Casting the Dice Read online

  “Surprised you noticed.”

  “Believe me, I noticed.” The man had such a powerful physical presence, a Greek statue would have noticed. She extended her hand. “Let me carry something.”

  “I’ve got this.” He carried his tank through another door. The other diver peeled off at the first set of lockers, but Hal continued.

  She clutched her Greek bag closer. “Do you swim with sharks all the time?”

  “That’s the tank the sharks call home so, yeah, they’re always there, but the kids love it.”

  “Don’t you ever worry about being bitten?”

  A stealthy smile swam across his mouth without attacking. “The sharks are very well fed. They’re not interested in me.”

  He was all muscle and no fat. That was why.

  Hal rounded the corner to a different section of lockers, pulling the mask off his head. His wet hair spiked like a short picket fence. “What are you doing here? Sightseeing?”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “You didn’t throw out my card.” He sat on a bench and unzipped his diving shoes.

  “I kept it.” Might have been a mistake, considering his attitude now. “You were very nice to me and—”

  “And what?”

  Heat climbed her neck. “It’s not important. Do you want me to leave?”

  Hal slid the zipper down his chest and pulled his arms free. The neoprene slipped to his hips. An arrow of dark hair shot past his abs and disappeared into the teeth of the lowered zipper. He caught her staring and pulled the suit higher but still allowed her a front row seat to a muscled chest dusted with dark whorls.

  This man got sexier and sexier every time she saw him, and she clutched the knit bag to her chest like a shield. She couldn’t let herself be distracted. Hal might know something important, something that could save her life. Or at least keep her from being dragged to another open car door at gunpoint.

  “I need a shower.” Hal brushed a hand across his chest. “If you want to talk to me—”

  “I promise to keep it short.” He likely had places to go and arrests to make. She leaned forward, watching his expression carefully. His answer was too crucial to misunderstand. “You’d be doing me a favor. The last one I’ll ask.”

  He held up his hands. The wetsuit fell another inch though she tried not to notice. “Give me a few minutes to change. I’ll meet you outside at the 300 sculpture.”

  “Oh, yeah. I saw that.” Near the ticket window those numerals stood on the curb of a flower bed. “What’s it mean?”

  “New Orleans recently had a birthday. Three hundred years.” He shooed her out. “Give me fifteen minutes.”

  She stared at him, her throat tightening. “Is there someplace inside where I can wait. I’ll be too exposed outside.”

  Hal checked his dive watch and hurriedly stripped off before stepping into the shower. Annie seemed on edge, and he couldn’t count on her to hang around long.

  Simply based on the situation he’d found her in, he’d known something else could happen. That’s why he’d driven past the bookshop twice since she’d shut the door in his face. Once last night. Once this morning. A pointless exercise both times because naturally he couldn’t see inside the property.

  She must trust him enough to come looking for him. For what that was worth.

  Hal dressed and stowed his phone and wallet before hefting his heavy gear bag.

  At the loading dock, a delivery truck blocked all the cars parked there. Stowing his tank in his cargo space would have to wait, but he tossed his gear bag into the back seat.

  Inside the employee break room, Annie stood out like a marine beacon. Blondish strands from her single braid danced in an A/C downdraft. Natalie Rollins, who worked the ticket booth, chatted with her, but Annie turned, as if sensing him, her beautiful eyes splashing over him with the high energy charge of a sports drink.

  “There he is now.” Natalie moved around the table. She took his arm and batted her eyelashes at him. “She wanted to sneak in without paying. Can you believe that?”

  “Not sure.” He glanced at Annie who had moved out of the way of someone going to a vending machine. She had mentioned something about lost belongings, but she hadn’t asked for money, and he’d assumed she had funds in the apartment.

  Face it. You were so focused on Annie you couldn’t think right.

  “Come on.” He waved to Natalie and steered Annie toward the door. “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

  “You changed your T-shirt.” Annie smiled.

  He plucked at the black jersey, his lips twitching. “I do that occasionally. I’m not expecting to make any arrests right now.”

