by Clare Revell
“My name’s Martin.”
Tamlyn almost smiled. A cop with a sense of humor. “Have you any idea how long it took me to persuade Dad to let me come in the first place?”
“No, but I’m sure you’ll tell me.”
“Ten months. This is my first ever holiday without him coming with me. There must be some other way.”
Sgt. Ames sipped his drink. “He did offer to send someone called Garth to protect you.”
Tamlyn picked up her drink and stabbed the ice cubes with the straw for several long moments before replying. “No way. Garth is Dad’s most trusted, omnipresent, top security person.” She took a long sip, the cold liquid sliding down her throat. “He thinks he’s God’s gift to women, but he’s sleazy with it. I don’t like him. He works out way too much.”
“Not your type then?”
Tamlyn rolled her eyes, not sure why she’d just told him all that. “Oh, no, no way. He’s more boring than Raleigh.”
“Is no way your answer to everything?”
She tilted her head. “Usually. Is that going to be a problem?”
Sgt. Ames poked the lemon with his straw and pulled it out, setting it to one side. He looked at it much the same way the bartender had looked at her when she asked for the lemon. “That depends on what you want to do, Lady Bradshaw.”
“I don’t know. But I’m not going home, and I’m not having Garth babysit me, either. When I was younger and he caught me sneaking in or out of the house, I’d get a rollicking from him as he thinks it’s his right to stop me from doing things. He’d tell Dad, and I’d get another rollicking from him. Dad would ground me as well, and then the whole cycle would start over. I’m sick of it.”
He smirked, amusement in his voice. “The hired help grounded you?”
“Yes, he grounded me. Who ever heard of something so completely unfair? Anyone would think I was fifteen.”
His gaze ran over her for a long moment. “You don’t look a day over seventeen.”
Tamlyn pushed her chair back. “Flattery will get you nowhere. For your information, I’m twenty-six. And you must be coming up for fifty if you’re retiring.”
He shook his head. “Thirty-five. So, what do we do? If you don’t want this Garth guy watching you, and don’t want to go home, then I guess it’s me.”
“Only you don’t want to babysit me, either.”
Sgt. Ames sucked in a deep breath. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have said it like that.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.”
He tilted his head. “So, where would you like to go first?”
“I already told you. The Stratosphere. I need to make a pit stop first.”
“I’ll escort you.”
“I can find the ladies on my own.” She winked at him. “I won’t be long. Finish your drink, and I’ll be back before you know it.” Tamlyn stood, realizing she had no idea where the ladies room was. No problem, she’d pop up to the suite. She pulled the key from her pocket, and called the lift.
Three men got in with her, laughing and joking. She pressed the button for her floor, then stood to one side, as the doors closed.
A man in a blue suit sidled over to her. “Hello, gorgeous.” He was British.
Tamlyn took a step to the left. Comments like that didn’t deserve an answer. She shuddered inside as Blue Suit’s eyes wandered up and down her figure.
He stepped closer, encroaching on her personal space. “It’s a crime that a beautiful woman like you should be alone in Vegas. Perhaps you’d like some company?”
Tamlyn wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t think so, and I’m not alone.”
“Perhaps I could change your mind. After all, we Brits should stick together in a foreign city.” He pinned her against the wall, his fingers touching her arms. His alcohol scented breath filled her nostrils making her want to gag.
“I don’t think so.” Panic engulfed her. How was she going to get free? If he tried something, she was horribly outnumbered. Please…
The doors opened with a ping. She had no idea what floor she was on, but it didn’t matter, she was getting off and going to find Sgt. Ames. She tried to get free. “This is my floor.”
Blue Suit shook his head and didn’t move. “I don’t think so. For some reason we’re still in the lobby.”
“Going up?” The familiar voice sent ripples of relief through her. Never before had she been so glad to see a bodyguard. “There you are, babe.”
“Right here,” she answered quickly. “I thought I’d lost you.”
