Desert Bound

by Elizabeth Hunter

  Cam and Alex had competed—in a friendly way—for almost everything. Contracts. Property. Women.

  The other man’s eyes went to Ted, surveying her in an appreciative way. He ignored the blinking blonde at his side, who Alex would bet money on being an “actress/model” so common on the arms of wealthy men in Southern California. He ought to know. They’d been his type when he hadn’t wanted anything serious.

  “Ted, you’re far more beautiful than even my exceptional memory could recall,” Cam said as he leaned over and kissed Ted’s hand. “And still obviously far above this man’s league.”

  “Don’t even think about it,” Alex said.

  “Thinking’s over, man. I’m on to the planning stage already. Keep up.”

  Luckily, Ted laughed. She gave Cam’s hand a polite squeeze, but then linked her arm with Alex. “Nice to see you too, Cam. Who’s your friend?”

  Cam looked over his shoulder. “Ah. This is Laura—en. Lauren.” He held out his hand and the girl stepped forward, not appearing to notice that Cam had forgotten her name.

  Alex felt a kick of embarrassment, knowing that he’d done the same thing more than once with the women he’d dated after Ted had left. They’d been interchangeable to him, a social necessity with no emotional connection. He felt a stab of disgust at the man he’d been, but it only made him pull Ted closer. Those days were over. Ted was his future.

  It was a startling realization to have among the shiny facade of Las Vegas, but Alex knew at that moment that nothing else in his life was as real as his relationship with Ted. At her side, he was the man he wanted to be. Anything less than that was unacceptable now. Anyone other than Ted would be a lie.

  His hand tightened on her waist and she turned to him. “What is it?”

  “Tell you later,” he whispered, brushing his lips across her temple.

  They followed Cam into the restaurant and toward a corner booth, draped with a set of heavy curtains that had been pulled back. A private room where the owner could still enjoy the buzz of the busy restaurant and the curious patrons could also see him. A smart set-up in the image-centric city that also would afford them privacy, if they wished.

  The chef greeted them after the sommelier brought out a selection of wines. The cuisine was Italian, with an American bent, and Alex was looking forward to it. One of the things he did miss about Southern California was the food. Though the Blackbird Diner was a great restaurant, it did get more than a little monotonous.

  He heard Ted take a deep breath. “Smells so good,” she said with a smile. “I need to remember to come up here more often, just to eat at the restaurants.”

  “I was just thinking the same thing. Come up here for a quick weekend away. It’d be fun.”

  “Yeah.” There was a light blush on the arch of her cheek. “That would be fun.”

  With Ted, organizing expense reports would be fun.

  Maybe that was stretching it.

  “So, Alex—” Cam broke into his thoughts about what he’d do with Ted later. “—tell me about this resort. Sounds like an interesting opportunity.”

  They spent most of the dinner talking about Alex’s plans for the Cambio Springs Resort and Spa, which was great for Alex, since Cam had been in the hotel business longer than he had and offered some a lot of insight. But it had to have been boring for Ted. He was grateful she chimed in with questions or comments now and then. It made him wonder how much she’d actually been paying attention to the project, even though she claimed to not care about it one way or another. Cam hung on her every word, obviously charmed. “Laura-en” just smiled a lot.

  By the time dessert was offered, they’d covered construction woes, budget oversights, staffing problems, and the unpredictable vagaries of desert weather, but Alex had no idea how to politely broach the topic of a meeting with Frank Di Stefano about Marcus Quinn’s murder. Luckily, Ted came to the rescue.

  Ted turned to Lauren and said, “So, Lauren, did you know that, as well as being an MD, I’m also the Sheriff-Coroner’s consultant for Cambio Springs? I deal with the dead bodies. What do you do professionally?”

  The color drained from the woman’s face and she put a hand on her throat. Cam stifled a smile and put an arm around her shoulder. “Lauren, sweetie, could you go see if Romano has any of those cigars that I like? He’ll know the one’s you’re talking about.”

