by Lucy Leroux
“She tell you why she wouldn’t go the hospital?”
“No insurance. But as long as she didn’t bleed out before I got here, I have no problem patching her up. What are you looking at?”
“New camera feeds. Got some in a few of the panels over the bar, installed from this floor. Mike didn’t even have to wait till the place was closed to install them. Man’s got skills…”
That was the second best news he’d had all day. The best had been getting Emma Delaney’s text telling him Andie was released with no charges.
“Are you zeroing in on Todd Kent as a suspect?”
“One of them, yes. But he’s not the only name on the list.” Trey turned as Eric pulled out his spare shirt and started to change. “So I hear you went to see Andie. She okay?”
“As well as can be expected,” he said, tugging on his shirt. “She got pulled in for questioning by the cops, but Delaney got her out.”
Trey leaned back. “I heard. But I meant was she okay seeing your sorry ass again? It was rough for her when you left.”
Eric stopped with his shirt half-open. “Did she tell you that?”
Trey huffed. “No man. I have eyes. On occasion I’ve been known to use them.”
A heat flash of embarrassment ran over his skin. “So you knew about us back then?”
A smile played around Trey’s lips. “You weren’t that slick. Andie was obviously in love with someone. It wasn’t hard to figure out who with…or where you went when the two of you would disappear. You’re lucky the storeroom wasn’t wired. We use it to store cleaning supplies now. No couch.”
Oh, shit.
Trey laughed at him. “You should see your face right now.”
Eric blinked several times. “Why didn’t you fire her?”
Trey shrugged. “It didn’t get in the way of her job. She only messed around when on break or off the clock. Some of the other waitresses have done far worse in those VIP rooms. Anything too public and I have to let them go, but I try to give them a warning first. Good help is hard to find. Especially when looking hot is a requirement.”
The manager was stretching the truth on that last part. Girls dropped in all the time trying to get an application to waitress at Lynx. It was the place to work, but Eric guessed certain allowances had to be made for a bit of bad behavior now and again in this town.
What happens in Vegas…
“Sorry,” he muttered.
“I’d say no problem, but it kind of was for a while after you left, for her. I know why you did it. Calen let something slip about your little problem a while back. I’m guessing you didn’t tell Andie, though, or she wouldn’t have taken you leaving so personally.”
Eric sat on the couch, his hands in his lap. “She wouldn’t let me explain after I got out of rehab.”
“You should have had the balls to tell her sooner.”
He groaned. “I know. I regret nothing more. Did you say anything to her?”
Had Andie known about his addiction before he told her?
Trey shook his head. “No, man. I found out way after and by then she seemed over it. Soon after she started dating Todd K. They seemed like an okay couple. No drama until recently.”
Maybe they had no drama, but he doubted Andie and the bartender shared the passion and chemistry he had with her. This afternoon was proof their connection was still as potent as it ever was.
“You gonna nut up and sweep her off her feet this time?”
Trey did have a way with words. “Yes.”
“Thought so when you showed up. Don’t fuck it up this time.”
Eric was tempted to laugh. “I had no idea you were so invested in Andie’s happiness.”
That had to be it. He and Trey weren’t close.
“She’s a good kid,” Trey said philosophically. “This town doesn’t do happy-ever-after for real very often. I’d like to see one happen for her. It’s not like she wasn’t preparing for one. The only missing ingredient was you coming back here.”
Eric frowned. “What do you mean she was preparing?”
“You do know what Andie got her degree in right?”
Eric shrugged. “Hotel management or something? She was applying to a couple of different programs when I left. I never found out where she ended up.”
Trey was genuinely amused now—a rare grin lighting his face. “She’s a PA. Or she will be once she lands a job.”
“A personal assistant?” Did people get degrees for that? He’d always thought it was something people fell into, but maybe an Associate degree in business would help.
The other man shook his head. “Nope. The other kind. A physician’s assistant. Just like in the TV show about the concierge doctor. I think she was getting ready to work for you—once you got off your sorry ass and came back for her that is.”
Eric’s head snapped up. It felt as if someone had just hit him with a brick. Then he exhaled in a whoosh. “That is literally the best news I have ever heard!”
Andie had chosen a career that would enable her to work at his side. And he needed a PA at this very moment!
Was it a simple coincidence? Had Andie liked the idea of helping a doctor in the field or was it as Trey described? Had she devoted two years of her life to a field of study in the hopes of someday working close to him?
It took rigorous study to become a PA. Holding down a full-time job on top of that must have taken discipline and strength of will.
I can’t let her lose it.
A drug charge, even the suspicion of association with illegal drugs, would complicate all her future job prospects. All of her work would be flushed down the drain. They had to find out who planted those drugs in her locker and permanently clear her from this cloud of suspicion.
“Can I help you monitor the cameras?” he asked, feeling pressed to do something.
“I am on the live feed. Mike took the backlog of the normal security feeds to the company apartment. He’s hoping someone slipped up in the past.”
“Must be like a needle in a haystack.”