Sgt. Ames stepped inside the lift and moved over to Tamlyn. Something smoldered in his gaze as Blue Suit scooted over to the other men. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
She closed her eyes in relief as the cop put a protective hand against the small of her back and moved between her and the other men. Her knees were about to turn to jelly, and she wasn’t sure whether it was his touch or the close encounter. She took a deep breath, letting the scent of his cologne wash over her.
The lift moved, and after a minute reached the floor where the three men exited. Blue Suit smirked at Tamlyn as they left. “Offer’s still on. Room 2957. Ask for Daniel.”
Tamlyn ignored him, and as the doors closed, she took a step away from her bodyguard. “Thank you for getting here when you did.”
“What did he do?” Was it her imagination, or had he suddenly grown protective of her? There was something in his stance, in his voice, that hadn’t been there before. Something almost…personal? She dismissed the thought as soon as it came.
“Nothing. You got here before he could do anything other than breathe on me. He’s a twit who can’t keep his eyes in his head or his hands to himself. I just want to forget him and go to the Stratosphere.”
“Really?”
“Definitely. Once I’ve made that pit stop. I’m not about to let an idiot spoil my day.”
He held her gaze. “Fine…on one condition. You stay in my line of sight at all times.”
“But—”
He cut her off, still not raising his voice. “It’s not up for debate, Lady Bradshaw.”
“I’m not six.” The lift doors opened on her floor.
“I can see that. But I can’t do my job if I can’t see you at all times.”
“OK” Tamlyn tossed her phone to him. “Here’s my phone. Do whatever police thing you need to do to track me.”
No doubt Garth had already put a tracker in it, but one more wasn’t going to make a shred of difference.
For some reason, being watched by Sgt. Ames didn’t seem at all creepy. So long as staying in his line of sight didn’t include the bathroom or bedroom she could live with it. For now.
3
The view from the top of the Stratosphere took Tamlyn’s breath away. It was a casino hotel like many others, but had a huge tower on it. The bloke in the lift on the way up had helpfully told her she was as high as the old World Trade Center and ascending at eighty feet a second. And the view hadn’t been exaggerated. She leaned on the edge of the barrier, the wind whipping her hair back and forth, the whole of Vegas lying at her feet. “I’m king of the world.”
Her surly guardian cracked a smile. “Don’t you mean queen?”
“That, too. You know, you’re a lot more fun to be with than Raleigh. He’d have made me go in by now.”
“Oh?”
“He spends far too much time around Garth and Dad. Can’t let little Tammy out of his sight in case she falls over and bangs her knee. And no way can she walk down the street on her own in case the big bad man tries to take her away. Some days I may as well be six, for all the freedom I get.” She didn’t add the line about taking lifts on her own. She’d learnt the hard way about that.
Sgt. Ames studied her for a moment before returning his gaze to take in the other people on the viewing platform. “Doesn’t sound like fun.”
“It isn’t. And don’t even think about calling me Tammy. I hate it.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said dryly.
“Good. So what’s that over there?”
His gaze followed her finger. “That’s Nellis Air Force Base.”
“Where the aliens are?”
Sgt. Ames snorted. “If you believe in aliens, they’re at Area Fifty-One, that way. Not officially, that is.”
She turned around and leaned against the barrier.
“You’ll get dirt on your white pants.”
Tamlyn grimaced. “They can be washed. Can we go around the other side and take some more pictures?”
“Sure, then we should head back. Don’t want you to have too much fun in one day.”
She grinned. “That would never do. Besides, I want to call the hospital and ask about Raleigh.”
****
Tamlyn lay in the bath, the phone clasped to her ear, more than a little irritated with hospital bureaucracy. “Yes, I understand that. What you fail to understand is that Raleigh is my bodyguard. Therefore, he’s my employee, and I need to know how he’s doing.”
The tight and tired voice spoke again. “I’m sorry, Lady Bradshaw. Lord Bradshaw requested no information go to anyone apart from himself and the police, which I’ve done. Now if you don’t mind, I have patients waiting.”
