“That’s a pretty big leap. Why would you think that?”

“Lacey seems high. Like all the time. And she was smoking pot in the room the other night. Drugs seem to be used freely among the Hellraisers. Plus a trip to Mexico once a month while Bo travels”—she held out quote marks with her fingers—“‘on business’—I mean come on. What kind of business does he have?”

“I have no idea. We haven’t gotten into it yet.”

She cocked her head to the side. “You aren’t involved in all this with him, are you?”

“In all what?” Now he’d have to be really careful how he answered her, and make sure to play dumb.

“In whatever he’s doing.”

He held up his hands. “Hey, I just got back into town, remember? I have no idea what Bo’s up to. He told me he was sending Lacey down here for R&R. That’s it.”

She laid her head on her knees. “Are you positive? You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”

He felt the gut punch of the lie he had to tell her. This is one of the times he hated his job. “I’m positive. That’s all I know.”

“Still, it doesn’t make sense. This is a prime resort. Where’s he getting the money?”

“Maybe he does have a legitimate business. Did you ask Lacey?”

“No, I haven’t. I don’t want to do anything to alienate her. Our friendship is tenuous enough as it is. Saying anything negative about Bo will only push her further away.”

“Do you have any proof?”

She wrinkled her nose. “No.”

“Then what do you want to do?”

She inhaled, sighed. “I have no idea. I don’t trust Bo. I can’t help but think his motives in sending Lacey down here aren’t pure ones.”

“Maybe you should talk to her. Find out what she knows. It’s possible—and I’m just saying it’s possible—that if Bo is running drugs from here, maybe Lacey already knows that.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, God. Do you think so?” She shook her head. “That’s not possible. Even madly in love and blind to everything, Lacey wouldn’t be that stupid. She wouldn’t risk going to jail for any man.”

He shrugged. “If you say so. You know her better than I do.” It was about time that Bo’s game reached an end. An enlightened Lacey was a start.

“You’re right. She might get mad at me, but I have to say what’s on my mind. I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t.”

He stood, wiped the sand off, and held out his hand. “Come on. I’ll go with you.”

Rick grabbed his stuff and took it up to Ava’s room. They showered—together—which was always a fun experience. If it wasn’t for Ava’s distraction over wanting to talk to Lacey, Rick would have lingered with her in the shower, making her come again. Then he’d have liked to take her out on that nice secluded balcony and f**k her.

Maybe later.

They dressed and Ava called Lacey, told her they were coming over.

“She sounded groggy, like she’d spent the entire day asleep.” Ava sighed, worry etching her features.

“Maybe she stays up all night partying. What did you two do last night?”

“We went out to dinner, then to the club downstairs to dance and have a couple of drinks. I was exhausted so I came up and went to bed about midnight. Lacey said she wanted to stay and party.”

“With who?”

“Some random people who joined our table. She said she knows them from coming down here a lot.”

“Locals?”

“Yes.”

“Hmmm.” Probably the ones who dumped the drugs on Lacey. He could be wrong about that, but he doubted it. Bo would have people in place to keep an eye on his mule.

They headed over to Lacey’s room and knocked. Lacey’s hair was a mess, makeup smeared on her face like she hadn’t bothered to wash it the night before. She leaned against the doorjamb and yawned. “What time is it?”

“Four-thirty.”

“Really?” She laughed. “I slept all day.”

“Yes, you did.” Ava walked in and Rick followed. They took a seat at the table near the sliding doors to the balcony.

Lacey came in and flounced onto the rumpled bed.

“Hey, Rick. What are you doing down here?”

“I missed Ava. I wanted to talk to her.”

“Awww, how sweet. So you two are back together?”

“We’re fine,” Ava said. “But I’m worried about you.”

Lacey lifted her chin. “Me? Why?”

“You party all night. Sleep all day. You’re a mess, Lace.”

She frowned. “Excuse me. I am not a mess. I’m just a little tired from dancing last night. Jose and Marco took me to this rocking club. I didn’t get home until after dawn.”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. How do you manage to stay up so late?”

Lacey laughed. “I sleep all day.”

“This isn’t the kind of life you used to lead.”

Lacey sighed and leaned against the headboard of the bed. “Ava, we’ve been over this. I know it isn’t. But it’s who I am now. Why can’t you just let it go?”

Ava got up and sat on the edge of the bed next to Lacey, picked up Lacey’s hand. “Lace, I’ve known you since kindergarten. We’re like sisters. I love you like you’re family. That’s why I have to be honest and tell you . . .”

“Surprise!”

The door flew open and Bo walked in.

Rick stood. Lacey squealed in delight, leaped off the bed and into Bo’s arms, planting kisses all over his face.

“Baby! What are you doing here?”

“My business was finished early so I thought I’d surprise you.”

“Oh my God, you so did.”

Ava shot a look over her shoulder at Rick, who held up his hand, signaling now was not the time for a come-to-Jesus discussion with Lacey.

Because given the hard edge to Bo’s gaze as he looked at Rick, he had a feeling the come-to-Jesus meeting was about to happen between the two of them.

Bo was not happy to find Rick here.

Which was okay, because now that Bo was here, Rick’s plan was working out perfectly.

ELEVEN

Ava looked from Rick to Bo, watching the tense exchange between the two men. Bo wasn’t happy to see Rick. She wondered why.

“Bo.”

“Rick. Weren’t you supposed to be somewhere else, doing something else?”

Rick didn’t seem at all concerned. “Already got it done. So I thought I’d pop down here and see Ava.”

“Yeah?” Bo set Lacey on her feet and moved toward Rick. “Why?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

Uh oh. The tension grew thicker.

