by Cat Miller
Cammie was giggling and tugging off her shoes. Luc had to find a way to dismiss Cammie without insulting her. This wasn’t her fault. Cammie was a beautiful woman with a sharp mind for business. They’d had a mutually satisfying physical relationship for several years. Like Luc, Cammie wasn’t the kind of person who was familiar with rejection. This would likely be the end of their friendship, such as it was.
Luc was pushing the door shut and trying to come up with a way to explain his situation to Cammie when his eyes searched out Everly’s door at the other end of the hall. That’s when he saw her standing there, watching him. He froze and took her in from head to toe. She wore her comfortable pajamas. The ones she wore when she had no intention of leaving her room. He’d seen her in them once and suggested she throw them away. They were worn and a little tattered. She told him they reminded her of home. She had a book clamped to her chest like a shield. She looked wounded, like she was hiding a bullet wound behind that romance novel over her heart. Her cheeks were bright with either embarrassment or anger. He wasn’t sure which. The usually stormy, green brilliance of her eyes had become dull. She’d definitely seen him and Cammie together. That was a look of betrayal if he’d ever seen one.
Fuck! She must have been waiting for him to return from his trip. He’d ignored her completely for days while he was out of town, purposely putting distance between them, but she’d waited up for him. By the looks of it, she’d been camping out in the hall.
Double fuck! No wonder he’d felt her so intensely. She’d been there watching as he and Cammie tumbled out of the elevator. The look of hurt accusation on her lovely face was more than Luc could handle. He pushed the door shut and leaned his forehead against it.
He could fix this. He would fix it. As soon as he dealt with Cammie. Then he’d go talk to Everly. It would be a first for him to apologize for anything, but he’d do just about anything to erase the shattered how-could-you-do-this-to-me look away and start over again. They still had a week together. He’d make the most of it. He’d take some time off to be with her. Yes. That’s what he’d do. Everly would understand once he explained it all to her.
“Luc, baby, what are you doing?” Cammie giggled and wrapped herself around him from behind.
Luc turned to face Cammie and grasped her by the shoulders to keep her from rubbing her now completely naked body against him. “Cammie. We need to talk.”
Cammie blinked a few times as his change of mood registered. Thankfully, Cammie hadn’t been angry with him. At least he didn’t believe she was angry. She got dressed and swiftly left his suite before he could really explain himself. She was a proud woman. All she needed to hear was that he didn’t want to be with her and it was over. With a swish of long dark hair and silky fabric Cammie was gone.
Luc took a few moments to gather his thoughts before crossing the hall to Everly’s door. She’d be pissed off, but he would soothe her into understanding. And if that failed, he’d seduce her. Maybe he’d just start with the seducing and explain himself later when he had her all soft and sleepy beside him in bed.
His plan to soften Everly up with a bout of intensely satisfying and likely enthusiastic sex was foiled quickly. She wouldn’t answer the door, and who could blame her. When the caveman insisted he kick the fucking door in to get to his woman, Luc used his key to let himself in rather than cause damage to his own property.
Inside Everly’s suite, he was greeted by silence. In her bedroom, he found her tattered pajamas on the floor, along with the book she’d had with her in the hall. Luc looked into her closet. All of her things were still hung neatly, and the duffel bag she’d used as a suitcase was still dangling from a hook on the back of the closet door.
So she hadn’t fled for home yet. Which had been his first fear upon finding her suite empty. She’d be back. He wasn’t too late yet. Too late for what was the fucking question? And that’s why he’d called Rourke.
There he sat at the bar in the Capone room watching Rourke and Jennifer share a quiet conversation while they ate a meal together. He still hadn’t explained to Rourke why he’d called him and ruined his night with Jennifer. He didn’t know how to explain the maelstrom of thoughts and emotions pounding through his brain. He wanted Everly, but he didn’t. He felt extremely possessive but he didn’t want to feel that way. He wanted life to return to normal but the thought of that controlled life now made him feel something he never experienced before. Lonely. How does a man go about admitting some pussy ass shit like that to another man, even if the other man had known him nearly forever?
