Make Her Pay - Roxanne St. Claire Page 0,2
job isn’t to find them,” she reminded him. “It’s our job to get on the boat and identify the thief, and if there is a leak, stop it.”
He acknowledged that with a tilt of his head. “Flynn Paxton is the manager of the dive,” he noted. “A relative?”
“Stepson. Evidently they have a contentious relationship and Judd is trying to smooth things out by letting him manage a dive. You’ll go undercover as a new diver, infiltrate the crew, stop whoever has the sticky fingers, and figure out if someone’s getting word to the outside world. No one, not even Flynn, will know your real reason for being there.”
“Does Flynn know about El Falcone?”
“No one does.”
“So Judd doesn’t even trust his own stepson. Interesting.” Con shifted through the file that contained in-depth backgrounds of the six divers, conservator, and crew on board the Gold Digger, then looked up at her. “Anything else?”
“Just check in daily. If you uncover anything or anyone suspicious at all, I want to know immediately. That day, that hour. We’ll strategize together how to handle it.”
“No problem.”
“And remember that you’re not on your own.” She leaned forward, pulling his attention. “Bullet Catchers, even on individual assignments, work as a team. They might not be there with you, but we’re just a phone call away, giving you access to all my resources, my information, my people.”
“Sounds good. When do I start?”
“Immediately. My assistant, Avery, will arrange for you to have a bodyguard’s license to carry concealed, and get you a satellite phone and a laptop, both programmed to access this office with the press of one button or a keystroke. One of the Bullet Catcher jets is ready to take you home so you can pick up whatever you need, then fly you to the port where you’ll be taken out to the Paxton boat.”
She picked up her BlackBerry to check messages, clicking through what came in during the meeting. “Oh, and Con?”
He closed the file. “Don’t tell me. One mistake and I’m out again?”
“And you’ll go straight to the authorities, who I believe are looking for you in three states.”
“Four.” He shot her a smile. “But who’s counting?”
“I am.” She held up one finger, then lowered it to point directly at him. “You get one chance, Con. That’s it. Avoid trouble, stay in constant contact, and do the job exactly as a Bullet Catcher would.”
“And then?”
She tilted her head to the side. “Those four states will never have heard of you, and you can arm wrestle Dan for his job.”
“Tell him to lift weights.” He gave her a cocky wink. “Thanks, Luce.”
She was still looking at the empty doorway after he left, when Jack turned the corner and stepped into her line of vision.
“What are you staring at, Lucinda?” he asked, leaning against the jamb with his arms crossed and his smile aimed at her.
“The man I’m going to marry.” She got up to meet him for an embrace, which was as tender as the kiss he added. “The father of this baby I’m carrying.”
He tilted her chin to look into her eyes. “You’re not going to change your mind, are you?”
She laughed. “Why would you even ask about that?”
“Because this…” He cupped her chin and scrutinized her face. “Is that very rare expression you wear when you’re second-guessing yourself.”
God, he knew her like no other man ever had. “Did you see the man who was just in here?”
“I saw someone leave, but I didn’t talk to him. New client?”
“New hire.”
“Really? You didn’t mention you were hiring someone.”
“I wasn’t sure I would, until the moment I handed him the Paxton file.”
“So you found the diver you wanted.”
“I found the thief I wanted.”
He inched back. “A thief?”
“Reformed. Or so he says. He’s also a former Bullet Catcher, who I let go after some diamonds were missing from a delivery out of South Africa. He was eventually vindicated and cleared, but by the time that happened, he’d pretty much adopted the ‘if you can’t convince them you’re innocent, then be guilty’ mind-set, and went back to doing what he has an amazing gift for doing: taking stuff that doesn’t belong to him.”
Jack dropped on the sofa, studying her with a quizzical look. “So you brought him on board for just this job?”
“We’ll see. He wants more. He wants Dan’s job.”
That got a soft hoot. “Not that I wouldn’t be happy to see my old rival for your affections gone, but I seriously doubt Gallagher’s going anywhere but in that