The Lady Vanishes

by Nicole Camden

His mother waved that statement off and continued to fuss with her flowers. “She looks out for you. No stranger would do so much.”

  Milton ran a hand through his hair. It was true.

  “Mom, I can handle my own love life.”

  She scoffed. “So why you don’t have a wife?”

  “I could have had dozens of wives by now.” It was true. He’d even been proposed to once. It had been a memorable experience.

  “Not a good wife.”

  “Okay, Mom, listen. I really like this woman. She’s smart. She’s funny. She works hard. But she doesn’t like that people follow me around and take my picture, and she doesn’t think that we can have a lasting relationship, so we’re just enjoying each other’s company for right now.”

  Now his mom looked irritated. “Why doesn’t she want a relationship with my son? Look at you”—she gestured at him—“so handsome. Wealthy. Talented. She would be lucky to have you.”

  Milton smiled and grabbed his mom’s hand, kissing her fingers. “Thanks, Mom.”

  Her face softened and she patted his cheek. “Well, maybe this is okay with this girl. You’ll go slow, find out what kind of person she is, and she will know you, too. It will be okay.”

  Milton didn’t know about that. Mostly they just had sex. Great sex. Mind-blowing sex. He pulled his phone out of his pocket.

  “What are you doing? Did she call you?”

  “Mom, she’s working. And I’m in my thirties, not twelve. I’ll handle it.”

  “Humph. You should bring her here. I will tell her what a good boy you are. She should hear it from your mother.”

  “Mom, no.”

  “Yes. This is not public. This is your family’s house.”

  “Yeah, but that’s like a real relationship thing. We just started this . . . whatever this is. If I ask her to come over here, I’ll freak her out.”

  His mom finished putting the flowers in the vase and carried it past Milton over to the breakfast table, where she set it precisely in the center.

  “Okay. Maybe soon, though, you should bring her to meet me. You are not getting any younger. You should have a family of your own.”

  Milton slid his phone back into his pocket. A family of his own? Did he want that? He’d shied away from the idea of caring for anyone that much since William, but now . . . “Okay, Mama. If it seems like a good idea, I’ll bring her, okay?”

  She nodded. “Good, and we’re going to the cemetery on Sunday?”

  Every year, on the anniversary of his brother’s death, he and his mother went to visit his grave in the cemetery nearby. Milton always performed a trick with a deck of cards, or a set of trick knives, something fun. His mother always brought a letter that she wrote and set on his gravestone.

  “Yes, Mom. I’ll be here.”

  “You’re a good boy,” she repeated. “I’ll make you some lunch.”

  Milton nodded, fighting the urge to pull out the deck of cards in his jacket pocket. His mom had a rule about magic at the table. He’d only set the tablecloth on fire one lousy time, and she’d never forgotten. He checked his phone again instead. This evening couldn’t get here fast enough.

  REGINA CHECKED HER PHONE ABSENTLY as she made her rounds, checking on all her patients. Chuck’s mom had been thrilled at the news that his tumor had shrunk, but the kid seemed doubtful that it meant anything. Regina had a feeling he didn’t want to get his hopes up.

  “So, when is Shaw the Magician coming back?” he asked her.

  Regina blinked. “Tomorrow, I think. Why are you asking me?”

  Chuck snickered. “He told us he likes you.”

  Great. So that’s why the kids had been asking her about Milton: What time would he be at the hospital tomorrow? What trick did he teach her? Did he really have a basement full of dead bodies?

  Regina had answered the questions with a simple, “I promised I wouldn’t reveal his secrets. You wouldn’t want me to get in trouble, would you?”

  They’d shown a remarkable lack of sympathy for her. Heathens.

  “We’re just friends,” she lied. Chuck gave her a Get real look and picked up yet another rope. He really seemed to like tying those knots

  Still, he hadn’t called or texted. She’d thought—considering his enthusiasm for her—that he would have texted. Of course she hadn’t texted him, either, but she was more sensible than that.

  Chewing on her lower lip, a habit she’d thought she’d broken in medical school, she debated just sending him a quick message telling him when she was leaving so that he’d know when to pick her up. That was innocuous, right?

  Ugh. She was being an idiot. She straightened her shoulders and stuck her phone back in the pocket of her scrubs.

  When her phone beeped two seconds after she’d put it in her pocket, she ignored it. Milton Shaw hadn’t texted her, but Celeste certainly had—several times.

  Somebody didn’t come home last night . . . LMAO!

  So how was he?

  Don’t ignore me.

  Reggie!!!!!!!

  At least tell me what his house was like. Swank, right?

  You suck.

  Regina shook her head. Celeste was a pain in the ass. Thank God she was working this evening and wouldn’t be home when Milton picked Regina up.

  Walking down the hall to her office, Regina heard her name called and saw one of her colleagues, Charlie Hong, walking toward her.

  “Hey, Regina, heard you were going to be in the magic show.” He was short, with a square face and dark glasses. He’d pushed the glasses with the attached mustache up on his forehead, munching on a doughnut with pink frosting.

  Regina nodded, rolling her eyes. “Yeah. I was drafted by the magician.”

  “Yeah. That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you.”

