Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

T he blonde at the bar was breathtaking. And funny. And she didn’t put up with bullshit. JT was a huge fan of that exact combination in a woman.

He would’ve asked her name, but learning she was there with Spaulding changed things. He had no problem moving in on another man’s obviously miserable date, but if he did it to Spaulding, he’d have a problem with HR. And Ed Drake.

“So, what’s the deal?” Lee asked. “Who’s she here with?”

“Fucking Spaulding.”

“Well, damn. That complicates things.”

Lee knew about JT’s issues with Ed Drake. As his former stepbrother, he knew all the players but had nothing to do with the company, which made him the perfect confidant. He hadn’t attended the formal dinner part of the evening because he said engineers gave him hives, but he’d shown up for the after-party to keep JT company.

Six years in, and JT was still working to earn the respect of the company’s top executives, who’d balked at him taking over as CEO when his dad was elected to the Senate, but in a privately held company, they didn’t have the votes to oust him. Not when Joseph Talon Sr. anointed him and forced his partner and minority share owner, Edward Drake, to support the decision.

Drake wasn’t happy, but he was a team player—when Senator Talon demanded it. Now he just worked to sabotage JT from the inside.

He was counting the days until the man retired. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be anytime soon.

He watched the blonde as she sipped her drink. Stunning didn’t begin to describe her. Blonde, blue-eyed, tall, and busty, she was a centerfold come to life. And from their short conversation at the bar, he knew there was more to her than gorgeous face and body.

Of course, her taste in dates wasn’t a ringing endorsement of her intelligence, but he was the guy who’d hired the prick four years ago, so he couldn’t judge. Spaulding made a good first impression.

The foolish but lucky man stepped into the arched doorway for the private party, and JT leaned toward Lee. “That’s him. Spaulding.”

Russ Spaulding scanned the dance floor, probably looking for his date. There were only a half dozen couples dancing, making it easy to see that the tall blonde was not among them. Finally, Spaulding spotted her on the far side of the room and made his way toward her.

JT had hoped to give the woman a ride home, but it looked like she wouldn’t have to rely on the kindness of strangers.

He should have given her his card, but he’d been stupidly hesitant to be so heavy-handed. Plus, he’d liked the idea that she had no clue who he was.

These days, everyone wanted a piece of him—either because he was a senator’s son, or because he was CEO of an international engineering firm with a net income of over 200 million dollars for the previous fiscal year. And he was only thirty-one years old.

Sure, nepotism got him on the fast track, but he had an engineering degree, and it was under his management that the number of active projects had increased by forty-six percent in the last six years, and the average budgets for those projects had increased by twenty-seven percent.

Spaulding and the blonde spoke by the bar. JT was pretty sure she was asking for a ride home, but the guy ordered a cocktail, and they moved to a table ten feet from where JT and Lee sat. The blonde placed her drink on the table and headed for the casino floor.

For a moment, he thought she was leaving, but then she turned toward the corridor for the restrooms. She’d be back. Maybe he’d have a chance to get her number after she ditched her dumbass date.

He turned his focus to the engineer whose gaze also followed the blonde. The moment she was out of sight, he picked up her drink and took a sip.

JT had a view of his profile and saw Spaulding smile as he set it down, then reached into the inside of his suit jacket. JT couldn’t see anything in his hand, but he definitely saw the guy’s hand hover over her drink for a second. Then he put the drink back in the spot where she’d left it. His hand disappeared into his pocket again.

“Motherfucker,” Lee whispered.

“He’s so fucking fired. Right after he gets arrested.” JT kept his gaze on the drugged drink as he spoke to Lee. “There should be a plainclothes security guard at the edge of the casino floor by the entrance to the steakhouse. If he’s not there, get one in uniform.”

Lee rose. “On it.”

JT was grateful to have Lee here. This way, he could keep an eye on Russ Spaulding and the drink, ready to move should the blonde return.

Internally, he seethed. He wanted to take the bastard out with violence, not the law.

Minutes ticked by. Lee returned with the plainclothes guard before the woman reappeared. He and the guard took a position on the far side of the table, appearing to be chatting casually as they watched the couples on the dance floor, keeping an eye on Spaulding with peripheral vision.

For his part, Spaulding appeared oblivious to the attention he was getting.

Lee typed a message on his BlackBerry, and JT pulled his out to see what Lee had to say.

Received: Tribal police are in the hall, ready to move in. They have a digital camera and will record when the blonde returns.