“I’m making it my business.”

Ava stood and moved next to Bo. “We had a fight. He came down here to make up with me.” She tilted her head back and shined a brilliant smile up at him. “And, oh, did we ever make up.”

Rick slanted a grin down at her. “Yeah, we did.”

“Can I see you on the balcony for a second?”

Rick nodded at Bo. Ava grabbed his hand.

“It’ll be fine.”

At least Rick hoped it would be fine. It was finesse time. Bo slid the door closed so Ava and Lacey couldn’t hear what was being said.

“What the f**k are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” Rick figured turning the tables on Bo would give him some time to think.

“Following you. Did you make the drop?”

“On my way down here. Money’s in my bag.”

“This is messed up.”

Rick leaned against the wall and let a smile slip out. “Why? I don’t see what the problem is.”

“You don’t?”

“No.”

“You know what’s happening here, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then tell me again why you’re here.”

“To see Ava. I didn’t like what happened between us in Vegas.”

“So she means more to you than you told me earlier.”

Rick turned away, hoping Bo would think he was embarrassed about revealing his emotions. “I guess she does. I didn’t know that until she was gone. I missed her. Maybe I care about her more than I let on to you that day. I don’t know. Anyway, after I made the drop I decided to head on down and talk things over with her.”

Bo didn’t say anything, just paced the balcony. Rick turned to face him again.

“Bo, this isn’t going to change anything. I have my bike, Lacey and Ava have their car. I’m not traveling with them. The operation will still go as planned.”

Bo dragged his fingers through his hair. “I guess you’re right.” He lifted his gaze to Rick’s. “Next time let me know what you’re doing so I don’t think you’re up to something.”

Rick clapped Bo on the back. “The only thing I’ve got going on is getting back in the good graces of that woman in there.”

Bo looked inside the room. “Can’t say I blame you. She’s prime.”

“That’s what I thought. Nice piece of pu**y like that doesn’t come around all that often. I figured she was worth the trip.”

“Just stay away from the other part of the business that’s going on down here.”

“That’s not why I’m here.”

He just intended to stop it from happening. Or at least prevent it from happening the way Bo had it planned.

Because despite his cousin being family, Bo was a scum-sucking bastard for setting up his girlfriend this way. The man had no honor. And once you lacked honor, there was nothing left. Rick felt no loyalty to his cousin anymore.

Bo was going down. Which meant Rick was going to be his shadow until they left Mexico.

Fortunately, Rick was very good at that. It was his job.

“So, now what?” Rick asked, trying to act nonchalant.

Bo visibly relaxed. He threw his arm around Rick’s shoulder and reached for the door. “Since we’re both in Mexico with our ladies and it’s not time to leave yet . . . we might as well party.”

Bo knew how to put a party together in a hurry. After they’d gone back inside the room, Bo had grabbed Lacey and said he was going to get a suite, then invite some people in for a small get-together that night.

Apparently Rick’s idea of a small get-together was different than Bo’s. By nine that night there were over fifty people in Bo’s suite, an ostentatious, oversized, top-of-the-hotel apartment that must have cost Bo a small fortune.

The drug business must be lucrative for his cousin.

And keeping Ava in the dark about everything was getting more difficult. One look at this suite and she arched a brow, wrinkled her nose, and turned to Rick.

“What does your cousin do for a living again?”

Rick shrugged. “No idea. I think he’s in sales. That’s why he travels so much.”

She cast him a dubious look. “Uh huh. I think you know more than you’re telling me.”

“No, I just don’t make it my business to pry into what my cousin does for a living. He’s got his life and I’ve got mine. I’d like to leave it that way for now.”

She sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Ava wasn’t stupid—one of the things he admired so much about her. She wasn’t buying the sales angle at all. He couldn’t blame her. Anyone with half a brain knew this whole setup smelled like someone in the drug business.

He turned her to face him. “You look beautiful.”

She cocked a brow. “And you’re trying to distract me.”

Partly, yes. But she did look amazing in a red dress with tiny straps over her shoulders. And the top kind of swooped down with this extra material that covered her breasts. Every time she bent over, he thought her br**sts would spill out. They didn’t, but the cl**vage was tempting. The dress hit her right at the knee, and every time she moved, so did the bottom of the dress.

Swish, swish, swish.

She had great legs.

Hell, she had great everything. She’d make a stellar agent, because she was damned distracting, which made it hard for him to do his job.

This was going to require his best juggling—and undercover act—ever.

She’d pulled her hair up tonight, giving him access to her throat. He pressed his lips against her neck, inhaled her sweet scent. Damn, she smelled good. No perfume, just soap and her shampoo and the sweet scent of her skin. He kissed her, letting his tongue slip out to lick across the softness of her skin, ending up at her ear.

“I like distracting you,” he whispered.

He heard the catch of her breath. She clutched his arms. “When you do that, it makes my ni**les hard.”

He smiled. “Good, because it makes my dick hard.” He pulled her close, and she tilted her head back.

Whether in jeans and a T-shirt, or dressed up like a socialite, Ava was a beautiful woman.

Why the hell she wanted anything to do with him he didn’t understand. He was one lucky guy. And even though this was temporary, he intended to enjoy every second of it.

“You want a drink?”

“Sure.”

They made their way to the bar. Rick ordered a beer for himself and a glass of wine for Ava.

“I don’t see Lacey,” she said, her gaze searching the room.

Rick spotted Bo off in a corner talking to a few guys. “There’s Bo. Maybe he knows. Come on.” He took Ava’s hand and headed in that direction. His motive, of course, was to ease in and see if he could overhear something of what was being said. It might be nothing at all. Then again, it might be important.