High-Stakes Affair by Gail Barrett Read Free Book Online Page A

how he died.”
    That made sense. The blackmail evidence took priority as the more immediate threat to the stability of País Vell. Besides, until they knew exactly what had killed Gomez, they couldn’t risk starting rumors. They needed more information first.
    Dante led the way into the kitchen. He flicked on an overhead light switch, then headed to a farmhouse table at the edge of the spacious room. Paloma paused in the doorway, her gaze traveling over the polished tile floor, the high, vaulted ceiling with chestnut beams, a fireplace big enough to stand in along one wall. Once again, Dante had preserved the original structure while accommodating modern tastes. He’d knocked down some walls, creating a modern, airy kitchen in what had once been a servants’ galley with little charm or light.
    And that was the problem, she decided as she joined him at the table and sat. This man fascinated her on so many levels—from his unconventional, criminal lifestyle to his incredible attention to detail in his restoration work, to the pain in his eyes when he’d spoken of his sister’s death.
    He hooked a chair with his foot, dragged it closer to hers, and sat. Then he turned on the laptop, angling it so they both could see.
    She skimmed the sexy quirk of his lips, the impressive definition in his arms. He had heavy, corded forearms, biceps that looked sculpted from steel. But of course, he’d have muscles. He spent his days chiseling and hauling stones.
    “You still have that key?” he asked.
    Realizing she was ogling him again, she emptied the bag of disks on the table, picked up the tiny envelope and handed it to him. He shook out the key and held it up to the light, his dark eyes intent.
    “What do you think?” she asked.
    “There’s nothing on it, but that’s not unusual. Banks normally don’t mark their keys. It’s too easy for them to get lost.” He nodded toward the laptop. “Mind if I look at his files?”
    “What do you think you’ll find?”
    “Bank records, hopefully. They should show a monthly charge for a safe-deposit box.”
    That made sense. “Go ahead.”
    He set down the key and pulled the laptop closer, the light from the screen carving hollows beneath his cheeks. She dragged her gaze to the computer, determined not to let her attention stray as he flipped through the various files.
    “No luck?” she asked a minute later.
    “Nothing obvious. I’ll check his directory for hidden files.” His fingers flew over the keyboard, and then he paused. “Here’s something. Finances. This could be it.”
    Paloma leaned closer, anticipation rippling through her as he double clicked on the file. “What if he uses more than one bank?” she asked.
    “He might. But I doubt he has more than one safe-deposit box.”
    The screen flickered and changed. A message box appeared, containing a log-in space.
    Her heart sank. “We need his password.” The way her luck was running, she shouldn’t have been surprised. “I suppose there’s no way around it.”
    “Not really.” Dante minimized the page, then continued clicking on files. After a minute he sat back. “It’s not here. I thought he might have a vault for his passwords, but he’s not that high-tech. He probably keeps them on a piece of paper in his desk.”
    She glanced at him in alarm. “You’re not thinking of going back there?” They couldn’t risk getting caught.
    “You have a better idea?”
    She leaned back in her chair and tried to think. There was no point in phoning the banks and asking if Gomez had an account. No reputable financial institution would give that information out. Besides, Gomez might not have banked in País Vell. There were hundreds of banks in the surrounding European countries—far too many to search.
    “We need to find someone who can get around that password,” she decided. But who? She didn’t dare involve her father’s security team in this. If he caught wind of the blackmail scheme, he’d be