by L A Dobbs
But had he been taking advantage or just reading the signals?
It had certainly seemed like she wanted the same thing he did, but for how long? Maybe she only wanted a quick fling with her bodyguard ... or maybe the anxiety over those magazines had messed with her mind, made her seek solace in kissing him when she never would have normally.
Warning bells went off in his head. If he wanted Jan back in his life, he needed to tread carefully. Needed to know that she wanted to be with him for real and not because of some false emotions brought on by this stalker.
Speaking of which, Dino didn’t like the way those magazines had been planted in her dressing room. Who had access? And what was the stalker’s agenda? What he’d told Jan about most stalkers not typically escalating to confrontation was true, yet he had a niggle of a doubt. There was always a chance this one would ... and he couldn’t take that chance, not with Jan. Even though he knew she would be safe in broad daylight inside a building full of people, he hated having to leave her, but Stacy needed him too. That was his flaw, always trying to fix things for the underdog ... and right now Stacy definitely needed fixing.
Dino lifted his head and stared out the windshield at the front of his house. He’d bought it a few years back, after he’d taken the job at Rockford Security. It was modest, compared to most of the other homes in the Summerlin areas, but it was new and safe and a far cry from anything he’d ever known growing up. All good things in his book.
Through the midday sun, he spotted Stacy pacing the length of his small porch. He watched her for a moment, surprised to find her looking normal for a change. Her hair was combed back into a tidy bun, and she had on a clean, neat waitress uniform from the buffet where she worked. Even her steps, usually stumbling and hesitant because of her addictions, appeared normal.
Instead of feeling relieved over Stacy’s improved appearance, however, Dino felt annoyed. Resentful. If things were finally going well for her, why the hell did she need to screw up Dino’s life by pulling him away from Jan? Especially now that she needed him the most.
Irritated, he climbed out of the Tahoe and slammed the door behind him before stalking up to the porch. “What the hell is going on, Stacy?”
“I needed to talk to you.”
“Talk to me? I’m working, and I’m in the middle of an important job. Whatever you’ve got to say better be life or death.”
“I need money.” She stopped and met his gaze before looking away again.
“Money?” He curled his fingers into tight fists. “You called me away from my job because you need money?”
“Yes.”
Dino swallowed hard and did his best not to let his rising anger leak into his voice. “What? The cash you stole from my wallet the other day wasn’t enough?”
Stacy at least had the decency to wince. “Sorry about that. I was going to give it back, but—”
“But you gambled it away.” Dino raised a hand and shook his head at her disbelieving expression. “It’s always the same story, Stacy. It’s what you always do.”
“It wasn’t my fault. The house was cheating.”
“The house is always cheating, Stacy. You and I have both lived here long enough to know that. The odds are always stacked in their favor, and if you play long enough you will always lose.”
She frowned. “Save the clichés, okay? I’m in real trouble here. I borrowed some money to enter into the poker tournament at Binion’s and—”
“Who?”
"Huh?"
“Who did you borrow it from?” His gaze narrowed on her face. If she’d been stupid enough to cross one of the local mafia guys, even he wouldn’t be able to help her out of it this time.
“A friend.”
“A friend with ties to the mob?”
“Not that I know of, no.”
He exhaled slowly and scrubbed a hand over his face. Well, at least there was that. “So? You entered this poker tournament and what?” He threw his hands up. “Wait. Let me guess. They were cheating too?”
Stacy crossed her arms and glared at him, her green eyes downright hostile. “I was doing just fine until I lost my lucky keychain.”
“Hang on.” He pulled out his phone and pretended to dial.
“What are you doing now?”
“I’m calling the police. I’m sure they’ll want to put out an APB on your missing keychain. Do you have a description?”
She flipped him off in reply.
“Nice. But I think the police tend to prefer more than obscene finger gestures as a description.” He shoved his phone back in his pocket and placed his hands on his hips, tapping out a staccato rhythm on the pavement with the toe of his black boot. “Look, what exactly do you expect me to do about your little problem, huh?”
“I expect you to help me get it back.”
“Get what back?”
“My keychain. I’m sure one of those bitches working the table stole it when I wasn’t looking.”
He shook his head and looked away. “Unbelievable.”
“What?” She scowled over at him, squinting.
“You. You’ve just got an excuse for everything, don’t you?” Dino waved his hand dismissively and swiveled toward his car again. “Forget it. I don’t have time for this shit anymore. I’m in the middle of something.”
“Wait!” Stacy jogged around in front of him, blocking his path. “I need more money to pay back the other person I borrowed from.” She stared up at him, her expression morphing from peeved to pleading. “Please? Just a couple hundred.”
“Why would you think I’d give you anything after you stole from me, Stacy? You know all you had to do was ask and I would’ve given you what I could. But no, you took it.”
“Borrowed. I borrowed it from you, Dino. I swear I thought I’d asked you. You know how I get sometimes, with my head all cloudy and my thoughts all scrambled.” She hung her head, her slim shoulders trembling. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I promise I just borrowed it, and I will pay you back. Every cent. You have my word.”
