“Of course I would, but I don’t see any way. I don’t have the money that Eddie lost to Mr. Moreno, I have no way of getting it, any legal way that is, and I won’t take the money from anyone else. This ismyproblem to deal with. I don’t need help.”
“Well,Icould use a little help and you might be the right person to assist me.”
This was a big risk, asking her to help with the case. She could run back to Moreno and tell him about the undercover operation. Her background check was clean and Dave trusted her. The man was Miami PD and made it seem like she’d jump at the chance to get out of here. This stubborn streak might make it a little harder to convince her.
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“The Miami PD has been aware of Moreno’s illegal activities for a while now. My department recently got involved assisting in the investigation. Moreno does a lot of business by the pool at The Ocean Terrace Resort during the day and the owner isn’t thrilled about it. He’s providing the suite for the FBI to use. As for the club, apparently Moreno does business during the card games in the back room at night. You seem to walk in and out easily. That could help us.”
She stayed silent for a few moments, her eyes showing she was far from being convinced. “What do I get out of this? Mr. Moreno is dangerous. He pushes people around for his own enjoyment. He broke Eddie’s hand simply for mouthing off.”
“Which is why we need to get him off the streets. Too many people hurt or worse from all his illegal activities. You stay in that back room for a half hour or more at times. Do they ever discuss shipments or business?”
She nodded. “They talk business a lot, depending on who’s playing. I don’t pay much attention to it. I figure it’s better if I don’t know.”
“What is it you’re doing back there?”
Her face turned pink. Was she doing what he first suspected? She was desperate, but he hated to think of her in that scenario--although it shouldn’t matter to him as long as she helped his cause.
“Sitting and doodling.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Moreno and his buddies are lechers. They like to stare at my butt and legs. The customers in the club do too, but this way I get to lean against a stool and give my feet a rest.”
“Well, Margaret--”
“Meg,” she interrupted with a wry smile. “Back home, my friends call me Meg. My grandmother is the only one who calls me Margaret.”
He grinned. Maybe he was getting somewhere with her. “Meg, I’m not going to lie. It could be dangerous, but if you help us, it will put Moreno behind bars. You won’t owe him anything anymore. Once you testified, you’d be free to go home. What do you think?”
Emotions played across her face. Which one would win out? Determination blazed and she nodded confidently.
“You’d have to remember exactly what was said; names, dates, times and locations.”
She nodded again. “I could write it on a napkin. They’re used to seeing me doodle.”
“They couldn’t see what you were writing,” he warned. “You’re right. Moreno is dangerous. If he caught you spying--”
She visibly swallowed. “He’d kill me. I know that. But Mr. Moreno and his buddies don’t have a high opinion of women. They think they’re all stupid and only good for one thing. They wouldn’t realize one of their cocktail waitresses was smart enough to understand what they were talking about. As for taking notes, that’s the easy part. My mom taught me shorthand when I was in high school. My friends and I used to use it as a secret code. It looks like scribbles. I could add a few little pictures to it and they’d never know what I was writing.”
“That might work.” This plan was starting to come together. Now for the next step. “There is one other thing. You can’t stay here. This place is a pit and you’ll need an excuse to get me the information. You can move into the hotel suite with me.” His hand lifted to touch her bare arm.
Meg’s face grew tight as she shook him off. Oops, wrong move. Her eyes narrowed and she ground out, “No way. I’d do almost anything to get away from this crappy life, but I’m no sleazy tramp that’ll jump in your bed to keep you satisfied. My actions and clothes may be suspect but if I had no morals the way you think, I would have taken Moreno up on his offers. You can forget it. That part of me isnotfor sale.”
He chuckled at her feisty little diatribe. He liked that she wouldn’t bend her morals or scruples to make her situation better. It reinforced his idea that he could trust her to keep his secret, and help put Moreno away for good.
“Meg,” he said softly, trying to calm the rising storm. “It would be perfectly respectable. The suite is huge. You’d take the bedroom and I’d sleep on the couch in the living room. Wewouldhave to maintain a cover story that we’re a couple, but I promise, you’ll be safe and respected. It would be extremely unprofessional of me to sleep with an informant.”
“An informant?” She looked curious. “That’s what I would be?”
“Yes, and if you were still living here, I’d worry about you too much. It’s not safe.”
“I’ve been fine for a year and a half by myself,” she defended. “How do I know you’re actually FBI? That badge could be fake.”
He pulled out his cell phone and handed it to her. “Call information and get the number for the Baltimore field office of the FBI. Somebody there will be able to vouch for me.”
Meg narrowed her eyes but pressed the buttons on his phone for information. She scribbled the number on a scrap of paper then dialed it. He gave her an extension to use.
“A man claiming to be Agent Christopher Shaunessy is here with me right now,” she told the person who answered. “He says you can vouch for him.”
She listened for a second then handed the phone to him. “She wants to talk to you.”
