by Emma Slate
When we finished shopping, Ash and I headed back up to our suites to change into our swimsuits so we could laze by the private rooftop pool. We were still in the midst of jet lag and didn’t yet have the energy to explore the sumptuous hotel.
“Duncan hasn’t called. Think they’re still in their business meeting?” Ash asked, adjusting the brim of her straw hat.
I slathered on sunscreen even though I’d opted for shade under the umbrella. It was already obvious that it was going to be a hot dry day in the desert and it wasn’t even noon yet.
“Meeting—or drinking scotch on the golf course?” I asked.
“No. You think?”
I gave her a look.
“Okay, maybe their business meeting took place on the golf course.”
“That’s probably far more likely,” I said with a grin.
The elevator doors chimed open and I turned my head. Flynn and Duncan stepped out of the elevator, already dressed in their suits, sunglasses perched on their noses.
I always seemed to falter a bit at the sight of Flynn’s bare chest. He was chiseled and completely masculine. I sighed in feminine appreciation. I heard Ash let out her own little breath when she took in Duncan’s form. Though he was also in amazing shape, he was shorter and a bit bulkier than Flynn.
“Gentlemen,” I greeted.
“Ladies,” Flynn said back.
“How was the morning meeting?” Ash asked, lowering her sunglasses as she surveyed her husband.
“A lot was accomplished,” Duncan said.
I looked at Flynn. “Got a lot done, huh?”
He nodded. “Aye.”
Ash laughed. “You’re a rotten liar, Duncan Buchanan. Just admit you guys were playing golf and you wanted it to be boys only.”
“We weren’t playing golf,” Flynn lied.
“The back of Duncan’s neck is burned,” Ash stated.
Duncan sighed. “We were playing golf.”
“Thank you,” Ash said in exasperation.
“Sorry we didn’t invite you,” Flynn said.
I shrugged. “I hate golf. I don’t feel slighted.”
“Well, I don’t like golf either but being asked is always nice,” Ash reprimanded.
“I’ll get up with Carys tonight,” Duncan volunteered.
Ash raised an eyebrow.
“Fine, I’ll get up with her every night this week,” Duncan relented.
Ash grinned. “You are forgiven.”
Flynn and Duncan pulled lounge chairs close to us and settled in. “Let’s order lunch,” Flynn said.
“Good idea, I’m starving,” I answered.
While Flynn saw to our food, I called Evie and had her bring Hawk to the pool. I wanted the twins to stay inside since it was scorching out and I was worried that they’d get heatstroke.
Hawk looked like a miniature version of Flynn in his navy swim trunks. I slathered him in sunscreen and he squawked and protested. Scooping him up, I headed to the steps of the pool. I gently lowered Hawk into the water and he shrieked in excitement, struggling to get out of my arms.
“Patience, you little devil,” I said with a wry grin.
“That kid is all you,” I heard Ash say to Flynn.
“God, I hope not,” Flynn muttered.
By sunset we were all exhausted, including Hawk who was struggling to stay awake. We left the pool and headed back to our suites. Instead of eating in one of the many restaurants, we opted for room service and then crashed.
The next day Ash and I finally got our tour of the hotel. We took a golf cart out and drove around the grounds, passing the outdoor pools and golf course. That evening, the flame-throwing acrobats were rehearsing, so we were able to catch their show. We ate dinner in one of the high-end restaurants. Flynn left in the middle to take a phone call, which I assumed had something to do with hotel business. When he returned, he was quiet and his smile was forced, but he didn’t volunteer any information. The mood at dinner had been disturbed and tension seeped into the meager conversation.
By tacit agreement, we skipped dessert and said goodnight. We checked in on the boys; Hawk was awake but strangely quiet. He started to make noise when he saw us and then I had to spend the better part of an hour quieting him down. At least he had his own room so that the twins weren’t disturbed.
By the time I got Hawk to bed, it was past midnight, and I hadn’t seen Flynn for an hour. I checked the master bedroom to see if he’d gotten ready for bed without me, but he wasn’t there. I found him in his office, sitting in his office chair and staring out the large window.
