water, he saw David coming down the beach, and excitement ran through him. The kid was here, and as usual, he had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. David took another puff, then tossed the cigarette into the sand and waded into the water with his board.
As David made his way out to the break, Jax paddled in his direction.
When they eventually crossed paths, he feigned surprise. "David?"
David moved into a sitting position. "Jax, you made it out here."
"Yep. I took your advice. The waves are good here."
"Not much happening at the moment."
"They were better earlier." He paused, debating again how he wanted to play this. He didn't want to completely risk his cover until he knew how malleable David might be. "My friend is putting together a poker game for Tuesday night. Buy-in is 5K. You interested?" He knew from the staffing schedule at the club that David was off on Tuesday night, which was why he'd selected that day, even though he hated to wait that long.
"Tuesday, huh? Who's in the game?"
"Movie studio execs who aren't as good at poker as they are at making films. It's in a suite at the Danforth Hotel in Beverly Hills. Eight o'clock."
"You got that kind of cash as a bartender?" David quizzed, a suspicious look in his eyes.
"I do some side jobs."
"Like what?"
He shrugged. "Whatever pays cash and needs someone who doesn't ask questions."
David nodded. "Those can be lucrative."
"Can you make the game, or do you have to work?"
"I'm off on Tuesday, but I don't know yet. I can probably make it. I can let you know."
"I'll need to know by Monday. They don't like empty seats. I'm telling you, David, these guys are easy pickings."
"I like the sound of that."
"I'll be at the club later. Maybe you can tell me then." He glanced back, seeing a wave building behind him. He didn't want to oversell his pitch, so he said, "I'm going to take this one. See you tonight."
"Later."
He rode the wave to shore. Then he jogged up the sand to his car, happy that David had bought into the game. Once he got him into the suite at the hotel, he would make David an offer he couldn't refuse. He wished he didn't have to wait until Tuesday, but he had to work the next two nights and taking a sick day could give Sylvia a reason to fire him. He also needed time to find a way to put David into even more hot water. That would help him in his approach. He would only have one shot, so it had to be a good one.
Chapter Thirteen
Maya stopped at her house long enough to change into a summer dress and throw on some wedge sandals. She also put on a little makeup, excited to be seeing Jax again. She wished they'd met under more normal circumstances. On the other hand, they probably wouldn't have met at all if she hadn't been at the Firebird Club, and the only reason she'd gone there was because of her grandmother.
As she drove to Belle's, she felt energized and optimistic. It wasn't just a new day; it was a pretty day—heat going up into the eighties, and nothing but blue sky on the horizon. She'd learned a lot about Natasha in the past few days. Hopefully, she would learn more today. She'd done a little research on her phone when she'd woken up, and she'd discovered that Natasha's friend, Julia Poplova, who had once been a professional tennis player, owned a tennis club in Ocean Colony, a housing development in Marina Del Rey, very close to Santa Monica where she was meeting Jax. The article she'd found on the club had also shown photos of Julia's house which was located right next to the courts. She planned to hit up the club and her house after breakfast.
It would be nice to hear what Julia had to say, since she was maybe the only person who could speak to who Natasha had been as a young girl. Even if they hadn't ended up the best of friends, perhaps she'd be willing to share. Unless, of course, Julia had had something to do with Natasha's death. Every single person she talked to was a suspect. She really hadn't been able to eliminate anyone yet.
A few minutes later, she drove into the parking lot behind Belle's and tried to tamp down the enthusiasm running through her. She really should not be this eager to