Captain's Paradise by Kay Hooper Read Free Book Online Page B

Sutton owns.”
    Dane grinned. “I called her
Lady Luck
. He changed the name, of course. She’s the
Dragon Lady
now.”
    “Any idea where she is?”
    “No. I might know who to ask, though. Why? What’s your interest?”
    “Personal.”
    Dane lifted an eyebrow and waited.
    “Did you know he was into white slavery?” Michael asked.
    The laughter in Dane’s eyes vanished, and his slight smile disappeared. “No. Are you sure about that?”
    “Ask Robin.”
    Robin squarely met Dane’s inquiring gaze, still admiring his looks but glad to feel no tug of attraction. “I was at the Serendipity a few nights ago. I had one drink, and there was something in it. I woke up to find myself with four other girls in the cabin of a boat, a yacht. They kept us drugged most of the time, but I managed to get out and jump overboard sometime last night. Michael pulled me out of the water.”
    “Sure it was Sutton’s yacht?” Dane asked.
    Michael replied, “Robin’s a reporter, and she came up with Sutton’s name in connection with that club. I know he’s in the area because he’s waiting for me to contact him; he’s set a trap for me.”
    “What’s the bait?”
    “Lisa.”
    Dane said something violent under his breath,and though she only half heard what he said, Robin wasn’t about to ask him to repeat it.
    Michael went on steadily. “Robin heard another girl on the yacht, crying. It’s the only lead I’ve got, Dane.”
    Immediately Dane said, “There’s a man who might know where the
Dragon Lady
is. Big guy, with a full beard and about half his teeth. Peculiar man, very dangerous. He’s a smuggler. They call him Jack, and only God is privy to what his real name is. He knows the waters around here like the back of his hand, and if anyone has illegal cargo, he’d know about it. He spends his evenings in a dive called the Gold Coast. Watch yourself in there. And don’t play cards.”
    “Why?”
    “They shoot the winner.”
    Michael smiled faintly. “Thanks, Dane.”
    “Say hello to Lisa for me.”
    A little while later, as they left the building, Robin said, “I looked at his cards, Michael.Dane had a straight flush, ace high. He won that last hand.”
    Michael didn’t seem surprised. “Did he?”
    “And there must have been fifty thousand dollars in that pot.” She was bewildered. “Why would he pretend to lose?”
    “I’m sure he had his reasons.”
    “What reason would he have to throw away all that money?”
    Michael took her hand as they emerged from the alley. “I know the Gold Coast; they don’t even open until after six. Why don’t we find a decent restaurant—if we can around here—and get something to eat. You must be starved.”
    Robin ignored a sudden pang of hunger. “You didn’t answer my question,” she insisted.
    He kept them moving but said dryly, “Dane’s probably setting up the man who was wearing all the diamond rings, Robin. And since he can’t hide his skill with cards, he just fakes a run of bad luck. It’s an old gambler’s trick. The mark wins a lot of money in the first few games and feels confident enough to keep playing; thenDane arranges one final game for huge stakes, saying he wants to try to win back what he’s lost. And he does.”
    “Does Dane cheat?” she asked, disliking the thought.
    “He doesn’t have to. He was probably playing poker in his crib, and he’s the luckiest man I know.”
    “But you said he’d already lost several fortunes.”
    “Sure. Lost, spent … and enjoyed. Dane may sometimes be down, but he’s never out. His luck always returns. Now, are you hungry?”
    “Starving,” she admitted.

T HREE
    T HEY ENDED UP finding a restaurant in a better area of the city, and Robin used the time before their meal arrived to place a call to New York to Teddy’s private number first, then the number of Long Enterprises, and drew a blank both times. There was no answer at Teddy’s home, and the voice answering the company’s phone merely