Luc looked up and caught Jennifer watching him. She nodded and leaned into Rourke. “I’m going to go home and run myself a hot bubble bath.” Jennifer told Rourke in a soft voice. They lived in a suite on the floor below Luc, so she’d didn’t have far to go. “You talk to Luc. He looks troubled tonight. He has to have a reason for calling you. Maybe he’ll talk if I leave.”
Luc tried to pretend he couldn’t hear the private conversation over the music. When had he become so fucking easy to read?
“Alright, baby, save room for me in the tub. I won’t be long.” Rourke kissed his wife hotly. Luc turned away from the intimate exchange.
“Goodnight, Luc.” Jennifer gave him a little wave as she walked away from the bar.
Rourke ordered another beer. He turned on his stool to look at Luc. “So what’s eating you, man? What can I help you with?”
Before Luc could answer, his cellphone buzzed in his breast pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the screen hoping Everly was calling him, but it was Dolce. He ignored the call and slid it back into his pocket. Dolce was off duty, so whatever she wanted could wait until after he and Rourke were finished speaking. Luc swallowed his pride and tried to explain his fucking feelings to his friend.
“It’s Everly. I don’t know what to do about her. The woman makes me crazy.”
Rourke smiled. He fucking smiled. This wasn’t funny. And he must think it was funny because Rourke rarely smiled. “The woman is getting under your skin, man. I know just how you feel. Do you think I was ready for married life when Jennifer steam rolled my heart? Let me tell you, I wasn’t.”
Luc opened his mouth to protest the use of the only word that freaked him out more than the L word. Marriage, for the love of freedom, it wasn’t a word he’d ever allowed into his vocabulary. Why was everyone so sure he was in love with Everly? And why was he so afraid it was true?
Rourke saw Luc working himself up for an argument and put his hands up in defense. “I know you don’t want to see it, but . . .” Rourke paused to look at his phone. “Let me get this,” he said to Luc. “What’s on fire, woman? I’m off tonight . . .” he was saying to the person on the other end of the line when his shoulders stiffened. “Where? How long?” Rourke was out of his seat.
Rourke snapped his fingers at Luc imperiously and motioned for him to follow. “Call for a car now, Luc, we have to go.” It was the first time Rourke had ever pulled the alpha commander card on Luc, so he knew it was something serious. Rourke never ordered Luc around like one of his subordinates, so he followed without question. Luc dialed the front desk and instructed them to have a car at the curb immediately.
“He’s with me. We’re on the way. Keep an eye on her if you can, but stay out of it, Dolce.” He growled. “No, woman, you heard what I said! Don’t get involved . . .” Rourke pulled the phone away from his ear and stuffed it back into his jacket pocket. “Fuck! She’s going to do something stupid! I swear I’ll spank her brave ass if she gets hurt!” Rourke cursed.
Rourke and Luc had grown up thinking of Dolce as their little sister. They both hated her annoying fearless streak. When they were kids, that plucky attitude had made her less of a girl and therefore more fun to be around than most girls. As an adult, it made her think she could take on anyone. Thus far, she’d never come to any real harm. They’d taught her to fight like a man and lived to regret it when she refused to let them protect her.
Dolce had
tried to reach him but he’d ignored the call. What could be so urgent that she needed them both? A sick feeling grew in his gut. Luc had a premonition this had something to do with his missing Fury. Dolce and Everly had become fast friends. It was logical that Everly go to Dolce for support after seeing Luc with another woman. Why hadn’t he thought of that earlier? He should have called Dolce when he couldn’t find Everly. Dolce seemed to know all of the comings and goings in the hotel and casino.
Rourke stormed across the room with Luc hot on his heels as people hurried to get out of their way. They were silent until they reached the private elevator. Inside, Luc couldn’t take it any longer. Rourke was so used to being followed without question from his years in the military and as Chief of Security that he sometimes forgot to share vital information until it was necessary.
