Affair Of Risk

by Jayne Castle

  "But I didn't do anything!" she protested, shocked. "Phelps's story might sound very plausible if I tell it his way—" "Case!"

  "Coming, Kendra?" he asked politely, holding the door.

  Floored by the sudden turn of events, Kendra stared at him, open-mouthed. She didn't really fear this man, although perhaps she ought to do so. And she'd just had all the proof she needed that she could handle herself if it came to physical assault. But she wasn't sure at all if he would carry out his implied promise to get her kicked out of the hotel. Common sense told her Case Garrett could make a great deal of trouble for her if he chose. At least in this town. And what if Radburn were to send someone else tonight?

  "Where will I stay?" she asked suspiciously.

  "I have a spare room." He sighed impatiently. "You'll be safe at my place, Kendra."

  She considered that, her head tilted to one side as she thought about the various possibilities. Perhaps the easiest thing would be to go along with what he wanted, at least for the moment. It would at least get her out of the hotel room, and the more she thought about Gilbert Phelps running around loose, the more she decided that that might not be a bad idea. Case seemed more concerned with satisfying his curiosity than anything else. She probably would be safe. After all, he certainly hadn't pressed her too much earlier in the evening. But there was one point . . .

  "How did you happen to show up so conveniently in my doorway?" she asked as a sudden thought asserted itself. "Did you follow me?"

  "You weren't very cooperative when I asked where you were staying," he explained without any sign of apology.

  "I knew I was being followed!"

  "That wasn't me you were aware of. It was probably Phelps," Case told her with great certainty. "We're wast-ing time, Kendra. Let's go."

  She stared at him, debating the merits of further argu-ment. He seemed to have made up his mind and was quite

  willing to make things uncomfortable for her if she didn't go along. That was the negative side. On the positive side was the fact that she wasn't really concerned about him using physical force against her once she was back in his apartment. And he had been very helpful with the problem of Gilbert Phelps. She was feeling grateful for that.

  What it came down to, Kendra knew, was that in spite of his undoubtedly somewhat veiled background, she trusted him. He was making himself difficult and mildly annoying, but she trusted him. She realized he had built that inexplicable sense of trust during dinner earlier in his apartment.

  Her head held high, she walked through the door, her graceful stride taking her rapidly down the hushed hall to the elevators. She heard him follow, and when he came up behind her and stabbed the call button, she slanted him a reproachful glance.

  "You wouldn't really have made trouble for me with the management, would you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

  "I make it a point not to use more force than a situation calls for," he replied coolly.

  "That doesn't answer my question."

  "It should. Think about it."

  "You're upset with me, aren't you?" she demanded in surprise as they descended to the lobby.

  "Upset is a rather mild word for my current mood," he drawled laconically.

  She arched an eyebrow quellingly. "There's no justification for that sort of attitude. You barely even know me. What happened here tonight is certainly none of your

  business. I think you're annoyed because you can't figure out what's going on."

  She smiled knowingly as she concluded her statement, and his expression hardened.

  "Knocking poor Phelps unconscious has certainly put a sparkle in your eye," he observed unkindly. "Or at least it did once you realized you hadn't killed him. Do you do this sort of thing a lot?"

  "Only when necessary," she told him in liquid accents. He was right, she thought. Her success in defending herself against Phelps had given her a strange kind of high. She could still feel the adrenaline flowing, although the surging energy had faded. She felt jubilant, exultant, very sure of herself. She couldn't wait to tell her instructor. That thought curved her lips even further in utter satisfaction.

  "Feel like you could take on the world, hmmm? Is that why you're not making too much of a fuss about coming home with me? You think you can handle me?"

  She wanted to laugh but managed to refrain. Her eyes gleamed with the emotion, however, as she looked up at him. "You did me a favor tonight. And I know you're curious. I suppose I can give you a few answers in return. Also, you may have a point about Phelps. If he found me this evening, it's conceivable someone else could do the same. I would just as soon not have to keep entertaining uninvited guests. That sort of thing could get tiring. Besides, something tells me I'll be quite safe at your place."

