Here All Along

by Crista McHugh

  “You’re getting that hand X-rayed. It looks broken.”

  This time, he didn’t hold back the curse.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “What do you mean this credit card’s declined, too?”

  “I’m very sorry, Ms.-” said the clerk at the rental car counter as she glanced at Sarah’s card and then back at her, her expression grim with suspicion, “-Holtz, but I’ve tried every card you’ve given me. Perhaps you should contact your credit card company and let me take care of the next guest.”

  Sarah grabbed her card and driver’s license and sulked off with her suitcase in tow. The day had gone from crappy to downright shit-tastic in a matter of hours. Gideon’s betrayal had been bad enough. She just wanted to hide behind her sunglasses, get back to LA, and move on with her life. But when she’d arrived at the airport, she had learned every one of her credit cards had been canceled.

  This reeked of Gideon. Who else would have enough sway to trap her here?

  She plunked down in a chair and buried her face in her hands. Her skin felt gritty from her earlier tears, and she was scared to see what her makeup looked like under the cheap sunglasses Gabe had given her earlier. Combined with the Las Vegas baseball cap, she probably looked like some down-on-her-luck gambler who was living at the airport.

  Not too far from the truth.

  If she had her phone, she could call someone for a ride or to send her money, but her phone was toast, thanks to its recent dunk in the swimming pool. For a second, she considered calling her mom collect, but she’d never hear the end of it if she did. Besides, her mom had never been there when she needed her anyway. The only person who had been there was Gideon.

  She reached for her left ring finger without thinking, only to be reminded that the wedding ring was gone. She already missed its weight, its presence, its promise. Just hours ago, she’d been in love. And now?

  I’m more screwed up than ever.

  She slid down the seat and closed her eyes. The clamor of the slot machines drowned out her thoughts and numbed her senses. She had no idea how much time had passed before someone sat next to her and said, “Rough day, Red?”

  She cracked open one eye to find a vaguely familiar man in a Yankees cap giving her a lopsided grin. “Gabe?”

  “Took you a moment, didn’t it? I told the Kid these things work.” He peeked over the rim of his sunglasses to wink at her. “So, when’s your flight?”

  The brief joy that came from seeing a friendly face faded when she remembered that he and Gideon were suddenly as thick as thieves. She curled away from him and added a hard edge to her voice. “Like you don’t know.”

  “I don’t, actually. I left when Maureen took Gideon to the ER.”

  “The ER?” She stiffened, her muscles tense enough to shatter if pushed further. “What happened? Is he hurt? Will he be okay?”

  Gabe’s grin widened to the point of arrogance. “So you do care about him?”

  Damn him. He’d tricked her. She shrugged and tried to appear disinterested, even though her heart was going a mile a minute with worry. “Just curious what the Kid has done now.”

  “He broke his hand giving me this.” Gabe turned his head to the side to reveal the swollen bruise along his jaw.

  She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. An odd mix of both came from her mouth before she could stop it, and she cleared her throat. “Serves you right.”

  “I don’t get any pity?”

  “Nope.” She crossed her arms and resumed her I don’t give a damn posture. “So why are you here pestering me?”

  “Pestering you?” He placed his palm over his chest like she’d wounded him. “I’m here to rescue you, and this is the thanks I get?”

  “What makes you think I need rescuing?”

  “Besides the fact Jason reported all your credit cards as stolen?”

  She bit her lip to keep from cursing. She knew Gideon was behind it.

  Gabe chuckled. “I’d thought that Raul was the brains and Jason was the brawn, but it seems I was wrong. And I might have to steal Jason away from Gideon once we get back to LA.”

  “Ha! Good luck with that.” Thanks to his farm-boy roots, Jason was extremely loyal. It was one of the reasons she’d hired him as Gideon’s bodyguard. The hacker skills were an added bonus.

