by Katie Reus
* * *
His heart beat erratically as he watched Angel slide behind the wheel of the newer model Mercedes. What the fuck was she doing driving something like that when she lived in this shithole?
After sitting on her place most of the day he’d been about to give up and leave when he’d seen that flash of brilliant red hair. The woman was like a beacon, calling to him. She always had been. From the moment he’d first seen her.
And she’d loved him too. He just knew it. But something had changed between them and he didn’t know what. Didn’t care at this point. He hadn’t decided how much he planned to make her suffer before he killed her, but seeing her in the flesh again after so long he was going to keep her around for a while first.
Shifting uncomfortably, he rubbed a hand over his crotch as he steered his rental car out onto the street after her. Oh yeah, he was definitely keeping her around.
Keeping an eye on his surroundings, he tailed Angel as best he could without seeming too obvious. It was easy with the steady flow of traffic. So many vehicles were heading in the same direction as she was. When she turned into the main entrance for the Serafina hotel, his anger grew.
Maybe she was meeting a lover there. Probably the man who owned the car she was driving. Because there was no way in hell that was hers. His investigator had assured him that she hadn’t registered any new vehicles in the last two years. No, she’d been a ghost.
Until now.
Staying four cars behind her, he slid on his ball cap when she stopped in front of the valet parking. She talked animatedly with one of the drivers for a couple minutes. The conversation seemed longer than normal for a patron of the hotel. Maybe the whore was planning to meet up with him later.
She’d always been like that, flirting with everyone. He’d hated it as much as he’d loved her. She was so vibrant and full of life but she should only be like that for him. Only with him.
Needing to see where she went—and who she was meeting—he continued through the line, stopping when it was his turn.
A man in his early twenties greeted him with a smile. “Welcome to the Serafina. How long will you be leaving your car?”
“I’m not sure,” he said as he slid from the rental, keeping his hat pulled low.
“No problem. Stay as long as you like.” The man rattled off the daily rate before asking if he had any questions.
He started to say no, but paused. “Where do you keep the cars you valet? Are they secure?”
The guy nodded, as if he was asked that all the time. Pointing past the hotel, he said, “See the offsite parking garage? The bottom two floors are valet and the rest of the garage is for spillover. But we’ve got a guard stationed there 24/7 so the cars are secure.”
“Thanks.” After getting his parking stub, he headed up the stairs to the wide doors of the luxurious hotel.
Once inside he was stunned by the marble floors and huge fountain in the middle of the lobby. Definitely first class all the way, which was what he was normally accustomed to. At least the dress varied. There were people wearing track suits while others wearing thousand dollar suits milled about so he’d be able to blend in.
Unfortunately the place was huge. Angel’s hair might be a beacon but he’d never find her in this place. Especially if the whore had already gone up to a hotel room to meet some guy. Fighting his anger, he made his way across the lobby, deciding to do a sweep of the main floor. He knew where she lived so he could always just go back there and wait, but he wanted to learn everything about her schedule.
As he passed the open entryway for a restaurant called Cloud 9, he almost stumbled. Standing next to a cocktail table of three men, she was smiling at something one of them said as she jotted down a note on her pad of paper. Shit, she worked at the restaurant.
It still didn’t explain her car, but knowing she worked here made all the difference. Keeping track of her movements would be a lot easier now that he knew where she lived and worked. The restaurant was huge, a mixture of cocktail tables, fine dining tables and a roped off area of modular couches where it looked like people were only drinking cocktails.
He scanned the area in seconds, but couldn’t stop being drawn back to her. Of average height, she gave the appearance of being taller because of her slim legs. And she was stunning. The kind of woman a man did an automatic double take for.
He would have given her everything too, if only she’d stayed. If only she hadn’t involved the police in their business. She never should have gone behind his back. And she never should have tried to leave him in the first place. Then he wouldn’t have had to hurt her, to remind her who was in charge.
“May I help you, sir?” A pretty woman wearing a simple black dress and heels asked him, her smile polite.
That was when he realized he’d stepped inside the actual restaurant and wasn’t hovering outside anymore. Like an idiot, he’d started walking toward Angel without even thinking. But he couldn’t let her see him yet. No, his appearance in Vegas would have to be a complete surprise. That didn’t mean he couldn’t mess with her head. He shook his head quickly at the hostess, stepped back out and hurried away.
If Angel was working she’d likely be at the restaurant for a few hours. And he planned to fuck up her car while she was occupied. If there was only one guard in that lot, it should be easy enough to get in undetected. It wasn’t as if he wanted to steal the thing, just vandalize it.
What he wouldn’t give to witness Angel’s expression when she saw it.
Chapter 6
Vadim finished his second drive around Angel’s apartment complex before parking in front of Mr. Botkin’s two-story building. He knew the man lived there with his wife and that his three daughters all lived in the other apartments with their families. The job Vadim had been on with Wyatt had been cut even shorter than he’d expected. Instead of coming by tomorrow he’d decided to stop by tonight, after a call to Mr. Botkin had assured him that it wasn’t too late.