  "It doesn't do much for a man's ego to have a woman tell him she considers him safe," he said dryly as the elevator opened and they stepped out into the lobby.

  "It's been my experience that most men don't need any extra boost for their egos."

  No one paid them any attention as they walked out the front door and hailed a cab for the return trip. It occurred to Kendra that Case must have been freezing without a

  topcoat, but he seemed to ignore the weather. She noticed with amusement that he took her into the casino via another entrance, however, and wondered if it was his own reputation he was trying to protect. He certainly couldn't be concerned about hers. No one here knew her or would ever see her again.

  "Now, what are you laughing to yourself about?" he inquired as he ushered her back to his apartment.

  "I was thinking about how you're sneaking me in here," she grinned cheerfully as he opened the door to the tropical fantasy room. "Worried someone will see you with my suitcase and get the wrong impression?" "It did strike me that the fewer people who saw you enter, the better. Unless you have some way of knowing for certain that Phelps was working alone," he shot back irritably, shutting the heavy door with a small slam.

  She sent a humorous glance back over the white fur on her shoulder, saw his set features, and shook her head ruefully. "To tell you the truth, I don't know how far Radburn would really go. That's one of the reasons I took you up on your kind offer."

  He regarded her steadily, for a few seconds, and then started toward the hall. She followed curiously.

  "For the record," he stated very clearly as he led her into a bedroom and tossed her suitcase down on a wide bed, "I never do anything out of kindness."

  "I suppose the motivating force in this case is plain, old curiosity, isn't it?" she murmured absently, taking in the bedroom furnishings.

  The tropical motif had been carried out here, too, with a lavish hand. The all-white, quilted bed had an elaborate wicker screen for a headboard. The furniture was rattan, and the wall hangings were silk-screen prints of fabulous South Sea flowers in glowing colors. The woven grass mats had been interspersed with thick white carpet, and one

  wall was mirrored. Large potted plants stood like green sculptures in the corners.

  "This is your room," Kendra exclaimed before he could respond to her first remark. "You said you had a spare room for me!"

  "Don't look so accusing. There is a spare room. I'll be using it."

  "Oh." She eyed him narrowly. "That's not necessary, you know. I don't want to make you go to all that trouble."

  Something warmed briefly in his dark gaze. "You're inviting me to spend the night in here with you?" "Don't be ridiculous!"

  "I was afraid you'd say that." He sighed. He glanced around. "Well, suppose you take your coat off and get settled in. When you're ready come out into the living room, and we'll have our little talk."

  "The story really isn't all that interesting, you know," she warned.

  "I'm sure I'll be fascinated."

  She watched him walk out, an amused smile playing lightly around her lips. The physical high of the excitement of her encounter with Phelps was still clinging. She didn't mind the thought of giving Case Garrett a few answe
rs. She wanted, no, needed to talk to someone for a while. She needed to let the bubbling sensation settle down before she tried sleeping. A disinterested party like Case, who had no connection with the whole affair, seemed ideal. Perhaps that was the real reason she'd allowed him to bring her back to his apartment.

  She heard the knock on the apartment door a few minutes later but paid no attention when she heard Wolfs low tones. She hung up her coat and was rehanging the dress she planned to wear on the airplane back to San Francisco when she realized Case had taken his assistant into the study.

  There was an expensive look about Case Garrett's wardrobe, Kendra reflected as she made room for her few things. But she supposed a casino owner had to keep up appearances. Slipping out of her sandals, which were beginning to hurt her feet, she finished her few chores and padded quietly down the hall toward the living room.

  The study door was open only a fraction of an inch as she walked past, but she could hear Case's electrifying words. In an instant her sparkling, almost effervescent mood was shattered.

  "You took care of Phelps?"

