by Clare Revell
“You’re a spoilsport, but OK.” Tamlyn shoved her hand into her pocket. “You suppose it’s still raining outside?”
“I have no idea.” Martin headed across the room towards the exit.
Tamlyn stayed by his side. “Isn’t thirty-five a little young to be retiring?”
He grimaced. She wasn’t going to drop it, was she? “I have my reasons for quitting the force, but it’s not open for discussion.”
“What will you do instead?”
“I have no idea. Now, please, drop it.” He knew God had a plan for his life, and was hoping that at some point God would share that plan with him. Until then, he was taking his decision on faith that it was the right one.
Tamlyn shot him a smile. “Sure, consider it dropped.”
He nodded. Not for the first time he wondered about Tamlyn and faith. She had no objections to him saying grace and she wore a cross. He’d also noticed that she didn’t swear no matter how upset or angry she got. “What about you?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, what do you do?”
She shrugged. “Not allowed to do anything. Like I said, I read a lot.”
They reached the street. Rain poured down, bouncing off the pavement. Lightning flashed, and thunder roared after it. “Maybe we should stay here and go back in the casino.” Tamlyn shot him a begging smile. “Do you know how to play the spinny one?”
“Spinny one?” He didn’t bother to hide his amusement.
“They toss the ball into the spinner, and if it stops on your number, you win.”
“If you mean roulette, then, yes, I do.”
“Would you teach me? I promise I won’t spend that much.”
He rolled his eyes. “Judging by your earlier comment I doubt it.”
Tamlyn looked at him, doing a fairly good impression of puppy dog eyes. “Pretty please, Martin, with sugar and cherries on the top?”
He arched an eyebrow. His sister, Peggy, used to do that all the time to get her own way, but for some odd reason when Tamlyn did it his heart pounded. He inhaled deeply, choosing to concentrate on the annoying way Tamlyn was determined to go against his wishes. “Pretty please, with sugar and cherries on the top? Are you six or twenty-six?”
“Twenty-six and a half.” She held his gaze.
He realized with a shock how easily he could lose himself in the depths of her eyes. Something he couldn’t allow to happen. For one, he was working, and two, he didn’t know where she stood before God; and being unevenly yoked wasn’t something he’d even begin to consider. He wouldn’t ever get married, anyway. His injuries didn’t exactly make him good husband material.
After a few seconds, she broke off. “Of course, if you’d rather I went alone…?”
“Not an option, Tamlyn, you know that.”
She grinned triumphantly. “Then you have to come, too.”
He let out a long deep breath. “Just this once, but I’m setting a limit on how much you spend.”
“Why are you setting me a limit? Who do you think you are?”
“I don’t think. I know very well who I am. And so do you.” He pointed a finger at her, before shoving his hand into his pocket. “Is this how you want to play this? I just wasted two hours watching you, the slowest gambler in history, lose five hundred dollars. Do you want to get this Monopoly Board of yours finished or not?”
Tamlyn smirked. “Of course, I want to finish it, but it’ll take more than just one day—there are forty casinos to visit, all over the city. But I can’t miss the show tonight.”
“Do I want to know where we’re going?”
“To that show with those guys who—”
“No. Way.” Perhaps he could lock her up after all—in the nearest cell.
Tamlyn put her hands on her hips. “Don’t you go all self-righteous on me, sergeant. I bet you’ve been around the strip clubs and watched women dance.”
He shook his head. “Actually, I respect women far too much for that.”
“Well, again, you don’t have to come.”
“If you had an ounce of self-respect, you’d feel the same about men and not pay to see them exploited.” He turned on his cane and headed across the lobby. “And no, I’m not going, so neither are you.”
Tamlyn’s footsteps hurried after him. A hand grabbed his arm. “Oy! How dare you speak to me like that?”
He spun around and glared at her. “How dare I? Let me tell you something, Lady Bradshaw. I don’t have to let you out of the hotel room, at all. In fact, I could move you miles from here, if I felt the situation warranted it.” He pointed his finger at her, jabbing it in the air as he spoke. “You will do as I say, when I say, and how I say. Because otherwise, your highness, you’ll find yourself on the first plane back to England.”
Her hackles rose almost visibly, and irritation flashed in her eyes. “No one has ever spoken to me like that and you’re not going to do it now.”
That explains a lot.
He had to draw a line and let her know not to cross it. Otherwise, things would just spiral out of his control. “If you act like a child then I’ll treat you like one.”
Tamlyn just stood there for a long moment. Color touched her cheeks, and she lowered her head. “Martin, I’m sorry.”
Martin waited a minute before he spoke. “So, you still want me to teach you how to play roulette?”
She didn’t look up, whispering in response. “Only if you want to.”
“Sure, let’s go, but no more than a hundred dollars, so we can get this show on the road and get you some more chips before dark.”
****
Tamlyn followed him back into the casino at a snail’s pace, her stomach tying itself in knots. She never felt this way after her father told her off. That annoyed her, sure, but this? He’d just made her feel horrible and was that a tinge of guilt as well? What made it different this time? For an instant, she almost told him she’d go back to her room.
