by L A Dobbs
“Since I blew out my knee sophomore year in college and lost my scholarship.” His words were matter-of-fact as he examined the space, but there was a slight edge to his tone. “I had to figure out something else to do with my life, fast. I didn’t figure my size would be good for much else, so I switched to a criminal justice major, thinking I’d be a cop or something. Except they wouldn’t take me with my injury and all the surgeries that followed.” He glanced back at her over his shoulder. “Security was the next best thing.”
“Probably didn’t hurt that Blake’s family was involved in the business either.” It was a crappy thing to say, and she knew it, but she wanted to get some kind of rise out of him, to ruffle his feathers like he ruffled hers.
He stepped closer to her, his brilliant-blue gaze narrowed. “What are you implying? That I only got my job as some kind of favor? ’Cause I can assure you that’s not the case. I’m the best personal security money can buy in this town. I’ve got three pages of top-notch references I’m happy to provide if there’s any doubt.”
Heat prickled her cheeks, and she lowered her gaze. Of course, Dino was the best. He always was. “No. It’s fine.”
“So, I get the job?”
She nodded, still not thrilled about the proposition of spending more time with him but impressed by his credentials and his attitude. Many people would’ve just given up if they’d lost a scholarship like that. Not Dino. He’d never been one to surrender to his circumstances, and apparently that was one thing that hadn’t changed over the years. She could use someone like that on her side right now.
“Good. I’ll need to see these e-mails and texts you’ve been receiving.” She started to pull her phone from her back pocket, but he handed her a business card instead. “My e-mail address and cell number are on there. Forward them to me so I have copies. I’ll get our tech guy on it and see if they can trace where they’re coming from.”
“Okay.” She slid her phone back into her pocket and followed him out of the room and back down to the lobby.
Lou was still waiting for them, talking on his cell, as usual. As they approached, his gaze darted between the two of them. He ended his call abruptly, his expression anxious as he squinted at Jan. “Well?”
“He’s fine,” she conceded. “But only until we catch this person. I don’t need a bodyguard after that.”
“Agreed.” Lou grinned and turned to Dino. “She give you all the info you needed?”
“She did.” Dino’s eyes never left her. “You mentioned the security at her house too?”
“Yeah. You should check that, make sure everything’s okay there.” Lou patted Jan on the shoulder. “Wouldn’t want anything to happen to my star client.” His phone buzzed again, and he glanced at the screen. “Excuse me, I need to take this.”
Jan stared at his retreating form as Dino moved in beside her.
“Charming guy,” he said, his tone suggesting the exact opposite.
“Lou’s a great manager. That doesn’t always translate into warm and fuzzy.”
“Right.” Dino gave her a side glance. “You driving or me?”
“I don’t have my car with me today.”
“Guess I’m up, then.” He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and dangled them in front of her, gesturing toward the front door. “Your carriage awaits, madam.”
By the time they reached Summerlin and her gated community within it called The Ridges, they’d discussed the weather and the area and the new developments on the strip. All professional, nothing personal. Jan fidgeted awkwardly the whole time, Dino’s cool-as-a-cucumber attitude making her even more uncomfortable.
Dino pulled up to the guard station, and she greeted the burly man inside. He passed them through, and she directed Dino down the winding landscaped roads toward her home near the golf course. She didn’t golf, nor did she really need the seven bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, or four-car garage that the home included, but she did need the security.
“It’s right here.” She pointed to a sprawling southwestern-style white stucco estate.
Dino gave an appreciative whistle and turned down the long cobblestone drive. “You must be doing okay for yourself, Jan.”
“I do all right.” She lowered her gaze, still not comfortable with flamboyant shows of wealth. She’d moved here for safety and peace of mind after her first record hit the big time. Not to impress anyone. It was the smallest place she could find in a secured gated community. He pulled up in front of the house, and she undid her seat belt and got out of the car to wait for him by the door.
He stood for a moment beside his black Chevy Tahoe and surveyed the area. “All this property yours?”
“To the fence line, yes.” She pointed to a black wrought-iron fence running around the perimeter of her property. “There’s a privacy wall around the backyard too.”
“Good. What’s your square footage?”
“Thirteen thousand six hundred. Why?”
“And you live here alone?”
She frowned. “Is that pertinent?”
“I’m here to protect you, Jan,” he said while waiting for her to punch her security code into the keypad by the door. “I’m not being nosy. Who you spend your time with is up to you. I just need to know who comes and goes on a regular basis so I know what’s normal and what’s not.”
“Oh.” The front door clicked open. “It’s just me. And a housekeeper who comes three times a week. This way.”
He followed her into the grand marble foyer, and the lights clicked on automatically, sensing their body heat. “I’ll just take a look around real quick, if you don’t mind.”
“Fine.” She watched him as he climbed one of the two staircases that led up to the second floor and did her best not to stare after him. It wasn’t fair, really it wasn’t. He’d only gotten better with age—more mature, more rugged, more handsome. While she’d gotten a big old empty house in a gated community and housekeeper. How pathetic was that?
