Desperate Measures by Linda Cajio Read Free Book Online

straightened as his earlier words came back to her. “Why don’t we page him?”
    “Ell, don’t be facetious—”
    “I’m serious. If he answers, then we know he’s here for sure, and if he doesn’t, then either he didn’t come, or else he’s somewhere where he can’t hear it, like a private room, and we can forget it and go home.” She was panting by the time she finished her rush of words. “Anyway, what have we got to lose?”
    “I must be crazy,” he muttered, gazing around the crowded casino.
    “We already know that.” She took his arm and steered him away from the railing. Why was it, she wondered, that when she was prepared for physical contact, she could handle it? She decided, for the moment, to concentrate on her idea. If it didn’t work, she was afraid they’d be stuck here for the night, and that didn’t bear thinking about. “Come on. There’s a bank of telephones at the far wall. They’re the only ones I’ve seen so far, so if he’s anywhere in the casino, he’s sure to come here.”
    “You like this,” Joe said.
    She grinned. “It beats playing the slots until we’re both out of quarters.”
    “We are out of quarters.”
    “See?”
    When they reached the house telephones, Ellenimmediately went to one near the end, away from several people who were talking into others. Clearly the phones were popular tonight.
    “I’ll make the call,” she said, while scanning the instructions for use that were pasted on the booth’s wall. “You find a place where you can watch the phones as discreetly as possible. Oh! I know he’s not a Carlini, but I forget what he is.”
    “Penza.” Joe took her arm and turned her to face him. “You’re having fun,” he said, his gaze steady on hers.
    “Might as well,” she joked lamely, an odd feeling sizzling along her nerve endings at his closeness. “We’re not making any progress in the spy business.”
    “I didn’t expect you to be like this, you know.”
    “How did you expect me to be?” she asked. His cologne was subtle and very masculine, not at all overpowering, and it sent her senses spinning.
    “I don’t know,” he murmured. “But not like this.”
    He lowered his head and touched her mouth briefly with his. It was enough to feel the firm heat of his lips and the way they fit perfectly to hers. The sensations intensified so fast that it scared and enticed her at the same time.
    He lifted his head and stared at her for a long moment. Then he smiled. “Keep kissing me like that, and we’ll both be in trouble. Have fun. I’ll go play Agent Thirteen.”
    Who, Ellen wondered dimly as she watched him go, was Agent Thirteen?
    At last, she turned back to the phone. Following the directions, she asked the operator for the page and waited for results. She had her back towardthe other phones in case Mario should recognize her from the rink. But she desperately wanted to turn around …
    “Mario Penza here.”
    She nearly dropped the phone in her astonishment. Son-of-a-gun , she thought, it worked .
    “Ah … yes … Mr. Penza,” she said, talking through her nose to disguise her voice. “This is the hotel manager’s office, and we’re having a small problem with room reservations. Have you taken a room here tonight, sir?”
    “No, I haven’t.”
    “Oh, dear. Well, thank you for your help. Please enjoy the casino tonight, Mr. Penza.”
    She pushed the cutoff button down while still holding the receiver to her ear. Grinning, she sighed with relief and decided that Joe was right. She was having fun.
    He materialized in front of her, whispering, “Hang it up, Ell, and come on!”
    She shoved the receiver back onto its hook, even as Joe took hold of her elbow. She almost had to run to keep up with his long stride.
    “I can’t believe it worked,” he said.
    “People will always answer a page,” she said breathlessly, as they weaved through the crowds of gamblers. Excitement and anxiety waged war inside her. And something