As he exited one of Wyatt’s company vehicles, Vadim automatically scanned the area for trouble. When he didn’t see anyone, he headed for the walkway. Before he’d reached the curb the landlord was already striding toward him.
Vadim nodded once as he met him on the sidewalk. “Thanks for meeting with me,” he said in English.
The older man grunted. “Russian?”
Vadim nodded, knowing it would be easier on the man to converse in his native tongue so he quickly switched languages. “I need a favor.” When Mr. Botkin didn’t respond, just watched him carefully, Vadim continued. “I don’t like Angel living here. It’s not safe for her with no male protection.” He knew what he was saying was archaic, but he also knew this man was old school and would like, or at least understand, the sentiment, especially since he had three daughters. And Vadim needed this guy to do what he was requesting. It wasn’t like he could force him. “Early tomorrow I want you to call her, tell her there’s a flooding problem at her apartment but you’ve packed up her belongings. You’ll also tell her you have no idea how long it will take to fix the pipes or the flooring and that there is no other apartment open right now. Be very apologetic, offer to help her find another place, and be believable. I’ll come by later tomorrow and pack up her stuff.”
Mr. Botkin watched him, his eyes narrowing a fraction. “Is this because of the man asking about her?”
At the man’s words, Vadim went still. Someone had been asking about Angel? He flicked a glance around them again out of habit. “What man?” he asked, turning back to Mr. Botkin.
“A man came by her place late last night, stopped me as I was leaving another apartment. He said his friend’s sister was missing and he was helping look for her. I didn’t like the look of him.” The man’s lip curled in clear distaste.
“What did you tell him?” Vadim’s voice was steady, but a low grade panic hummed through him. Angel had been quiet about her life before moving to Vegas and he’d respected her privacy. Her background check the hotel ra
n for all new employees had come back clean. Now he wondered if she was running from someone.
“Nothing. Pretended I couldn’t speak English and he left.”
“What did he look like?”
Another shrug. “White, tall like you, dark hair, dark eyes. What my daughters would call Hollywood handsome.” He rolled his eyes at that. “He looked fucking shifty to me though.”
Vadim filed that away for later. “What was he driving?”
Mr. Botkin reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “Looked like a rental, I tried to get all the numbers, but he left too quickly. Missed the last one.” He gave him the make and model as Vadim took the paper.
He slid it in his jacket pocket then pulled an envelope from one of his interior pockets. He handed it to Mr. Botkin.
The older man glanced inside at the cash and lifted his eyebrows as he met Vadim’s gaze again. “You care for this woman?”
Vadim nodded.
“She’ll have a place to stay? With you?”
He nodded again. He didn’t care how underhanded this was. He wanted—needed—Angel somewhere safer. Preferably with him. Especially now that some man was sniffing around her place asking about her. He was going to get to the bottom of that too.
For a long moment he worried the other man would reject his offer, but when Mr. Botkin tucked the envelope under his arm, Vadim knew he’d won.
“I’ll make the call tomorrow at seven,” the landlord said.
“Thank you.”
Another grunt, then the man turned and headed back to his place. Knowing things were taken care of, Vadim quickly left the complex. He had one more errand to run before heading home. He’d be home late, well past one or two in the morning, but it would give him more time to figure out what the hell he’d say to Angel about that kiss. He knew he should have called her while he was gone, but that kiss had jarred him far too much.
She made him want to lose control, something he never did. She also made him want things he’d never imagined for his own life, like a family and someone to come home to every night.
* * *
Angel stood next to the valet stand where the keys were hung on pegs, half-listening as one of the guys spoke in hushed tones into his radio. She’d been waiting over twenty minutes for Vadim’s car and didn’t understand what the problem was. It was after eleven and even though the casino was slammed, the valet station was slow.
She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering against the slight breeze that kicked up. All she wanted was to go to Vadim’s place, kick off her shoes and wash the restaurant smell off her. And sleep. Tonight had been busier than she’d expected, which was good because she’d made double what she had last night, but she was still tired. At least she’d had a few missed texts from Mark letting her know that he and Chloe were settling in nicely. She’d already texted him and had heard back almost immediately with him reassuring her they were doing well.
When the man, whose name she didn’t know, put down his hand-held radio and glanced over Angel’s shoulder almost nervously she tensed and turned around.
Iris Christiansen was striding down the stairs coming straight for them. Angel immediately straightened at the sight of the Serafina’s head of security—and billionaire Wyatt Christiansen’s wife. Crap, what if they thought she wasn’t supposed to be driving Vadim’s car? Angel couldn’t imagine why Iris was here. The tall, slender woman was nice, but she was also intimidating as hell.
“Vadim is letting me use his car. You can call him and ask,” Angel blurted when Iris stopped in front of them.
Iris blinked, her mouth pulling up into a half-smile. “I know. You mind coming with me to the parking garage? I need to talk to you.”
A thick block of ice settled in her stomach, numbing her from the inside out. Had Sierra told Iris about what Angel had done? Maybe now she was going to lose her job. Tongue-tied, she nodded and fell in step with the taller woman as they headed down the sidewalk. Angel’s heels clicked loudly while Iris’s shoes were silent. She knew the tall woman had been in the Marines, just like Vadim.