Dino rolled his stiff neck to release the knot of tension that had formed between his shoulder blades. Stacy’s word was worth about as much as a counterfeit two-dollar bill. He’d always considered any money he gave her a gift. He knew he’d never see a dime of it back, ever. No matter how many promises she made. Until the other day, he’d never minded helping her out, even considered it a worthy cause if it helped her get her life back on track. But then she’d stolen from him and things changed. She’d betrayed his trust, and Dino didn’t deal well with betrayal.
At his continued silence, she sniffled loudly, real tears streaming down her cheeks when she looked up at him again. “If I don’t pay them back the money, they’ll come after me.”
He groaned. “Aw, shit. I warned you about those guys, Stacy. You swore you’d call me before you ever took anything from the mob guys. Which loan shark was it?”
Her posture slumped. “Vinnie, over at the Tropicana.”
Dino cringed. “Vinnie? Christ, he’s the worst. You could’ve robbed a Seven-Eleven and done better than him.”
“I know, I know.” She swiped the back of a shaky hand under her eyes. “But I was desperate, and he was available and—”
“Please tell me money’s the only thing you got from him.” He clenched his teeth and loomed over her, feeling more like a pissed-off dad than a friend at the moment. “Stacy?”
“Yes. It was only money.”
“Like it was only a friend you borrowed from?”
“No.” She met his gaze directly, anger sparking hot in her green eyes. “This time I’m serious. I’m a gambler, not a hooker.”
“And there’s nobody else you can get the money from?”
“I can’t go to Jan with this, if that’s what you mean.”
“Does she even know about this other side to your life?”
“No.” She met his gaze directly. “And she can’t either. Ever.”
Part of him knew he
should walk away right now. Leave Stacy alone to sort out her own problems for a change. That really was the only way she’d learn. But the other part of him, the part of him that was still a scared kid cowering in the corner while his dad rampaged through the house, ripping apart everything in sight, that kid couldn’t turn his back on Stacy. They were kindred souls, him and her. Both battered by circumstance and shaped by what might have been.
He sighed and pulled out his wallet, freshly filled from a stop at the ATM that morning. He didn’t miss the way Stacy’s eyes widened at the wad of bills he’d neatly tucked into the slot, and he made a mental note to keep his cash where he could see it until he safely departed the premises. A sound echoed from between the closely packed homes on his street, and he looked up to see one of his neighbors eyeing him and Stacy with obvious suspicion. He caught enough grief around here for being a single male homeowner. The last thing he needed was for his nosy neighbors to think he was engaged in illicit activities as well. He pulled Stacy farther into the shadows and whispered, “How much do you need?”
“Two grand.”
“Two grand?” His voice rose, and he crossed his arms, tucking his wallet safely under his arm and out of her reach. The snooping neighbor now stood openly in his front yard, watching them. Perfect. He bent closer to Stacy and growled, “That’s way more than a couple hundred.”
“Two thousand, and Vinnie will be gone from my life.” She clasped her hands in front of her as if in prayer. “Please? I’ll owe you big time.”
He grumbled under his breath and took her arm, hauling her toward the SUV. “Get in. I’ll have to hit the bank for that kind of cash.”
Once they were both in the vehicle, Stacy leaned over and hugged him tight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“Whatever.” He started the engine and backed out of the driveway fast, his tires squealing as he punched the accelerator. He wanted to punch something else too, like Vinnie’s face in, for conning a sweet, vulnerable girl like Stacy into taking a “loan” from him when it was obvious she had serious addiction problems. Dino squeezed the steering wheel tightly in his hands and zoomed out of Summerlin and back into Las Vegas proper, heading for his local bank branch. There went his vacation fund. A vacation he desperately needed after weathering a week of being in such close proximity to Jan. As he turned into the drive-through and filled out his withdrawal slip, he did his best not to think about how close they’d been to kissing earlier or the gruesome gift the stalker had left for Jan.
No doubt about it. He put his stuff in the little canister and sent it inside to the teller.
After what happened today, things would only get more complicated between him and Jan—and more dangerous.
11
Two hours later, Jan sat alone in her dressing room, thinking about the mutilated magazines again. She hated to think that it was someone that worked here, she felt like she knew them and it hurt to think one of them would be terrorizing her like this. But who else would have access? Maybe one of the night crew that she didn’t know. Somehow it felt better to think it was someone she didn’t know.
The way Dino had sprung into action eased her mind. She knew he was smart, a good guy and despite how mad he’d seemed about that article she knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. But she wasn’t just going to sit around like some damsel in distress, she needed to do something.
Jan wasn’t sure what she could do to figure this out, but depending on Dino—or anyone else for that matter—for anything, made her feel like she was giving up some of her cherished independence. The independence that she’d fostered and nurtured almost her whole life. The independence that she used as a shield against the thoughts of loneliness and need that crept into her mind. For as long as she could remember, she hadn’t needed anyone else. Why should she start now?
A loud thump issued through the wall of her small dressing room, and Jan nearly jumped three feet. She hated feeling out of control like this, but it wasn’t easy to stay calm, especially with that stack of freaky, cut-up magazines still mocking her from the vanity counter. She took a deep breath and focused on turning her anxiety into irritation.