“What the fuck is going on, man? Where is Dolce?”
Rourke looked up like he’d forgotten Luc was with him. Luc knew that expression. Rourke was working a strategy. He already had a team in motion to meet him at the door. He was going through possible scenarios in his head and formulating action plans.
“Dolce and Everly went to Harlot for drinks. They became separated while Dolce’s back was turned. Dolce saw a man leading Everly to the dance floor, only she didn’t go willingly. She mouthed ‘get help’ to Dolce before they disappeared into the crowd on the floor.”
“What? Is she sure? Maybe she just didn’t want to dance with the guy.” In which case Luc was still going to Harlot to knock some manners into the asshole.
“Does Everly strike you as the kind of woman who would do anything she didn’t want to?” Rourke asked with a raised brow.
He had a point. If she didn’t want to dance, she’d tell the fucker no and that would be that. She wouldn’t go anywhere unwillingly without a fight. So why did she go with this guy?
The elevator doors opened and they rushed across the lobby.
“Dolce said she immediately followed. The man took her up to the private dining level. She was hanging back until she reached one of us. It’s Archie. Someone must have recognized Everly,” Rourke explained.
“Archie Delgado? I swear to god . . .” Luc let that thought trail off and took a deep breath to clear the red haze that had floated over his vision.
There was a driver and sedan waiting at the curb for Luc. Rourke dismissed the driver and hopped into the driver seat. Luc climbed in, and they were off. Rourke’s men were in a van following behind the car.
“Who would know Everly on sight? Who would even know who her father’s connection is to Archie?” Luc was thinking aloud.
“My thoughts exactly. It would have to be someone who works for you, Luc. Only a handful of people know why Everly is here at the Inferno. Most believe she’s your girlfriend. I never confirmed or denied that assumption. I didn’t see the need to embarrass Everly with the truth. She’s a sweetheart. People wouldn’t understand her reasons for doing what she’d done. They’d think she was, well . . .” Rourke didn’t finish the statement. Luc knew exactly what he was saying, and it was true. People would think Everly very nasty things if they knew why she was with him.
Luc didn’t understand her reasons either, but it wasn’t the time to ask Rourke what he thought of the situation. They were flying through traffic and cutting people off. Horns honked, and other drivers cursed them. Rourke was on a mission to rescue Everly and keep Dolce out of danger. They’d already lost the much larger van carrying Rourke’s security team.
Luc’s pulse thundered in his ears. Archie was the loan shark Everly’s father, Dean, owed the most money to when he took off for Colorado. Rourke knew Archie’s reputation as well as Luc did. He was a slimy fuck with a taste for hurting women and sharing them with his men. If he’d already left with Everly, they’d play hell finding her. Archie had hidey-holes where he conducted business and pleasure all over town. He was smart enough to know that he needed to move often to avoid his enemies. Catching the slippery bastard was like playing a fucking game of whack-a-mole. By the time they caught up with him, it would be far too late for Everly. They had to get there first.
“Drive faster, Rourke.”
The car shot down an alley, sideswiping a dumpster and taking off a mirror. Luc didn’t give a fuck. Neither did Rourke.
“Yes, sir.” Rourke’s foot hit the floor.
FIFTEEN
Everly burst through the door at the top of the stairwell with Tony’s curses ringing in her ears. She fell when her injured leg gave out and cried out in pain when her knees hit the hard tile floor. Tony’s staggering footfalls and angry shouts grew closer behind the steel door at Everly’s back. She struggled to her feet using the wall and her uninjured leg for support.
Her heart beat a violent tattoo in her chest as she scanned the area around her for an exit that wouldn’t lead her straight back to that slime ball Archie, but found none. There was only the stairwell and the door to the kitchens.
On the edge of panic, Everly weighed her options. She had nothing to use as a weapon of defense, only her wits. She could hide against the wall behind the door and wait for Tony to exit the stairwell. If she was fast enough she might be able to duck past him and go back down the stairs. Then she’d have to hope he was more injured than she was. Her busted knee would slow her progress, giving him the chance to recapture her.
