Two Lives in Waltz Time

by Vivien Dean

  “But they found you anyway,” Maddy said. “If you go back, you’re still going to be in danger, aren’t you?”

  Cash and Kate exchanged another look before he replied. “I think it’s time I stop running. When we get out of here, I’m going to do what I can to clear my name.”

  “But you didn’t do anything wrong.” Their answering silence made her squirm, uncomfortable with the lack of immediate denial.

  “I hurt people.”

  “Not those people.”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “Dubai was different,” Kate said. “They took that on their own. And the majority of people who died didn’t even have power.”

  “Innocents.” Cash scrubbed his hand over his face, hiding his eyes from her. “And they were dead because of me. Because I got too drunk on what we were doing.”

  “There wasn’t any evidence it was anyone but Cash and his friends,” Kate explained. “It splashed all over the news until our parents were able to squash it.”

  Maddy’s eyes widened. “How’d they do that? More magic?”

  Cash shook his head. “They did it the old-fashioned way. A hell of a lot of money.”

  “That didn’t stop everyone from screaming for Cash’s blood, though. They didn’t even care that Mum and Dad protected the entire community by getting us out of the public eye. Everything he’d ever done got thrown back at him.”

  “But you said there were five of you.” Her gaze jumped back and forth, searching for answers, wishing for anything. “What about the other two? The ones who weren’t…?” She couldn’t finish the query, not with the way her stomach was churning.

  “Quin stood by me.” Cash’s attention drifted toward the window, following some unspoken memory. “But that didn’t matter. None of us were safe. Dad lost business, Mum lost friends, Kate’s bastard ex walked out on her. I couldn’t even go out without some kind of fight starting. It got to the point where I didn’t have a choice but leave. Permanently.” He glanced at Kate. “Or maybe not so permanently.”

  Maddy stiffened. Her fantasies about what her life would be like once they returned to the museum had been rose-colored to be certain, but she had never anticipated that he would put himself back into such danger again. What did that mean for their new relationship? After everything he had said to her just hours earlier, after telling her that he loved her, did he now expect her to simply walk away?

  She knew her conflicting emotions were written all over her face. Surprisingly subdued, Kate excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving Maddy alone with Cash. When she tried to stand as well, though, Cash grabbed her wrist and tugged her onto his lap.

  “Don’t run.” The low intensity of his voice pinned her far more effectively than his arms. “Tell me what’s going through that head of yours.”

  She lifted her chin and met his eyes directly. It was the only way to keep the doubt at bay. “You’re leaving New York when we get back, aren’t you?”

  “Well, yes, but—”

  “So all those things you said last night about your life being so good now, because I was in it…do you actually expect me to think that you meant them?”

  His nostrils flared, and the muscles twitched in his jaw. “Did it ever occur to you that I was going to ask you to come with me?”

  She stared at him. It hadn’t.

  “Of course not,” Cash went on. “Because given the opportunity, you will always choose to believe the worst of me.”

  Now that just pissed her off.

  “What the hell was I supposed to think?” Maddy snapped. “You didn’t say word one about leaving New York last night.”

  “Perhaps because I only made the decision seconds before I said it aloud.” The corner of his mouth lifted to a half-smile. “And don’t you dare try to tell me that’s not a classic Cash thing to do.”

  He had a point. She hated to admit it, but he did have a point.

  “So?” The grip he had on her wrist loosened, sliding up her arm to skim up the side of her neck, cupping the back of her head in a maddeningly tender caress. “If I went back to England to get this mess cleared up, would you go with me?”

  Cash never made it easy for her. Even when he gave her exactly what she wanted, Maddy floundered not to get overwhelmed.

  “Do I have to answer now?” she said. “Or do I get some time to actually think about it?”

  Perhaps it was the edge in her latter question that made him suddenly appear sheepish. “Just tell me you’re not automatically thinking no, and I’ll drop the matter until we’re actually back in our own New York.”