  “But back to getting you home. I’m done with shooting, and I was just here to charter a flight for tomorrow back to LA.” He paused and leaned in closer. “There’s room on there for you, if you want to join me.”

  She rubbed her palms on her jeans while she considered his offer. “What about Gideon?”

  “What about him?”

  “Is he going to be on the same flight?”

  “Nope. Just me. And of course, you, if you decide to come.”

  “And the press?”

  “Easily taken care of. Besides, I’m chartering a private jet.”

  It sounded too good to be true. And knowing Gabe, it probably was. “What’s the catch?”

  “What do you take me for? Some kind of con artist?”

  “Your track record speaks for itself.”

  He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Fine. I admit I’ve been known to play a joke or two, and I’m the one who was behind the plan to get you to replace Mackinzie, and for that, I’m truly sorry.” He lowered his sunglasses to give her a stellar set of sad puppy dog eyes. “Please, let me make this up to you. You can crash at my villa tonight, fly to LA in the morning, and then we can go our separate ways. What do you say?”

  “I don’t know. The airport has its own unique charm.”

  “I’ll arrange to have room service from Guy Savoy’s.”

  Her mouth watered at the thought of the famous French cuisine, but the taste was bittersweet. She’d just dined there last night with Gideon.

  “Fine. I knew you’d play hardball.” Gabe pulled out a bag of yellow M&Ms. “Will this sweeten my offer?”

  She couldn’t hold back the smile. “Maybe.”

  “I can buy you a bigger bag on the way back.”

  “No, this will do.” She took the bag with her little drops of sunshine and stood. “As much as I want to leave Las Vegas, I suppose I can wait another day.”

  “Glad to know I could help.” Gabe took her suitcase and tucked her arm into the crook of his. “Is it too early to ask for forgiveness?”

  She pressed her lips together. Part of her wanted to say yes, but her soul was still too rattled from the last twenty-four hours. Perhaps she could forgive them.

  But she wasn’t foolish enough to forget.

  “We’ll see.”

  ***

  Gideon’s head spun as he stood, and both Raul and his mother reached out to catch him when he swayed like a drunk stumbling out of a bar.

  The drugs were starting to hit him hard.

  But at least the throbbing in his hand had eased. Too bad the drugs couldn’t numb the ache in his heart. Maybe if he popped another Percocet, he’d be too groggy to care.

  No, he’d still dream about Sarah.

  It was hopeless.

  The ER nurse studied him, her forehead lined with concern. “Should I get you a wheelchair?”

  Gideon shook his head. The last time he’d had pain medicine, it was when he had his wisdom teeth out. He just needed a few seconds to steady himself. “I’ll be fine.”

  Jesus, even my words are slurring.

  He glanced down at the heavily bandaged fiberglass splint on his right hand. The doctor said he’d gotten a boxer’s fracture, but he was lucky in that it didn’t look like it would need surgery. It still didn’t change the fact he’d be in a cast for the next six weeks.

  Fan-fucking-tastic.

  Nothing he could do about it now.

  He put on a pair of sunglasses and donned the White Sox hat Raul had gotten him earlier that afternoon. So far, Gabe’s simple disguise seemed to be working. “Let’s go before I’m too doped up to walk.”

  Raul and his mother hovered on eit
her side of him as he left the ER and climbed into the back of a waiting taxi. Once they started moving, he closed his eyes, but his mind wouldn’t let him doze off.

  “Any news on Sarah?” he asked Raul.

  “Jason’s still at the airport looking for her.” Raul pulled out his phone and sent a text message. A moment later, the phone beeped back. “He can’t find her anywhere on this side of security.”

  Which meant that she’d either found a way to get on a plane or she’d already left the airport. He’d have better luck finding her once he got back to LA at this rate. “Tell him to come back. We’ll regroup and go from there.”

  His mother raised her brows. “Giving up already?”

  “More like realizing when things are a lost cause.”

  Just like the idea of him and Sarah having a future together. He took off his wedding ring and rolled it between his fingers, unsure what to do with it.