Trey humphed. “Worse. It’s a needle in a stack of sweaty writhing bodies, some of whom bring their own needles in with them. Catching an actual deal going down is going to be hard when the cameras have captured plenty of recreational drug use over time. It’s the kind of normal shit that happens in clubs. Viva Las Vegas and all that shit.”
“So I just sit and wait?”
Trey shrugged. “You want me to comp you some drinks?”
“Hell, no.”
Calen would have let a drink or two pass. It was a club after all. But staying away from the poker tables required vigilance. Eric couldn’t afford to deliberately weaken his will-power.
“Then I guess you sit and wait,” Trey said, giving him the side-eye.
Trying to hide his frustration, he sat on the couch, taking out his laptop. He pulled out the financial prospectus for his new company, but couldn’t focus on it.
It would be too late to go see Andie after he was done here and he didn’t have her new number. He’d given her his before he left the police station, but had been too flustered to ask for hers. Dammit, that had been stupid.
“Could you stop doing that?”
“Doing what?” he asked, belatedly realizing he was tapping the keyboard rather loudly. “Oh, sorry.”
Trey smirked and reached over to the desk phone. “I’m calling Suzie. She’s a nurse who does the weekend shift here. Once she gets here, you can go.”
He sighed in relief. “Thanks, Trey,” he said, his whole body relaxing.
For the next half-hour he counted the minutes until the nurse came to relieve him. Then he was out the door like he’d been shot out of a cannon.
Chapter 11
Andie uncrossed her arms and sank deeper into the couch, fingering the fine cloth underneath her. She had been sitting in the lobby of the Caislean 21 for over an hour and was starting to feel stupid.
Across the hall the security guard walked past her,
giving her a hard glance. He’d been doing that a lot since she came in and realized Eric wasn’t there. He was at the club working and probably wouldn’t arrive till dawn. But she had no cash for a cab and was too stubborn to get up and leave. Not to mention, the bus didn’t stop anywhere near here.
The Caislean 21 only had twenty-one guest suites. It was incredibly exclusive.
Eric must be doing pretty well to stay here. According to rumor, the hotel frequently turned away celebrities.
She stared at her hands self-consciously, feeling distinctly out of place in the chic interior of the lobby.
“Drink?”
Andie blinked, startled to find a man holding a tray next to her. There was an ornately finished glass holding a golden brown drink.
“Is that—”
“A sidecar,” he finished. “Calen thought you would like it.”
Her mouth dropped open and she searched the lobby for the imposing figure of her boss.
Former boss—who apparently knows my drink preferences. Sidecars were what she always drank after her shift ended at the club.
“It’s okay. Calen went upstairs. His wife needed him.”
“Oh.” She stared at the man holding out the drink. He was young, a few years shy of thirty, and very handsome.
“Our bartender does a good job on these, I promise.”
The stranger must work for the hotel, she decided, tentatively reaching out to take the drink. When she did he gave her a big grin.
“I’m waiting for someone,” she explained, wondering if he was going to hit on her. He looked a bit familiar. Had she seen him at the club?
“I know,” the stranger said, continuing to give her a bright charming smile. “And I decided to give him a little break by liquoring you up first.”
Andie blinked at him. “Excuse me?”
“The person you’re waiting for is in for it,” the man laughed. “Calen suggested you might be here to say thank you for a favor, but I know that look on your face. It’s the same one my sister gets when her husband is about to be read the riot act. I thought I’d help the poor shmuck out with a little liquid relaxer.”
Andie narrowed her eyes, but the man continued to smile until she almost felt like smiling back. Slowly she lifted it to her lips and took a sip.
“If you need another, let me know.”
With that, the stranger left her sitting there alone and confused. But she finished the cocktail. A good sidecar was not in her budget these days. Who knew when she’d be able to afford one again? She continued to study the now-empty glass until a uniformed waitress came and brought her a second one. Then she drank that one too.
“Wake up.”
Andie started when someone shook her. The brown-haired man was bending over her. He stood back and gestured with a tilt of his head.
Eric was hurrying past the lobby and climbing into the elevator. The door closed before she got to her feet.
“I’ll have to walk you past security,” the man said.
“Oh, thank you.”
She only saw one security guard, but he wasn’t giving her the evil eye anymore. Not with this man at her side.
“Hi Tom,” her helper said. “This young lady is headed to the guest suites.”
The formerly hostile guard nodded. “Any friend of yours, Mr. Tyler.”
“Actually, this is a friend of Dr. Tam’s,” the man said, as he ushered her into the elevator.
Catching a sight of her face in the mirrored interior of the elevator, she realized her mouth was open. “You don’t work here do you?”
He grinned and cocked his head to the side. “In a way I do. You can call me Trick. Everyone does.”
Still sleepy and confused, she shook her head. He laughed. “Well, at least give Eric hell for me.”
“You know Eric? Through Calen McLachlan?”
Trick lifted a shoulder. “I met him before he started working for Calen, at a poker tournament. And this is a little tit for tat for the rematch I’m never going to get…”
Oh. “Because he doesn’t gamble anymore…”
Trick grinned. “That’s right.”