  “Good to know.” Her blue eyes sparkled, but she sobered immediately, twisting the long strap of a bag she wore bandolier style. “I still don’t understand some things, and I’m hoping you can provide clarification.”

  Her arm brushed his, lighting him up like a string of Christmas lights. He stepped away, but she closed the distance, reminding him of the baby squirrel that had nestled in his shirt pocket. Something had definitely rattled her.

  A summer thunderstorm brooded on the opposite side of the river. Beyond the 300 sculpture a line of tourists in shorts and sandals hung out at the railing overlooking the river. In the adjacent grassy park, some kids tossed a Frisbee. He saw nothing out of the ordinary and nothing to raise his suspicions. “How long is this going to take?”

  She shaded her eyes. “Why?”

  “I’m hungry. There’s a hotdog vendor on the street below. We can grab some and eat out here.”

  Her eyes glowed with anticipation. “You buying?”

  “Sure.”

  A red and yellow umbrella shaded the wiener-shaped cart where the walkway ended in front of the Jax Brewery shops. Both ordered a dog with mustard. The vendor filled their order, and Hal paid. On the river promenade, they settled on opposite ends of an empty bench and ate in silence.

  Hal opened his water. “What’s on your mind?”

  Annie tucked a lock of hair back only to have the wind whip it across her cheek again. Her face made a perfect oval, and her eyebrows arched across a smooth forehead. But her lips transfixed him now. Not full, and not thin, they seemed exactly right.

  “Do you know someone named Randy?”

  Hal blinked. Annie knew his fugitive? What did they call this? Serendipity? Whatever it was, she’d made his day. “Tell me how I can find Randolph Lemoyne the Third.”

  “I don’t know his last name.” Her gaze held his. “Why? Who’s the Le—something or other?”

  “Lemoyne,” Hal shifted closer and enunciated. “He’s the bail skip I need to locate.”

  “Can you tell me what he looks like?”

  Hal pulled his cell and brought up Randolph Lemoyne’s mug shot to show her. “Does he look familiar?”

  She stared at the photo with an expression he couldn’t decipher then raised her gaze. “What did he do?”

  “Punched a traffic cop. But I want him for skipping his court date.” Hal leaned forward. “Do you know him?”

  “I’ve seen his photo before, but I don’t know him. I’m simply trying to find out who he is.”

  And being as evasive as yesterday. Hal ground his teeth.

  Be patient. The food will mellow her. If she’s really in danger right now, you want to be around if anything goes down.

  She chewed a bite, her tongue sneaking out to lick mustard from her lip. He stretched an arm across the bench. She threw him a startled look, and he lifted his arm.

  He needed to remember he was still a stranger to her. She could clam up if she thought he was coming onto her. “Where did you see Randy’s photo?”

  “We need to talk about more important things.” She wiped her mouth and tucked a corner of her napkin under her drink on the bench. “How exactly did you and I meet?”

  Exactly, huh? “You—”

  He broke off and coughed into his fist. No way could he tell her he’d found
poisonous snakes crawling over her. He wouldn’t mention her screams, either. Not now when she might be willing to share information on his fugitive. “You and I met in Randolph Lemoyne’s house.”

  Her mouth rounded into an O. “What was I doing there?”

  Here’s the real reason behind her visit. She wanted him to fill in what she had forgotten. She’d faked being all better yesterday afternoon, but he could tell she still had a big gap in her memory. Like the doc had said she would. “I don’t know what you were doing there.”

  He tapped the photo on his phone screen. “My brother and I got to the house about six a.m. to arrest this guy.”

  “Randy.” She chewed another bite, staring at a freighter passing on the river. “Was he there?”

  “No, only you. You weren’t feeling well. That’s why I took you to the hospital. Like I said yesterday, I wasn’t sure if anything serious could be wrong.”

  She popped the last bite of bun into her mouth and folded the cardboard tray into a napkin. “Do you know where I was before?”

