by WL Knightly
“Not really,” he said, brushing back his hair as he took the next exit.
They arrived at the restaurant, which was a small, mom-and-pop-type steakhouse appropriately named The Ranch Hand, and she gave him a sideward look. “Have you ever eaten here?”
“No. But I’ve heard good things. Why? Have you?”
“No.” She wondered who he’d heard them from.
“Well, it sounds like we’re both in for a treat.” He got out of the car and shut the door.
“Either that or indigestion,” she mumbled as she followed him to the door.
Once they went inside, they waited to be seated, and she smiled at the red and white checkered cloths on the tables. There was also a lot of wood. And the place looked like it hadn’t been updated in years.
“Right this way,” said the hostess.
When they got to the table, she heard his phone rang, and he quickly silenced it and took the call. “Yeah, I went. I need a warrant. I was going to call you after I ate. I’ve stopped for lunch, but it’s important that I go back this evening. Okay, thanks.”
He ended the call. “How’s that for fast service?” he said as the woman put a basket of bread and butter down on the table.
“I’m not sure I can eat all of this heavy food.” She wanted to make sure she was on her A-game for the evening.
“No, I meant the warrant. That was my supervisor checking in on me. He’s going to make sure I have the warrant by five.” Ethan took one of the rolls and buttered it.
“That was quick. It must be nice to snap your fingers and get anything you want.”
He chuckled. “Hardly. But I’m not complaining about the warrant. I will say it’s a lot easier for me now than it was years ago.”
“Tell me something about you. I just realized that all I know is you’re FBI, and you were here on business before you met me. I bet you hate that I created more work for you.”
“You didn’t. Whoever killed Cassie did that. I really admire you for taking the initiative to come forward about it.” He bit into the roll and closed his eyes. “Oh man, Kevin was right. This place is the best.”
“Kevin?” she said. “A friend of yours?”
“Yeah. He’s a cop. You might know him actually. Kevin Delaney.”
“Sure, I know Kevin. He used to work in the unit with Thomas when he first came here. It was only a short time before they transferred him out.”
“Really?” Ethan got a curious look. “I didn’t know that. I wasn’t aware he ever transferred.”
“Yeah.” She gave it a thought. “I can’t remember why, though. He’s a nice guy. How long have you known him?”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy. I’ve known him since the academy. Anyway, he did pick a good place, though. It reminds me of this little spot back in Denver. I do think these rolls are better. You should try one.”
“Okay, you don’t have to twist my arm.” Against her better judgment, she grabbed a roll and filled it full of butter. “So, are you married? Do you have a girlfriend?”
He looked up from the roll he’d just bitten into and paled a little. “I’m not married. I wouldn’t have come to your house for dinner if I was.”
“Oh, right. Well, I guess that answered the second part of that question too. So, you live in Denver? What do you like to do for fun there?”
“I mostly just work nowadays. My job brings me all over.”
“I bet it’s really nice there, though.”
“Our crime rate is terrible.”
“No, I mean when you’re not working. Tell me about you. About your family. Anything to let me know more about you.”
“There’s nothing to tell really. My father and mother live in Florida. I never see them and don’t have any brothers or sisters.”
“That’s sad. I couldn’t imagine not having Alice. I mean, sure, she’s a pain in my ass, but I can’t even fathom not having a sibling.”
“Well, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have sibling rivalry in my life.”
Sarah chuckled. “Come by the house more often, and I’ll show you.”
Ethan glanced up and met her eyes with a smile. He seemed so mysterious. Something told her to watch out for him. He was the kind of man who usually broke her heart.
“What about you? Have you dated anyone since Thomas Asher?”
“No. I haven’t had time for anything like that. I’m just now settling in, and I guess this is the closest thing to a date I’ve had in months.”
“Call it what you want,” he said with a grin. “I don’t mind. We’ve always got tonight.”
That was all it took for Sarah to know her instincts were probably right. “That’s work, not a date.”
Ethan nodded. “And I guess you’re not the kind of woman who ever mixes business with pleasure.”
Sarah met his eyes and felt a tug at her heart. “I wouldn’t go that far.” For the first time, she thought working with him might turn out better than she thought—if they made it out of the party alive.
Chapter 15
Thomas
Even though Thomas wasn’t sure he wanted to attend any party, he knew one thing for sure—no one else was bothering to investigate his sister’s disappearance. With him being the only hope she had, he had to get to the bottom of her last days. And since she had spent them at Roald Collier’s mansion, there was nowhere else he had to be.
He went to the door and knocked, expecting Lana to greet him. He had, after all, texted her to let her know he was at the door. But when the door opened, he found Roald himself on the other side, looking down his nose at him. “Thomas,” he said, breaking a smile. “Why, I wasn’t expecting you tonight.”
“I’m here to see Lana,” he said, rocking back on his heels, wondering how he would be accepted.
