Page 30 of When He Plays

Yes, she did. But… “I’m afraid that ship has sailed.” She eased closer to Jamar and the computer screen that showed Jezebel’s face and shoulders.

Jezebel glowered at her from the screen.

Where was Jezebel, actually? She could be transmitting from somewhere else in Vegas. Could be that she was in the exact same hotel. Or she could be in London. Madrid.

With her boss, you just couldn’t be certain. Jezebel had been in the spy business for nearly fifty years. She’d started as a prima ballerina. She’d charmed princes, sultans, warlords. She’d taken down terrorists and drug kingpins. She’d smiled and slyly maneuvered, and she’d always gotten the job done.

Now we have one last job to finish. A very important job.

“The players from tonight’s game believe that Logan and I are romantically involved,” Charlotte revealed. No getting around it. She had to pass along that bit of news.

She expected some shock. Perhaps some outrage.

Jezebel just nodded. “Yes, well, that is to be expected, isn’t it? Especially since he took you into the private card game. Only partners and fuck buddies are allowed in there.”

Her jaw dropped. Wait, wait, wait. Had Jezebel just said⁠—

“Why are you looking so stunned, Charlotte? Surely, you know how these games are played.”

No, she didn’t. She was feeling like she was in way over her head with this case. Or maybe just over her head when it came to Logan. “He said he’s done. Logan, that is. Logan said he was done.”

Now there was shock and outrage. “The hell he is! I helped him! I protected his grandmother. He owes the CIA! That man is not done with us.”

Charlotte grimaced. “He doesn’t enjoy being blackmailed.”

“Who does?” Jamar muttered.

“I heard that!” Jezebel snapped.

“I meant for you to,” he fired right back. “Told you from the beginning, this plan is crap. You are sending my partner in alone. Keeping me on the edges where I can’t really help her. She needs someone to watch her back. When the trap is sprung, she will be in it alone. You know what this jerk does to his victims. You know how quickly he can make them vanish. If we don’t handle this right, we will lose Charlotte, too.” Real anger hummed in his voice. “Do you want that to happen? Because I don’t.”

That was the thing about Jamar. He truly was the best partner at the CIA. Seriously, she would have been lost without him years ago. Jamar told you exactly what he thought. He pulled zero punches. An all-around, great guy. Deadly, sure. He had mad killing skills. But he was also a loving father. A devoted husband.

And an agent who was also working his final case at the CIA.

Who am I supposed to trust when Jamar is gone?

Some days, it felt as if she was losing her family. Both Jamar and Jezebel, vanishing at the same time. Not that she blamed Jamar. He wanted out so that his family could be safe. So he could be with his twins and his wife, and Charlotte wanted him happy.

But he’d watched her back for years. Just as she’d watched his. When he was gone, she would miss him terribly.

“We are not losing Charlotte,” Jezebel vowed. “We are bringing down a dangerous predator. A predator who very well could have been in that VIP room tonight. Our top suspects were right there, and I am sure that Charlotte left an impression on them.”

She’d put her knife to Ares’s throat. Did that count as an impression? Probably. Then again, all of those fists to the face that Ares had taken from Logan must have made an impression, too. “Logan and Ares fought.” Understatement. “Logan had to be pulled off the guy.”

Jamar leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. “Just what led to that incident?”

“Ares lost a very large bet to Logan. He didn’t take the loss well.”

“Dammit!” Jezebel’s fury was obvious. “The last thing I need is for Logan to be antagonizing targets on this case. He’s supposed to be your intro to them. He’s not supposed to fight the individuals we are investigating!” A huff. “Why didn’t Logan just let Ares win?”

Uh…

Because Logan had no intention of letting me go. “It was an unusual bet.” Charlotte cleared her throat. “Very high stakes.”

“Huh.” From Jamar. “What were those stakes? You mentioned something about a casino and a villa, but what else was on the table?”

Awkward. “It was⁠—”