by Meg Ripley
“That’s different.”
Cade nodded. Obviously, there wasn’t any more he could glean from the man’s limited answers. If he was going to spend any more time amid the company of humans, it was going to be in bed with a hot, uncomplicated woman. Or maybe several. Whatever it took to banish Ava Winter from his mind.
Chapter 2
Hope unlocked her apartment door and slipped inside. The living room was dark except for the sliver of moonlight that filtered in through the window’s parted curtains and lightly touched the figure sleeping on her sofa. The girl had a bedroom of her own, but no one would know it by the number of times she’d used it in the past eleven months.
Jeez, had it really been almost a year? She was going to have to think of something special to commemorate the anniversary. But that would have to wait until morning because she had just enough energy left in her to make it to her bedroom before she collapsed.
Still, she stopped as she crossed the living room to drape a blanket over the sleeping form and tuck an errant lock of hair behind the girl’s ear. It was the only time the teenager looked light and peaceful, so much in contrast to the heavy burden she carried around on her shoulders when she was awake.
At least it seemed some of the burden had been eased in the past year. Not so long ago, she’d been quite the spitfire with a chip on her shoulder to match, but Hope had seen right through the act. Of course, she had—it was the same act she had put on for the world herself for too many years to think about.
“Good night, Lexi,” she whispered before she continued across the room and down the short hall to her room. Once there, she collapsed on her bed, too exhausted to even turn down the covers. Her eyes were closed by the time her head hit the pillow, but as she surrendered to her fatigue, a face flashed behind her eyes; it belonged to the man she’d met after the show.
She knew who he was. Hell, everyone who’d been in Las Vegas for more than five minutes knew who Cade Stryker was. He was the owner of the city’s most prestigious hotel and casino, but while plenty of people knew of him, not many people knew much about him.
He was a billionaire mogul with a sketchy past, at best. How one managed to get to his position without someone having turned over every stone of his life, she had no idea, nor had the question really concerned her much before tonight. Suddenly, though, who Cade Stryker was and why no one seemed to know anything about him had risen to the top of her list of concerns. Why, she didn’t know.
The man was sexy as hell, but she’d known that already. She’d seen pictures of him in the past, and there was no point in denying he was probably the most attractive man she’d ever laid eyes on. That wasn’t what had caught her attention and thrown her off guard, though. It was something else; something deeper. There were secrets in the man’s eyes, and for some strange reason, the moment they’d touched, every fiber of her body had wanted to know each one of those secrets.
And that was quite the feat for a woman who didn’t have a curious bone in her body. She’d learned long ago that it was best to keep her head down and steer clear of everyone else’s business. It was the best shot she’d had at making sure everyone steered clear of hers.
Maybe it had just been seeing the man in the flesh. His broad, rock-hard frame was enough to make any woman weak in the knees. That was probably it. Hell, she hadn’t had anything that resembled a relationship in well over a year—maybe two. To be honest, she’d been so focused on work and Lexi that her lack of male companionship hadn’t really crossed her mind until she’d seen Cade Stryker standing there backstage.
And then he’d asked her out for drinks? What the hell was that? Even if he’d been in the mood for a quick lay, certainly, he had all kinds of women at his beck and call. So why go to the effort of asking a complete stranger? Maybe he thought she was just as much an easy lay as his other women. That had to be the reason.
While she’d been on the verge of sleep just seconds ago, the indignation that suddenly coursed through her veins forced her wide awake. The man thought he could snap his fingers and have her falling into bed with him? Well, he was crazy if he thought she was some floozy salivating over the opportunity to get him naked.
Despite the way desire tremored through her body at the thought, there was no way in hell that was going to happen. She just wasn’t the kind of woman who was going to drop her panties because some rich, handsome guy snapped his fingers. But damn it, as an image of what might lay beneath the man’s designer suit flashed through her mind, part of her wished she was that kind of woman.
She banished the image from her mind quickly and forced herself to inhale and exhale slowly, taking deep breaths until her pulse returned to something that resembled normal. Whether it was indignation or arousal that had her heartbeat racing out of control, she didn’t know, and it didn’t matter. Cade Stryker was history as far as she was concerned. She’d met him, turned down his poorly-concealed offer to hop into his bed, and now it was time to forget him. She breathed in, and then out, and her prior tiredness wound its way through her body, relaxing her muscles and pulling her under.
****
A loud knock brought her out of sleep, and she forced her eyes open long enough to peer outside the window. The view of the street and buildings below was still shrouded in a heavy cloak of gray—it was barely dawn. Then what was that sound? There was no way Lexi was already up and banging around in the kitchen. Neither of the ladies of the house believed in starting the day before the sun.
It sounded again, even louder this time. Someone was knocking at the front door, but who on Earth would be showing up at her apartment before six in the morning?
She bounded out of bed and through the apartment as a sliver of apprehension prickled her skin. It had been almost a year and there had been no sign of anyone looking around for her, but all the while, she’d known there’d been no guarantee it would stay that way.
“Lexi,” she whispered vehemently a second before she stopped to shake the girl’s shoulder.
“What’s up, Hope?” she replied sleepily.