Reaching a table, she pulled out her ID and paid for a hundred dollars’ worth of chips. She turned them over in her hand. “They’re different to the one I bought.”
Martin nodded. “Each player receives different color chips. That way you can tell which are yours. These chips are only good for this table. When you’ve finished playing, you cash in any you have left here, in exchange for the regular casino chips which you take to the cage. You cash them in there.”
“OK. How does this work?”
“The minimum bet on this table is five dollars, so you have to put five on both inside and outside bets.”
Did she look as confused as she felt as he explained the different bets to her? She let him carry on for another minute, then sighed. “You lost me.”
Martin smiled. “I’m sorry. You want to bet on one number or several?”
“Ummm, one gets better odds, right?”
He nodded. “But two have a better chance of coming up.”
Tamlyn frowned. “Then maybe we put it on one this time and two the next.” She put two chips down on one number and squinted at him. “Now what?”
“The outside bet.”
Tamlyn handed Martin two more chips. “You do that one, because I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”
As the ball spun, she got totally engrossed in the game. She still didn’t understand the whole betting thing, but decided it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like she was going to make a habit of it.
Other people joined the table. Tamlyn let Martin guide her as to where she put her chips. It didn’t take long before she spent her last ones and bought some more. She ignored Martin’s grunt of complaint. Glancing up she saw Blue Suit smirking at her from across the table, as he placed his blue chips down on the board.
She glanced up at Martin and took a step closer to him. “Can I put it all on the one square?”
He raised an eyebrow, surprise engraved on his face. “You want to risk losing it all in one go?”
She nodded, tilting her head at the other side of
the table. “Yeah.”
He followed her gaze before resting a protective hand on her shoulder. “Then put half of it on one square and the other half on the dozen on the outside.”
Tamlyn split her chips, standing as close to Martin as she could get away with.
The dealer waved her hand. “No more bets.”
The ball jumped and landed in one of the holes. Tamlyn glanced at it, not taking in at first what it said.
“Red seven.”
“I won. Martin, I won.” She turned and flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
Martin hugged her back and grinned. “Fluke.”
Tamlyn kissed his cheek in her excitement. “I don’t care, I won.” She smiled at the dealer. “I’d like to cash up, please.”
The dealer checked the chips and exchanged them.
“Let’s go change those before you spend them. Figure we can do three more casinos before lunch if we don’t get distracted again.” His hand rested on the small of her back as they walked across the crowded room.
“Surely we can do more than that.”
Martin laughed. “It’s almost one. You’ve been playing that for an hour and a half.”
“You’re kidding?” She handed over her chips at the cage.
Martin nodded. “That’s why there are no clocks or windows in here. They want to keep you gambling and making them a profit.”
“I won almost nineteen hundred dollars for a two hundred dollar outlay.”
“It won’t happen again, trust me. Do you want to put some of that in the safe first?”
Tamlyn shook her head, tucking the cash into her bag. “I’ve got a bodyguard. It’s perfectly safe.”
He rolled his eyes again. “Fine. Come on.”
Rain pounded the pavement as they left the main entrance.
Tamlyn pulled up her hood.
Martin tugged his collar up and headed out into the rain. “We can eat in the mall at Caesars Palace if you’re hungry.”
“Sounds good to me.” Tamlyn followed Martin over the road and into the hotel. They went into the casino where she bought a chip for her collection. “Can we stay and play a bit?”
“Don’t you think you’ve lost enough money gambling for one morning?”
“No. I won.”
“You lost one hundred twenty dollars before you won anything.”
“Yeah, and? That’s pocket change. I’m rich beyond the dreams of avarice, remember?”
He didn’t say anything, just gave her that look he’d already perfected that made her feel as if she were six years old.
She shoved her hands into her pockets. “Then maybe we should go back to my suite. You can watch TV while I do nothing.”
“Fine.” His tone echoed hers. “Did you want to eat here, first?”
“If you want.” Tamlyn trudged towards the shops, following the signs.
They reached the food hall and Martin glanced at her. “Do you want burger or chicken?”
“Either, not bothered.”
“Are you going to pout for the rest of the day, Tamlyn?”
She plonked down at the first table she saw. “It’s what spoiled rich girls do best.” She pulled a twenty from her pocket and offered it to him.
He rolled his eyes. “Put it away. Don’t move, and I’ll be right back.”
Tamlyn folded her arms, keeping her gaze on him as he ordered and paid for the food. Why did he get to her so much? She almost rose to help him, but he managed to pick up the tray and carry it over to her with one hand. He put the tray between them. “I got you cheeseburger.”
“Thank you.” Tamlyn unwrapped it. “So puppy dog eyes won’t work, either?”
Martin shook his head. “Told you yesterday, I’m here to protect you, and staying in one place too long is not a good idea.”
Tamlyn took another bite before she glanced across the mall and shook her head. “I don’t believe it. He’s following me. First, he was at the same table in the casino, and now he’s here.”
Martin looked at her then followed her gaze. “Could be coincidence.”
“Uh uh. You’re a cop. Do something.”
“Like what? I can’t arrest him for playing roulette or eating in a burger joint. Or for wearing that suit, no matter how ugly it is.”