Wandering into her kitchen, Jan pulled her phone from her pocket and tossed it onto the granite center island then took a seat on one of the stools surrounding it. Her mind wandered and she wondered if Dino had an empty house too or was he still with Erin, the cheerleader he’d cheated on her with in high school and the reason she’d left him? Slutty as the girl had been, she’d also been gorgeous—all auburn hair and sexy curves wrapped in a pert, popular package. All the things geeky, shy Jan had never been. She couldn’t really blame Dino, in hindsight, for what he’d done. He’d been way out of her league from the start.
She groaned and rubbed her eyes. It was useless to torture herself now for things best left in the past, but that didn’t stop her from trying.
“Hey,” Dino said as he entered the kitchen. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She lowered her hands and stared at him across the room. “You find everything okay?”
“Yeah. Your house looks secure. Nothing to worry about from what I could see. You should be fine here tonight.” He pulled out his phone and frowned at the screen then looked back at her. “I’ll pick you up for work tomorrow morning. What time do you have to be in the studio?”
“I have my first session at nine.”
“Great. I’ll be here around eight thirty, then.”
She nodded. “Um, I’m not sure if Lou said anything when he called your agency, but I thought I saw someone suspicious lurking around outside the other night … should someone be here at night?”
“This is a guard-gated community.”
“Yeah.”
“And you have a top-of-the-line alarm system.”
“Yeah.”
“Then you don’t need anyone here.” A slight edge of annoyance tinged his voice, as if he were talking about more than overnight bodyguard duties. The idea that he might be irked with her made her temper flare. He was the one who’d taken on this job, knowing what had happened between them in the past. And he was the one responsible for screwing up said past to begin
with. If anyone should be annoyed around here, it was her.
“Fine. You’re the expert.” She stood and walked past him back out into the foyer. She opened the front door and waited for him as he walked over, his steps slow and deliberate.
“I didn’t mean anything by that, Jan. I just meant—”
“I know what you meant.” She gestured toward the open door and the gathering twilight outside. It was now past six, and the sun set earlier in these late fall days. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do this evening.”
Dino stepped outside, cast a glance down the street, then turned to face her. “If you’re going out, I need to know.”
“I’m staying in. Have a nice evening, Dino.” She closed the door and turned intent on forgetting about this new annoyance of having Dino as a bodyguard.
“Don’t forget to set your alarm, Jan. And I’ll be here in the morning at eight thirty sharp,” he called through the door. “Sweet dreams.”
Ughh. Figured he’d use the words he’d always said to her at the end of the night back in high school. Was he trying to antagonize her on purpose or was she reading too much into his words? Unable to decide which it was, she turned and headed for the bottle of wine in her fridge.
Stalker or not, spending the next two weeks with Dino would seem like an eternity.
4
Half an hour later, Dino pulled into a parking spot then crossed the street and walked down Fremont toward the old Binion’s Hotel and Casino. The place was a holdover from the old Rat Pack glory days, but the tourists still kept flocking in from all over the world. Above him, a spectacular light show on the domed ceiling of the open-air mall dazzled the crowds as he weaved his way toward his destination. The text he’d received said she’d be here and asked him to come right away. And if Stacy was in a place like this, it could only mean one thing. She’d fallen off the wagon.
Again.
He approached the towering electric-blue edifice of Binion’s and scanned the area for the petite blond he’d known since high school. What was it with him and girls he knew in high school today? He shook off the odd sense of foreboding that descended over his shoulders like a shroud and climbed the steps into the casino. If Stacy wasn’t outside, odds were good she sat at one of the blackjack tables inside.
And yeah. Maybe she was Jan’s cousin, and maybe he had stayed in touch with her after all these years because despite their break-up he still considered Jan’s family his family. Didn’t mean he was still hung up on his old school flame. No matter how fantastic she’d looked.
Maybe it had been a mistake to accept the job. Not that Blake had given him any choice—in fact, Dino had tried to refuse. But Blake had insisted, and Dino could tell by the look in his friend’s eye that he thought there might be more to this stalker thing than just a celebrity looking for publicity. And if Jan was in trouble, Dino had to help. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her and he could have prevented it.
But when he’d seen her today, all those old feelings had come rushing back, making him doubt his decision. She’d looked good, too. Her long dark hair and creamy skin was still the same as it had been, but different somehow. Sexier, if that was even possible. She’d always been petite, but she’d filled out in all the right places. Then there was her bright, sunny smile. Cute, perky, full of promise, though she’d never considered herself attractive. Dino had never understood how a girl so gorgeous could ever doubt her charms, but that was Jan. Forever modest.
But behind her bright smile had lurked a tiny shadow, one no one would notice except someone who knew her well. Even though he hadn’t seen her in years, he recognized the hint of her same old fears and her same old vulnerability in her lovely blue-gray eyes. And something else...too, fear of her stalker. The thought of it caused a familiar pinching ache around his heart.
He cautioned himself to reign in his feelings. He made it a policy to never get involved with a client, even if she was an old friend. Getting involved would be stupid. And Dino Machiavelli might be a lot of things, but stupid wasn’t one of them.