“Flynn?” I asked softly, pushing the door open.
“Hmm?”
“Can I come in?”
“Aye.”
I entered and closed the door to lean against it. “What’s wrong?”
“Ramsey called while we were at dinner. Lord Birmingham was found dead in his home.”
I frowned. “Lord Birmingham?”
“Another member of the House of Lords,” he explained.
“Any connection to Lord Arlington?”
“I’m assuming, but I don’t know for sure.”
“White ink tattoo?” I asked.
“Don’t know that yet either.”
“But if you had to guess?” I pressed.
“I’d guess there’s a connection.” He sighed and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “I have Ramsey on background detail. Lord Birmingham’s name never came up when we were dealing with Arlington and The Pretender.”
I let out a stream of Gaelic curses. Flynn raised his eyebrows and smirked. “I see you’ve learned the most important words, aye?”
“Aye,” I mocked. “I learned from the best.”
I moved away from the door and settled onto his lap. Flynn ran a hand up my lower back and pressed his face into my chest. “It still has nothing to do with us—or the SINS. Officially anyway.”
“But things have a way of spilling over onto us, right?” I said, running my fingers through his hair and gently rubbing his scalp.
“Aye, they do. I don’t think these will be the only deaths.”
“Guess we’ll know more if we discover that Birmingham’s body has a white ink tattoo. What’s worse? Finding out these deaths are related or finding out they’re not?”
“I need a scotch,” Flynn muttered.
Chapter 7
The night of the opening arrived. Ash and I spent the afternoon in the spa, getting the works and then having our hair styled. I went with long sleek waves, reminiscent of 1950’s Hollywood glamour. Ash had her hair done in the classic flapper style, complete with the black headband across her forehead.
“I love that we look completely different,” she said with a red smile. She went for bold makeup while I settled for elegant.
“Me too. And there’s no jealousy involved. It keeps our friendship competition free,” I said in a teasing tone.
“You know, before you, I never really had girlfriends,” she said.
Ash and I had met our freshmen year in college at Columbia and we’d been boon companions immediately. We were so different—she’d been the fashionable socialite with cold parents and I’d been the tomboy orphan with a resentful older brother.
“Girls are mean,” I said. “And I’m just glad you were in the market for a best friend.”
“Funny how things work out, huh?” she asked in amusement.
“Very funny.”
Married to Scotsmen, we had become expatriates, choosing to make our homes in another country. Our children were growing up together. She was family and I thanked my lucky stars that I had a friend like Ash who stood by me, even when she knew the ugliness of my recent past.
We left the spa and parted ways at the elevator. I entered the penthouse suite and found the twins playing together on a blanket in the living room while Hawk sat on Evie’s lap. She was reading him a book but the moment he saw me, he wiggled off of her and darted for my legs. Hawk wrapped his arms around my calve
s before raising his arms, asking me to lift him up.
I spent a few minutes with him before gently urging him back to Evie. Iain began to cry and then Noah followed suit. Wondering what had set them off, I crouched down next to them on their blanket. They immediately crawled towards me and I settled them into my lap. I brushed my lips across Iain’s forehead and then Noah’s. Iain felt a little warm.
The door opened. “What’s going on?”
I glanced at Flynn. “Iain’s warm. I think he has a fever.”
Flynn frowned and came down to sit next to me. He set his hand on Iain’s head and then nodded. “Aye. He’s warm.”
“Just cutting a tooth,” Evie said absently. “Nothing to worry about.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t go to the party,” I said.
“He’s not sick, hen,” Flynn said gently. “Evie and Jennifer will take good care of him.”
Watching my son cry had tears forming in my eyes. I knew it was hormonal and biology, but watching him in any kind of pain, pained me. I cradled Iain against me and stood up. Flynn picked up Noah so he wouldn’t feel left out, but then Hawk wanted in on the attention and began to fret in Evie’s lap.