  His mom took it from him and held it up. “How badly do you want this?”

  At first, she seemed to be asking about the ring itself. But after a moment, he realized she was referring to what it stood for. “I want it. Badly.”

  “Then don’t walk away from it so quickly.” She handed the ring back to him.

  He slid it back on, wishing he could go back in time and do things differently. “Do you think a proper engagement ring would win Red back? Maybe as a sign that I’d like to do things right from the start?”

  “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Maureen smoothed her silver bob, even though there wasn’t a hair out of place.

  “And you don’t know Red. She’s not superficial like that.”

  “But she might appreciate the gesture.”

  That was the only reason he’d suggested it. What if she hadn’t drunkenly proposed to him the other night? What would he have done? Would he have continued to convince her to give him a shot? Would he have kissed her until she came to her senses? Would he have wooed her like some old-fashioned hero in a movie? “Think she’d give me a second chance?”

  “You never know until you try.”

  His mother’s challenge lingered until they arrived at Caesar’s. When he got out of the taxi, his legs didn’t wobble. The drugs were wearing off already, leaving his mind clearer than before.

  And he knew she was right.

  Raul started to lead them toward the elevators, but Gideon halted him and turned to his mother. “Mom, I’d appreciate your opinion on a diamond.”

  She beamed at him. “I understand that both Cartier and Tiffany’s have shops in the Forum.”

  “Then follow me.”

  Two hours later, he was armed with a little red box from Cartier holding the perfect engagement ring for Sarah. But that did little to dissolve the worried lump in his throat when he remembered that she was gone. He entered the villa with the faint hope that she would be waiting there for him, but only Jason greeted him.

  The bodyguard’s shoulders slumped with defeat, and even his voice sounded deflated as he said, “Sorry, boss.”

  “No word from her?”

  Jason shook his head, but his face grew more animated. “I’ll see if I can hack into the airport camera system.”

  “Don’t bother. You’ve already done enough to piss off the feds, and the last thing I need is you getting arrested on my behalf.” Gideon sank down on a sofa and tossed the ring box on the coffee table. “We’ll catch up with her sooner or later.”

  He pulled out his phone to check his messages. Four calls from Karl, two from the producers, but none from Red. “Did you ever give her a new phone?”

  Jason looked away and shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “It’s still sitting on my desk.”

  Figures.

  His mom brought him another painkiller, and he didn’t even try to resist her. As much as he hated the fuzzy-headedness, he’d welcome the numb abyss right now.

  He must’ve dozed off because the next thing he knew, it was dark outside, and someone was at the door. His pulse quickened at the thought of Sarah returning, and he jumped to his feet to greet her.

  Only to have Gabe stroll into the villa with a look of pity on his face. “You look like shit.”

  “Fuck you.” He swung his arm to dismiss his co-star, but the movement threw him off balance, and he fell back on the sofa. A jolt of pain raced up his right arm from his little finger, and he moaned.

  Today sucked on an epic scale.

  “Take it easy, Kid. Don’t need to break another bone.” Gabe dragged a chair up to the sofa and straddled it so the back acted like a shield. He nodded to the red leather box. “Been shopping, I see.”

  “What’s it to you?”

  “Gideon,” his mother said, the one word carrying all the warning he needed.

  He sighed and picked up the box, studying it from every angle rather than look at Gabe. “Why are you here?”

  “To check in on you.”

  “As you can see, I broke my hand, so you can tell Karl the film’s got to be halted until the cast comes off.”

  Gabe appeared to muse over the news. “That’ll give us plenty of time to convince Sarah to take the role.”

  “She’s not going to take it.” He tossed the Cartier box on the table and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “It was all one big pipe dream.”

  “It’s not over until it’s over.” He flicked a room key onto the table. “What would you say if I scored you a second chance?”

  “I’d say you were full of shit.”

