by Claire Adams
As nervous as I was, I choked out a laugh. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember anything much after the first couple of hours.” His brow cocked, and he glanced at me sideways as if gauging my sincerity.
“Well, that’s very interesting indeed because Mr. Grant has stated that the two of you hung out in the bar for a fair amount of the night, gambled at the casino, and then went across the street to the Vegas, Baby Wedding Chapel before going to the gentlemen’s club in the back of the casino bar.”
He thumbed through the stack of papers and folded them back. On the page in full color were scanned photographs of what appeared to be Gabriel and me at the gentlemen’s club. Two of them showed me on a stripper’s pole, one straddling his lap, and in all of them, I had taken my shirt off to reveal my black lace bra. There was another gentleman there, as well as another woman.
Suddenly, like a rush of hot lava burning away a heavy curtain, the memories came flooding back. “Oh, God.” My hand rested over my mouth, and I felt the tears well up in my eyes. How could he keep that from me? He knew we’d been there.
“I’m still waiting on more security footage from some of the other locations, but it seems from this photograph, you and Mr. Grant had a good time, including this image from the casino bar.” He pushed a still from the footage in front of me, and it was Gabriel talking to a woman. I was in the background and one of the men had me bent over with his mouth at my cleavage. “You seem pretty awake to me.”
“I don’t remember that.” I raked my hands through my hair before covering my eyes. I wasn’t at all comfortable around my boss. Who was I kidding?
“Do you remember the woman he’s talking to?” The man pointed to the image of the woman. The image was fuzzy, but she didn’t seem familiar from what I could see.
I shook my head. “No. I don’t remember her.”
“That’s Cindy Clarke, Ms. Spencer. She’s one of the victims and your boss’s ex-girlfriend. Are you telling me you’ve never seen her before?”
I met his eyes directly and leaned forward. His harsh tone was hardly called for. “I’m telling you that I don’t recognize the woman in this photograph. As for knowing Ms. Clarke, I don’t. Mr. Grant doesn’t make a habit of mixing his business and pleasure.”
“Says the woman who did a lap dance for him.” He tapped his finger on the incriminating photo. “It’s only fair to assume that with you being in his room and using his shower, that your statement isn’t exactly accurate.” He pulled the papers toward him and flipped back to the front page.
“As I’ve already said, Detective, I don’t remember most of the night. I’m afraid that last night was my first experience with alcohol and one I regret terribly.”
He stood and straightened his pants, hiking them up at his waistline and fidgeting with his buckle like a John Wayne wannabe. “Well, I’m sure if you remember anything, you’ll give us a call.”
He motioned toward the door. “Unless you have more to say, you’re free to go. I appreciate your cooperation.” The last bit was steeped in sarcasm, and as he waited, I scooted my chair out, stood, and exited the room without meeting his eyes.
Mason waited out in the hall, and as I approached, he got to his feet. “That went rather well.”
“How could you know?” I bit out the words and marched out of the building.
“Well, you didn’t have to call me in. With you not being under arrest, that’s always best.”
I shook my head and threw out my arms. “There’s nothing good about any of this.” I couldn’t believe any of it was true, but had seen the photos for myself.
As soon as I spotted that image, the memory rushed back to me. I’d wanted to dance like the girl, and I’d all but insisted that she teach me, begging like some utter fool. And Gabriel had encouraged it, as well. He and that other man, who I believed was the club owner.
The worst part of any of it was that Gabriel knew I’d made a fool of myself and neither stopped me nor told me about it. What else has he kept from me? And what the hell was he doing with that girl?
I ignored Mason as I tried to sort it all out in my head, but before I knew it, we were at the new suite. This place wasn’t as crowded with reporters, but there were a couple of familiar faces who had tracked us down. I barged right through them and made my way into the elevator with Mason, who carried my suitcase. I had my purse, carry-on, and Gabriel’s briefcase and when we walked through the door, it was the first thing he noticed.
“Luna! You have my briefcase.” He rushed across the room toward me and took the heavy case from my hand. “Mason told me-”
The crack of my hand slapping against his cheek echoed throughout the room, and he stood stark still in shock as I walked away and dropped my bags on the sofa.
“What the hell was that for?” He closed the distance I so desperately wanted between us. “Dammit, Luna, look at me.” His arm on my shoulder spun me around to meet his gaze. My handprint was still glowing red on his cheek.
“You let me strip on a pole and take off my top for strangers. How could you not tell me about that?” The rest of his face turned red to match the handprint.
“I didn’t think you’d want to know; besides, it’s not like you got naked.” He turned to glare at Mason, who chuckled.
“I gave you a lap dance like some wanton whore.” I grabbed up my two bags and hurried into the bedroom where I slammed the door behind me, but Gabriel followed, catching it before it latched and throwing it back open. I cowered back, unsure of what he would do.
He registered my movement and stepped back himself. “You’re afraid of me?” Mason stepped in behind him and dropped my suitcases by the door.
“I saw the photographs. Why didn’t you tell me that you’d been with her last night?”
Mason’s eyes grew wide as he nudged Gabriel. “What the hell?” It was apparent I wasn’t the only one he’d been keeping things from.