Sure, Dino had sprung into action, but he’d taken off just as quickly. The call he’d gotten wasn’t about the stalker, but Jan had an idea what it was about. It was a woman. Had to be. Hell, as handsome and successful as Dino was, he probably had a whole, long string of willing women just lined up, waiting for his beck and call. But what business was that of hers? None. She wasn’t the beck and call type. Been there, done that, got the scars on her heart to prove it.
A knock on her dressing room door interrupted her thoughts.
Dino? Or the stalker? Probably Dino, stalkers most likely barged right in.
“Come in.”
The head that poked around the door wasn’t Dino. It was another man she hadn’t seen since high school. Jan’s eyes widened, and she pushed to her feet. “Blake? Blake Rockford? What are you doing here?”
“January Winters.” He walked over to shake her extended hand then pulled her in for a quick hug. “Haven’t seen you in years. How’ve you been?”
“Good.” She gestured around the dressing room. “Great, actually. Until recently.”
“Yeah.” Blake nodded and glanced at the photos on the walls then the magazines and papers on her vanity counter. “I’ve got my best people working on your case, I promise. We’ll get to the bottom of this so you can get back to making all your awesome music. I loved your last album, by the way. Still play it non-stop in my car when I’m driving.”
“Thanks.” Jan took a step back and shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, feeling uncomfortable now that the basic greetings were over. Blake and Dino had been best friends in high school, and now Blake was Dino’s boss. She’d heard that Blake had become a Las Vegas cop after college and that his beloved wife, also a police officer, had been killed in the line of duty several years ago. Maybe that accounted for the few strands of silver now scattered through his short dark hair, the faint lines around his intense eyes and lips. He was still as handsome as he’d ever been, but now it was tinged with a world-weariness that made him look harder, tougher, more austere.
She couldn’t imagine the pain he must’ve gone through. She wanted to offer her condolences but thought it best not to bring it up. Not now, anyway. She hadn’t seen the guy in over a decade. So, she struggled to make small talk instead. “I, uh, wasn’t expecting you to come.”
Blake nodded. “I wasn’t expecting to come myself. But when Dino called earlier, I decided I wanted to come by and check it out for myself to see what we were up against. Besides”—he leaned a little closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper—“I always wanted to see the inside of the place. Couldn’t pass up my chance now.”
He winked and smiled, softening the intensity in his ice-blue eyes, and a bit of her inner turmoil lessened. “Well then, let me give you a little tour.”
“Great.” He held the door for her then followed her out into the lobby. She remembered all the Rockford men being tall, but he seemed to tower at least a foot above her, even taller than Dino. As she showed him around the space, she saw men dressed in Rockford Security uniforms filing in with toolboxes in hand. Blake pointed to one group of them as they passed by. “They’ll be installing the new security cameras that Dino requested.”
She nodded and walked on. The thought of even more people watching her didn’t make her overjoyed, but if it helped catch the sicko who’d stuck that hidden nanny cam in her dressing room, then it would be worth losing what little was left of her privacy in the short term.
“So, your stalker has upped their game, huh?”
“Yeah, seems so.”
“Don’t worry. Dino’s the best bodyguard on my team. He’s got your back.”
Jan nodded and continued on the tour.
“Have you gone to the police yet?” he asked after she’d showed him several of the conference rooms an
d the other dressing rooms on the first floor.
“No. Lou said they wouldn’t be able to do anything without proof.” She shrugged. “I didn’t have much before, but maybe now with those magazines I found in my room.”
Blake nodded. “They might take you seriously with that. But the cops are overworked, you were smart to hire us. We have the manpower to focus on this case where the police don’t.”
He led her to a deserted corner of the lobby, away from his teams and the receptionist who’d kept a constant watch on them as they moved around the perimeter of the room. “Listen. I’m sure Dino finding that nanny cam spooked you, but trust me. Those things are a dime a dozen. Available everywhere on the Internet, even Amazon. People buy them by the truckload because they’re disposable and, for the most part, untraceable. But these cameras we’re putting in will be connected directly to my offices. I’ve got people working around the clock. Whoever is doing this, we will find them. You have my word.”
Jan closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the weight of tension lifting slightly off her shoulders at the confidence in his voice. “Thanks. I needed to hear that.”
“It’s the truth.” Blake took her elbow and led her back out into the sunshine and over to one of his teams who were busy installing the cameras in the lobby. “We already traced the e-mails Dino’s sent so far to an Internet café that’s just around the corner from here. The trail ends there, but at least we have a starting point for further investigation.”
Her stomach trembled with nerves, but Jan pasted on her brightest smile. “Sounds great.”
Actually, it sounded scary as hell. The fact that this sicko might be hovering around that close to her terrified her.
“Listen, I was hoping while I was here that I could maybe get some more information from you.”
“Hasn’t Dino told you everything?”
“Everything he knows, yeah. But I come at this from a cop’s perspective. I worked domestic abuse cases a lot while I was on the force, and many times those involve an aspect of stalking.” He directed her over to a small sitting area, and they each took a seat. “Have you broken up with anyone recently? I ask because many times the stalker is someone you know, especially someone like an ex-lover or spurned romantic interest.”