  Gabe pouted and turned to Maureen. “I’m trying to help him, and he won’t even give me the time of day.”

  “I’ll listen.” She handed Gabe a bottle of water and sat in a chair across from them.

  Gabe pointed to the table. “That room key is your ticket out of the doghouse, Kid.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Maybe you should take it and find out for yourself.”

  Gideon lifted his head and glared at him. “The drugs have eliminated any tolerance for bullshit, so out with it.”

  “I know where Sarah is.” Gabe took an exaggerated drink from the water bottle, testing the limits of Gideon’s patience with each gulp.

  “Where is she?”

  “That’s some great water.” He finished off the rest of the bottle, watching Gideon out of the corner of his eye as he did.

  Gideon curled his good hand into a fist and weighed the consequences of decking him again. “Where. Is. My. Wife?”

  “Upstairs in my place.”

  Images of Sarah in bed with Gabe turned his vision red. He’d known from the start Gabe had been after her, and now he was here to rub it in that he’d won. His left hand stiffened, and he slowly rose from the sofa with every intention of pounding the smugness off his face. “You motherfucking asshole.”

  “Gideon!” His mother shoved him back on the sofa before he could take a step toward Gabe. “I know you’re on pain meds, but that’s no excuse for your behavior.”

  “He’s been out to steal her from the beginning.”

  Gabe threw his head back and laughed. “That’s a good one.”

  “What else should I think?”

  “If I thought I had any chance with Sarah, would I have agreed to be your best man the other night?”

  The answer soothed his raw pride. “Fine,” he said with a huff and waited for Gabe to continue.

  “While you were at the ER, I went to the airport and rescued the stranded damsel in distress, since I knew I had a better chance of talking some sense into her than you did. I got her to agree to stay at my place tonight, but she has every intention of flying back to LA with me tomorrow, so here’s your last chance.” He held up the room key. “She’s alone with a bag of yellow M&Ms and a box of tissues. Let’s see if you can change that.”

  The challenge turned his insides into a twisted mass of goo. He had one chance left, and he couldn’t afford to screw it up. Not when the stakes were this high.

  He looked
to his mother for guidance. “Any advice?”

  “Speak from your heart.”

  The few times he’d tried that, he’d run into her walls and received a healthy dose of avoidance for the next month. It was one of the reasons why he’d never actually told her that he loved her. He worried if he did, she’d be gone before he could blink. “And what if it scares her away?”

  His mother grew solemn. “If you show her what you truly feel for her and she still leaves, then it wasn’t meant to be. Just remember what you told me the other day about what you really wanted.”

  For Sarah to be happy.

  And if he wasn’t the man who could do that, then he needed to set her free.

  But first, he was going to give their marriage one more shot.

  The muscles in his thighs quivered as he stood and he tucked the box with the engagement ring into his pocket. Then he took the room key from Gabe. “Don’t interrupt this time.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.” As Gideon walked off, Gabe added, “Good luck, Kid. We’re all rooting for you.”

  “Thanks,” he called back, ignoring the nausea churning in his stomach.

  He needed all the luck he could get.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sarah wiped her nose with a tissue and hugged a throw pillow on the sofa. She’d run out of tears hours ago, but her nose was still stuffy from crying. At least she had reruns of The Golden Girls to cheer her up.

  True to his word, Gabe had somehow arranged for a bowl of Guy Savoy’s famous artichoke and black truffle soup to be delivered to the room. Then he’d left her alone to dine in peace.

  She didn’t blame him for leaving. She was undoubtedly miserable company, and this was his last night in Vegas. He probably wanted to have a little fun before heading back to LA. Besides, the quiet soothed her as much as the lemon-ginger fragrance that hung in the air. She ate her meal, did some yoga stretches, and made camp in front of the TV with every intention of taking her mind off the day’s events.

  Every time a commercial aired, though, her mind wandered back to Gideon. Was he back from the ER? Was he truly hurt? Was anybody there to take care of him?