“You scared her,” Sam said accusingly to Quinn. She obviously wasn’t intimidated by his bluster.
Then again the kid lived in foster homes and never knew where she’d be next. She wouldn’t fear much, Ariana thought sadly.
“Spank doesn’t like loud noises.” Elena held a hand out to the monkey.
Spank let Elena pull her out from her hiding place. She turned to Quinn, gave him a raspberry with her tongue, then climbed into Sam’s lap.
The young girl giggled and Quinn stopped himself from yelling and demanding an explanation for her behavior. He hadn’t seem Sam laugh. Ever.
He was furious at the scare she’d given him, but he didn’t know what made him angrier, that Sam had run away or that she’d come here instead of calling him when she was upset. But as he’d told Ari, at least she was safe.
“Let’s leave Sam and Quinn alone, Mom,” Ari said.
He stopped himself from asking her not to leave. He could have used her support about now, and that shocked the hell out of him. For a man who’d always lived life on his own to need a woman who wanted nothing more than to find her sister and disappear from this town, well, it wasn’t a smart move.
Elena looked at her daughter and nodded. “You’re right. Come, Spank.”
Sam shook her head and wrapped her arms tighter around the damn monkey. “I want you all to stay.”
“We’ve imposed on them enough, Sam,” Quinn said.
“Nonsense,” Elena said. “She’s welcome here any-”
Ariana interrupted her mother by pulling her out of the room, dragging the monkey she took from Sam along. As Spank reached the doorway, she lifted her skirt. Damned if the monkey hadn’t mooned him on purpose. But what marked this meeting for Quinn was Ariana and her obvious insight and understanding of him and what he needed.
He still couldn’t allow himself to get too close or too attached to the woman, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t developing feelings for her anyway. Damn him. He turned his attention to Sam instead.
“You gonna yell at me for stealing Ari’s wallet?” Sam asked.
He blinked. “You what?”
“Oops.” Sam blushed a furious red. “She didn’t tell you?”
He shook his head. “Obviously she protected you. But at least now I know how you found Ari,” he said, solving the mystery he hadn’t been able to figure out. He already knew why Sam had taken off. “Running away isn’t smart,” he told her.
“Why the hell not?”
“Watch your mouth, Samantha,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Well, tell me why not. It’s not like Aaron and Felice give a sh- I mean, it’s not like they care.”
He pulled out a chair and, straddling the back, sat down beside her. Her defiance was a shield from her pain, her big, glassy eyes a better giveaway to her true feelings. Which led him to choose his words carefully now. “They care about their responsibilities,” he said, slowly. “And they get to give a recommendation. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want you labeled as trouble for new placement.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Let me live with you? Please? I won’t cause any trouble, I promise. I’ll clean up after myself and I’ll even disappear if you want to bring a lady friend home,” she said, too wise for her years. “I swear you won’t even know I’m there.”
“That’s the problem, kid.” He knew exactly how she was feeling, had begged and said those same words to different people in his past. His throat nearly closed and he wished he could give her what she wanted. “I’m not even there. It’s not a supervised home. I wish I could let you stay with me, but I can’t.”
“Won’t.” She folded her arms across her chest. “You’re no different than Aaron and Felice or any one of the other homes I’ve been in.”
Each word she uttered was another dagger in his heart. Just when had this kid come to mean so much to him? he wondered.
“You just play the do-good act better than most,” she said, hurt and accusation in her tone and in her gaze.
He swallowed hard. “You don’t believe that for a minute. I do care.” He held out his hand and then, lowering his voice, he said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you back to Felice.”
“For how long?” She sniffed and wiped her eyes on her arm, ignoring his outstretched palm.
“Until Social Services finds another home.” Her running away had been the excuse Aaron and Felice needed to decide to call Social Services and tell them they were opting out as foster parents.
The knowledge caused a raw, painful feeling in his throat. But there was no point in telling Sam. The couple would have backed out anyway, she’d just made it easier for them to walk away. Though how anyone found it easy to give up a kid was beyond him.
To his surprise, Sam didn’t argue. Refusing to take his hand, she stood up, slid her chair under the table, and came up by his side.
As he led her out, his gaze fell on the manicure stuff spread over the table. He wondered when anyone had cared enough to let Sam be a girl. Play. Just have fun. Even if it was with a monkey, she’d had an hour of normalcy in this crazy house. A house Sam ran to-and Ari ran from.
• • •
Ariana cleaned off a table with a damp rag, then placed her tray on the bar. She couldn’t think about anything except Sam, who’d come to find her. Obviously the girl saw her as some sort of salvation and for a brief time thought she’d found it in Ariana’s home. Which was ironic, since Ariana knew well that her eccentric family wasn’t the best influence.
Then there was Quinn, who’d looked so distraught, she’d wanted to do nothing more than take him in her arms and make him forget. Her own thoughts had become so overwhelming, she wished she could do the same.
“I’m taking a break,” she told Connor during a lull at the bar.
“Don’t take too long. You never know when it’s going to pick up again.” He looked across the room, seeming to nod at someone.