“Lexi, hide.” Lexi bolted upright as her head whipped back and forth, obviously looking for the threat. As another knock sounded at the door, she nodded in understanding and she bolted to Hope’s bedroom.
Hope waited another moment, listening to make sure Lexi had locked the bedroom door, and then she approached the front door slowly, smoothing her clothes and the wayward strands of silver in her wig. It was time to play it calm and cool.
She peeked out the peephole into the building’s hallway, but the sight that greeted her wasn’t what she’d expected. A tall, middle-aged man stood on the other side of the door, and although his features were kind, he wore an aggravated expression on his face. He was well-dressed, so perhaps he was a lawyer, but upon closer inspection, it was obvious his clothing was a uniform, not an upscale suit.
A private detective? No, they didn’t wear uniforms. An undercover police officer? It was technically possible, but she didn’t get the impression the man was involved in law enforcement or detective work. He seemed somehow familiar though.
She could keep silent and pretend no one was home, but then she’d never know who the man was or why he was there. The very thought of retreating irritated her; she wasn’t a coward. “Who is it?” she asked before she could change her mind.
“My name is Steven James, Ma’am. I’m looking for Miss Ava Winter,” he whispered loudly. Obviously, the man was aware that others would be sleeping at this hour—just like she’d been only a moment before.
“Why are you looking for Ava Winter at—” she glanced quickly at the clock on the wall, “—five-thirty in the morning?”
“I’m here on behalf of Mr. Cade Stryker.”
Cade Stryker? Why was he sending a man to her door practically in the middle of the night? If he thought she was going to be flattered over a late-night booty call, the man was clearly insane. With her ire rising quickly, she unlocked the door and flung it open.
>
“I’m Ava Winter. Can you please tell me why Mr. Stryker has someone pounding down my door this early in the morning, or…this late at night?”
“He just sent me to call on you, Ma’am. He was hoping you would join him for breakfast.” The pained look on his face told her he wasn’t any fonder of banging on a woman’s door before sunrise than she was.
“I’m sorry Mr. Stryker sent you here unnecessarily, but if you’d tell him Ava Winter isn’t interested in drinks or breakfast with him, I’d appreciate it.”
The man looked at her with a perplexed expression on his face. Apparently, he wasn’t any more accustomed to women turning down the ostentatious billionaire than the billionaire was himself. “Um, if you’d just come with me, Ma’am, I’m sure the two of you can sort this out.”
He’d begun to look at her—really look at her—like he was trying to see behind the mask she wore to the woman underneath it. Strange.
“I can’t do that, Mr. James. I understand you’re just doing your job, but I’m going back to bed now.” She smiled kindly at the man, feeling a little bit sorry for him despite his unwelcome intrusion and strange gaze. She had a feeling Cade Stryker didn’t take rejection well—mainly because he’d never been on the receiving end of it. “Hopefully, once you’ve told Mr. Stryker I’m not interested in joining him for breakfast, he’ll let you do the same. Good night.”
The man met her eyes for a moment more, but then he nodded once cordially, and turned to leave. “Fat chance,” she heard him whisper under his breath as he started back down the hallway.
She closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief—or maybe it was a sigh of frustration. She was relieved the man hadn’t been there for the reason she’d been dreading, but at the same time, the nerve of Cade Stryker to be sending a man to her home to fetch her left her so irritated, there was no way she was going back to sleep. She stomped across the living room and knocked on her bedroom door.
“It’s okay, Lexi. You can come out now.”
The door creaked open seconds later. “What was that about?” There were remnants of trepidation in her tone, but she wasn’t in a panic like she’d been moments ago.
“Just some rich prick who thinks a little too highly of himself, that’s all. Why don’t you go back to bed for a while. It’s still early.”
“I guess so. Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Good night, Kiddo.”
Lexi padded down the hall to her room then and Hope heard the squeak of the mattress springs as the girl flopped back on the twin-size bed. She smiled. When Lexi had first moved in, she’d slept with her door closed and locked every night. She couldn’t even remember precisely when that had changed, but she didn’t know the last time Lexi had bothered locking her door, or even closing it for that matter.
The irritation she’d felt gave way to something much more pleasant: the peace that came from knowing she’d provided Lexi a haven where she could heal and become whole again, something that no one had ever done for Hope.
She kept that feeling at the forefront of her mind as she dragged herself to the small kitchen and set a pot of coffee to brew. If she was going to be awake at such an ungodly hour, she might as well have a good amount of caffeine coursing through her veins so she could at least be productive.
Chapter 3
Hope counted back from thirty, and the moment she hit zero, the music sounded. Adam began his descent onto the stage from the rafters. She couldn’t see him, but they’d rehearsed the entrance often enough that she could envision him clearly. She counted back again from thirty, and right on cue, her hydraulic platform started upward from beneath the stage. Strands of flash paper on invisible wire lit up around her, creating a mass of swirling fire.
Once upon a time, all this magic had fascinated her. A levitating man, a woman cut in half and then miraculously put back together; it left her awestruck when she was a child. Since working as Adam’s assistant though, all of it had lost its glamour. Or maybe she’d lost her enthusiasm for magic long before then. Life had a way of slowly replacing everything that was mystical and beautiful with stark reality and cold, hard truths. Now, all the things she once found magical were nothing more than trickery and sleight of hand.