  "He won't be giving Miss Loring any more trouble," Wolf vowed softly, with the sound of a man who has performed similar tasks satisfactorily in the past.

  "Did you get anything out of him?" Case persisted calmly.

  Kendra felt abruptly chilled. What, exactly, had Wolf Higgins done to that poor man? Phelps had, after all, only been a paid agent of Radburn's! And it wasn't as if the slimy little man had pulled a knife or a gun on her! He had only been intending to scare some answers out of her.

  She hesitated a few inches from the door, not certain if she wanted to hear any more.

  "I don't think he knows much, boss," Wolf said. "He didn't seem to know anything about Radburn, except by name. The guy paid him to hassle Miss Loring and get some answers about his wife—"

  "Donna Radburn?"

  "Yeah."

  "How much did he know about Kendra?" Case inquired deliberately.

  Kendra shivered as Wolf replied coolly, "She's out of San Francisco. He followed her here to Lake Tahoe on a plane yesterday."

  "Which means he probably followed her here tonight," Case concluded thoughtfully.

  Wolf said nothing, letting the obvious speak for itself. There was a silence in the study, and Kendra drew a long, steadying breath, backing silently toward the bedroom.

  Something was wrong. Case Garrett wasn't acting like a gallant gentleman. He was getting far too involved for that. Quite suddenly all her initial qualms about the man returned in full force. She was being a fool to trust him. Hadn't he just told her himself he never did anything out of kindness?

  The two men in the study had sounded cold and professional in a way that tore the sparkling exhilaration of the evening to pieces. And the way Case had begun inquiring into her personal background was more than a little unnerving. What was going on here? Was there more to Donna's gambling debt than the other woman had admitted?

  Her instincts telling her it was time to move, Kendra made her way on silent, nylon-covered feet back to the bedroom, grabbed her purse and shoes, and turned toward the door.

  It was a shame to leave all her things behind, but a feeling of urgency was riding her now. She wanted out of the fantasy before she got swallowed up in it again. She would need her coat, and it was much too expensive to leave behind.

  Holding her sandals in one hand, coat and purse in the other, she slipped quietly back down the hall, passing the study and shuddering a little. Wolf was still closeted with his boss, and she caught the serious overtones of the discussion as she went past. They were talking about her, she knew.

  Moving like a wraith in a manner that was instinctive after two years of training, Kendra made her way through the living room into the entrance hall. She had a momentary feeling of panic as she opened the door, and then she was through it. The elevator seemed to take forever, but

  at last she was safely inside. In another few minutes she would be safe. She would go to another hotel for the night, use a different name.

  She was thinking clearly by the time she exited the elevator, and she decided to use the back entrance through which Case had brought her earlier. The fewer people who witnessed her departure, the better.

  She breathed a sigh of thankful relief when the doorknob was finally under her trembling fingers. Desperately grateful for the streak of good luck, she flung it open—and walked straight into the solid brick wall that was Wolfgang Amadeus Higgins.

  "Oh!"

  Automatically her hand came up to brace herself.

  "Wolf! What are you doing here? I thought—"

  "You thought he was upstairs, Kendra?"

  She whirled at the sound of Case's lazy, amused drawl. "There are other ways out of this building besides the elevator. Wolf and I used one when we realized you were ducking out on our hospitality."

  Kendra fought the fear that had sprung alive in the pit of her stomach. These men were dangerous, and she was way out of her league. She saw the cool threat in Case and shivered. Feminine intuition told her there was no mercy to be had there. She turned to Wolf.

  "Please let me pass, Wolf," she ordered haughtily. "I want to leave."

  His battered face looked incredibly sad and apologetic. "I'm sorry, Miss Loring," he said, sounding it. "But Case, here, wants to talk to you."

  "And what Case wants matters more than what I want?" she challenged, knowing the answer.

  "I'm afraid so, ma'am." He sighed regretfully.

  She gritted her teeth, refusing to give into the panic. Her eyes locked with Wolfs rueful but determined gaze, and

  then she turned on her bare heels, her shoes still in her hand.