I took Iain into the room he shared with Noah. I felt completely torn in two. I wanted to go to the opening with Flynn, but how was I supposed to leave Iain when he wasn’t feeling well?
Flynn followed me into the nursery, softly closing the door to drown out Hawk’s wailing. Noah cuddled up against his father’s chest, seemingly unaware of the surrounding noise.
I could hardly think straight at the moment. Though I was hardly the most maternal woman in the world, I still never forgot that I had children. The thought of them were always close to the front of my mind, but I’d only just begun to resurface from the baby brain affliction. Multitasking was difficult; it took effort to remember there was life outside of my children.
Iain’s cries turned to whimpers, and it was like daggers slicing my heart. I sent Flynn a pleading look.
“Can you go to the party without me? I can join you later.”
“He’s just teething, Barrett,” he said. “We went through this with Hawk, remember? It was nothing.”
I couldn’t explain why I felt so split. Teething wasn’t a life or death situation. If Iain had an ear infection or Strep, then it would make more sense to stay. I rubbed a hand down his back and looked at him.
“Come on, love,” Flynn said. “Come to the party with me. Iain will be all right.”
Nodding, I set Iain into his crib. He shoved a fist into his mouth and began to gnaw on it. I rubbed his belly, hoping my touch soothed him.
“Why don’t you go get ready,” I said to Flynn. “I’ll stay with Iain for a bit longer and then I’ll change. I’ll be fast.”
Flynn came to stand next to me at the crib, brushing his hand across Iain’s dark hair. Flynn kissed my cheek and left with Noah.
Iain fell asleep almost immediately, and I slipped away. Heading back to the living room, I told Evie that if his temperature spiked, I wanted to know even if I had to be pulled away from the party. Hawk was having a bath, and it was the perfect time to duck into the bedroom to change. I kissed Noah who was perfectly content alone on the blanket and then escaped, otherwise I might never be able to leave.
Flynn was in the middle of tying his bowtie when I opened the door to the master bedroom. He stood in front of the full-length mirror as his fingers deftly tied an intricate knot. He’d already donned the Campbell plaid.
“You, my love, are like a fine scotch. You just get better with age,” I teased, trying to get into the party mood. He turned and grinned, his smile a white curve in the dark beard that had finally filled in.
“You’re good at compliments,” he remarked. He turned back to the mirror and finished tying his tie and then shrugged into his tuxedo jacket.
“Thank you, I try,” I said, scooting past him to enter the closet, passing my reflection in the mirror.
“Oops,” I said with a sigh.
“Oops what?” he asked.
My hands went to my hair. All the stylist’s work had been for naught. Due to the mayhem of kids, I was lucky to make it out with only messed up hair.
“Before you restore order, I want to give you something,” Flynn said. He went to the bedside table and opened the drawer, pulling out a jewelry box.
“Ah, I had a feeling,” I said. “The boutique assistant wouldn’t let me try on any jewelry.”
He winked as he brought the box to me. I flipped it open to find a pair of pearl and diamond drop earrings. They were elegant and demure—the perfect accessory to my dress and the only jewelry aside from my wedding band that I’d wear that evening.
“Oh,” I said on a sigh. “These are lovely.” He held the box for me so I could put on the earrings. The pearls complimented my skin tone, the diamonds sparkled, and I couldn’t wait to see the full effect when I put on the dress.
Flynn zipped up my dress and then his hands lingered on the expanse of my bare shoulders, his fingers grazing my collarbones. “You’re stunning.”
I smiled up at him, our gazes colliding in the mirror. Banked desire flared to life in his startling blue eyes. My breath hitched. Flynn reluctantly moved away, taking the heat and promise with him.
He stood by while I managed to restore order to my hair. I gathered the messy waves and loosely braided them before pinning it into a low bun. “Well?” I asked, looking at Flynn.
“Call me crazy, but I like what you did far more than what you got done in the salon.”
His cell phone buzzed and he answered it. “Aye. Meet you down there. We had a situation.” He smiled at me. “No, nothing serious. See you in five.” He hung up and placed his cell phone in the pocket inside his tuxedo jacket.