Adam touched down just as the last of the fiery streamers disappeared and she forced a bright smile on her face for the audience. The show was officially underway, and she began to prep him for his mystical, mid-air escape from a straightjacket. It wasn’t so mystical though, given that he’d dislocated his shoulder multiple times as a child and he could now simply slip it in and out of its socket at will.
With the task complete, she looked out over the audience, discerning the skeptics from the spellbound as Adam was hoisted up to the ceiling. If she put extra emphasis on keeping the skeptics distracted with her long legs and cleavage throughout the show, they were less likely to be focused on debunking the illusions. In fact, in her experience, they wound up just as satisfied with the show.
But as she glanced around the room, reading postures, expressions and unconscious movements, she saw him. He was standing there at the back of the large theater, just like he had been the night prior. He was watching her, she was sure of it, even at this distance. Though she couldn’t make out his details clearly, she could feel his eyes on her. She would have dismissed it like she did every other gaze in the room that was eyeing the bare skin her skimpy costume exposed, but she couldn’t. Or worse, she didn’t want to dismiss it, so much so, that she almost missed her cue as Adam freed himself and the straightjacket fell to the ground amid a cacophony of applause.
Damn it. The man was arrogant and insufferable, and he was driving her to distraction.
She forced her gaze away and shoved every thought of him from her mind. She pulled the thick, heavy chain from the box at the back of the stage and walked back to where Adam stood.
“For this next act, I’ll need a volunteer from the audience,” he announced. “Is there anyone who would come up here with my beautiful assistant and I, and verify for me—and for everyone else—that the chain I’m about to wrap around the lovely Ava’s neck is, indeed, precisely what it looks like?”
Nearly every hand in the room shot into the air, but it was only one hand that caught her attention. He was already starting forward, striding confidently down the center aisle. A hush fell over the crowd as row after row saw him making his way to the stage. To the best of her knowledge, he’d never participated in any act or show that had taken place at his hotel, so why now? Did he know the real reason she’d turned him down the other night, that it was her body’s own response to him that had sent her running in the opposite direction? Or did he have such a flawless track record with women that he wouldn’t tolerate a single blemish?
He ascended the stairs before she could think about it any further and he strode toward her with the same confident gait.
“Mr. Cade Stryker, ladies and gentlemen. We are lucky enough to have our gracious host help us with our performance this evening,” Adam announced, encouraging a round of applause.
The man seemed unperturbed by Adam’s introduction and the audience’s brief ovation. He didn’t turn around to face the audience once he’d reached the stage; instead, he stood no more than a foot’s distance from her, locking her eyes in his gaze.
A split second later, Adam tapped her shoulder imperceptibly. He was worried about her reaction to the hotel owner and wanted to keep her on track. Had anything ever made her slip up on stage before? Never! There was no way in hell she’d let the giant ego standing next to her change that now.
She held the chain in her hands out to him as Adam began his speech. “Now, if you’ll take the chain from my assistant, please verify that it is, in fact, as real as it looks.”
Mr. Stryker lifted the chain, grazing his fingers along the palms of her hands as he did. She fought her body’s urge to shiver in response to the tiny ripples of pleasure that coursed through her body.
“It ap
pears real to me,” he announced, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Excellent,” Adam told him as he took the chain. “Now, if you’ll be patient with me for just a moment, Mr. Stryker, I’m going to have you help me pull this chain right through Miss Winter’s neck.”
Everyone in the audience gasped in shock at Adam’s announcement, and they sat just a little nearer to the edge of their seats. She tried to resist the urge to roll her eyes, and plastered a shocked, slightly fearful expression on her face instead, just like what was expected of her. Adam approached her then, wrapping the chain around her neck slowly, drawing out the crowd’s anticipation. Finally, he made a knot in the chain in front of her neck, just to keep it nice and secure.
“Mr. Stryker, if you don’t mind,” he motioned for the man to stand behind her and he obliged easily. “Now, if you’ll grab onto the ends of the chain, and when I say, ‘pull’ I want you to yank as hard as you can. We want the chain to pass right through Miss Winter’s neck in one, swift motion, and fortunately, I believe you have the muscle necessary to pull this off. Don’t you agree?” he turned to the audience who cheered together in response.
She couldn’t see him, but she could feel the heat that radiated from his body and she could easily envision the hard, muscular arms the audience was applauding. She felt his hands on the ends of the chains a second later. Usually, she could feel the tremor of the volunteer’s hands lightly vibrating the chain, but she felt nothing now. Was the man not the least bit concerned he might strangle her, or worse? It was possible Adam had clued the man in ahead of time, but that wasn’t Adam’s M.O. He preferred to keep everyone in the dark to make each illusion as authentic-looking as possible. Apparently, Mr. Stryker just wasn’t the least bit concerned about her or her neck.
“One…” Adam began the countdown. “Two…” A hush fell over the audience. “Three…Pull!”
Cade pulled hard and just like Adam had said, it appeared that the chain passed right through her neck, and the crowd applauded enthusiastically.