  She smiled. Maybe he could compromise after all. “I’m not automatically thinking no.”

  He was leaning forward to kiss her when Kate came striding back into the room, driving Maddy to slide off his lap like a teenager caught by her parents. Kate’s intelligent eyes assessed both of them before she nodded.

  “Good,” she said. “I’m glad that’s settled. There’s enough drama in this place without having to worry about whether you two are imploding.”

  Maddy flushed in embarrassment, but Cash seemed to find his sister’s attitude amusing, laughing out loud as he tucked into his breakfast with gusto.

  “So, what’s the brilliant plan?” he asked in between bites. “We have to find this tattooed bloke, right?”

  Kate rolled her eyes. “Or woman.”

  “The point is,” Maddy said, “it could be anybody here.”

  “Exactly.” A knock at the door had both women heading toward it automatically, but when Maddy cocked a curious brow at Kate, the other woman stopped in her paces. “Common sense says it would have to be someone fairly easily accessible at the club,” Kate continued as Maddy answered the door. “The whole point of having a safety is it’s a preventative measure. It would be daft of H’roven to place the mark on a person he couldn’t get to.”

  The conversation paused as Maddy welcomed Aaron and Ava into the apartment. While Ava looked as if she’d had a good night’s rest, Aaron appeared to have slept in the expensive suit adorning his muscular frame, blond hair rumpled and silk tie askew. His eyes were bloodshot as he smiled at Maddy and stepped inside, but she saw something in him sharpen when he noticed Kate sitting with her brother.

  “Hail, hail, the gang’s all here,” Aaron said.

  Cash’s brows drew together in a thick line. “Where have you been?”

  Sprawling in the chair, Aaron rubbed wearily at his eyes. “Crammed into a hospital chair, waiting to find out if you managed to kill my boss,” he said dryly. “You didn’t, by the way. You’ll have to try harder next time.”

  “So have we got a plan yet?” Ava said. She brightened when she spotted the plates. “Oh! Food!”

  “We were just getting around to that.” Taking the empty seat next to Cash, Maddy nodded to Kate, giving her the floor again. “What were you saying?”

  “Just that the safety has to be someone associated with the club. An employee, most likely, since they’re around the most.”

  “Well, we can count us out,” Cash said with a smile.

  “But there’s still the band, and the other dancers, and the bartenders, and…” Ava’s voice trailed off, her eyes going wide with fear. “You don’t think it could be Gino, do you?” she asked, directing her panicked question to Maddy. “Because if we have to—”

  She didn’t let her friend finish the thought. “It’s not Gino. I know it’s not.” Reaching to squeeze Ava’s hand, she added to the others, “I think our best bet is to start with the women. Ava and I can be in the dressing rooms before anybody else shows up tonight, and we can check them out for ourselves without drawing any unnecessary attention. That’ll either eliminate half our suspects in one shot, or give us what we’re looking for.”

  Kate nodded. “I think that’s an excellent start. I can give you a sketch of H’roven’s mark so you know what to look for.”

  “We can meet up on our breaks and share what we found out,” Ava sai
d. “Maybe we’ll even be able to go home tonight.”

  Though the others murmured their approval of such optimistic thoughts, Maddy couldn’t help but cast a sideways glance at Cash. There were a lot of changes in the wind, and while they weren’t unexpected, at least a few were terrifying. Being with Cash meant more than just learning how to accommodate a new person’s schedule and idiosyncrasies into her life. It meant changing her entire worldview, both literally and figuratively. Was that what she wanted? Was Cash worth it?

  He caught her eye and smiled, his hand rising to the small of her back to slip beneath her sweater and gently stroke her skin. “Those thoughts look like they might be worth a whole dime,” he said, only for her ears.

  There was something so gentle in the way he spoke, as if he realized how tenuous their relationship still was and recognized the need to cosset it, that Maddy instantly relaxed. “And here I thought you knew just how much I was worth,” she teased, scooting over to curl against his side.