  Not deigning to speak, she brushed past the elegantly menacing man standing in the doorway and walked back to the elevator. The whole casino was a trap, she finally acknowledged, feeling incredibly stupid. Case Garrett owned everyone and everything in it.

  Without a word he ushered her back into the elevator, leaving Wolf behind in the hall.

  Staring straight ahead as Case once again opened the door to the apartment, Kendra gathered her courage to ask evenly, "If I give you the answers you want tonight, Case, will you let me go?"

  "No," he said mildly, "I don't think so, Kendra. You'll be staying until morning."

  CHAPTER FOUR

  "You have no right to do this," Kendra began in an almost conversational voice as she sank into the pillows of the sofa and crossed her legs with casual grace. "But, then, you already know that, don't you?"

  Case poured a brandy for each of them and brought her a snifter before sitting down across from her in a rattan lounging chair. He smiled silkily. He was making very little effort to shield the hardness in himself now, she realized. It was as if he had accepted the fact that she knew his true nature, and he didn't intend to waste any more time hiding it.

  But the female instinct in her picked up on something else in that cool, calculating gaze. He still wanted her.

  A tremor went through her as she forced herself to review the potential of that fact.

  "It seems to me that after the favor I did for you this evening, you could accept my hospitality a little more graciously," he said.

  "I might have done exactly that," she admitted recklessly, "if I thought that was all that was involved. But I heard you talking to Wolf in the study. . . ."

  "It occurred to me you might have overheard us." He smiled at her apologetically. "You didn't think too highly of my personal integrity when you originally appeared in the casino this evening, and although you stopped worrying about it somewhat over dinner, all the accusations

  were back in your eyes when you found Wolf and I waiting for you downstairs."

  "Do you blame me? I've got a rather delicate situation on my hands right now. I don't need further complications."

  "What sort of complications are you worried about, Kendra?" he murmured pointedly.

  "This isn't any of your business, Case," she whisp
ered firmly.

  "You made it my business when you walked into the casino tonight." "No!"

  He dismissed her protest with a flat, arcing movement of his hand. "And now, having helped you-—uh—dispose of that little complication back in the hotel room ..."

  "I never asked you to help! You should never have followed me!" she snapped.

  "But I did, and I couldn't miss the relief in your face when you looked up and saw me in the doorway. You quite willingly turned everything over to me at that point, didn't you? Why don't you stop fighting your instincts and do the same again? Tell me what this is all about, Kendra. How are you involved with the Radburns?"

  "Why do you care?" she charged softly, her bare foot swinging in an unconscious display of nerves. How badly did he want her? Could she work on it? Make him think first of satisfying his desire for her and postponing this discussion? Kendra had never deliberately set out to seduce a man in her life. She wasn't sure she could do it now, especially given the strained circumstances.

  "Let's just say I have a stake in the matter." His gaze flickered over the shape of her leg as she moved slightly. Then he let it trail upward, lingering for a few burning seconds on the rise and fall of her breast beneath the red silk before meeting her eyes.

  "Because of the money Donna owes you? You'll get it. Don't worry."

  "I intend to," he agreed, taking a sip of his brandy. "Now talk. Tell me about the Radburns."

  She shrugged. "There's not much to tell. They're in the process of getting a divorce."

  "Then why is Radburn trying to track down his wife?"

  "He doesn't want the divorce. It's that simple."

  "He can't bear to lose her?" There was dry mockery in his words. Kendra had the feeling Case Garrett found it hard to understand how any man might feel so intensely about a woman.

  "He can't bear to lose the money she inherits in a couple of months when she turns twenty-seven." Her voice was cold, remote.

  "I see. That makes more sense."

  She heard the satisfaction in him and silently gritted her teeth. Of course such an explanation would make perfect sense to him.

  "And what's your role in all this? Why are you running errands for Donna and trying to help her hide from Radburn?" he probed relentlessly.