  She nodded, clearly happy to have a reason to escape. “Of course, Cam. I’ll be—”

  “No rush.”

  There was a flicker in her eyes that told Alex the girl knew she was being dismissed. As soon as she’d left the table, Cam turned to Ted. “So, gorgeous, why’d you want to scare my date away? Since Alex is still here, it’s not for the reasons I’m hoping.”

  “No, but it does have to do with a dead body.”

  Cam’s eyes darkened and flickered to Alex. “What’s going on, man?”

  “Cameron, we need to talk to you about someone… someone your dad had business with a few years ago.”

  His friend’s eyes grew sharp and slid to Ted, then back to Alex. He read Cam’s sign without needing a word.

  “Ted,” he said quietly.

  “Not on your life, Alex.”

  He gripped her hand under the table and glanced at Cam. “A minute.”

  Alex pulled Ted up from the table and led her to a quiet hallway near the kitchen. Her face was set in stone.

  “Don’t even think about cutting me out on this,” she said.

  “You need to go.”

  “Do I need to remind you that technically, this is my investigation? Technically, I’m the only one that has any, admittedly dubious, jurisdiction in this case. Nothing he says—”

  “Nothing he says is going to be repeated in court.” And he sure as hell wasn’t going to put her in the position of feeling like she had to report someone or violate oaths he knew she’d taken, personally or professionally. He knew what had happened to Missy messed her up. No way was he going to ask her to step into that grey zone for him. And definitely not for Cam.

  But she didn’t give up.

  “Alex—”

  “You need to go.” And he had to get back to the table. The mere fact he was even having this conversation with Ted was probably causing Cam to doubt whether he could trust either of them.

  Her eyes were on fire when she tore her hand from his and walked from the dining room, not sparing a glance at Cam as she passed their table. She swept out of the restaurant, five feet eight inches of pissed off female in three inch heels. Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath, knowing he didn’t have time to deal with her until later. He walked back to the table to see Cam watching the door, then he turned to Alex and tried to suppress the smile.

  “See I didn’t do you any favors there.”

  “Yeah, she’s not real happy with me right now.”

  Cam’s voice got serious. “This isn’t about a boys’ club.”

  “I know that.”

  “That said, she makes a hell of a sight walking away, man.”

  He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Cam, if you have any respect for me, please do not jerk me around. And please tell me you can help me out here.”

  Cam poured more wine into both their glasses and said, “My dad and I keep stuff separate, Alex.”

  “I know that, Cam.”

  “That said, family’s family. And I am not, and have never been, clueless about shit.”

  “I know that, too.”

  He paused, took a sip of wine, and considered Alex a few more minutes.

  “My old man taught me not to trust anyone outside my family. He also said, if I had to trust a friend, that you’d be a good one.”

  That surprised Alex, and he didn’t try to hide it. “That means something, coming from a man who probably doesn’t trust many.”

  “Or any.”

  “Yeah. Or any.”

  “Know why he said that, Alex?”

  “No.”

  “He said it
was because you knew what it was to keep a secret. Not a little one. A big one.”

  A cold lump settled in Alex’s gut. Cam’s dad had probably said that years ago. That meant Frank Di Stefano knew—maybe not the details of Cambio Springs’ secrets, but that there was a secret at all. It was enough, because Cameron Di Stefano was a very smart guy. He used that knowledge when he needed it.

  Tit for tat. You keep my secrets; I’ll keep yours.

  “You get me, Alex?”

  “I get you.”

  “Good. Now lay it out for me with as few names as possible, and I’ll see what I can do.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ted hadn’t made it five steps into the lobby before she was intercepted by Romano, who fell into step behind her.

  “Doctor Vasquez, may I be of assistance?”

  She slowed, despite her rage. “I need a key to my room.”

  “Of course.” He held a hand out, gesturing toward the corner where his desk lay. “It will only be a moment.”