Tamlyn sighed. Her phone rang. She opened her bag and pulled it out. At the same moment, Martin’s phone rang. She half smiled as they answered the phone at the same time. “Hello.”
“Tammy, it’s Dad.”
Irritation rose within her. “I said I’d ring tonight. You don’t need to check up on me every few hours.”
“The hospital rang. Raleigh died an hour ago.”
The part eaten burger fell from her hand. A gaping hole opened beneath her. Tears pricked her eyes. She glanced up at Martin, seeing the shock she felt echoed in his face.
He must be getting the same news.
“Tamlyn, are you there?”
“Yeah…”
“It was poison. Whoever killed him is coming after you next—”
She closed the phone cutting him off. The little she’d eaten rose in her throat, threatening to choke her. Her hands were clammy and cold. “I’ll be back.” She struggled to her feet and ran across to the ladies room.
Raleigh’s dead, and they’re coming after you echoed in her mind.
Who were they?
Why take out her bodyguard?
What had he or she ever done to anyone?
6
Rain pounded the glass as Tamlyn sat curled up on the window sill in the sitting room of her suite, watching the hotel fountains rise and fall. Tears streaked her face as she mourned Raleigh. She’d never given him enough credit, or even the time of day and now it was too late.
“Tamlyn, are you OK?” Martin’s voice cut through her grief.
“Raleigh’s been protecting me since I came to live with Dad. Ten years is a long time. May not have liked him much, but he’s always been there. And no one deserves to be murdered, no matter how annoying they are.” She watched him chug back the bottle of water. “There’s a whole stack of bottled water in Raleigh’s...your room. He drank the stuff by the gallon and insisted on bringing a shed load with him. That’s another reason Garth insisted on us taking the private jet. Can’t take liquids on an international commercial flight, or something.”
Her phone rang again. “What now?” she sighed. “Hello, Dad.”
“Tammy, Garth and I are on the plane now. I’ll need the second bedroom in your suite.”
“Martin’s sleeping in it.” Her heart sank. She didn’t want him coming out no matter how bad things were.
“Well, he won’t be needed once I get there.” Her father’s voice carried its normal no nonsense tone.
She pushed a hand through her hair. “Martin is perfectly capable of protecting me until I come home.”
“First name terms with a protection officer? Tammy, really—”
Tamlyn held the phone out to Martin before her father could launch into full blown tirade mode. “You tell him. He isn’t listening to me.”
Martin took the phone. “Lord Bradshaw, this is Sgt. Ames. As I told you yesterday, I’ve been assigned by the Vegas PD to protect your daughter while she’s in the US.”
Tamlyn drummed her fingers on the arm of the sofa as Martin listened to her father speak; then shook her head as Martin moved the phone from his ear, the shouting audible from where she sat. She wanted to be with Martin, not with her father and Garth.
She caught her breath. Be with Martin? Where did that come from?
At a brief lull, Martin resumed speaking. “She’s never out of my sight...the restroom excepted. I promise you she will be safe. Of course, yes, Sir. Bye.”
Tamlyn looked at him as he closed the phone and passed it back to her. “Thanks.”
“He’s concerned about you.”
Tamlyn pushed her hands through her hair. “No he isn’t. If someone kidnaps me, he has to pay to get me back. S
ometimes I think it’d be worth leaving home and sending him my own ransom note.”
She tilted her head at his contorted expression. “Is kidnapping yourself a crime?”
“Yes, it is. Leaving home isn’t, but demanding money for your safe return is. Maybe we should move you out of the hotel and into my place, and I’ll do the cooking.”
She shook her head. “No way. I saw your apartment when we collected your clothes on the way here yesterday. It’s even messier than your desk or your car. And that’s saying something.”
His gorgeous blue eyes darkened as he raised an eyebrow. “If I decide that moving you to a different hotel, or to my apartment is the safest thing to do, other than send you home, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Tamlyn glowered at him. “No one knows I’m here.”
Martin pointed a finger at her. “What about the guy in the blue suit you insist is following you everywhere?”
Tamlyn sighed. “That’s what you’re being paid for. I’m going to my bedroom. I may be some time.” She stood up and stormed into her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and plonked down on the bed.
After crying for a while her gaze fell on the tickets on the side, for the show downstairs which Raleigh had paid for as a belated birthday present. She needed something to distract her. She’d go and watch the show in Raleigh’s memory.
Pushing herself up, she slid some money and the room key into her jeans pocket and left the suite.
****
Tamlyn sat at a table, playing with her necklace. Around her, the female audience went wild. Images of Martin, his scars and cane filled her mind, and she felt guilty for sitting here watching. Why had she come? Martin was only looking out for her.
Like Raleigh. What if Raleigh had died in her place? What if someone wanted her dead and he’d gotten the drink meant for her?
She stood up and left the room, and went into the nearest bar. She sat on the bar stool and ordered a bottle of water.
How long did she have before Martin started searching for her? The drink came, and she raised the bottle in a salute. “For you, Raleigh.” She took a long drink.
Someone slid into the seat next to her. “Are you on your own tonight, darlin’? Where’s your boyfriend?”