  His arm came automatically around her, his lips brushing her temple. “I’ve always had an eye for quality,” Cash murmured. Then he kissed her again.

  While she saw Aaron’s unspoken question at their familiarity, Maddy welcomed Cash’s affection, even going so far as snatching the half-eaten bacon strip out of his hand before their mouths parted and eating it playfully. She still didn’t have an answer, but the more time she got to be with Cash, the more she suspected that, yeah, the kind of changes he suggested were more than doable. More than wanted.

  Cash was worth it.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It was odd being at the club so much earlier than everyone else. There wasn’t even an option of entering through the front. The doors were locked, the windows black as the building waited for the sunset and the onslaught of its nightcrawlers. Even the back hall was hollow and deserted.

  Maddy felt like tiptoeing as she and Ava headed for the dressing rooms, their dress bags draped over their arms. Lombardi’s door was uncharacteristically open, and when she inadvertently stepped on a squeaky board, a chair scraped across the floor.

  He filled the narrow doorway, a cigar clamped down between his teeth. Smoke drifted around his head, and his rumpled, sweat-stained shirt shouted loud and clear he’d probably spent the last twenty-four hours at the club.

  “Should’ve known Cash was the real reason you were always late,” Lombardi commented dryly. There was a pause. “You two work things out?”

  The unspoken concern in his voice threw Maddy for a loop. “Yeah. We’re good.”

  Nodding, Lombardi chewed on his cigar for a long moment, switching it from one side of his mouth to another as he regarded them. “Mack’s still in the hospital, you know.”

  She knew. Aaron had filled them in on his condition, but she also understood she couldn’t let on that she was aware. “How bad is it?” she asked instead.

  “Docs don’t know for sure. He hasn’t woken up since they took him in. Hell, they’re still trying to figure out how he got burned.” His eyes narrowed. “You don’t know nothing about that, do you?” When Maddy shook her head, his shoulders slumped. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

  When he didn’t retreat to his office right away, she started to fidget, glancing at the dressing room door as if to give him a hint. “If there’s nothing else…”

  Lombardi waved her off. “It can wait. Go doll yourself up. We got a big party coming in tonight. I want you looking your best.”

  Ava waited until his door was closed again before whispering, “What was that all about?”

  “I don’t know,” Maddy confessed. A tiny line furrowed her brow. “But as soon as I find out, you’ll be the first to know.”

  The last thing Gino expected was for Ava not to be at home. But when Lola explained how Maddy had stopped by to pick her up, it made sense. With everything going on with Cash, Maddy needed her best friend right now. Of course, she had whisked Ava into work early. So that’s where he went.

  The club was eerily still when he let himself in the back, and for a moment, Gino wondered if Lola had been wrong. Maybe the dames had gone somewhere else first for a bit of girl talk. Maddy hadn’t looked so good when she’d left the night before, so maybe she and Cash were having problems.

  He shoved those thoughts aside almost as fast as he came up with them. That was ridiculous. There was no way those two wouldn’t work it out.

  Peering through the murk, Gino noticed the sliver of light coming from beneath one of the dressing room doors. He crept forward and pressed his ear to the wood, listening to the soothing lull of women’s voices inside. Though he couldn’t make out the words, there was no mistaking who it was. His veins hummed as Ava’s face leapt before his mind’s eye.

  The voices stopped as soon as he knocked on the door, and he stepped back, shoving his hands into his pockets while he waited for someone to answer. The artificial light spilling from its interior momentarily blinded him, and Gino had to blink several times before he could focus on Maddy’s diminutive form.

  “Is Ava around?” he asked, his tone more gruff than he wanted.

  She smiled and glanced back over her shoulder, pulling the door open enough for him to see Ava sitting at one of the mirrors. “You have a gentleman caller, Ms. Reisman,” she called out.

  Gino flushed at her playful words, but held his ground as Ava rose to her feet and walked to the doorway. “Hey, stranger,” she said. Her smile was warm, her dark eyes inviting. He had to swallow down the lump that had suddenly grown in his throat.