  Regina waited, but when he didn’t say anything, she gestured down the hallway. “All right. Why don’t we talk in my office?”

  “Sure.”

  He followed her into her tiny workspace and shut the door behind him.

  A few years younger than her, maybe twenty-eight, and slightly paunchy, Charlie had an addiction to Dunkin’ Donuts.

  “So, what’s up?” she asked the man half sitting on the corner of her desk.

  “Well, I know how much you like your privacy, but I wanted to tell you that I heard a rumor you were involved with the magician, you know . . . outside of work.”

  Charlie had gone to Harvard with her, so she knew him a little better than some of the other people here at the hospital, and he was right—she didn’t share much about her private life. She didn’t share anything about her private life. She’d been afraid this would happen.

  “Oh, yeah?”

  He waited. “Come on, you’re not even going to tell me?”

  “Rumors are just that, Charlie. Rumors. Everyone around here needs to get a life.”

  “All right.” He held up his crumb-covered hands in self-defense. “I was just asking.”

  “Sorry.” Regina deliberately exhaled. “He asked me to be in the show. I’m sure if anyone else wants to be in the show, they can.”

  “Yeah?” He seemed intrigued. “That’d be cool. We could all participate.”

  Regina hesitated. “Well, I don’t know about all. I mean, some of you sure, but . . .”

  He waved a hand. “I’m sure not everyone wants to participate, but some people do.”

  “Okay, well. The magician is supposed to be here tomorrow. You can talk to him then.”

  Charlie stood. “Good. I’ll tell everybody.”

  He left while Regina sat, slightly stunned. She wasn’t sure exactly why she’d suggested that the rest of the staff could participate, except that she’d wanted to downplay the way that Milton had singled her out. Had he ever asked anyone from the staff to participate in his shows before
? Had he ever asked any other woman?

  Curious, she wandered out to the nurses’ station, where Jackie sat like a reptile with her red-rimmed glasses. “Jackie, I have a question.”

  “Good for you.”

  Regina took a deep breath and gathered her patience. “I was just wondering if Shaw the Magician has ever asked any other staff members to participate in his shows.”

  Jackie looked at her strangely, her eyes flat and merciless. Regina had often thought that Jackie would have made a great police dispatcher . . . or an executioner. When the other woman didn’t say anything for a long moment, Regina lost her patience.

  “Jackie?”

  “You were wondering. So what? I’m waiting to hear if you have a question. I have work to do.”

  “You know what I mean. Has Shaw the Magician ever had other staff members participate in his magic shows?”

  “I could ask why you want to know, but I can guess.”

  “Great. Just tell me.”

  Jackie folded her arms over her chest. “Some of the nurses, every now and then. One of the doctors once. Her name was Susan.”

  The woman had a sort of gleeful malice in her eyes that almost made Regina laugh. “Well, you can let everyone know that if they’d like to participate, Shaw the Magician will be here tomorrow.”

  “What do I look like, the local announcer? Tell them yourself.”

  No longer amused, Regina stalked away back toward her office. Milton Shaw was friends with that woman. The man must have hidden talents if he found anything redemptive in her character. Of course, he’d apparently been coming to the hospital for years and she was the only one who’d known about it. Loyalty was something, she supposed, though she didn’t see Jackie throwing any in her direction.

  Sarah, her blond hair sporting a streak of pink, stopped her with a wave. “Dr. Burke, is it true that we can be part of Shaw’s magic show?”

  The nurse was so excited her face was flushed. Regina hadn’t realized that other people noticed him, hadn’t thought that the idea of getting to be part of the performance would engender this much excitement. She hadn’t thought, period.

  “Yeah, he’ll be here tomorrow. You can talk to him about it then.”

  “Great,” Sarah squealed. “I think he’s hot.”

  Regina’s hand tightened on the phone in her pocket. She needed to talk to Milton, probably sooner rather than later.

  Once she was in her office, she pulled out her phone and checked her messages. He’d texted her, once, several hours earlier. A simple Hey.

  Hey, she texted back, hoping he was paying attention and would respond quickly.

  His answering text came back immediately. I want you in my bed.

  Regina smiled and closed her eyes. She wanted that, too . . . so much. Well, we haven’t tried it there yet, so it sounds like a plan to me.

  LOL, he replied.

  So I have to tell you something. Told hospital staff they could be part of the magic show.

  His answering text took significantly longer than the previous ones. Why?

  They wondered why I had been singled out.

  Okay.

  Okay? What did that mean? She hated texting, but she didn’t want to call him right now, especially if he started talking to her in that voice of his. He’d probably describe in detail every deviant thought in his head, and then she’d be horny and jumpy for the rest of her shift. Okay what? she typed.

  Okay they can participate.

  Regina wished she knew whether he was irritated with her. Was he rethinking their whole agreement because she was a pain in the ass? She thought about how fervent he’d been, how he’d groaned with pleasure when she’d washed his back in the shower that morning, how he’d gone still when she’d pressed her breasts against him and directed the showerhead, set to massage, lower and lower . . . and lower. No, there was no way he was rethinking anything.

