“But I do know, she told me,” he interrupted. “And that’s why I’ve felt she had every right to be suspicious of anyone who crossed her path. I’m a very private person. I’ve been much more open with her than I usually am with anyone. I want you to know I respect her, or I wouldn’t even consider letting her know anything more. I’d put a stop to it.”

She stiffened. “That sounds like a threat.”

He sighed. “And there we have you defending her. Not necessary. It’s just the opposite. Before this plane sets down, I want to give you both a chance to make you feel you know me. Maybe I’ll even answer questions.”

“Why would you do that?”

“To make the rest of this trip easier and not risk having you take off.” He paused. “Maria decided to go digging in her computer to bare all my secrets she could find. She didn’t find much, but she’ll keep trying. I encouraged it.”

“Why?”

“She wants to protect you. She won’t be satisfied until she’s sure she knows everything that could harm you. Once she reaches that point, she’ll feel more comfortable.” He smiled. “And that brings up what she did find out today that you should know about. I’m sure she’ll tell you herself, but I prefer to make a preemptive strike. I’ve not done any extractions for a long time. I decided to go into more lucrative businesses some time ago. I own eight casinos in the U.S. and Europe. I have an office on Wall Street, and I do very well with stocks, too. It’s all a question of numbers, and that’s where I excel. In short, I’m a gambler. Maria was very comforted when she dug that up, because she realized you hated my profession so much that I’d have no possible influence on you.”

“You wouldn’t have any influence on me anyway,” she said flatly. “And I wouldn’t have had to look you up in a computer to know that you gambled. You’ve made comments about betting since the moment I woke up. You didn’t exactly try to keep it a secret.”

“But I didn’t spell it out for you, either,” he said quietly. “I let it slide by. I didn’t want to deceive you, but knowing your background, I thought it might add to the stress.”

“And make it harder to control me.”

He grinned. “Right. And heaven knows I didn’t need that.”

“No, you didn’t.” She finished her sandwich. “Because I can’t let anyone do that. Did she find out anything else I should know about?”

He shook his head. “That was the big one. I’m sure she’ll fill you in on the rest. I thought that you’d be more upset.”