Ariana turned, but didn’t see anyone. She narrowed her gaze, wondering if she’d imagined it. “Don’t worry. I just need a quick breather.”
“Understandable,” he said and winked at her before turning back to his duties behind the bar.
Ariana made her way to the employees’ restroom because thankfully it lacked the hustle and bustle common in the larger restrooms inside the casino. Though she wasn’t alone here, Ariana still relished the peace. She sat on the couch in the outer lounge, leaned against the backrest, and sighed aloud.
“It’s hard working for a living.”
Ariana glanced up as Maria walked into the restroom’s lounge area. “It’s not the same as my old job,” Ariana replied, “but work is work.”
The other woman strode over to the mirror and adjusted her skirt and top, then opened her purse to pull out a tube of lipstick. “What was your old job?” she asked, then began the meticulous job of applying a rose-colored lipstick while watching Ariana in the mirror at the same time.
“I’m a psych professor, but I’ve waitressed before. Back when I put myself through school.” This was Maria’s first attempt at civil conversation, and Ariana didn’t want to blow it by coming off as too academic.
“Returning to your roots?” Maria’s gaze narrowed while her tone indicated she still didn’t like or trust Ariana.
Since she didn’t have the time to play games, Ariana opted for the truth. “No, I’m looking for my sister.”
For the first time, Maria’s hardened expression changed and softened. “She was real,” she said. “We all liked her.”
Ariana swallowed over the lump of emotion knotted at the back of her throat. “Did you see her that last time she worked here?”
Maria shook her head. “I was out that night.”
“Then did you hear anything when you came back? Anything unusual happen around here that day?”
The other woman paused, obviously giving the question some thought. Finally she shook her head. “Not that I can remember. Except everyone was really quiet
after the police came sniffing around.”
“I guess that would be understandable.” If someone was covering something up, they’d definitely remain silent, Ariana thought. And if the employees knew nothing, they’d have nothing more to say. “What about Connor?”
Maria stiffened and Ariana realized she’d made a tactical error and hit a nerve. “What about him?” Maria asked, her walls and suspicions back up and in place.
“He’s the bartender,” Ariana explained. “He’s here every night. If anyone was going to see or hear anything, wouldn’t it stand to reason it would be him?”
The other woman shrugged. “It might. Then again you might be using your sister’s disappearance to get closer to him.”
Frustration filled Ariana and she clenched her teeth as she spoke. “If I was, why would you care? Danielle said you won’t give the man the time of day, so why give me the cold shoulder over him?” She deliberately used another waitress’s information as a means of confronting Maria.
“I have my reasons.” She bit down on her bottom lip, the first real hint of vulnerability Ariana had seen. “They’re just none of your business. Just because you’re a psychology professor doesn’t give you license to pry into my life.”
Ariana shook her head. She didn’t need this crap right now. “Believe me, I don’t give a damn about anyone who doesn’t care about me, and you’ve made your feelings perfectly clear since the moment we met. All I want to do is find my sister and go back to my life.”
“Then we both want the same thing.”
“Insecurity’s not attractive,” she told the other woman. The psychologist in Ariana came out despite her resolve to keep quiet. “Besides, I’m not after Connor and I’m no threat to your seniority here.”
“You’d better not be, since I need this paycheck and any upcoming raise to support my kid.” She clamped her lips shut tight.
“Then I suggest we both get back to work.” Ariana headed for the door, frustrated that she had no more information now than before.
Maria stopped her with a touch of her hand on Ariana’s arm. “Wait.”
Ariana turned and waited.
“I liked your sister and… well, I have no real reason to dislike you. What’s going on between me and Connor has nothing to do with you.”
Since the woman appeared to be choking as she swallowed her pride, Ariana figured that was as close to an apology as she was likely to get. Grateful for even that much of a concession, Ariana smiled. “Then maybe things can get more pleasant around here?”
Maria nodded. “And since I’ve been such a bitch, the least I can do is give you one piece of information.”
“I thought you didn’t see or hear anything about Zoe that night.”
“It’s just that what I heard and what I trust are two different things. And since I saw you kissing Quinn, I didn’t know if I should tell you.”
Ariana’s fingers clutched her purse tightly, her knuckles turning white and her nerves prickling with anticipation. “I want to know anything about Zoe. Even if it involves Quinn.” Especially if it involved Quinn.
“You haven’t been here long but I’m sure you realize Quinn’s considered a prime catch.”
Ariana raised an eyebrow. “I hadn’t heard.”
Maria rolled her eyes. “Come on. He’s single, he’s gorgeous, and he’s Damon’s right-hand man. Who wouldn’t want a piece of that?”
“I don’t know,” Ariana murmured. She didn’t want to think of other women ogling Quinn or his interest in them. Not when her interest in Quinn was growing with each passing day. “What does this have to do with my sister?”
“Well, he’s also a prime topic for gossip and speculation, especially since unlike Damon, he keeps to himself instead of choosing from his pick of women.”
Do tell, Ariana thought.
“Anyway, when Zoe disappeared and then the police came around, people here wondered if he had something to do with it.” Maria shook her head. “But it never sat right with me, you know? Quinn can be cold and disinterested. It’s the strong, silent quality that attracts women, but…” She shook her head.