  “Nope. Don’t know. Sorry.” Hal finished his own dog. She looked ready to leave, but he needed to tease this visit out a little longer. “Let me have your trash.”

  She handed it over, and he dumped everything in a can. “Can I give you a lift somewhere?”

  After a worried scan of the area, she flashed a smile. This one met her eyes. “That would be great.”

  She was definitely edgy.

  “I’m parked at the rear of the aquarium.” He walked her down to the loading dock. The seafood truck had driven off, leaving a lingering fishy smell. “Why don’t you wait in the shade here? I have to grab my tank from inside, but I’ll only be a minute.”

  She clutched his arm, her face pinched. “How long will that take?”

  Hal searched the area beyond the dumpster and the grassy hill beside the aquarium. Tourists walked along the river, leaning on the rail or chatting on their cells. “What in the world is wrong?”

  She ignored him and headed for the steps to the dock. “I’ll hold the door for you.”

  Out of the corner of his eye he caught a blur of movement on the other side of several other cars. Urgency swamped him. His nerves vibrated.

  They needed to get out of here, fast. “Stop,” he yelled.

  Hell. She couldn’t hear him.

  He vaulted the steps and grabbed her arm. She stumbled against him, but he seized her hand and propelled her up the ramp and across the grass.

  Boom!

  An explosion detonated behind them. Shock waves slammed him. Annie staggered. Hal tightened his grip and glanced over his shoulder.

  A fireball rushed toward them.

  He leaped the concrete curb and tugged her to the grass, rolling on top a split-second before another blast showered them with burning shrapnel.

  6

  Smoke wreathed the aquarium. Firetrucks stretched the length of the drive, and firemen trained their hoses on the smoldering wreck that had once been Hal’s car.

  Annie smoothed a hand on the splint on her wrist. She’d wrenched it when they dived to the ground. Hal had been treated by a different EMS team and disappeared, but she didn’t want to leave without talking with him. Before it got dark.

  Mobile television news vans had set up earlier, and a couple of them packed up now. Yellow tape kept looky-loos corralled and separated from potential witnesses. She had just asked one of them for the time when Hal broke away from a cluster near the aquarium and headed toward her. Soot clung to his face and arms. His tee hung in tatters. Poor guy.

  Her chest tightened. He’d gotten hurt protecting her. “Where’d you go?”

  “I had to talk to security.” A scowl crimping his forehead, his gaze swept over her and focused on her face.

  Her breath hitched, but she forced herself to breathe naturally. “Listen—”

  “You’ve got some soot here.” He spoke at the same time, tapping the white scar underneath his lower lip.

  She ran a palm over her chin. “Did I get it?”

  “Not quite.” He cupped her chin and rubbed the pad of his thumb beneath her mouth.

  Her skin tingled at his touch, but she ignored her reaction. He didn’t mean anything personal by it.

  “Thanks.” She adjusted the straps on her t brace and opened her mouth to finish what she’d started to say, but he spoke first.

  “Is your wrist broken?”

  “I don’t think so because I could still flex it, but the paramedic says I should get it x-rayed.”

  His dark eyes held hers, and again a warm thrill went through her. “What about your hearing?”

  Why did he ask about that? She pressed her hands to her ears. “My aids are working okay. Why?”

  He rubbed a finger under his nose. “I thought the explosion might have hurt your hearing.”

  And he cared enough to think of that?

  “My aids are so powerful they mute sudden loudness. Because of that, I don’t always realize how serious a situation is. What did the EMS say about you?”

  He’d reacted quickly enough that they’d landed out of the blast cone. She only had brush burns from the grass, but he’d been hit by debris. Bandages scattered across his biceps and probably his back, too.

  “I’ll live.”

  “That’s good news.” She smiled, and the pressure in her chest released.

  His gaze held hers, pulling her into some sort of force field. A different kind of tingling started inside, and she looked away, toward the burned vehicles at the aquarium’s service entrance. “The bad news is your car is destroyed.”