  She’d left her purse at the table. Left Alex at the table. Seriously considered leaving him completely, but not before she got her things from their room. Their gorgeous room with the massive bed she’d been intending to share with Alex that night.

  Well, that wasn’t happening. Not after she’d been dismissed a few moments after Cam’s arm-candy. She wasn’t a woman to make a scene, so arguing with Alex at the restaurant wasn’t going to happen.

  And neither was anything else.

  As Romano had promised, it was only a few minutes and she was in her room again. Her suite. She didn’t want to know how much it cost a night, and she didn’t care. If Alex thought he could bring her to Vegas, dazzle her with fancy rooms and fancy meals, then treat her like one of his LA women, he was grossly mistaken. She’d known she made a mistake trusting him.

  Romano was still standing in her room when she grabbed her suitcase.

  “Is there anything else I can help with, Doctor Vasquez?”

  “No—yes.” She couldn’t stay here. She was furious. And with her temper running high—partly from Alex’s actions, but also from the effect of the moon—she was as likely to tear into him as listen. “I need a rental car, please.”

  For the first time, the man hesitated at a request. Ted stopped packing and looked at him.

  “A rental car, please.”

  His face was impassive, but his voice came more softly. “Doctor Vasquez… Teodora, are you certain you want to leave the hotel?”

  “Yes,” she answered immediately, surprised by his concern.

  “Perhaps another room—”

  “Why are you arguing with me on this?” Ted felt her cat clawing under her skin.

  He said nothing for a few minutes, then took a step into the room and shut the door to the hallway, giving them privacy. She squared her shoulders and slid her rings off, wary of the possible threat. Romano only stepped a few feet into the room and stopped, hanging his hands in his pockets in the only casual gesture she’d ever seen the man make. It hadn’t escaped her notice that she was alone in a hotel room with a strange man, even if he was handsome and wearing a designer suit. She kept him in the corner of her eye as she went back to packing.

  “Mr. McCann told you that I’d been to eat with him at Cam’s house,” Romano started.

  “I remember.”

  “It’s happened more than once.”

  “Okay…” She had no idea where he was going with this, but she stopped stuffing shoes in her bag and looked at him.

  “I’m Cam’s employee, but I’m also family. So when Alex treats me as a friend, please know that I consider him the same.”

  “Ah.” It was becoming more clear. Alex’s buddy was trying to convince her to hang out. Well, that was understandable, even if it was useless. She turned back to her suitcase.

  “Ted, don’t leave.”

  “Romano, you seem like a nice enough guy, but you have no idea what happened tonight, so—”

  “Cam called me minutes after you left the restaurant to make sure you were taken care of and had everything you need.”

  “I was your next stop after Lauren, huh?”

  “Cam didn’t mention Lauren, and I wouldn’t expect him to.”

  There was a soft knock at the door, which Romano turned to answer. He cracked the door open, then a small hand slid her purse through the door. He took it, closed the door, and set the black clutch on the table in the hallway.

  Ted said nothing, trying to think through the implications of a man with possible mob connections telling a family member that she should be “taken care of.”

  She looked up. “Romano—”

  “I keep having to interrupt you, and I do apologize for that, but if you could let me explain one thing, I would be grateful. And then I will call a rental car for you if you still wish it.”

  Fair enough. She stood and crossed her arms. “Go for it.”

  He took another step forward, but did not change his relaxed stance. “You can tell a lot about a man from the way he conducts himself when he’s had a little too much scotch.”

  Well, that wasn’t what she’d been expecting.

  “Cam is…” Romano smiled. “Cam. He’s a very funny drunk. Very appreciative of the few people he considers friends, Alex among them. Very generous. Tells a great joke.”

  “I can see that.”

  “Alex is not a funny drunk.”

  Ted said nothing. Because when they’d been together, he had been. He’d been funny and affectionate. Sweet and a little crazy. The first time he’d told her he loved her, there’d been bourbon involved. Of course, he’d repeated the same thing the next morning when he woke her up with his mouth. He hadn’t forgotten. He’d whispered it in her ear as they made love.