“Well, that’s just wonderful,” Collier said, stepping aside to allow him entrance. “Come on in, and I’ll just get her. She’s been running nonstop all day trying to make sure that things are in tip-top shape.”
“I’m sure she has. That sounds just like her.” Thomas tried to keep his cool, although every instinct in his bones was to tell the man what he really thought of him.
Roald Collier had not only corrupted his little sister, Starr, but he was personally responsible for her addiction, and he had distanced her from her family when she needed them most. Before she disappeared, she was trying to get on her feet, but the man wasn’t going to let that happen and risk losing one of his biggest moneymakers.
As Thomas walked in, Roald closed the door, took a drink from the nearest waiter, and handed it to Thomas. “Here, you make yourself at home. I’m sure she’ll be along any moment.” He took another flute from the tray and downed the drink like a shot.
Thomas glanced around the room where other couples and singles mingled together. Of the bunch, there were a few familiar faces, including Max Loftin, who looked as if he were in heaven with one of Roald’s beautiful girls on his lap. She flirted and teased, and while he wasn’t obvious with his intentions, Thomas knew he had more on his mind than just getting her high.
Across the room was another man who Thomas had seen around the house on more than one occasion. His name was Bryan Howler, and by his smug expression, he thought he was the smartest man in the room.
Lana suddenly appeared beside him. “I’m so sorry. I was in the back with the chef, and there was a problem with the wine.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek, giving him a onceover. “Wow, you look amazing. I’ve forgotten how well you clean up.”
“Isn’t that what first caught your eye?”
“That and the fact that you were taken. I do love a good challenge.”
“I’m afraid I can’t offer you one of those, although I do have a gut feeling your boss wishes you had chosen a different date.”
“No, he’s just surprised to see you. The last time you came around, you weren’t in a good way over Starr’s disappearance, and I’m not sure if you remember, but you weren’t exa
ctly nice to him.”
“I remember. You know how I get when I get a little torn down.”
“That’s what I told him. You’re lucky he’s a man of second chances, or else he might forbid me to see you.”
“Would you listen to him?”
“We have a saying around here. What Roald doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” She grinned and took a glass from a passing waiter and wasted no time turning it up.
“Oh, has someone been keeping secrets?” He was eager to feel her out as well but knew her loyalty would always lie where her bread was buttered.
“I’d never tell. But speaking of secrets, I do have something to tell you before I forget to mention it.”
“What is it?”
“Your girlfriend came back with her FBI guy.”
“What? What for?”
“He was sniffing around wanting to look in Cassie’s bedroom.”
“She had a room here? Like Starr?”
“They all do. In fact, we’re only two guestrooms shy of a full house, but we save those for special guests.”
“I see. So, was that it?”
“They want to speak to Roald. But isn’t that enough? I don’t want them poking around here. Not with the drugs.”
“And I’m sure that’s not the only sensitive issue you’re dealing with. I mean, I’m not naïve enough to think that everything here is on the up and up. Not when you have a drug dealer with his own key.”
“Yeah, well, especially since Cassie’s death. I’ve got a house full of grieving girls, and a few have wanted to leave.”
“And you talked them out of it?” He knew she’d get them to do whatever she needed.
“I had to. Besides, they are under contract.”
“Right, contracts. I forgot that Starr had a contract. You know, I’ve always been curious to know what it said. I don’t guess there’s any way I could look over it, is there?”
She gave him a sympathetic look. “I’m not sure we still have it. Hers, of course, terminated six months after she went missing.” She let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m sure this isn’t the easiest subject.”
“It’s okay. I’m not bothered talking about my sister. It keeps her memory alive. You don’t mind, do you?” He watched her reaction carefully.
“Not at all. She was my dear friend. I just wish I knew why she left.”
“You think she had a choice?”
Lana looked away and shrugged. “I’d like to hope it was of her own free will. Wouldn’t you?”
“No, I prefer to think someone forced her away. That they took her somewhere and kept her from the rest of her family and me.”
Lana stilled. “Of course. I’m sorry. Of course, she would be home if she could. She had a family who loved her very much.”
“She does, yeah.” He thought her use of the past tense was very telling. And she better hope that it was just a slip of the tongue.
Lana looked across the room at Max, who was all over the young girl who was practically in his lap. “Oh no. He’s already chosen his lay of the night.”
“She doesn’t seem to mind. Why should you?”
“Because she’s too new. He’s going to scare her away.” She took off across the room and went to the young girl, who was practically bouncing on Max’s knee.
Thomas watched from feet away as Lana leaned over and whispered into the girl’s ear. Whatever she said made the girl’s back stiffen and her face pale. The young girl got up and distanced herself.
As Thomas stepped closer, he could tell that Max didn’t appreciate the deterrence. “Why did you go and do that?” he asked. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”
“In your dreams,” she said. “You know you can’t poach the new girls.”
“Come on. She likes me.”
“She likes your drugs, Max. Now, if you want to make a scene and argue, I’ll call Bryan over, and he can talk to you.”
“No thanks. I’m good.”
