Read Online Live and Let Love by Gina Robinson - Free Book Online
Authors: Gina Robinson
Tags: Agent Ex#3
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alterations.
He replaced the message and pocketed the rock.
On his way out of the men’s room, he got lucky. Kennett had his back to Jack and had
set his drink down on the counter next to him as he made a point while talking to
another grower near the punch bowl. Even better, Kennett was drinking apple gold punch,
a warm, spiced cider laced with dark rum. Perfect.
Magic had always said sleight of hand was a highly convenient skill to have. And she
was right. As the hour of the competition grew close, Lettie and her minions had been
keeping an eye on all the possible contestants in case someone decided to bolt. Inconvenient,
but it didn’t slow Jack down. He always had something up his sleeve. In this case,
it was his extra-strength homebrew XTC. He used the skills he’d learned at Magic’s
side during his rehab and slipped a dose big enough to sedate a horse into Kennett’s
drink. Why skimp?
Sometimes, you can’t take the prankster out of the spy. Jack had to cover his tracks
so when big, strong, highly resistant to alcohol Kennett went down after consuming only a glass or two of spiked punch no one would
be suspicious. Aldo’s cousin refilling the punch wouldn’t give anyone reason for suspicion.
He grabbed a jug of cider that he’d filled with Everclear earlier and spiked the punch.
Before the party he’d left empty Everclear bottles where they would eventually be
found. He was hoping no one would ever catch the prankster and suspicion would be
cast elsewhere. Like to a local. Hey, it was almost trick-or-treat time. Everclear
in the punch was more fun than toilet-papering apple orchards.
Jack made his way back to the tasting building for the contest, dropping the rock
where Kennett had originally placed it.
“Con!” Inside the building, Aldo flagged Jack down and waved him over. “Just minutes
to go until they announce the unfortunate fellows who have to dance. You’re trailing
by just a few votes. But I have your back, cugino. I’ve been telling everyone who tries to vote for me to vote for you instead.” Aldo
let out a boom of a laugh and slapped Jack on the back. “Brilliant, eh?”
“My many un-heartfelt thanks. With family like you, who needs enemies?” Jack was only
half-teasing. He had plenty of those already. If he completed his mission successfully,
very soon he’d have one less. That made him smile.
“Eh! It’s the least I can do. If you can’t embarrass la famiglia for a good cause, life isn’t worth living! Besides, you should show off. The ladies
want to see it. We men don’t care for dancing. But the ladies love a man who can dance.”
Aldo gave him another friendly, familial pat. “The family honor is in your hands now.”
Damn. Now he’d have to buy more tickets so he could get himself out of having to dance.
* * *
Willow’s pulse raced as Aldo pulled Con into the tasting room for the big reveal of
which unlucky five men had won, or lost, depending upon perspective, the vote and
would have to dance off against one another. Shane came into the building behind him,
carrying a cup of warm apple gold punch. He slid in beside her.
“You’re just in time,” she said to him. “I was beginning to worry. You’re in second
place right now, just below Bob. I’m glad you didn’t run out on us.”
“I thought about it. But Lettie has people keeping tabs on me and guards posted at
all the doors and escape routes. There’s no way she’s letting any of the victims bolt.”
He lifted his glass of punch and downed half. “For fortification and to cast away
inhibitions.”
Willow clutched twenty dollars’ worth of tickets. One second before the stroke of
eight, she was going to cast them for Con so he didn’t have time to un-vote them.
She’d been unable to connect with him all evening. She had the feeling he’d been doing
some evasive action and avoiding her. But that wasn’t the main reason for
He replaced the message and pocketed the rock.
On his way out of the men’s room, he got lucky. Kennett had his back to Jack and had
set his drink down on the counter next to him as he made a point while talking to
another grower near the punch bowl. Even better, Kennett was drinking apple gold punch,
a warm, spiced cider laced with dark rum. Perfect.
Magic had always said sleight of hand was a highly convenient skill to have. And she
was right. As the hour of the competition grew close, Lettie and her minions had been
keeping an eye on all the possible contestants in case someone decided to bolt. Inconvenient,
but it didn’t slow Jack down. He always had something up his sleeve. In this case,
it was his extra-strength homebrew XTC. He used the skills he’d learned at Magic’s
side during his rehab and slipped a dose big enough to sedate a horse into Kennett’s
drink. Why skimp?
Sometimes, you can’t take the prankster out of the spy. Jack had to cover his tracks
so when big, strong, highly resistant to alcohol Kennett went down after consuming only a glass or two of spiked punch no one would
be suspicious. Aldo’s cousin refilling the punch wouldn’t give anyone reason for suspicion.
He grabbed a jug of cider that he’d filled with Everclear earlier and spiked the punch.
Before the party he’d left empty Everclear bottles where they would eventually be
found. He was hoping no one would ever catch the prankster and suspicion would be
cast elsewhere. Like to a local. Hey, it was almost trick-or-treat time. Everclear
in the punch was more fun than toilet-papering apple orchards.
Jack made his way back to the tasting building for the contest, dropping the rock
where Kennett had originally placed it.
“Con!” Inside the building, Aldo flagged Jack down and waved him over. “Just minutes
to go until they announce the unfortunate fellows who have to dance. You’re trailing
by just a few votes. But I have your back, cugino. I’ve been telling everyone who tries to vote for me to vote for you instead.” Aldo
let out a boom of a laugh and slapped Jack on the back. “Brilliant, eh?”
“My many un-heartfelt thanks. With family like you, who needs enemies?” Jack was only
half-teasing. He had plenty of those already. If he completed his mission successfully,
very soon he’d have one less. That made him smile.
“Eh! It’s the least I can do. If you can’t embarrass la famiglia for a good cause, life isn’t worth living! Besides, you should show off. The ladies
want to see it. We men don’t care for dancing. But the ladies love a man who can dance.”
Aldo gave him another friendly, familial pat. “The family honor is in your hands now.”
Damn. Now he’d have to buy more tickets so he could get himself out of having to dance.
* * *
Willow’s pulse raced as Aldo pulled Con into the tasting room for the big reveal of
which unlucky five men had won, or lost, depending upon perspective, the vote and
would have to dance off against one another. Shane came into the building behind him,
carrying a cup of warm apple gold punch. He slid in beside her.
“You’re just in time,” she said to him. “I was beginning to worry. You’re in second
place right now, just below Bob. I’m glad you didn’t run out on us.”
“I thought about it. But Lettie has people keeping tabs on me and guards posted at
all the doors and escape routes. There’s no way she’s letting any of the victims bolt.”
He lifted his glass of punch and downed half. “For fortification and to cast away
inhibitions.”
Willow clutched twenty dollars’ worth of tickets. One second before the stroke of
eight, she was going to cast them for Con so he didn’t have time to un-vote them.
She’d been unable to connect with him all evening. She had the feeling he’d been doing
some evasive action and avoiding her. But that wasn’t the main reason for
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