Ethan saw Sydney wince as Marissa spoke, then she took a long drink from her cocktail glass. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence between the three of them until a waiter came by with a tray of champagne.
“Excuse me, it looks like it’s time for a toast,” Ethan said. He grabbed Marissa’s hand and headed toward the north end of the pool. He could hear Marissa say something to Sydney as they were leaving, but he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to hear it. There was something going on with Sydney and her date and he needed more information. His heartbeat began to pick up its pace. If the feds where here, the entire plan he had put together was in jeopardy of falling apart.
He stopped just as they were passing one of the tall cocktail tables and noticed a man in a dark suit was trying to get his attention by jutting his chin at him and raising his eyebrows. He was short with narrow shoulders that hunched forward. He had a plain face with pale features that blended in with the crowd. Ethan wouldn’t have even noticed him if he hadn’t been intentionally trying to get his attention. It took a few seconds, but then he realized it was his private investigator, Bishop.
They had only actually met in person twice, though he had hired Bishop on and off for the last three years. When Ethan became entangled in the high-stakes poker rooms, he found it useful to know whom he was playing against. The more money Ethan owed to Estavez, the more his paranoia grew. Soon he was having Bishop follow Jack, Sydney, and even Marissa on various occasions, to make sure they weren’t lying to him. But despite keeping him employed over the years, he insisted that all their interactions be kept at a distance.
For Bishop to show up like this meant that he had extremely urgent news.
He leaned in and spoke softly into Marissa’s ear. “Could you excuse me for a moment, honey? I’ve got to speak with someone about a little surprise I’m planning for you.”
A little flutter of recognition floated across her expression. He wondered if she knew anything about his plan. You’re just being paranoid, he told himself.
“Of course,” she said with a slight smile. “But don’t be long.” She spotted someone she knew and strolled off in their direction.
Ethan made a beeline for Bishop and stopped just a few feet short of where he was standing. He grabbed another glass of champagne from the nearest tuxedo-clad waiter and motioned for Bishop to join him just outside the lights from the party. When they were far enough away from the guests so no one could hear them, Ethan broke the silence.
“You better have an amazing fucking reason for showing up like this, my friend,” he said tersely.
“I do,” he said, glancing over Ethan’s shoulder. He looked back at him. “I tried texting you, but you didn’t answer your phone.” Bishop took a deep breath. “I think you are being followed.”
“What? By who?” Ethan said. He felt the knots already present in his stomach begin to tighten even more. He wouldn’t be surprised if Estavez had someone tailing him, but it still made him uncomfortable.
“I don’t know who it is for sure. I arrived at the hotel late this morning and parked my car off the circular driveway to wait for Sydney’s transport van. As I sat there, I saw a taxi drive up to the front lobby door and you stepped out. A few minutes later, another taxi arrived and a man stepped out of the car. He seemed to be asking questions to the hotel staff and even slipped them some cash. I found that odd, so I followed him inside.”
Ethan felt a chill run up his back. If someone had followed his taxi, they may have seen exactly where he went.
Shit.
“He seemed to be following you, but from a distance. When Marissa arrived, he left, following a group of people out to the pool area. I walked out to the pool, but when I got there, he was gone.”
Ethan stared into the darkness behind Bishop, gnawing on the edge of his lip. “Are you sure he was tailing me?”
“I do this for a living, man. I’m sure,” he said.
Ethan shook his head. “Okay, thank you for letting me know. Hang around and see if you spot him again. Try to see what he’s up to.”
Bishop nodded. “Will do.”
Ethan walked back toward the party, trying to calm his nerves by convincing himself that it was just one of Estavez’s guys and he had everything under control. With Bishop’s attention now divided between Sydney, Alex, and this new mystery player, he might need some help.
Ethan could see the twinkling lights up ahead, floating over the crowd of people mingling by the pool. Dusk had settled for the evening, making it difficult to see individual faces. But he knew he could find Sydney and Alex if he kept walking.
If Sydney’s date was an FBI agent, Ethan was going to need to find out why he was there. Estavez would be furious if he knew the FBI was involved, and more than that, it would make Ethan look bad. If Alex did turn out to be FBI, Ethan would likely turn him over to Estavez’s men.
If there was one thing Ethan had learned from years of working with the Costa Rican gangster, it was this: he had a way of making people who got in his way disappear.
Twenty-Four
Sydney
“You didn’t act suspicious at all,” Sydney said sarcastically to Alex, giving him a playful nudge. “Aren’t you supposed to be an expert undercover agent?”
She shifted her weight in her nude heels, which were starting to dig into the sides of her feet. The off-the-shoulder red dress she had chosen for the evening just dusted the floor. She’d only had enough time to loosely braid her hair over one shoulder, but it worked with the outfit. She didn’t mind the look on Alex’s face when she had stepped out of the bathroom. He had told her several times how gorgeous she looked.
Alex stood casually next to her with his wineglass still full of champagne. The way he held his shoulders straight and kept his chin up made him look like a soldier—alert and ready to dive into battle. But his charming smile told another story. When she had leaned in to tease him, she realized he was wearing cologne, a soft oaky smell mixed with his natural scent.
“I wanted to pique his curiosity a bit. Let him know I’m someone he should watch,” he said, taking a small swig of his champagne.
“Why?” Sydney asked, tipping her head to the side.
“Well, part of my assignment is to get him alone so we can have a conversation about the whole situation. But the timing has to be right. If Ethan suspects I’m with law enforcement, he will tread more carefully.” His tone had gone quiet. She could tell he was being careful not to speak too loudly so that other guests couldn’t eavesdrop on the conversation. “I don’t want to make a scene and ring any alarm bells if Estavez has his men around.”
Sydney dropped her voice to match the tone of his. “Undercover assignment sounds so James Bond. Are you wearing an earpiece or hiding a small secret camera somewhere?” She gave him an animated once-over as if searching for any clues.
Alex laughed uncomfortably. “No, all I have is my cell phone. No James Bond here.”
“Too bad,” she said softly, shrugging one shoulder. She sighed. “So what’s next? You’ve met Ethan—what do we do now?”
Alex kept scanning the crowd casually, pretending to sip at his wine. He seemed to be looking back toward a manicured path next to the pool. He responded while barely looking at her. “There may be some other information I can gather just by walking around and talking to guests.” He looked back at her and placed a hand on the back of her left elbow as he continued to speak. Despite being quite anxious, Sydney got a small tingle from the gesture.