  THERE WAS A LARGE GIFT BOX in the backseat of the limo when Shane picked Milton up at his mom’s several hours later. Since Roland and Nick were his two best friends, he was wary of mysterious packages.

  “Shane, who left this?”

  “Blake. She said you’d know what it was for.”

  Remembering the brief conversation they’d had yesterday about lingerie, Milton eagerly opened the large box and was surprised to see his black American express card sitting on top of something soft and silky.

  “Oh, yeah,” Shane added. “She said she borrowed your AmEx to pay for everything. Apparently Roland’s been teaching her a few tricks.”

  Scowling—he hadn’t noticed it was missing—he put it back in his wallet. He couldn’t stay mad at her, though, not when he lifted the first piece of lingerie from the box. It was a corset in a creamy coral-rose color that would look beautiful with Regina’s skin. Trimmed in antique white lace, the outfit also came with antique white satin garters and nude hose.

  There was another piece below that one, and Milton knew it was expensive before he even touched it. It was a negligee, made of an almost translucent nude lace. Small roses had been woven in strategic places and nude-colored seed beads, pearls, and tiny pink diamonds had been meticulously sewn around the flowers, making the delicate fabric sparkle with subtle light. He could rip it to shreds with his bare hands in seconds, and it would cost him a pretty penny to do it.

  “Remind me to thank Blake—and teach her not to steal my wallet—next time I see her.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  Milton gently replaced the garments back in the box, wondering if Regina would like them. He glanced at his watch. It was still a couple hours before he could pick her up. She’d said she would text when she was leaving.

  She’d invited the rest of the staff to participate in the benefit—the entire rest of the staff. He still couldn’t quite get over that. All so it wouldn’t seem as if he’d singled her out. If he hadn’t been certain of her resolve not to make their relationship public, he was now.

  Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. He probably should have invited the rest of the staff, anyway, though in the past he’d only included the staff members who asked. He hadn’t wanted anyone to work too closely with him and figure out that he was Milton Shaw. Ah, well. He supposed that was moot, anyway, at this point. He’d spent yesterday without his usual mask, and nurses and parents had been trooping in and out fairly regularly. Someone was going to recognize him, and then it was only a matter of time before someone snapped a photo or posted something on Facebook.

  He didn’t want to think about that, or what it would mean for his relationship with Regina. He would just have to keep her separate, make sure he didn’t let his attraction to her show on his face. He wasn’t looking forward to it—pretending he wasn’t mad dog in lust with her was going to prove difficult.

  “I’ll head back to the office for a little while, Shane, at least until Dr. Burke calls.”

  “You got it,” Shane agreed and made a U-turn. Milton realized that Shane had been heading automatically to the hospital, but Milton had promised, and he tried to keep his promises, he truly did.

  When he arrived back at the office, Zach was in the middle of a phone call. He waved at Milton frantically, who waved back, wondering why the kid seemed so stressed out.

  He didn’t have to wonder long.

  Roland was walking by the entrance when he spotted Milton. “Good. You’re here. I was just about to call you. We have a problem.”

  “A problem?”

  “Yeah, someone’s hacked our system.”

  Milton thought that was unlikely. Unless someone from inside the company had helped them, and even then there were safeguards in place.

  “When did it happen?”

  “Just a few minutes ago. I was looking at the code you’d been working on when the screen blinked—just once, but it seemed odd to me so I looked
into it. It’s a sophisticated hack. I cut them off, but we need to figure out what information was taken and who took it.”

  “The code I was working on for the DoD?”

  “Yeah,” Roland said grimly.

  “Shit, Roland, that’s bad.”

  Roland grimaced and his hands curled into fists. “I know it’s bad, Captain Obvious.”

  Milton started toward his office. “I’ll start looking at it. Where’s Nick?”

  “In his office.”

  “Okay. We’ll figure it out.”

  Sitting at his desk two hours later, Milton wasn’t quite as confident. They’d tracked the hack back through fifteen different servers, but still hadn’t hit on the one that was used by whoever had managed to break into their system. Nick was attempting to figure how they’d gotten access in the first place while Nick, one of the ops technicians, Roland, and the development team were trying to figure out what information had been taken.

  Milton’s phone beeped, and he checked his messages. Regina. She was leaving for her house.

  Glaring at the screen in front of him, he called down to Shane. “Hey, Shane, Regina is leaving for her apartment. Can you pick her up there and bring her back to my house?”

  “Sure, boss.”

  “I’ll call her and explain.”

  “All right, then.”

  Milton called but she didn’t answer, probably because she was already on her bike, so he sent her a text.

  Have to work late. Issue. Can I meet you at my house later? Shane will pick you up.

  He didn’t think she’d answer right away, so he went to get some coffee. He wasn’t the only one in the break room. Nick was glaring at the blender like it had insulted his mother while he added ice, what looked like lettuce, pineapple, and some kind of milk. When Nick stopped drinking coffee for the day, he made healthy smoothies.

  Milton thought he’d stick with coffee.

  “Any luck on your side?” Milton ventured, though he could guess from Nick’s body language that there hadn’t been.

  “No unauthorized access cards were used, but we did find a cleaning staff member who badged in twice in the same evening, so we’re chasing that down.”