“Get out!” The voice that came from within me was steeped with venom and so loud it burned. I couldn’t stand to look at him another minute, and as the door closed behind me, I collapsed on the bed in a fit of frustration and tears.
Chapter Eight
Gabriel
Other than a few words, Luna hadn’t talked to me for three days, and the two of us had retreated to separate areas of the suite. I kept waiting for word from Mason, but since he’d gotten the two of us settled in the new suite, he’d flown back to LA to check on his family and a few other clients. He promised he’d return before the end of the week, though.
With Luna not talking, and since I had my briefcase, I decided to work on a few deals I had upcoming. Unfortunately, two of them had heard the news and asked for an extension.
I couldn’t blame them. No one wanted their security in the hands of a potential murderer, and I assured them that after the misunderstanding was cleared up, I’d be in touch. Luckily, none of my existing accounts had backed out on me, and I made sure to call a few of my clients to assure them everything was going to be fine.
I missed having Luna’s help, but whatever pit of emotions she was wallowing in, I had no time for it. I’d heard the TV go off and on every night and her phone ring, but other than her coming out to grab her food, or when I passed through on my way to the bathroom, there was no interaction.
I should have told her about the lap dance, but I didn’t think it was a big deal, and not a big enough deal to go days without speaking to me. She had to be as bored in her room as I was. Things couldn’t go on this way. As soon as Mason got back, I’d have to clear up the marriage, no doubt pissing her off further, but I hardly felt it was a big deal considering we didn’t even consummate the damned thing.
I supposed she at least had a right to know. Part of me thought waiting for Mason was a perfect idea. If there were any legal threats, it would be best if he were there to hear them. However, if I let another minute go by without telling her, then what kind of person was I? She already thought I was scum for letting her get nasty on th
e pole for me, so I couldn’t imagine what kind of wallop I’d get for this. At least it would get us talking.
I dropped my pen in my case and closed my planner before tidying up my papers. It was only busy work, something to stall me from facing the music. I stood and crossed the room, and knocked on the door.
“Luna?” I walked in and found her propped up in the bed, leaning back against the mound of pillows with a book in her hand. “We need to talk.”
“As long as I’m a prisoner to your investigation, I’m staying to myself.”
“Come on, you have to be bored out of your mind in here.” I looked around the room and noticed she not only had the book she held, but three others and her laptop. With all of those things plus her phone, her prison room was as good as a vacation suite.
“I’m perfectly capable of keeping myself busy. Besides, I’m hoping this punishment doesn’t last that much longer.” She sat up straight and turned a page in her book.
Was it so bad being stuck in a fancy hotel suite with me? Before I could respond, the door opened in the next room and I heard Mason’s voice. “Honey, I’m home.”
I left Luna to her novel and went to meet the guy. “You have any news for me?”
“Only that we’re waiting for the time of death to officially come through. Those assholes think they’re making us sweat by taking their time, but I’ve got news for them.” Mason placed his briefcase down on the coffee table before sitting down on the couch. As I lowered myself in front of him, Luna came out of her cave and crossed the room to lean on the sofa arm.
“Please tell me I can go home soon.”
“No, ma’am. You’re going to have to call in another week, I’m afraid. Good thing your boss is an understanding man.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” She regarded her fingernails and then the floor.
“Okay, enough with the cold shoulder. I didn’t force you to strip off your damned shirt and grind a pole, and it certainly wasn’t my idea for the lap dance.”
Her eyes met mine as they narrowed. “Well, you certainly didn’t discourage it.”
“Why should I? Despite your delusions of being virtuous, it was harmless.”
Mason slammed down his briefcase and the two of us turned our heads to see his rather bored expression.
“Could you two children stop bickering for five minutes and please pay attention? While we’re waiting on the damned evidence to roll in, could you please call a truce so we can figure out our best course of action? If this time of death doesn’t match up, I’m going to need you to say that you were with him.”
“I can’t do that.” She lifted her shoulder.
“You know I was right here with you.” The casual way she disregarded me made me want to scream. “How can you not trust me?”
“I trust you, Gabriel. I don’t think you murdered anyone. But the fact remains that I don’t remember the whole night, and I don’t feel like committing a crime to keep you in the clear. If this goes to trial, I’d be committing perjury if I said otherwise.”
Mason held up a finger as if to make a point. “Not necessarily. Phrasing is everything. You could simply say that to the best of your knowledge, he was right beside you all night. As long as you stop saying you don’t remember, you’ll be in the clear.”
“But I don’t remember. Isn’t that the basic truth?” She shook her head and looked down to her hands where she picked at her fingernails. The things looked horrible, with peeling polish and all of their lengths mismatched instead of their usual uniformed look.
“Ah, but it’s only the basic truth because you don’t know any better, and if you leave it at that, it lends to the idea that he wasn’t with you all night. You need to lend to the idea that he was.”
It was time I told them about the marriage. I shuffled through a few pages, looking for the rings and our license, but before I could pull them out, Mason’s phone rang.