Tamlyn stared at the phone as it went dead. She climbed out of the bath, wrapped the long white toweling robe around her, and padded across the cold floor, back into the main room. “Sgt. Ames?” She injected a sense of urgency into her voice. She knocked on the open door. “Sgt. Ames?”
“I’ll be right out.” His voice came from the other bathroom.
Tamlyn moved over to the fridge and opened it. Pulling out the carton of juice, she poured herself a glass and tossed in several ice cubes.
“What’s wrong?”
Tamlyn turned as her new bodyguard rushed into the room. Obviously in haste to reach her, he wore only a fresh pair of jeans. His long hair dripped water down his chest.
Her gaze trailed up and down his lean, fit body, lingering on the burn scars on his abs and stomach.
A cough raised her eyes back to his face. “I’m sorry, Sergeant. Did you say something?”
“I asked what was wrong, but if you’d rather me do a twirl so you can stare at my back as well, I can.”
Tamlyn’s face heated. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I phoned the hospital, and they won’t tell me anything. Except that they sent a report to Dad and the police. So I figured as you’re the police, I’d ask you to call.”
“And for this you drag me out of the shower?”
“I need to know.”
Sgt. Ames rolled his eyes. “I’ll let you know soon as I do. How’s that sound?”
“That’s fine, thank you.” Tamlyn paused. “Can I ask you something?”
“Can I go put on some clothes first?”
His eyes lingered on her and Tamlyn pulled her own robe tighter. Though honestly, I deserve that for ogling him first. “I’ll get dressed, too.”
“We’ll eat downstairs in one of the restaurants. You can choose which one.”
Tamlyn stood there as he turned and headed back into the other bathroom, closing the door behind him. His back’s unscarred. I wonder what happened. She shivered, not expecting the depth of reaction within her. For some reason she didn’t fathom, this bloke had surely gotten to her.
****
Tamlyn sat at the corner table in the restaurant and looked over at her bodyguard. His white buttoned shirt and jacket hugged his body. Not that she needed to imagine what lay underneath it. She forced herself to focus on his face. He’d ordered chicken and plain vegetables for the both of them with soda for her, and iced tea for him. Not that she minded. She was hungry enough to eat anything. Except she wouldn’t drink iced tea if they paid her—tea needed to be hot. Any other way of drinking it was just—weird.
Sgt. Ames smiled. “That’s a pretty necklace you’re wearing.”
She touched it automatically. “Thank you. My grandmother gave it to me for my birthday several years ago, just after I become a Christian.” She ran her fingers over it. “I never take it off. Going back to Raleigh, did you get the report yet?”
“Not yet.” He put his fork down and sipped his drink. “According to you and your father, Raleigh was fine when you left home. You both ate the same thing on the plane, which rules out the airline food.”
Tamlyn smothered the chicken with cranberry sauce. “It does?”
“If it was the food, half the passengers on the plane would be sick. There are no more cases like this anywhere. I checked.”
“There wouldn’t be. Garth insisted we fly over on Dad’s private jet. So, if not the plane or at home, when? Raleigh never lets me out of his sight, except when I’m in the bathroom.” She winked at him. “So I keep a whole selection of books in there and tend to vanish for several hours to read.”
Sgt. Ames grimaced. “Duly noted. Reminder to self—check the bathroom for books. And remove them.”
She chuckled. She did love his sense of humor.
“What about dinner last night?”
“I had pizza from room service. Raleigh wasn’t hungry and went to bed early.”
“Hmmm. OK. What about breakfast this morning?”
She shook her head. “I had toast. Raleigh was sick all night.”
“Does he have any enemies? Is there anyone who’d want to hurt him?”
Tamlyn almost dropped her fork. “What, you think someone did this deliberately? I mean, he drives me nuts at times, but I don’t want him hurt.”
“It’s a possibility we have to consider, Lady Bradshaw.”
