you grab those reports, and I’ll meet you in the conference room in a few? I have a call I need to make.”
“Everything okay?” she asked, her fair brows drawn all over again.
He nodded. “Nothing concerning here. Are you guys getting anywhere on the financials?”
Frustration settled in her expression. “They’re supposed to be freaking forensic accountants and they say nothing stands out. But they’re determined to figure out what the feds saw. Paul says there has to be an explanation.”
Of course there was.
The files he’d provided them were all legit. He’d also removed several hard drives—the ones with his real records on them—from the boxes when they’d been delivered from the off-site server warehouse, and snatched the manifest.
He’d reported that he’d checked all the items off, and every record was accounted for. No one questioned him, and why would they? No matter how good Paul Allemand’s team was, there was nothing to find on what he’d given them. Gian had white-washed the accounts, and controlled what he’d released.
It was a damn good thing his fiancée had put him in charge of that facet of the exoneration investigation.
He was a good little helper.
“Don’t stress about it.” He squeezed her hands. “These guys are the best, and these things take time. Poring over financials, line by line is tedious, too.”
She blew out air and puffed her bottom lip out. “I know you’re right, but the feds got a head start. It’s a matter of time before arrest warrants are issued.”
Gian shook her head and kissed her knuckles. “That’s a worry for another day.”
Elise frowned. “Is it? I’m implicated in this. I run accounting. My dad has cancer. We both could see the inside of a cell if there are indictments. I’m scared shitless, to be honest. We’re innocent.”
He stood and tugged her into his arms. “I promise that will never happen, tesoro. The feds have bigger fish to fry than a sick old man.”
“What about me?” she whispered in a very small voice. Her arms, which had been around him, fell to her sides. She deflated.
He met her eyes. “That’s why we pay Paul Allemand the big bucks.”
She nodded, but gnawed on her bottom lip.
“Let me make my call, and I’ll be there to help the team, okay?” he said.
Again, his fiancée nodded, and when they parted, he bumped the edge of his desk. His phone tumbled to the hardwood with a thunk.
They went for it at the same time, and Elise enclosed her hand around it first.
The screen lit up, displaying the last thing he’d accessed.
“Why do you have a picture of Maddie?” She cocked her head to one side, one fair eyebrow arched.
Damn phone.
Why hadn’t it locked, like normal? It should’ve needed his face to access it.
“Maddie?” he asked.
“She’s the marshal that served the warrant.” Elise’s expression darkened.
“Exactly,” Gian said.
“What?”
“I asked Security to get me her picture, so I could recognize her if she comes back. She’s the leader of the taskforce, is she not?”
He read the acceptance in her dark eyes, and he thanked God—or maybe the devil—he was a good liar.
“Senior Inspector Madison Granger,” he mused with a purpose—a fishing expedition. “You called her ‘Maddie’. Do you know her?”
“That bitch.”
He had to hide a smile. She was so damn fiery and he…loved that about her.
Gian pasted on an expression of appropriate offense. “Such harsh words, tesoro.” It was really difficult not to grin in appreciation.
“She’s earned it. I knew her years ago, when I was still in college. We were close, but I guess none of that mattered. She doesn’t know the meaning of the word, ‘loyalty’. She also used to date my brother, and left him without a backward glance. He was devastated. She can go to hell. This crap is all her fault. Even if we were still friends, we’re not any more. I will never forgive her for this. As Dad would say, she’s dead to me.” Elise gestured around his office, but he knew she’d meant the whole casino.
“Which brother?”
“Gio.”
Interesting.
He sucked back another smile, and leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. “I won’t be too long. The reports are on the big copier.”
She nodded and departed.
Gian pulled up Marshal Granger’s dossier on his phone, zooming in to read it again. She had a few commendations in her file, and she’d been with the Marshal’s Service for almost eleven years. He had to give it to whoever his uncle had paid; the info was thorough and helpful.
Gian swiped over to the first photo he’d saved, and his fiancée had inadvertently seen. Although he’d had to do some quick thinking, he was grateful she’d seen it.
He’d learned something that would add fuel to his fire. More leverage.
Madison Granger wasn’t looking at the camera, but her profile was gorgeous. He could see her appeal, and no doubt Elise’s brother had enjoyed hitting that, if they’d, “dated.”
Had they reunited since she was back in town?
Gian totally would’ve, if he was Gio. Maybe he could implement a double, ‘fuck you,’ instead of just one. He grinned and spun around in the executive computer chair like a little kid.
When he faced the desk again, he woke his desktop PC up with a click of the mouse and went to Google. He pulled up the number he needed and reached for the phone next to his keyboard.
This was an official call, so there was no need to do it from his cell, or his burner phone.
“Las Vegas Metro Police Department, how may I help you?” A female asked after a couple of rings.
“Hi there, I need to speak to Detective Nico Giovanni’s supervisor. I have to a report a serious conflict of interest.”