High-Stakes Affair by Gail Barrett Read Free Book Online

laptop…” She shook her head, making her hair spill over her arms. “I promise I’ll talk to my father. I’ll straighten everything out. And I swear I’ll make sure that you aren’t blamed. You really can trust me on that.”
    He frowned. He couldn’t force her to stay with him. He needed her cooperation if he hoped to get information from her.
    “I have a better idea. Maybe we can work together to find that surveillance footage you need.”
    She stilled, suddenly alert. “Why? What would you get out of this?”
    He picked his words, not wanting to arouse her suspicions and tip her off. “I told you my sister died. But I didn’t tell you where. She died at the casino a couple of weeks ago.”
    “What? How?”
    “A heroin overdose. At least that’s what the coroner said.”
    “You don’t agree?”
    He shook his head. “She’d been clean for months. And her drug of choice was oxycodone. She got addicted years ago when she hurt her back.”
    Paloma hesitated. “I know you don’t want to think it, but is there a chance you might be wrong? It wouldn’t be the first time an addict lied.”
    “I know.” Lucía had fallen off the wagon often enough for him to know. “But it’s not just that. You remember Gomez’s rash?”
    She shuddered. “I’m hardly likely to forget it.”
    “I found my sister’s body in the parking lot. She looked… She had a similar rash.”
    Paloma’s head came up. “You’re saying she had the same thing as Gomez?”
    “I don’t know.” His sister had claimed the prince was trying to kill her, which would rule out any disease. “But I need to find out. If you help me find out what really killed her, I’ll help you look for what you need.”
    “But if they both had a disease…” Horror filled her eyes. “Oh, God. What if it’s contagious? What if we got exposed?”
    “All the more reason to work together. We both have a stake in this now.” He leaned forward and extended his hand. “So what do you say? Do we have a deal?”
    “I don’t know.” She scrubbed her face with her hands, then sighed. “Yes. All right. It’s a deal.”
    “Good.” His hand closed over hers. The soft feel of her skin jolted through him, electrifying his pulse. And a sudden sliver of warning crept through his mind.
    He had to be careful. Paloma was dangerous. There was something different about this woman, something about her that threatened to creep beneath his defenses....
    No mercy, he reminded himself firmly.
    But he’d better keep his wits about him if he hoped to survive.

Chapter 4
    P aloma tugged back her hand, the startling warmth of Dante’s skin, the rough, callused feel of his palm igniting a sudden flurry of excitement inside her and scattering her pulse.
    Heat scalded her cheeks. She crossed her arms, trying to cover up her response. What in heaven’s name was wrong with her? All he’d done was shake her hand, and her senses had run amok.
    She had no business responding to him like that. So what if he was hot—gorgeous in a rough-hewn, masculine way? He was a thief, possibly even the infamous Fantasma, the worst possible person for her.
    And he didn’t even like her. She snuck a glance at his craggy profile as he lifted the laptop off the floor. She hadn’t missed the disdain in his icy eyes, or how his mouth curled down when he looked her way. He clearly wasn’t her fan.
    Which was fine. Dante’s bad opinion of her didn’t matter, even if he did make her senses hum. She had far more important things on her mind—that blackmail evidence. Gomez’s death. That dreadful rash.
    Her mind swerving back to Dante’s bombshell, she hugged her arms even tighter as she struggled to process the news. “If Gomez did have a disease, we need to let the authorities know. Someone else could be at risk.”
    Dante straightened and met her gaze, his eyes more guarded now. “Let’s look at his computer first and find out if we have the evidence you need. Then we can worry about