  It was a stark reminder that he wasn’t that man anymore. He was a different man. Years had passed. Life happened. And the young man you fell in love with at twenty-two could turn into a man who sent you from the table when a conversation turned uncomfortable.

  She cleared her throat. “So what kind of drunk is Alex?”

  “Quiet.”

  Yeah.

  Yeah, she could see that.

  “Romano—”

  “I keep having to interrupt you. Perhaps I need to be more succinct.” He took another step toward her, but Ted’s cat had calmed. This man was no threat to anything except her temper, which was slowly calming. “One of the few times that Alex talked to me on a night that there had been more than a little wine poured, he spoke of you. And there was a… well of regret when he did.”

  “Romano—”

  “He missed you,” the man said quietly. “Deeply. He admires you. You are his ideal in the best possible way.”

  “He sent me from the table,” she said quietly. “Cam sent Lauren away, then Alex sent me away. As if I was…”

  “You are not Lauren, nor will you ever be. I don’t know what happened tonight, but I do know the man who’s talking to Cam right now does not want you leaving him. He looked happy today. Happy in a way I have not seen since I’ve known him. So… please don’t make me call a rental car. Be angry if you’re angry.” Romano smiled a devastatingly handsome grin. “He probably deserves it. But don’t leave.”

  Ted thought for a moment. “You don’t have to call a rental car.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But give me a few hours, and I might need your help stealing his keys from the valet.”

  He gave a slight bow and said, “I’ll await your call, Doctor Vasquez.”

  She smiled at him before he slipped from the room.

  Ted heard his footsteps an hour later. Heard him hesitate at the door.

  Good.

  Ted was still pissed at him, but she wasn’t a dramatic teenager to run off in a huff. She’d calmed down. He’d have a chance to explain. Then she’d decide if she was stealing his truck and leaving him in Sin City with the Laura-ens of the world.

  She was sitting on the couch, dressed in
the black yoga pants she’d brought to lounge in, along with a black camisole. She’d been trying to read on her tablet to calm down, but her mind kept slipping to what Cam and Alex might be talking about. Part of her reaction was a consequence of the nearly full moon. She knew it. Alex probably knew it too. Moods were volatile around moon nights and Ted knew from years of living with the swings, it was the absolute worst time to fight about anything. If she and Alex escaped this without claw marks, it’d be a miracle.

  The door clicked open and she saw him walk in, hands in his pockets. His stance was a deliberate attempt to remain casual, but she could see the tension in his shoulders.

  “You’re still here.”

  “Romano calmed me down. I’m keeping his number in case I need to steal your car later.”

  “Romano?” He stepped closer.

  “How was your chat with Cam?”

  “Cam worries about exposing his father. Doesn’t trust many people. But it went okay. Let’s go back to Romano calming you down.”

  She lifted her eyes from her tablet. His tone of voice scraped across her nerves. “Why?”

  “Because I want to know.”

  “Well, I’d like to know what, specifically, you and Cam talked about. Why don’t we start with that?”

  He pulled off his black jacket. “Why don’t we get to that part after you tell me what the hell Romano did to calm you down, why his scent is all over this room, and what you’re doing out of your dress, Ted?”

  Her eyes popped open. “You’re joking.”

  “No.”

  “You must be joking.”

  “I’m not joking, Ted, now what the hell—”

  “Where do you get off accusing me of something like that, Alex?” She sprang to her feet and barely resisted snarling. “I was about five minutes from walking out of this room because you acted like a jerk at dinner, and you—”

  He stepped into her space. “You know why I wanted to speak to Cam alone. He doesn’t know you. He doesn’t trust—”

  “And that’s why you dismissed me?” she sneered. “That’s why? Maybe you should have delayed your conversation until you two could have a private drink. Maybe you could have simply met for coffee. Maybe you could have told me ahead of time and I could have faked a damn headache, Alex! What you shouldn’t have done was send me out of the restaurant following Cam’s fuck-buddy!”