“Duncan and Ash are already in the lobby,” he explained.
I grabbed my white clutch that only had lipstick and a cell phone in it. “I told Evie to call me if Iain’s temp spiked.”
He nodded and held out his hand to me. Evie was feeding Noah a bottle, and I was just about to go over and say one last goodbye, but Flynn tugged me out of the suite before I could get waylaid again.
We met Ash and Duncan in the lobby. I chuckled when I saw Duncan in the Buchanan plaid; I loved the way Flynn and Duncan chose to do things. It was always so uniquely different from everyone else.
“What happened to your hair?” Ash asked in way of greeting.
I sighed. “Children.”
Chapter 8
The antique crystal chandelier that had once been part of the French court glowed brightly from the center of the high celling. Exclusive guests, including politicians and celebrities, mingled about the gold damask ballroom. Eventually, we’d move the party to the casino and then there would be a show with flame-throwing acrobats.
Flynn and I worked the room, welcoming people, talking and laughing and exchanging light conversation. I heard the snap of a camera and turned, expecting to find a member of the paparazzi. A genuine grin of happiness spread across my face when I realized it wasn’t the paparazzi but a good friend.
“I am so glad you’re here,” I said.
Lacey smiled. “Yes, well, I’ve been there for every Rex Hotel opening. I wasn’t going to miss this one just because I was in Cambodia.”
“Cambodia? Last we talked you were in Vietnam,” I said. ‘Talk’ was a loose term. I got random emails from Lacey as she was currently globe trotting, taking photos and enjoying her life.
“I can’t be bothered with technology,” she quipped. She looked at Flynn. “Hi ya, Mr. Campbell.”
Flynn laughed and embraced her. “You look good.”
She did. Her skin had a healthy golden tan, and she’d put on about ten pounds. Lacey had always been willowy and thin, but a lot of that had been because of her rigorous work schedule when she managed The Rex burlesque club in New York. Now that she was a little more relaxed, she looked happier. That might’ve had something to do with the handsome young blond
guy standing next to her, his arm at her waist.
“Babe,” he said.
“Sorry,” Lacey said with an absent smile. “Barrett, Flynn, this is Chase.”
“Chase,” Flynn repeated, holding out his hand. The two men shook hands.
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
“Can I get you something stronger than champagne?” Flynn asked, leading Chase away.
“How did you know?” Chase asked with a wry grin.
As soon as they moved away, I said to Lacey, “Okay. What happened to Jeremy?”
“He got boring. I dumped him when I was in Japan.”
“And you met Chase…” I pressed.
She scrunched up her nose. “About three hours after I dumped Jeremy.”
I chuckled. “So you’re having fun, huh?”
“So much fun. Chase is twenty-seven and a professional surfer.”
“Shut up.”
“It’s true. Body like Poseidon,” she said dreamily. “We’re flying to Australia next week—he has a competition, and he asked me to go with him.”
“Hard life,” I remarked.
“Isn’t it? So, how are the wee ones?”
I caught her up on the insanity but tried to keep it quick. They were my kids—Lacey was under no obligation to have the same feelings towards them as I did. Chase and Flynn returned and then I saw Ash and Duncan through the crowd. They joined our group, which made everything more animated and lively. Chase was in the hot seat, but he handled questions with ease, intelligence, and humility. He wasn’t at all what I expected a surfer to be. Appearances were deceiving, and I wondered when I’d remember that.
Things got a little awkward when Brad Shapiro arrived. Lacey and Brad had worked together for years and only recently they’d decided to try it as a couple. It hadn’t worked out, but gathering the way Brad kept his eyes glued to Lacey, I imagined he was willing to try again. Unfortunately for him, Lacey was completely enthralled with her young surfer.
I gently excused myself, wanting to check my cell phone and see if there was a message from Evie. Heading to the corner of the room near one of the cocktail bars, I pulled out my phone. I was relieved to see that there weren’t any messages. Still, that didn’t stop me from sending out a message of my own.
