Warlock brought out a battered pack of Doinas and handed them to Cooper, who, in turn, offered them to Alex.
“Go down to the beach and ask him for a light,” he said.
“Won’t that be a little obvious?”
“We don’t have much choice, thanks to your real estate friend. Just put on the charm and believe me, he won’t care.”
“We’re talking about a guy who’s so paranoid he rigs his hotel room like it’s Fort Knox.”
“Trust me. If he thinks he’s got even a fifty-fifty chance of landing someone like you in the sack, all that paranoia goes right out the window.”
“At the risk of getting choked again,” Warlock said, taking a prudent step backward, “I have to agree.”
Alex shot him a look but said nothing.
“You’d better get down there before he leaves,” Cooper told her.
“Fine,” she said. She snatched the pack of cigarettes out of his hand and dropped them into the clutch purse she was carrying.
As she headed toward the rear exit, Warlock called out, “Don’t lose those. I’ll be wanting them back.”
She resisted the urge to show him her middle finger.
She found Frederic Favreau sitting on a retaining wall near a kayak stand that was closed for the night. After stopping several yards away, she took out the pack of Doinas, popped one into her mouth, then rooted around inside her clutch.
On the way down she had decided it would be best to use Gérard as a prop, as if his sudden appearance in her life had rattled her.
Which wasn’t that far from the truth.
She had passed his presence off to Cooper as a coincidence, but she wasn’t convinced of that herself, and wondered if Gérard really had followed her here. The question was why.
As she dug through her purse she could feel Favreau watching her again. After a moment, she cursed under her breath and looked up, pretending to notice him for the first time.
She took the cigarette from her mouth. “Oh. Hello again.”
“Hi, there.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have a light, would you?”
“I’m starting to think you’re stalking me,” he said with a grin. “It’s usually the other way around.”
She approached him. “I think I’m the one who’s being stalked. You saw what happened in the cafe, right?”
He took a lighter from his pocket and flicked it. “Hard not to. Old boyfriend?”
She leaned in and lit the cigarette. She’d never been a smoker, but figured she could tolerate a few puffs before she felt like puking.
“No,” she said, deciding to stick as close to the truth as possible. “Just somebody I met in Key Largo.” She took another puff and exhaled. “Men sometimes get attached to me. I’m not quite sure why.”
“Oh, I think you know.” He pocketed the lighter. “Before we were so rudely interrupted, I was about to tell you you’re one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.”
She smiled. “I never know how to react to that.”
“But you’re used to hearing it, aren’t you?” He held out a hand. “I’m Frederic, by the way.”
She shook it. “Alexandra.”
“Nice. I like it. What did you end up ordering, Alexandra? At the cafe?”
“Nothing. I didn’t have an appetite after Thomas showed up.”
“That’s not right. You want me to talk to this guy? Tell him to back off?”
She laughed. “No, I appreciate it, but I’m sure he got the message.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Some guys have selective hearing when it comes to certain women. I could tune up his eardrums a little.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but no thanks.”
Favreau shrugged. “Just trying to help a damsel in distress. I thought I heard him say something about Sweden. Is that where you’re from? Because I would’ve pegged you as American. Although you look like you’ve got some Middle Eastern blood in you, too.”
“You’re very observant.”
“You’re very observable.”
She laughed again. He might not be the most attractive or subtle guy in the universe, but he definitely had game.
“Sweden was supposed to be my first gig,” she said. “But the girl assigned to St. Cajetan dropped out at the last minute, so here I am.”
“And here we are.” He took a last drag off his cigarette and flicked the butt into the sand. “And it kills me to say this, Alexandra, but it’s been a long day and I’m beat.”
He got to his feet.
“You’re leaving? I thought we might get a drink.”
“Trust me, I’m tempted, but it took me twenty-eight hours and three stops to get here this morning, and all I really want to do right now is sleep. Will you take a rain check?”
She hesitated. “…Of course.”
“Good,” he said with a nod. “My offer still stands about the ex. Just let me know.” He grinned again. “You have a good night now.”
Alex watched him in a state of disbelief as he stepped past her and headed up the beach to the hotel.
When he was gone, she said into her comm mic, “Does somebody want to tell me what the hell just happened?”
CHAPTER 18
It was well past ten when they all stepped into their suite, feeling depressed and discouraged.
“You know,” Deuce said, “I can’t really blame the guy. Alex is a wild card right now. For all he knows, she could be law enforcement, or even working for Valac.”
Warlock dropped two equipment cases by the door. “The poor git’s probably Googling Alexandra’s life story as we speak.”
“If he is,” Cooper said, “He’ll find a nice little social media profile Stonewell cooked up. Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and credits that include regional television stations in three different states.” He turned to Alex. “There’s no reason for him to think you’re anything other than what you say you are.”
“A lot of good that does us now.” She kicked off her heels and headed for the living room. “The longer it takes us to find those codes, the closer he gets to making the sale.”
Deuce followed her and plopped into a chair. “We could try the fire alarm gambit. Maybe he’ll forget to rig his door.”
Warlock laughed. “Good luck with that, mate. Freddy boy strikes me as a creature of habit.”
“You have any better ideas?”
“Probably. But none that comes to mind at the moment.”
Deuce gave him a look and said to Cooper, “Maybe we should grab the bastard and smack him around a little. Get the codes and force him to run point for us.”
Cooper shook his head. “We have specific instructions about that. McElroy doesn’t want to risk tipping off Valac.”
Alex sank to the sofa and leaned back. “Well, maybe McElroy should get his butt out here and come up with a better solution, because so far his way isn’t working. I’m with Deuce. I’ve always preferred the hands-on approach.”
“Technically speaking,” Warlock said, “isn’t that what you’re going for?”
Alex glared at him. “You really do walk the edge, don’t you?”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re a bit humor impaired?”
“When you say something funny, maybe I’ll laugh.”
Cooper raised his hands. “All right, children, save it for the playground. We have work to do.”
“By the way,” Warlock said to Alex. “I believe you still have my ciggies. I’d like them back.”
“Sure,” she said. She popped open her purse, took out the pack of Doinas, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it at his chest. “They’re all yours.”
Warlock’s eyes narrowed. “That was my last bloody pack, you—”
“All right, you two, enough,” Cooper said. “I know we’re all feeling frustrated right now, but you can save this bullshit for somebody else’s parade. Are we clear?”