“That’s what I thought.” She patted Max on the shoulder.
When she and Thomas were alone again, feet away from any prying ears, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” He looked over her shoulder across the room where he caught Roald Collier and Bryan Howler looking at him as if he were a fly in their ointment. They averted their eyes back to each other when they saw him looking.
While he didn’t think that Roald was going to be as easy on him as Lana thought, he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of acting bothered. He turned his attention back to Lana. “I see that Bryan Howler is still hanging around. Wasn’t he just a driver when Starr was here?”
“Yeah, he was just Roald’s driver, but he was promoted shortly after that. Roald keeps him on the payroll to handle special business.”
“Special business? That almost sounds illegal.”
Lana laughed. “Well, I know when to keep my mouth buttoned, but I only mean he’s been working out of the house for some time. He is sort of Roald’s right-hand man.”
“I thought you were his right-hand woman. I bet that doesn’t sit well with Howler’s ego.”
“Nah, if it bothers him, he’d never let on.”
“What about you? You were here before him. And he was just a driver. Does it bother you he sort of wormed in on your job?”
“I’ve got enough to take care of. If you knew how needy those girls were, you’d be thankful for someone handling the other end of things. He deals with our security and makes sure that we all have what we need to travel. It’s a load off of Roald, too, so that’s nice. He’s due for a rest. Poor man, I thought he was going to fall out when I told him about Cassie.”
“Were they close?”
“He’s close with all of his girls.”
“Including you?” Thomas gave her a pointed look.
She gave him a look that said he had better watch his step. “I’ve already answered that once. Unless you think I was lying?”
Thomas held his hand up. “Fine. My bad. I won’t keep on you about it. As long as you stick to the arrangement.”
Lana giggled. “You’re really sexy when you get that jealous look in your eyes.”
He put his glass on the tray as the server came by. “Do you have anything stronger?” he asked.
Lana’s soft laugh sent a lick of heat down his spine. “Sure, follow me.”
She led him across the room from the bar, and he noticed that the lingering glares from Howler and Collier didn’t stop.
“Yeah, it’s official. They don’t like me.” He turned and ordered a drink from the bartender, hoping it would go down smoother than his arrival.
“Relax. They’re feeling you out. What happened to Starr put us through a lot. It took its toll on all of us. Why don’t you go up and talk to them?”
“You’re right. Let’s.” He wasn’t about to go without her. He clutched her hand and tugged her along behind him.
“Slow down,” she said. “I’m wearing stilettos.”
“So, how have you been?” he asked Roald, seeing that Howler was put off that he didn’t have the billionaire all to himself anymore. “It’s been too long.”
“Has it? Seems like yesterday.” Roald offered his hand.
“I’m sure you’ve heard we’re dealing with a rough time right now,” said Howler.
“Yeah, I know. I’ve heard. My condolences.”
“So, is that why you’re hanging around here all of a sudden?”
“No, sir. I’m not working on that case. I’m just seeing Lana again. I’m here for her.”
“Lana? She’s never been one to settle down.” Howler gave her a glaring look with his dark eyes. They were almost like two obsidian orbs in his skull, and Thomas didn’t like the way he looked at either of them.
“Bryan, stop,” said Lana. “Thomas is a friend, and he’s been through more than all of us. But in case you’re wondering, I did ask him to look into what happened to poor Cassie.”
“They keep coming here,” said Roald, looking aggravated by it. “I’m afraid Lana might have upset them earlier.”
“You should have just let them in,” scolded Howler. “Now you’re just making us all look bad.”
“I told them to get a warrant,” she said. “I explained we have a party.” She glanced over at Thomas, and as her eyes scanned past the front door, her mouth fell open.
Thomas looked over his shoulder and nearly dropped his drink. Sarah was standing at the door looking like a goddess in the white silk evening dress he’d bought her for their engagement party.
For a moment, his heart ached, but anger flared when he saw who she was with. Ethan Charles was on her arm, looking like a well-polished penny.
As Roald, Lana, and Howler all made their way toward the handsome couple, Thomas knew things were about to get ugly.
Chapter 16
Sarah
She hadn’t expected Thomas to be the first person she’d see when she entered the room, but with Ethan on her arm, she felt as though she were wearing a suit of armor instead of the dress that she’d worn to her engagement party.
The look in his eyes was enough to make her stop in her tracks.
The room was full of people all having a wonderful time in their best attire, though it wasn’t overly decorated like it had been the last time she had been to a party there.
“Looks like we’ve made quite the entrance,” he said as Roald Collier, Lana, and some man she didn’t know crossed the room.
“I hope you remembered to bring that warrant,” she said, having a feeling she was about to get tossed out on her ear right in front of her ex and the woman he’d left her for.
“Just what do you think you’re doing here?” said Lana, who was quicker than the others. “You can’t get in without an invitation.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I have one of those right here.” Ethan reached into his suit coat pocket and retrieved the warrant. “Will this do?”