  She tugged her bag strap around and kneaded the strap. “If I hadn’t come here to see you, this explosion would never have occurred. An apology is totally inadequate, but that’s all I can offer. I’m really sorry about your car.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, and don’t worry. I have insurance.”

  “Ma’am?” One of the patrol officers taking witness statements stepped in front of her. He introduced himself and took her name.

  “I didn’t see the explosion because we were leaving the ramp area.” Annie gestured to Hal.

  The officer turned to him. “What were the two of you doing there?”

  “I parked at the loading dock earlier for my volunteer shift in the tanks.”

  The cop took in their disheveled appearance. “Did you see anyone lurking around the cars?”

  She shook her head.

  “I caught a movement.” Hal propped his hands on his hips. “It must not have been a person because he’d be dead now. I’ve been here the whole time, and I haven’t seen any bodies pulled from the wreckage.”

  “Neither have I,” she agreed.

  “Either of you see anyone who seemed out of place?”

  “How can you tell?” She shook her head. “There are street mimes, tourists from all over, fortune tellers, artists.” No one had even noticed Red Cap or Mirror Man charging toward her, pushing people out of the way, forcing her to march a block.

  She glanced toward the street below the park. Mirror Man had a gun. Red Cap probably had one, too. They hadn’t wanted to talk; they’d want to kill her. Just not in Jackson Square. “I might know who planted the bomb.”

  The police officer gawked at her.

  Hal’s eyebrows pulled down over a gaze hard enough to cut steel. She rubbed her arms. “Someone did plant a bomb, right?”

  “The arson squad will determine the cause.” The cop looked at her with suspicion. “Why do you think you know what happened?”

  “Two men followed me this morning.” She described Red Cap and Mirror Man and how they’d tried to kidnap her.

  “That whole Jackson Square area is patrolled on foot,” the cop explained. “You should have reported them and let us take care of the problem.”

  She crossed her arms. “I didn’t see a police presence, and I tried to lose them but they kept following me. They could have followed me here.”

  “If you say so, ma
’am.”

  “You’re probably more interested in the explosion, Officer Flannery.” She read the name tag over his pocket. “But I’d like to report the incident with these men. They need to be found and questioned.”

  “All right, give me the details.” He looked at his report notebook.

  “The details? They were trying to kidnap me.”

  “Did anyone else see this attempted kidnapping?”

  “Anyone else?” she repeated to be sure she followed correctly. “There were tons of people in the square, but I was on my own.”

  Officer Flannery shifted his weight. “Did they say what they wanted?”

  “Not exactly. And I can’t be sure I completely understood. One of them gripped my arm, and I couldn’t break free to face them, so I might not have understood every word.”

  “You’re no longer sure?” He sighed.

  “I don’t hear all that well.” She raised a hand to one ear. “I wear aids, but the men were definitely about to force me into the waiting car.”

  The officer pursed his mouth, nodding. “Thank you.”

  “Wait.” She held out a hand but stopped short of touching him. “Are you going to look for them?”

  “We can’t put out a BOLO—that’s a Be on the Lookout—with the vague description you gave.”

  Officer Flannery probably thought her a crazy woman desperate for attention. She turned to Hal. “You remember those guys who followed me out of the casino? I think one of the men who grabbed me today was the casino worker.”

  The officer listened to Hal but made no additional notes before stepping away to interview someone else. Annie grimaced. She should have saved her breath.

  Hal scowled. He didn’t bare his teeth like the shark, but he looked as if he wanted to. “Why didn’t you tell me about the men who followed you?”

  “I didn’t know how much time you had, and it was more important to find out what you knew about Randy. The man in the red baseball cap kept asking about him.” She trapped a lock of hair fluttering against her face and tucked it into her braid.

  “When you first told me what the doctor said, I didn’t think the memory lapse would be an issue” She rubbed her arms even though the temperature must still be in the eighties. “Now with these men following me, I’m scared I unknowingly got myself into trouble.”