“Have you been having any problems at work lately with customers?” Iris asked.
She glanced at her, surprised by the question. “No. I mean, I get the typical pervs and creeps who ask me out but no harassment or anything if that’s what you mean.”
Iris nodded thoughtfully. “No one hanging around after work waiting for you?”
Angel shook her head again, starting to worry about this line of questioning. “No, but I take the bus. Why are you asking?”
“What about a…boyfriend or ex-boyfriend? Any problems there?” Iris completely ignored Angel’s previous question.
Angel frowned. Had Iris somehow found out about Angel’s past? Maybe they’d started digging into her life after the food-stealing incident. She’d been so careful, but maybe not careful enough. “What’s going on?”
“Someone keyed Vadim’s car while it was in valet. They scratched the word ‘whore’ on the hood. Since you’re driving it and whore is typically a word used to insult females, I’m trying to figure out if this message was meant for you or Vadim.”
Angel could feel the blood drain from her face. A chill snaked through her as they neared the lowest level entrance to the garage. Behind the electronic arm that let people in and out of the structure, one of the valet guys was talking to a man wearing a button-down black shirt and black slacks. Clearly security. When the security guy saw them he nodded at Iris.
Following Iris, Angel walked along the outer sidewalk that lead into the garage, on the other side of the arm so they wouldn’t have to duck under it.
“Called the cops to make a report, but they won’t be here for an hour since this isn’t a priority,” the security man said to Iris.
Lips pulled into a grim line she nodded before glancing at Angel. “You don’t need to stay for the report. For now I’m going to let you use a company vehicle so you can get home.”
“What about Vadim’s car?”
“Since this happened on hotel property we’ll be taking care of it. This shouldn’t have happened.” There was a sharp bite to Iris’s words as she cut an equally hard look at the security guy.
No doubt someone was definitely in trouble over this. “Can I see it?” She felt terrible that this had happened to his car while she’d been the one driving it.
“Ah…” Iris frowned again, as if contemplating it, then shook her head as an SUV pulled to a stop near them. “You don’t need to see that. This is your SUV for now. How comfortable are you driving one?”
“I’m fine with it.” She wanted to push Iris about seeing Vadim’s car but knew there was no point. She wouldn’t gain anything by seeing the vandalism. But she still felt terrible about it. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and glanced at the time. It was almost midnight, but Vadim should know about this. She’d call him as soon as she had some privacy. “Have you told Vadim about this yet?”
Iris shook her head.
“I’ll let him know.”
“Thanks.” The other woman handed Angel a set of keys. “Whoever did this, we’re going to figure it out, okay?”
Angel nodded, palming the keys. She still didn’t know what to think about the vandalism. In the back of her mind she wondered if this had something to do with her past, but if the man from her nightmares knew where she was working and about her driving Vadim’s car, he’d have likely already come after her. He was violent, with a hair-trigger temper. Something she’d found out too late. “Okay. Do you need me to stick around for anything?”
“No, but be careful on your way home, check to make sure you’re not being followed. I know you’re house sitting for V so make sure you set the alarm as soon as you’re inside. And text me when you get to his place so I’ll know you’re there.” Iris wasn’t asking.
“I will.” Anxiety threaded through her veins, making her numb all over. She really wished Vadim was in town. At least she could go t
o his place, which had a great alarm system and a dog. It was the only thing that made her feel better about this whole situation. After saying goodbye and getting another demand to stay safe from Iris, Angel slid into the driver’s seat. She pulled out of the garage, but idled for a moment while she called Vadim. She knew him well enough that he wouldn’t care how late it was, especially not when it concerned his car.
After his cell phone went straight to voicemail, she tried his hotel. The perky woman who answered immediately transferred Angel to his room.
“Hello?” A groggy, husky, feminine voice answered. Angel froze, her throat tightening. “Hello?” the woman asked again.
When she heard a muted male voice in the background, she hung up. The sharpest sense of betrayal sliced into her, which was stupid. She didn’t have a claim on Vadim. They were friends who had shared a kiss. Well, a really hot kiss with a little groping action. Then he’d immediately rejected her after their interruption, making it clear he thought it was a mistake and that it wasn’t happening again.
None of that mattered now. Setting the phone down on the center console, she headed to his place. She’d been looking forward to spending more time at his place with him, now she was just counting down the hours until she could leave. At least it would give her something else to focus on other than the bizarre vandalism.
It was impossible to completely dismiss that whoever had done it was from her past. Still, she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around that. Not when she’d been living like a ghost. She didn’t have an online trail for anyone to follow. But if her past had caught up with her, it was time to run again. She’d already escaped a monster once. She’d do it again.
Chapter 7
Angel’s eyes opened with a start and she glanced around Vadim’s guestroom. According to the digital clock on the nightstand it was almost two in the morning. She’d left one of the lights from the bathroom on so she could see in the unfamiliar place. A faint illumination streamed through from the cracked open door. Charlie’s head popped up when Angel moved, but she sniffed once, then laid back down. Angel paused at the dog’s lack of reaction. Maybe she hadn’t heard anything after all.