The elevator door opened on the third floor and he waved her out, but he stayed in the elevator. “Room seven,” he said, still smiling irrepressibly.
“Thank you,” she said, just as the door closed hiding him from view. She turned to the door, finding seven easily. This floor only had five rooms.
Time to get my game face on. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Chapter 12
Eric opened the door, expecting the burger he had ordered, only to find the love of his life standing there with her arms crossed. He didn’t need to be told she was furious.
“Andie! I went to Juliet’s place, but you weren’t there. I really need your new phone number,” he said hurriedly, reaching out for her.
She held up a hand and walked inside, ignoring his question.
“What are you doing?”
Andie had walked over to his medkit and was rummaging through it.
“Do you need a band-aid?” he joked, wondering what she was looking for a split second before remembering what he kept in the inside pocket.
“Wait!” he called out to stop her, but it was too late.
Andie turned, with the picture of her he kept in the bag in her hand. She showed it to him and her face tightened. “What the hell, Eric? Why is this in here?”
“Because I love you,” he reminded her gently.
Shaking her head, Andie looked at the ceiling as if she was trying to stop herself from swearing. “If that was true you should have come home sooner!” she yelled before her face crumpled.
Tears welled up in her eyes and he rushed over and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t cry,” he crooned.
“This isn’t how this was supposed to go. I’m supposed to be kicking your ass.” She sniffled, trying to push him away.
Eric swore, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he tightened his grip. “And I deserve that. I should have told you the whole truth, but I was ashamed of myself. But I’m here now and I’m going to make this up to you, even if it takes me years.”
Andie hiccuped and stopped fighting him. She rested her head against his chest. “I…I should have answered your texts and calls back then.”
“You didn’t have a good reason to,” he admitted, fitting her under his chin and holding her closer. “I should have left you with more. It’s just I was afraid you weren’t as serious about me as I was about you.”
An unexpected kick to shin made him wince. “You are an idiot.”
“Not anymore,” he said, wincing. Moving his hands to the side of her head, he pulled her in close to press a determined kiss to her luscious mouth.
She didn’t return the kiss at first, but eventually his persistence paid off. Her lips softened under his and parted when he pressed his tongue against them.
The kiss that followed started as an ember, a slow burn that grew all-consuming. Heat rushed through him and for a moment he contemplated dragging her to the king-sized bed, but it wasn’t going to be enough.
The little gasp of disappointment she gave when he leaned back was music to his ears. “I think we should get married. Now, tonight!”
Andie blinked and shook her head. “What?” Her voice was dazed.
He plunged his hands into her hair and pressed his forehead against hers. “For once in our lives let’s take advantage of the fact we are in Vegas. Let’s get married right now.”
She laughed and shook her head again. “That’s crazy.”
“That’s what this town is for,” he pointed out, pressing her tighter against him. “Be young and crazy for once. Marry me tonight.”
Frowning she looked down at her clothes. “No. I can’t. I came here after sitting in the police station for hours.”
He grinned. “I have a solution. The concierge here is amazing. He can get anything in under an hour. Meanwhile, you can jump in the shower.”
Letting go for a moment, Eric reached for the phone. “Hi, this is Dr. Tam in room seven. Can I get a wedding dress delivered to my room ASAP?” He broke off. “What’s your size baby? An eight?”
“Yes,” she said, her eyes wide.
“Eight it is. Yes, great idea, thank you. No, a sapphire solitaire I think. Yes, at least four karats.” He hung up the phone. “Done!”
Andie’s mouth was open. “You got a ring too?”
“If you don’t like it we can get a different one later. I would give you my mother’s ring, but it’s not very nice.”
“This is unreal,” she said. “I need to sit down.”
He led her to the bed, kissing and caressing her lightly until she took him up on the offer of a shower. After she was done there was a knock at the door.
The dress and ring were delivered in forty-three minutes, which had to be some sort of record. It was, however, long enough for Andie to change her mind about marrying him three times—not including the time spent in the shower. He had to use every weapon at his disposal to change it back but she crumbled the instant he held up the beautiful gown they had delivered. It was a simple sheath of the finest satin, with a skirt that fell to the floor in a cascade of shimmering light.
Less than an hour later, they were married by an excellent Elvis impersonator—Andie wanted a traditional Vegas wedding. She giggled the whole way down the aisle, but grew serious when he promised to devote his life to making her happy.
“Everything that I am, everything that I ever will be, is for you,” Eric vowed. “I love you.”
Andie’s smile lit up the room. “I never stopped loving you and I never will. God knows I tried.”
He laughed and pressed his forehead to hers, more grateful than he could say for the second chance he’d been given.
The rest of the ceremony was a blur. In fact, nothing was clear until they got back to the hotel, bursting into the room only to find it transformed.
There were flowers everywhere. Ornate arrangements rested on every surface, and a mix of rainbow petals littered the bed. Next to it was a bucket of champagne, a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries, and two champagne flutes.