Her other option was to go through the kitchen and back out into the dining room where she could be seized by Archie or the other thug. If it were just Archie she might have a chance of escaping. One well-placed kick, and she’d be free. Marco was another thing. He was a big bastard who didn’t look like he missed many workouts. She’d gotten lucky with Tony. Could she sneak past the others without being noticed? The chances were slim. She’d have to walk, more like hobble, right past Archie’s booth and his guard to reach the stairs leading back to the main level of the club and freedom.
One of the kitchen employees stuck her head into the hall to investigate all of the racket Everly and Tony were making with all of the shouts of pain, anger, and banging doors. The frightened looking woman in a crisp white chef’s uniform with a colorful bandana wrapped around her head had seen Tony haul Everly through the kitchen just moments ago. Her eyes shot to the stairwell door then back to Everly. The chef hurried down the short hall and wrapped a supportive arm around Everly.
“Let’s get you to the walk-in refrigerator,” she whispered as they hustled back into the kitchen with Everly limping and wincing the whole way. “It’ll be cold and dark when I shut the door, but you’ll be hidden for a short time. Hopefully that asshole will keep going and we can sneak you out. I’ll find you a uniform to change into. It’ll make you less noticeable.”
That was a good plan. It was better than either of her other options. She had a far better chance of making it out unnoticed in a chef’s uniform than in her slinky dress and bare feet. If they had another bandana she could use to cover her distinctive hair it might just work.
In the kitchen, everyone looked nervous. The other chefs were looking toward the sound of Tony’s bellowed curses. A clatter sounded from the opposite direction in the dining area. It sounded as if a table or two had been toppled. Everly and her new buddy, the chef, stopped, expecting the swinging door to the dining room to fly open at any moment.
“Hurry, something’s happening out there. She’s going to get caught,” another chef said to her rescuer. The other chefs went back to work chopping vegetables, stirring pots, and supervising pans as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening in their kitchen.
Everly didn’t like the idea of hiding in a dark freezer for an unknown amount of time. She’d never been particularly claustrophobic, but that didn’t mean she was eager to test her endurance level for small, dark places. It was far better than the alternative though.
They neared the freezer, and Everly was steeling herself for an uncomfortable experience. She could do this for a little while. Dolce was out there somewhere in the club. Everly was pos
itive Dolce would’ve called the police as soon as she told her to get help. Any moment now the cops would come swarming in to save her. At least that was her prayer. Everly was beginning to suspect certain people were above the law there in Las Vegas.
One of the chefs opened the freezer door and thrust a coat into Everly’s chest. She was grateful for the added layer of warmth the coat would provide over her barely there dress.
Another crash echoed from the dining room, only this time it was accompanied by an angry female bellow.
“Where is she you nipple dicked piece of shit?”
That was Dolce’s furious voice demanding answers. Everly’s stomach clenched. Had Dolce called the cops? If she had, they were taking far too long, and Dolce must have felt the need to intervene herself. Everly couldn’t hide in the freezer while Dolce was out there facing danger to save Everly.
She handed the coat back to the kind chef and looked around the huge gleaming kitchen for a weapon. There were plenty of knives, but Everly wasn’t sure she’d actually be able to stab someone, even to protect herself.
“Looky, looky, boss. Seems like we got two for the price of one tonight,” Marco said from the other side of the door.
“Get your disgusting hands off of me!” Dolce shouted. More furniture was being destroyed.
That did it. Everly had to face Archie and his goon with Dolce. If they went down they’d go down together. Everly limped to the wall where an array of sparkling pots and pans hung from hooks and selected a heavy frying pan. It was cast iron, and its solid weight felt satisfying in her hand. She may not be able to use a blade but she could swing a bat, or a pan in this instance.
“Thank you so much for helping me,” Everly said to the chefs, “But it looks like I need to save my friend.”