Escapade. Diana Palmer

had any success, and his own woes were playing on his mind.

      The call he’d just received was from Las Vegas, from a flunky who worked for the casino owner to whom he owed a fortune. Perhaps, he thought, if he could speak to the owner himself, he could buy enough time to tell Josh how much trouble he was in. He hadn’t managed that much nerve just yet.

      He picked up the phone in the suite he’d rented and dialed a stateside number, waiting impatiently for it to ring.

      “Desert Paradise Casino,” came the reply eventually, in a soft, seductive voice.

      “Let me speak to Marc Donner,” he said shortly.

      “One moment. I’ll see if Mr. Donner is in. May I tell him who’s calling, please?”

      “Tell him it’s Brad Lawson.”

      There was a very long pause before the telephone was answered.

      “Donner.” The voice was deep, unaccented, and without compromise. It reminded Brad vaguely of his older brother.

      “I’m working on the money I owe you,” he told the man. “I’m staying on Opal Cay. One way or the other, I’ll have it in a few weeks, a month at the outside.”

      “Do you think your brother will give it to you?” came the amused reply. “Josh Lawson isn’t known for a life of frivolity.”

      “No, but he’s known for other reasons,” Brad said defensively.

      “Sure. His money and his cutthroat approach to business. But he won’t save you if you try to duck out of paying me,” the silky voice purred. “And just between us, I don’t think he’ll try. He doesn’t like gamblers. Even ones he’s related to.”

      “Blood is thicker than water.”

      “Strange that you should mention blood,” Donner said carelessly. “Don’t let me down, Lawson. Don’t even think about it.”

      “I told you. I’m working on it.” The man chilled Brad’s blood. Donner had been connected with a couple of murders though he’d never gone to court for any of them. Brad was worried, but he had nobody to blame except himself. He didn’t really expect Josh to bail him out of this one. No, he’d have to get himself out of this mess. “I’ll get back to you next week.”

      “You’d better. I know where to find you.”

      “Don’t I know it.” He sighed and put down the receiver.

      He needed to get his hands on a substantial amount of cash at once. He’d tried his luck at the tables, but that hadn’t worked. He knew Donner was too intelligent to leave him bleeding in a ditch even if he did look more like a wrestler than a casino owner. He would probably show up at a board meeting, cause a scene, and blow the whistle on him. Josh would then have no choice but to pay the debt and kick Brad out. Brad winced at the thought of it. He had to find a way out—any way out.