Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 149209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Ash shakes his head as we hit the front of the airport and emerge into the breezy Maui night. It’s warm and slightly sultry. I’ve spent my last four Decembers in North Dakota, so this is a huge change. And I admit, not an unwelcome one.
He leans closer. “Maybe you should kill two birds with one stone and seduce her.”
I look at him as if he’s gone crazy. “I’m not touching that woman.”
“You’re going to take one look at her and want to. I guarantee it. You can warm her up faster and end your dry spell all at once. Getting your pound of flesh—literally—is a genius idea. Damn, I’m full of holiday gifts.”
I want to refute Ash, but I’ve seen pictures of Bethany. I can’t deny she’s gorgeous. If she was any other woman I didn’t already hate, I would relish the chance to tempt her into bed.
I drop my duffel in the trunk of Ash’s beat-up sedan. “Not happening. I’ll think of something else.”
He shrugs like I’m crazy. “Good luck with that. She didn’t want to make nice with anyone yesterday. You really should consider giving her big Os. Nothing opens a woman up faster.”
Even if she’s the most attractive female on the planet, I refuse to give Bethany Banks an ounce of pleasure. “Nope.”
“Did you come this far to fail? Seriously, I don’t see her cozying up to anyone. That woman is determined to succeed at whatever she does, almost like she has something to prove. Yesterday, she was terrible her first two hours on the job. Then my manager came out and gave her a few pointers. She excused herself for five minutes, came back reading her phone, then… After that, it was as if she’d been waiting tables for months. She learned fast.”
I’m not surprised. “She’s seriously intelligent. Hell, she’s a Mensa member.”
“Huh. So she’s smart and stunning. Does the woman have any flaws?”
“Her moral character, dipshit. She swindled dozens of people out of hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Ash scowls. “Are you sure? If she made all this money off of her victims, why isn’t she living the high life somewhere? Why is she waiting tables?”
It’s a fair question, one I’ve considered. One I admittedly don’t have an answer for. Sure, the feds still have her legal bank accounts frozen, but if she’s got the stolen cash parked offshore, why isn’t she living the high life now? “I’ll find that out, too.”
Because if I can track down other people’s money, maybe I can track down my father’s. And I can prove Bethany Banks is guilty so she can go to jail—where she belongs. I don’t know how or why the FBI overlooked her as a suspect. Did she somehow con her way out of prison time? I don’t know, but I’m going to figure it out and right this injustice.
CHAPTER TWO
When my phone rings at two in the afternoon the following day, I answer Ash’s call immediately. “Well?”
“Brush off your rusty bartending skills. You’re in. You start in three hours.”
I let out a sigh of relief. Game on.
Last night, Ash and I stayed up, plotting the best tactic for me to interact with Bethany. If I’m going to win her over and be her pal, I can’t pose as a customer who buys a drink or two. I need time with her. Working together seems like the smartest ploy. Since Ash is in good with the manager, he can give me the same shifts as Bethany. She and I will have being new on the job and new to the island in common. After those conversation starters, I’ll figure out how to build from there.
“Thanks, man. I owe you.”
“No sweat. I’ll be by to pick you up in an hour. We’ll grab a bite and head in to work.”
“Great.”
I get cleaned up, check in on my brothers and Howie, who’s running my business back in North Dakota. Then pace while I wait for Ash. I try to nail down my opening approach—what I’ll say to coax her into talking to me, how I’ll thaw her ice.
By the time Ash arrives, I’ve got a rough plan in my head, and it starts with flattery. Don’t most people like to be buttered up? Then I’ll give her some aw-shucks, fish-out-of-water crap while I play on whatever sense of adventure she has about exploring our beautiful surroundings. By this time tomorrow, I’m hoping she sees me as a budding acquaintance who may soon become a confidant.
After a quick lunch at Zippy’s by the airport, we head to Lahaina. “This place is tourist central, being near the hotels and right on the beach. We’ll be busier as the night wears on. But you’ll have a few hours to acclimate to the bar—and sidle up to your victim.”
“She is not the victim.” My father was, and he’s no longer here to defend himself. That’s my job.