This was about to get ugly. JT felt sweat dot his brow. He’d seen hand motions, nothing more. What if the drink wasn’t drugged?

No. He knew what he saw.

At last, the blonde returned. JT’s stomach clenched at what would’ve happened next if he and Lee hadn’t seen Spaulding slip the drug into the drink.

She didn’t smile as she took her seat next to the prick. JT rose and took a step toward them, ready to stop her from taking a sip, but he knew they needed to let the scene play for a moment if they wanted more evidence for prosecution.

The song that was playing ended and a short break was announced. Security must have talked to the DJ. He hoped that meant the camera wouldn’t have a problem recording Spaulding and the blonde’s conversation.

“Bummer,” Spaulding said. “I was looking forward to dancing with you.”

“And I said I’m too tired to dance.”

“Ah. Don’t be that way, babe. We can still have fun tonight.”

“I want to go home. I need to study.”

“It’s winter break. Relax.”

“I need to start in on next semester’s reading.”

“I hardly think there’s going to be a major development in theoretical physics in the next few weeks.”

She was studying theoretical physics? The woman must be wildly smart. And this prick intended to drug that beautiful brain? His hand curled into a fist. Bringing the cops in was the right thing to do, but JT sure wished he could break Spaulding’s face first.

He pulled out the BlackBerry again and moved slowly, as if he were heading to the bar while reading. He was a mere three feet away when Spaulding picked up his drink and held it out to the blonde in a toast. “To second chances.”

“I don’t give second chances.” Her voice was silky smooth. Not intentionally sexy, but alluring, nonetheless.

JT stopped and stared at the BlackBerry as if he’d just gotten a long email he needed to read.

“Fine. I’ll take you home after you finish your drink.”

“You aren’t taking me home.”

“So you’re staying at the hotel with me tonight?”

“Not a light wave’s chance in a supermassive black hole.”

“Oh. It’s sexy when you talk about things being supermassive.”

She snorted. “Just give me money for a cab, Russ.”

Spaulding took a drink as he nodded to hers, which she hadn’t touched. She let out a sigh of impatience and raised the glass.

JT stepped forward and touched her wrist, stopping the glass’s trajectory to her mouth. “What are you drinking?” he asked.

She startled, looking at him like he was nuts. She pointed to the sprig of fresh mint. “A mojito.” Her tone conveyed the unsaid word, dumbass .

He smiled. “The Cuban drink? Is it any good?”

Spaulding frowned but didn’t appear fazed. “I’m sure the bartender can make you your own.”

“But I want to try this one first.”

Spaulding’s eyes widened. The blonde looked confused.

JT gave Russ Spaulding a feral grin. “Or better yet, why don’t you drink it, Russ? I’ll get the lady a fresh drink.”

Spaulding bolted to his feet, causing his chair to tip over. His hand swiped toward the drink, but JT was faster. He took the drink from the blonde’s hand, spilling only a little before he had the glass pressed to Spaulding’s lips, his hand at the back of his head. “Drink up, Russ.”

Spaulding kept his mouth tightly shut as first the security guard, then the cops moved in. Spaulding managed to spill a bit more of the liquid, right before his hands were cuffed behind his back, but JT figured there was enough residue in the glass and the container the cops pulled from his inside pocket to convince a prosecutor to file charges.

With what they got here, it should be easy to get a search warrant for Spaulding’s home, where, odds were, more drugs would be found.

“What does it look like?” JT asked the cop who’d searched Russ Spaulding, then read him his rights.

“My guess? GHB,” the cop said. He turned toward the blonde. “You’re lucky these two spotted your drink being spiked. We need you to make a statement.”

The blonde, who’d watched everything unfold with shock on her face, turned to her date. “You put fucking gamma -Hydroxybutyric acid in my drink ? So you could drag me to your hotel room and RAPE ME ?”

The last two words were a full shout that garnered the attention of anyone in the room who hadn’t noticed the bust going down.

“They’re full of shit! I’m going to sue! The tribe. The casino. And Talon & Drake! This was a setup!”

“Then why wouldn’t you take a sip, Russ?” JT asked in a low voice. “Why was there a vial in your pocket? And why did you work so hard to pressure her to drink?”

The woman was magnificent, cheeks bright red, towering over Spaulding as he cowered. She pulled back a fist as if she were going to throw a punch, but as he braced for the blow, she kneed him in the balls.

He doubled over, unable to speak. Every officer looked away, calling out instructions for taking statements, making a show of not seeing a damn thing.