Prologue

Checking into the resort amidst the chaos of an arriving romance author convention provided Special Agent Finn Mikelson with all the cover he needed. The harried reception staff swiped his credit card, filled out the paperwork and slid over the card keys with brisk air of move it buddy so they could rush on to the next guest. Travel suitcase in one hand and a backpack over his shoulder, he skipped the bellman and headed straight for the elevators.

The opulence of the Arcana Royale shimmered in the morning sunlight. Everything about it—from the waterfalls to the all-seeing Sphinx to the beautiful marble statues and rich parquet floors—invited visitors to an age of decadence and wealth. The world outside faded away, leaving only the beauty of the here and now, but the effect was lost on the special agent. He knew the beauty harbored dark secrets. The glitz and the glam disguised the rotten core of corruption. Corruption he would expose if it was the last thing he did.

And it just might be. 

He hit the button for the elevator and waited patiently with a dozen women of varying ages, who chattered as old friends and acquaintances did when they hadn’t seen each other in a while. The group of three women on his left ranged in age from forty to fifty-five. They hugged, almost squealing in their delight to be together. Apparently they only met once a year at the convention and they had much to catch up on. Another group complained about the delays their flight encountered. Just behind him waited a woman who didn’t speak to the others or make eye contact. He checked her shy expression in the reflection of the elevator doors. Her badge proclaimed her a first timer.

So she probably doesn’t know anyone. He shifted his bags and took a step slightly to the woman’s left, allowing her to move closer and be a part of the “crowd.” She glanced at him, barely long enough to flash a smile before looking away. He nodded, cataloging the various bits of information the groups shared. More people pressed in around them, all waiting for the elevators.

Thankfully two opened almost at the same time and most were able to board. The chatter drifted away as the doors shut and they swooped upward. He was booked into the twenty-eighth floor. The other passengers left the elevator on lower floors and he rode from twenty-two to twenty-eight alone—well, as alone as one could get under surveillance from a camera above.

Finn knew it was there, but he didn’t spare it a look. Better that they think him just there for a vacation and oblivious to the eye in the sky security features found in every casino. Let them keep their attention on the gaggles of women and their luggage. He understood surveillance and he wanted to use the distraction to his full advantage.

A half-smile turned up the corner of his mouth. He would unearth the answers he wanted soon enough.