Tamlyn looked at him over her glass. “Sergeant, will you please stop with the Lady Bradshaw thing? I get enough of that at home from the servants. My name’s Tamlyn.”
Sgt. Ames smiled, his eyes twinkling. “Sure, as long as you stop with the sergeant thing. I get enough of that at work.”
“You are working.” She paused. “And sergeant is your rank, right?”
He sucked in a deep breath. “Most cops my age have put in for promotion by now. I actually turned it down because I prefer working the streets to a desk job.”
“I can understand that—sitting around all day isn’t my thing, either.” She looked at him pointedly.
“Tamlyn, you want to go sightseeing, right?”
Tamlyn nodded, ignoring the way her stomach flip-flopped as he said her name. “I didn’t fly several thousand miles to Vegas to sit in a hotel room.”
“And I have orders to protect you. So, I propose a compromise. I’ll be your guide as long as you don’t fight me over the way I do things. If I say something isn’t safe, or we can’t do it, I’ll have a very good reason for it.”
Tamlyn nodded. “And in return, I don’t get Garth.”
“OK.”
She took a bite of her food. “Thank you, Martin. Speaking of having things covered, I couldn’t help but notice your burns earlier. What happened?”
Martin looked uncomfortable. “I got caught in a fire fifteen months ago. We were on surveillance when something went down. I ran into the building, while Vance, my partner, called for backup. I could hear the gunfire as I ran up the stairs. I shouted a warning, and the gunman turned. He had explosives strapped to him. He smiled as he set them off. Everything went white. The blast threw me back down the corridor into a steel fire door. I couldn’t breathe, move, or do anything other than sit and watch the wave of fire coming straight for me. I managed to get my arms over my face, but...”
Tamlyn put her fork down and put her hand over his. “It must have been awful.” She watched Martin struggle for a moment until he regained control.
“It wasn’t easy. I spent ten months in rehab, getting skin grafts and learning to walk again. I leave this job in five weeks for medical reasons.”
Tamlyn held his gaze. “Oh? Surely you can’t be too unfit for the job, or they’d never have had you back.”
“My reasons for leaving are
my own.”
An awkward silence filled the gap across the table. Touchy subject…OK… “Fair enough. What will you do instead?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure God has something planned. He hasn’t let me down so far and I’m sure He’s not about to start now.”
She shuddered inside at the way he spoke of God as if He were a real person. Sure, she went to church, but God was for Sundays, emergencies and bargaining with. Not for every day, common or garden stuff.
He looked at her and then lowered his gaze to their hands. “I’d like to eat the rest of my meal before it gets cold.”
Tamlyn pulled back her hand. “Sorry.” She looked down at her own plate, picking at her food. “So, is there a Mrs. Ames?”
Martin shook his head. “No. My girlfriend didn’t want to be ‘saddled’ with my scars. She dumped me right after the fire.”
“Her loss.” She caught the look he shot her and shrugged. “I mean, if she’s that shallow, then you’re well shot of her. She obviously didn’t love you.”
“Ha.” Martin pointed his finger over his drink at her. “That’s what my father said.”
“There you go, then. If both of us think that way, then we must be right.” Tamlyn finished her meal and picked up her drink. “Can we start going around the Vegas monopoly board after we’re finished?”
“Tomorrow would be better. You mentioned that before. How does that work?”
“You know it’s all casinos rather than streets, right? So it’s like visiting every street on the London board. Only you go visit the casinos and buy a chip from each one. My friend did it a few years ago.” Tamlyn glanced across the room and then put her hand over her face to shield it. “Can we go?”
“Go where? I said we’d leave the casinos ‘til morning.”
She shook her head and leaned in to whisper. “I want to go back up to the suite. Mr. Blue Suit from earlier is making eyes at me from across the room.”
Martin followed her gaze. “I’ll go talk to him.”
Tamlyn shook her head and grabbed her bag. “No, you won’t. Raleigh’s idea of ‘having a word’ would be to beat seven bells out of him. I don’t want a fuss. Let’s just get out of here.”
