Ian's Ultimate Gamble - Brenda Jackson [54]
A trap had been set and if everything worked out the way they hoped, they would catch the Waterloo Gang red-handed trying to steal the jewels Jamal was to present to Delaney Saturday night.
Brooke had made a decision that once the gang was apprehended, she would leave and not attend Delaney's birthday bash. She was to go as Ian's date, but she figured she would be the last person he would want to show up with.
As she settled in bed, tears she couldn't hold back rolled down her cheeks. If only Ian would have let her explain. But he hadn't. He had refused to listen to anything she had to say in her defense. Once again he saw her as a very deceitful person. He didn't trust her. And without trust, love was nothing.
"Hey, Ian. You want to play blackjack with us?"
Ian refused to turn around from his stance in front of his penthouse window. Instead he closed his eyes as memories of the night he had made love to Brooke on the same blackjack table at which Jared, Dare and Thorn were seated raced through his mind. "Ian?"
He recognized the concern in Jared's voice. Being the firstborn, Jared had been bestowed with the dubious responsibility of looking out for his younger siblings. And now, thirty-plus years later, nothing had changed.
Deciding it was best to give him an answer, he turned around and said, "No, you all go ahead and play without me." He couldn't help but smile when he saw the look of relief on their faces. He was a natural ace when it came to blackjack and they all knew it.
"One of you act as dealer while I talk to Ian for a while," Dare said to the others.
Ian raised his eyes to the ceiling. Dare, being the oldest of all the Westmoreland men— although he was only older than Jared by a few months— had always felt responsible for his younger siblings and cousins. He'd always taken being "the oldest" seriously, but at times he could be an outright pain in the rear end. Ian pretty much figured this would be one of those times.
"We need to talk," Dare said when he approached him.
"If it's about Brooke we have nothing to say," Ian said before taking a sip of his drink.
"The hell we don't. So let's go somewhere private."
Ian figured he wouldn't be able to get Dare off his case until he complied with his request, and figured the sooner he did so, the better off he'd be. "Fine. We can go into my office."
Dare followed Ian to the room he'd set aside as a small office and closed the door behind them. Ian moved to sit down behind his desk while Dare chose to stand in front of it with his hands on his hips and his expression anything but friendly.
"Say what you have to say. Dare, so we can get this over with," Ian said, setting his glass aside.
Dare leaned over to make sure he could be heard. "For a man who's extremely smart you're not acting very bright."
Ian's lips curled into a smile. Leave it to Dare to speak his mind. "Why? Because I refuse to let the same woman break my heart twice?"
"No, because twice she's looked after your best interest and you're too blind to see it. I know what has you pissed with her, but if you would have given her the chance to explain, she would have told you that if she hadn't agreed to come here to make sure things were running smoothly, they would have sent the federal agent from hell. Although she knew how you felt about her, she came anyway because she trusted you and knew she wouldn't find anything wrong with your operation."
Ian sat back in his chair in a nonchalant posture. "Did she tell you that?"
"No. Vance did."
Ian sat up. "Vance? How the hell does he know anything?"
"Because of his connections within the Bureau. He didn't buy her story of just being here on vacation, so he made a few calls. He approached her while you were out of town and of course she didn't let on to anything. And before you ask, the reason Vance didn't tell you of his suspicions is because he didn't see Brooke as a threat, especially after she told him...and I quote, "No matter what you or anyone else might think, I trust Ian implicitly."
When Ian didn't say anything, Dare continued. "I don't