He stood and paced as he spoke to whoever was on the other end, and I looked up to see Luna perched on the sofa arm, leaning toward Mason’s direction, like the anticipation of his having good news was killing her. What a mess we were in, I thought.
I looked down, and as if my instincts had guided me, my hand was on our certificate. Mason’s voice pulled my attention away from the calligraphy, though, and I left the thing in my case.
“I’m going to have to go down to the station and get the official papers, but I have bad news: the time of death was not until four a.m. That’s more than enough time for you to have committed the crimes.” Mason leaned against the sofa opposite of Luna, who put her hands to her face before retreating to her room.
Mason looked to her as she fled. “She’s going to have to remember. You need to jog her memory. Talk to her.”
“She hates me, and not without reason. I should have never let things go so far.”
“If you get arrested and this goes to trial, she’s going to lose the case for you. I suggest you get her in line.” He met my eyes directly and nodded. The gleam in his eye made me wonder if he wanted me to seduce her.
“Come on, it’s not like that.” I shook my head.
“Like hell it ain’t. She’s in your bed for the past three days and you’re telling me you’re not tapping that? You’re telling me that little Ms. Pole Dancer hasn’t been on your pole?”
“She’s a good girl. She’s probably the most level-headed woman I’ve ever met. And no, for your information, I haven’t fucked her. She’s been sheltered, and her dad’s a preacher, for God’s sake.”
“Oh, nice. The sluttiest girl I was ever with was a PK.” He met my eyes with a wide grin like I was supposed to know what that meant before he lowered his voice. “You know, preacher’s kid. PK. It’s common knowledge that girls raised by preachers all have daddy issues. You throw a little dick and money her way, and she’ll be singing whatever song you want her to.”
I didn’t know what to think as I stared at the man. For someone as smart and talented as a defense attorney, he could sound like the dumbest sack of shit in world. The things he suggested pissed me off even more.
I hardened my glare, narrowing my eyes and leaning forward. “I said she’s not like that. You back off about her and let me handle it.” He leaned back and looked surprised.
“You love her.”
His words had my hackles up even more. “Don’t be ridiculous, man. I think she deserves better is all, and I’m not pushing her into anything she doesn’t like. You get that through your thick head right now.”
Something was boiling up inside of me, but I refused to believe that it was anything more than respect for a friend. I’d spent every day for the past two years with this girl, not counting weekends. Sure, I’d had impure thoughts more than once or even twice about her, but I hadn’t acted for a reason. She deserved better. She wasn’t like all the rest.
Mason snapped his fingers in front of my face. “What?” Suddenly, I heard my phone ring and went to pick it up.
“The things been ringing for three minutes,” he said.
Knowing I could end up in a long, drawn-out conversation with my sister-in-law Sandra, I answered the phone. I had put her off too long already. “Hey, Sandra, what’s going on?”
“Well, aside from you giving me the brush-off while I freak out over the shit I’m seeing on the news, nothing much.”
“I’m sorry I hadn’t been in touch; I’ve been busy getting things sorted. You know it’s not true. I’m being framed.”
She let out a giggle on the other end, reminding me how much she’d like to see me fall. The only difference was, unlike this person who was framing me, she needed me. Since my brother’s death, which left her penniless and was partly my fault, I’d taken care of her and my nephew. “You and Harbor sit tight at home, and I’ll be back to town as soon as possible.”
“I don’t know where Harbor is. He’s never around when I need him. I swear that kid is more and more like his father every single day.” She never missed an opportun
ity to remind me how much time I’d taken away from her and my brother’s relationship. It was one of her many digs, and as much as she liked dishing them out, she liked cashing my checks.
“He’ll turn up. He’s probably out somewhere trying to sober up before he comes back home. Call me if you need me.”
“Yeah, and I’m sure you’ll answer in your own time, as always.” That summed it up perfectly: in my own time. God knows she’d wasted enough of it. I ended the call and shoved the phone into my pocket.
Chapter Nine
Luna
I stayed in the room all evening until Mason left. The man wore on my nerves, and I couldn’t believe I’d agreed to let him represent me. Best lawyer or not, the guy was an asshole.
I finished my book and realized it was the last one. I’d blown through the entire series I’d brought in record time. I guessed that meant I’d have to interact a little with Gabriel, which wasn’t so terrible. He was charming and handsome, and maybe the more we talked, the more I’d start to remember.
I laid there in the bed thinking hard about the morning I’d woke up in his bed. I tried to think back to the night before, hoping if I jogged my memory that things would come back, but no luck.
Suddenly, there was another knock at my door, and I assumed by the time that Gabriel was coming in to shower. “Come in.”
“Hey, I’m going to shower and go to bed.” His gaze swept across me and to the bed where I had all my stuff piled up. “I see you finished your book.” He rubbed his palm against his arm casually before brushing his five o’clock shadow, raking his fingers along it.
“Yeah, I finished them all.” As the silence stretched out between us, I noticed the dark circles under his eyes and wondered if he’d gotten any sleep the past week. I wasn’t much help since I’d taken claim of the bed, and I thought of him sleeping on the hard sofa. “Why don’t you take the bed tonight? You look like you could use the rest, and I can move my things into the other room for a bit.”