“But what?” Ariana pushed harder. Maria had come so far in confiding in Ariana. She couldn’t stop now.
“Look.” Maria waved a hand through the air. “I’ve been in a bad relationship and I like to think I’d recognize a guy who’d do wrong by a woman. Quinn just isn’t one of them.” She pulled the door open. “I just thought you should know,” she said before slamming the door behind her.
Ariana let out a long stream of air. She wanted to agree with Maria and in her heart she did. But if she was here to investigate, she had no choice but to pursue leads, no matter where they led.
And so far her only tip pointed to Quinn. A man Ariana had already decided to get to know better.
• • •
Connor wiped down the bar and poured himself a beer. They were closed for the night and all his waitresses were long gone. Except for Maria. Though she was normally the first one in and the first one out, tonight she stuck around even longer, helping him clean. He watched the sway of her hips and the determination she put into everything she did. Man, he had it bad.
Returning to business, he recalled the brief conversation he’d had with the “customer” who was actually working along with himself and Quinn. He’d signaled her to follow Ariana to the ladies’ room and make sure she stayed out of trouble. The woman had been able to eavesdrop on Ariana’s conversation with Maria. The two waitresses still hadn’t hit it off, but Maria had come around and given Ari some vague information, the woman had told him.
Maria hadn’t done anything more than supplied the realities and the rumors as she’d heard them. At least Ariana hadn’t gone snooping around any of the offices, which was what he and Quinn were afraid of and was the reason he’d had her followed. The same way he’d had her tailed after her shift ended since Quinn hadn’t shown up to take her home. Damn Damon anyway, Connor thought. The man was a pain in the ass. Both Connor and Quinn would be happy to see the last of him.
A low tune interrupted his thoughts and the happy humming settled inside him, warm and comforting. Maria. She was still cleaning, happy in her work despite the late hour and the grueling time on her feet.
He admired her. “You’ve cleaned enough. I can already see your reflection in the tables. Care to tell me why you’re still hanging around?”
She seated herself on a barstool and met his gaze, propping her chin in her hand. “I’ve been asking myself that same question.”
“Are you reconsidering my invitation?” He’d been asking her on a date nightly since they’d met. Of course only an idiot put up with so much rejection, but there was something about this woman that wouldn’t let him shelve his desire and forget about her.
Perhaps it was because she gave him a glimpse of himself. A solitary person needing a break from the daily grind. They’d have hot sex, that much he knew for sure, and the desire thrumming through him backed up his hunch. The fact that sometimes he wanted to know her secrets wasn’t something he liked to contemplate. He was a man used to being alone. He didn’t know how to open up and he didn’t care to try.
Flirting, however, was another story. “Well, sweetstuff?”
“I might be thinking about changing my mind.” She studied him closely as she chewed on a piece of bubble gum. She blew a bubble that he tried in vain to pop before she sucked it back between those lips he was dying to kiss.
“Dare I ask why the sudden shift?”
She shrugged. “Sometimes the harder you try to avoid something, the more it crowds you.” She stood and slid her hand into her apron pocket. “If you’re serious, you can pick me up at noon on my next day off.” She handed him a scrap of paper.
He glanced down and saw her handwritten address. He was completely taken off guard, and for a split second, his stomach churned with all the excitement and anticipation of an adolescent who’d just gotten a yes to his first date. “I’ll
be there.”
She started to walk away, then turned, uncertainty in her eyes. “Remember what they say.”
“What’s that?”
“What you get may be much more than you bargained for.”
He laughed, but once again his gut tightened. He had the distinct impression this date could change his life forever.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Damn Quinn. If he was going to insist on being her chauffeur, the least he could do was show up to drive her home. At two A.M., Ariana had no desire to hunt around the casino looking for him. She started with the small bar where she’d seen him the first time, but he wasn’t there. Now she headed for his office, her thoughts in turmoil.
Nothing she’d learned about Quinn or Zoe made any sense. She recounted the facts that worked against Quinn: She didn’t know much about him and he’d been less than forthcoming about who he was and what his relationship had been to her sister. People at Damon’s wondered if he’d had anything to do with Zoe’s disappearance, and though he claimed to know for a fact her twin was alive, he refused to divulge more information. Until tonight he’d kept close tabs on Ariana during her time in the casino-because he was afraid she’d discover he was somehow involved? All the circumstantial evidence didn’t place Quinn in the best light.
But she wasn’t ready to count him out. Wasn’t it possible that Maria, who’d been a bitch since day one, had intended to cause problems for her and Quinn? Ariana shook her head. That theory didn’t work, because it served Maria’s interest to have Ariana involved with any man other than Connor.
But ironically also working in Quinn’s favor was the fact that he claimed her sister was alive. Added to that, her crazy family seemed to like and trust him. His deep caring for Sam proved he was a decent human being. And Ariana was falling hard for the man.
Her last relationship had been with a fellow professor who’d been as excited about Freud as he was about her. Sadly, that passion hadn’t translated physically for either of them. They’d agreed to be friends, went to university events together, but there’d been no real romance in her life for way too long.
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