for cards, but it would explain the long absence from his hotel. More than likely he’d been on the hunt for a card game, too, and that’s why the younger girl had mentioned it. If she’d been working on the other man, there was a good chance she’d mentioned the same place.
The club would be a good start, but they might have to hit a few clubs to find their man. Then again, they might get lucky. Though, until he’d run into Mariska earlier, luck hadn’t exactly been on Jackson’s side the last few months.
On to more important matters. He thanked the stars that Mariska had exactly the software he needed to implement the second part of his plan. Using an untraceable account, he sent an e-mail to Dawson.
Jackson had no idea if the other agent would even read it, but it was worth a chance. A few weeks ago Dawson said he was looking into what happened to Jackson, and that he’d help find out how he’d been burned, but so far they’d both come up with nothing. One minute his cover was blown, the next he’d been burned. His fist tightened on the keyboard and he forced himself to relax.
Thanks for the asset. She is something. News? He typed the words using the code he and Dawson had devised, hitting send as the water shut off.
What he really wanted to ask was, why Mariska? While her laptop and resources would definitely come in handy, there didn’t seem much she could do for him. Well, she was obviously loaded. Maybe Dawson thought he could use the cash. And possibly use spending time with her as a cover. No one would look for a burned CIA agent with a wealthy socialite.
Jackson picked up the phone and called the front desk to get a car and make some arrangements in case they found their quarry.
Mariska hummed a sweet tune in the bathroom and it was more than a little distracting. It took everything he had not to offer to dry her off. It had been a long time since his mind had been so full of a woman, probably not since one of his high school crushes.
He brought up the search engine again, and cleared away any evidence of what he’d been doing before. He didn’t want to risk suspicion.
When she walked out of the bathroom, she might as well have roundhouse kicked him in the gut. Her long, tan legs were at the bottom of a short black skirt topped with a red halter that looked sexy, but not cheap. Her feet were in sexy heels and it took him a minute to catch his breath.
She stared at him, scrunching up her nose. “Is everything all right?” Twirling around, she flashed a hand down her outfit. “Do you think it’s too much? I thought it would be best if I looked like arm candy, but do you think I need more makeup or something?”
She said it as if she had no idea how much the total package would be a constant distraction for him. Hell, she’d be a distraction for any man. Mar didn’t seem to have any idea how gorgeous she was, and he found that extremely appealing.
“No.” He shook his head. “I meant—the outfit is fine. I have some information for you.” He told her about the casino as she searched the dresser drawers for something.
“There’s one little problem. I’m not exactly flush with cash right now and to get in we’re going to need some to blow on the kind of game we want,” Jackson admitted. He did have a stash, but he had no idea how long it would have to last him.
She pulled out a purse from the dresser and put a lipstick and some other things inside. “Oh, that’s no problem. I brought some extra cash.” She pursed her lips as she walked toward him and he forced himself to stand still, instead of leaning forward and kissing the plum-colored softness before him. “Do you think twenty thousand will be enough? I can get more if we need it.”
The thousand-dollar-a-night suite was his first clue that she had money, but who traveled with that much cash?
“That should get us into the good tables,” he said, choking back a laugh.
“Cool.” She looked down at her outfit again, pulling at a thread. “Um, I don’t exactly have anywhere to carry that much, so maybe you better hold on to it.”
He realized how much she trusted him and a small pit of guilt opened up in Jackson’s gut. He didn’t deserve it, and when she found out, if she found out, who he really was she would hate him for eternity. But for now, he’d help her with her job, and do his best to keep her happy. If he helped her solve her case, there was a great chance she’d feel indebted to him. That might come in handy over the next week or so.
She seemed confident in her skin, but unaware of her beauty. Then there was her job. When it came down to tracking Gladstone, she really did seem clueless. It didn’t add up.
As they entered the lobby, he couldn’t resist asking. “Do you always travel with that much cash?”
She rolled her eyes. “You must think I’m insane. No. The bank delivered the money to the hotel this morning. Part of it is expenses for this case. I didn’t know how long it would take, and informants don’t take credit.” She fiddled with the purse.
Pausing for a moment, she seemed to check herself. “And part of it was for shopping. I planned to have clothes designed for myself, and some friends, and most of the tailors only accept cash. I have this, um, sort of compulsion for silk suits, and they make beautiful ones here.”
Jackson still thought that was a lot of money for a wardrobe, but he wasn’t one to judge. For him, money was a necessary evil of his job. Money equaled power, and he’d seen so many misuse both in his line of work. At least she was only buying clothes and not guns, which is what most of the people he’d worked with the last few years did.
After checking the cash out of the safe downstairs they climbed into the hired car Jackson had ordered from her hotel room. Taxis weren’t always safe in Bangkok, and he decided to rent a hired car in case they needed a quick getaway.
The club wasn’t far, but the traffic congestion was intense even close to midnight.
“Is it always like this here?” Mariska asked as she stared out at the crowds on the sidewalk.
“Pretty much 24/7,” Jackson replied. “It really is a city that never sleeps. The massage parlor was at the edge of the red light district, but this place is dead center. There’s—” He stopped suddenly, trying to think of the best way to tell her.
She gave him a curious look as if she wasn’t really ready for more surprises. He was sorry he had to disappoint her. “What?”
“I guess the easiest way to say this is, be ready for anything. You never know what you’re going to see in these clubs. It’s okay to act surprised, that’s what they expect from tourists, which is what we’ll be for our cover. If that’s okay with you.”
She fidgeted in her seat. “Do you think there will be snakes?” Her voice had gone soft again and his body reacted.
“I don’t know what you mean?” Jackson really was clueless.
“In the club. I saw this movie one time where these people danced with the huge snakes. I’m not a big fan of reptiles. They give me the squiggles.”
Jackson couldn’t help but laugh, and accidentally knocked his elbow against the door of the car.
“Um, I can’t say for sure, but I don’t remember seeing anything about snakes when I did the research.”
“Okay.