  “Can we…talk?” His gaze darted around the room, checking to see if any of the other girls were around.

  Something in his tone must have alerted Maddy to his intentions, and her smile faded. “You know, I think I’ll go see what Mr. Lombardi wanted.” She edged past Gino out into the hall. “You two take as long as you need.”

  “What’s wrong?” Ava asked, stepping back to allow him to enter.

  Grabbing the nearest chair, Gino turned it around to straddle it, unsure if he could go through with this if he remained standing. He waited until she returned to her seat before clearing his throat to speak.

  “A lot of stuff went down last night,” he said. The empathy in her dark eyes reached out to him, and maybe under other circumstances, Gino would have taken it as a good sign. Now, however, he needed to be strong or he wouldn’t say what he thought was necessary. His gaze fell to his fingernails. “You know I’m not good with the brain business, so I need some straight answers from you. As my…” he swallowed again, “…friend.”

  “Whatever you want.”

  He wondered if she understood the impact of such a simple phrase. “You know Mack’s in the hospital.” It was a statement of fact for both of them, but Ava nodded anyway. “You gotta know…I think Cash did right. And if it had been me, and someone tried to pay me off, I would’ve done the exact same thing.” When she opened her mouth to speak, he held up his hand to make her wait. “I know you think I’m old-fashioned that way, but what Mack did…it’s not right. He might be the boss, but he’s still a wrong number, and nothing you’re going to say to me is going to convince me Cash did something wrong.”

  There was a long pause while Ava watched him with those large, solemn eyes. He’d practiced his words over and over again on the drive over, but still, it had been harder than he could’ve imagined to say it aloud. He knew how strongly she felt about women’s rights, and his own beliefs were a lot more traditional. But he felt he owed their friendship—and any hope of something more—the benefit of truth.

  “You know he wanted to kill Mack, don’t you?” she finally asked quietly.

  “But he didn’t.” Gino was swift to leap to Cash’s defense. “And to be fair, if he had, I would’ve got it. Mack knew the score, but he thought he could just treat Maddy like she was still one of his girls, when everybody knows she’s not. Not now. She and Cash…they just got that kind of love, you know? And I could see how he could get pushed far enough t
o do…that.”

  Her touch was gentle as Ava rested a hand on the arm he had on the back of the chair. “Why are you telling me all this?”

  Moment of truth. His gaze dropped. “Because Cash and I got lots in common. And just because we both work with our fists and not our heads, that don’t mean we’re not men of honor. I…” His voice cracked, and Gino coughed to clear it. “I don’t want you thinking I’m just some dumb mug who doesn’t know right from wrong.”

  With his head bowed, he saw her hand move before he felt the whisper touch against his cheek. He let her tilt his head back up, almost frightened of what he would encounter when he met her eyes, but what he actually saw made his heart skip a beat.

  “And I don’t want you thinking I’m so shallow that I wouldn’t know a good man when I see him, Gino Paonessa.”

  Then she was moving forward, closer and closer, and all Gino felt was the thudding of his heart against his ribcage as Ava brushed a tender kiss across his lips. He didn’t even have time to close his eyes to savor it before she pulled away, leaving him gaping at her in wonder and disbelief.

  “It’s probably about time I did that, huh?” she teased. “Since someone in this room is too much of a gentleman to take that first step.”

  The heat crept up his neck, but he knew she meant all of it in good spirit. “So…we’re all square?”

  Her smile widened. “Only if I get another kiss.”

  He’d thought about it so many times. Waking up. On his way to work. On the job. Falling asleep. Ever since he’d met her, fantasies about kissing Ava had filled more hours than anything else in his life. And he was finally getting his shot.

  Tentatively, one of his hands came up, hesitated, then pushed a strand of her hair off her forehead. When he realized his fingers were shaking, he cupped her cheek to hide the tremor and leaned forward.