He’d do his job. He’d already been studying the e-mails and had the tech people at Rockford trying to trace the phone calls, but he hadn’t found any clues as to how to ferret out the stalker. Most of them were dumb enough to leave a trail that Dino could use to find out who they were, but Jan’s stalker was smart. That didn’t bode well at all.
He made a circuit around the room, dodging senior citizens there to blow their monthly social security checks, his nose wrinkling at the smell of booze, cigarettes, and sauerkraut that always permeated these old places. Where the sauerkraut smell came from, he didn’t know, nor did he want to. A slot machine nearby struck pay dirt, and sirens blared, the neon lights near the top of the machine blinking like strobes while the lucky winner whooped and hollered.
But still no sign of Stacy. He ended up back at the entrance where he’d started and decided to check outside one more time. Perhaps he’d missed her in the nighttime crowds. He descended the stairs and tugged his jacket a little closer around him. The desert temperatures stayed relatively warm during the day, even this late in the year, but things dropped precipitously at night.
From the alleyway to his right came the distinct sound of someone vomiting. Probably some poor drunk who’d had one too many highballs. He glanced over his shoulder and spotted two women, one a curvy redhead holding the hair of a smaller blonde while she emptied the contents of her stomach all over glitzy Las Vegas.
He sighed and started toward them, his hopes that maybe Stacy had asked to see him because she’d finally gotten a job, finally gotten clean, finally gotten her life together were dashed. He stopped several feet from the women and cleared his throat to alert them to his presence then said, “Stacy, are you okay?”
“Does she look okay?” the redhead said.
Dino squinted at her in the alley’s half light and realized he knew her. Sort of. If he wasn’t mistaken, she’d been one of the cheerleaders the same year that he and Blake had taken the team all the way to the state title. The redhead gave him a quick once-over then turned back to Stacy. Dino did the same.
Stacy wobbled slightly on her high heels then braced herself with a hand on the brick wall beside her. Her eyes were watering, and her face was flushed, and she looked as uncomfortable as Dino felt. “I’m fine.”
“Here.” He stepped forward and handed her a packet of tissues he had in his pocket. “Clean yourself up.”
“Thanks.” She pulled one out and wiped her mouth. “And thanks for coming.”
He snorted. Even drunk and possibly high, Stacy was more welcoming to him than Jan had been. He still couldn’t quite believe that fate—and Blake—had thrown the two of them together again. This morning he’d remembered Jan fondly, as the quiet, funny, quirky girl who’d cuddled with him on the sofa in her parents’ basement while they’d sipped cocoa and she’d written her sappy poetry. Now, this Jan seemed aloof and opinionated and completely out of his reach.
Old feelings of regret and longing tugged at his heart before he shoved them down deep. He had a job to do now, and it was one he planned to do to the best of his abilities. Guard Jan. Nothing else was important.
Stacy started to step toward him and stumbled over her own feet. Dino reached out and took her arms to steady her as she giggled. He took her arm and half-guided her, half-dragged her out of the alley and back around to the front of the building then sat her down on a deserted public bench. Back in high school, Stacy had been smart and pretty and could’ve done anything she’d wanted in life. But then her father, Jan’s uncle, had been killed—shot to death— and she’d done too much booze and too many drugs and ended up with a set of fake boobs from a past boyfriend and a fake smile that drove a certain kind of man wild with lust. She flashed that too-big, too-perky grin at Dino now and thrust her breasts into his face.
He wrinkled his nose and leaned back.
Dino wasn’t that kind of man. He’d ne
ver been interested in Stacy that way. She was too impetuous, too domineering, too intense for his taste. He crouched beside her. “Let me take you home.”
She pulled her arm from his grasp, and her smile morphed into a scowl. “I’m not going home. That’s why I texted you. I’m on a winning streak.”
Patience wearing thin, Dino stood and gazed down at her, his expression disgusted. “Yeah, that look you’ve got going on right now just screams winner.” He squinted at her and pointed toward the right side of her face. “Pretty sure you’ve still got some puke right there.”
“Shut up.” She pulled another tissue from her pack and wiped her cheek, her bright-red nail polish chipped and peeling.
“So why did you really summon me down here?” he asked, arms crossed.
“I need cash. Twenty dollars, maybe fifty. I’m going to strike it big in there.” She blinked up at him, her eye makeup smudged and her bleached-blond platinum hair mussed. “I’m right on the cusp. I can feel it.”
“You don’t look very lucky right now.”
“You don’t know a damned thing, Dino Machiavelli.”
“I know that if you were really lucky, you wouldn’t need my money to help you out.”
“Fine. Keep your damned money.” She yanked the neckline of her purple spandex dress lower and patted her knotted hair before standing on unsteady feet again. “I’ll find someone else to give it to me.”
“Like hell you will.” He clasped her elbow and directed her back to the bench. “Just sit here a minute and relax.”
“I don’t want to relax. I want to gamble.”
Dino looked over to see her friend, the redhead, hovering near the door to the casino, apparently not wanting to get involved. The woman met his gaze for a moment then looked away and disappeared inside the casino, abandoning Stacy.
