Deadly Odds Read Online Free PDF Page A

his mind. “Hang on. Ms. Daniels—”
    “It’s Kate.”
    Right. Kate. “Kate, I don’t think we’re all on the same page. Why did you want to meet with us?”
    Confusion wrinkled her perfect forehead. “Gentlemen, this is not my meeting. Mr. Samuels called my boss, Dev Branson, and requested we do a security review of Dominion and Fortuna. He wanted us here today. We were told you’d be notified.”
    Don let out a long breath and Ross glanced at him. The color in his cheeks deepened. Blood pressure. If Ross didn’t get this under control he really would be sending Don home in a body bag.
    “Okay.” Ross stood and headed for the door. “We have crossed wires. Let me make a call.”
    Samuels had ambushed them. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but at the very least it was embarrassing. As if the two of them—the ones running a $2.7 billion dollar property—couldn’t organize a simple business meeting.
    Ross shut the office door behind him, strode to Marcia’s desk and grabbed her phone.
    “What’s up?”
    Gritting his teeth, he dialed Samuels’ number and let out a breath. Concentrate here . He didn’t need to lose his cool on a boss who made a sport of challenging his employees.
    “Ross? What’s wrong?”
    After the second ring, he gripped the phone, let all his anger filter through his fingers into the hard plastic. “For a guy who’s supposed to be running this place, I don’t know what the hell is going on. I’m calling my boss to find out. And my guess is I’m not going to like it.”
    * * *
    Kate tapped her pen on her notepad while she and Don Sickler waited for Ross to return. Initial visits to clients always proved interesting and she’d given up trying to prejudge the outcome but this, she had to admit, was a first.
    Unable to stand the silence, she shifted in her seat, angling her body to face Don. “I’m mortified. I have to apologize. Mr. Samuels told us you’d be notified.”
    An alarm sounded from Don’s jacket pocket. “Don’t sweat it, honey. Samuels is famous for this. Excuse me a second.”
    He dug into his suit pocket, retrieved his phone and silenced the alarm. “Damn alarm drives me crazy.” He shoved his bulk from the chair, walked across the office to a small refrigerator where he grabbed a water bottle. “Can I get you something? Water? Coffee?”
    “No. Thank you.”
    He dug in his pocket again and the distinct rattle of pills sounded. He held up the small pill bottle, shook a pill out and popped one. “Between the cholesterol and the blood pressure, I’m sick of pills.”
    Ah. “Sorry to hear that. Have you tried adjusting your diet?”
    “You sound like Ross. Always with the exercise and eating right.”
    Kate smiled, waited for him to sit again then leaned over her armrest. “You just don’t want to admit he’s right.”
    “Damn straight.”
    The two of them shared a laugh and he waved her off. “Women. Always did drive me nuts. Ask any of my three ex-wives.”
    “Three!”
    Apparently enjoying her outrage, his lips quirked. “This might surprise you, but I’m not an easy man. Irresistible as I might be.”
    The man was insane. But she liked his humor and his direct manner. Something told her that with Don Sickler, honesty, no matter how brutal, was the norm.
    The office door opened and Ross strode in, his jaw set, his gaze straight ahead. Not a happy camper . He took his seat, nodded at Don and addressed Kate. “As I said, miscommunication. We didn’t receive the message that you were coming. Mr. Samuels has explained why you’re here. Whatever you need from us, we’ll be happy to accommodate.”
    Don shifted his considerable weight. “Uh, you wanna tell me why she’s here?”
    “Mr. Samuels is concerned about the situation on the strip. He would like Ms. Daniels—Kate—to do a thorough security review and report on vulnerabilities. The same is being done at Dominion.”
    “Like I said, shitting elephants.”
    Ross slid a disapproving