Anais had already lived that life, been pregnant, and lost her children. She now had the fate of the whole world in her hands, including that of her old school friends. It was impossible now, for her to ever truly go home. Her home was now Aethelu, wherever she was. Anais missed her terribly. She closed her eyes and let herself think of her girlfriend. Soon a voice came over the tannoy announcing that they would be landing at Las Vegas McCarran Airport shortly. Anais had slept almost the whole journey.
Chapter Nine
Alex had obviously phoned ahead to let Audsley know of their impending arrival, as she was waiting for them in the arrivals lounge of the airport. She was carrying the biggest bunch of flowers Anais had ever seen, plus a metallic pink balloon with ‘Welcome to Las Vegas!’ printed on it. Even if she hadn’t been carrying these gifts, she would have been hard not to spot. She stood out like a sore thumb in her pink and black checked miniskirt and bright pink t-shirt. The whole look was topped off with a white cowboy hat. Anais could just make out the pink and black streaks in her hair from under the hat.
She ran up to them and hugged them both thrusting the flowers into Anais’ hand.
“Why, howdy, ‘Nais, Cuz, I’m so glad you’re here!” She spoke in an exaggerated American accent with a curious Yorkshire lilt to it.
She led them to the car park where a stretch limo was waiting for them. It was as pink as her hair and had the words ‘Audsley’s Famous Tourist Ranch’ written on the side.
Alex raised his eyebrows. Anais would normally have laughed, but she was still mad at him and had no intention of letting him know she found him funny.
They got into the car, where Audsley poured them a glass of champagne each.
“Only the best for my family. Take it away Richie,” she spoke into an intercom to an unseen driver and they were off.
Anais could see the hotels on the strip a few streets away, but it was away from these that they headed. Audsley talked all the way without, it seemed, taking a breath.
Thankfully, Alex conversed with her enough to allow Anais to watch the view through the window. It was incredibly hot and dry, and once they were away from the city, the landscape turned sandy, almost desert-like, with the odd cactus growing here and there.
Anais shouldn’t have been surprised, but when the ranch finally came into view, she had to hold her breath. Set among acres of sandy grounds, the ranch was anything but in harmony with its surroundings. The ranch itself followed the same colour spectrum as the rest of Audsley’s belongings, being painted bright pink. A neon sign over the entrance to the driveway read ‘Audsley’s Ranch, The Wild West just minutes away from The Strip.’
“Do you run this as a real ranch or is it just for the tourists?” enquired Anais, who couldn’t see a single cow anywhere.
“We are really just a themed hotel. We take the guests on horse rides, organise cookouts, that kind of thing. We own a lot of land, so we take them out overnight to sleep under the stars. Basically, it lets them pretend to be cowboys for a week.”
“But it’s so pink!” exclaimed Anais.
“Well, we are in Vegas, Baby!” Audsley grinned. “Come on, I’ve kept the best rooms for you.
The inside of the ranch was much more in keeping with the ranch theme rather than the Vegas theme. The reception had buffalo hide hung up around it with an animal skull hanging right above the desk. Everything was wooden except for a huge stone fireplace. The only hint that they were in Las Vegas were the framed pictures of various celebrities that lined the walls. Anais noticed one of Arcadia standing next to one of the members of the Rat Pack. She had obviously brought him here for a vacation.
“The skull and hides are all fake,” whispered Audsley, “Just like everything else in Las Vegas. I’m an animal lover, but the tourists seem to expect it.”
She grabbed two keys from a huge board behind the desk and beckoned them to follow her upstairs. There were two floors of rooms and then the top floor, which held two luxury suites which was where Audsley now led them.
“I keep these two rooms for celebrities or honeymooners,” she winked.
“Which are we?” asked Alex, grinning back at her.
“You are even better, you are my family. Now here are your keys.” She handed one to each of them. “Tonight I can’t stay here, because I’ve got some of the guests booked on an overnight horse ride and campout. You are more than welcome to join us, though. If that’s not your scene, you can just hang out here, and I’ll be back tomorrow. We do have spa facilities for the guests, which I can ensure you get exclusive use of, one of the perks of being the boss.” she smiled.
Anais could just imagine Alex wanting to spend an evening in a hot tub with her and quickly vetoed the idea. She’d rather face the rattlesnakes than spend an evening alone with Alex, especially a half-naked spa evening.
“I’d love to go horseback riding. I’ve never done it before.” She looked at Alex. It would also be nice to do an activity that meant she was mobile without using her legs. She was still using Rafe’s cane which, thankfully, had gotten through airport security without much of a glance. She was still slow at getting around, but thanks to the exercises Winnie had given her, her leg was beginning to ease up a bit.
Alex quickly hid his look of disappointment and grinned, “Yeah, me, too. Sounds great.”
When Audsley left, Anais took one suite and Alex, the other. Hers had the same rustic feel as downstairs with fake cowhide rugs on the floor and its own fireplace. She didn’t have much to unpack, so she decided to spend an hour following Winnie’s instructions by bending and stretching her leg and practicing hobbling round the room without the cane. Each exercise caused her a lot of pain, but as she did each one, she found walking getting easier and easier. After an hour she decided to have a quick shower to ease the pain a little in the en suite bathroom.
She was only under the stream of water two minutes, before she heard a knock on the door. She heard the bedroom door open.
“Anais?” It was Alex. His presence was really beginning to grate on her. Why did he think it was ok to just walk into her room without being invited?
“I’m in the shower.” She hoped that he would take the hint and leave, but instead he just shouted through the bathroom door to her.
“It’s ok, I’ll wait.”
She wished she had thought to lock the bedroom door. Quickly washing her hair, she stepped out of the shower. She wrapped one of the luxurious towels around her and quickly dried herself off. It was then that she noticed that she had left her clothes in the bedroom. It meant she had to go into the bedroom wearing nothing but a towel, a prospect which she was not looking forward to.
She wrapped the towel around herself as tightly as she could and entered the bedroom. She found Alex lounging on her bed reading a guide to Las Vegas nightlife. He looked up at her and grinned.
Anais ignored him and picked up some clean clothes. She had no intention of having a conversation with him wearing only a towel. Back in the bathroom, she pulled on some jeans and a shirt. She also pulled on a cardigan as she knew it would cool down overnight.
Once dressed, she again made her way back into the bedroom. Alex hadn’t moved.
“I think I preferred what you were wearing before.”
“Alex, we need to talk.” Anais sat down next to him on the bed. Unlike Alex, she kept her feet on the floor. “You know that I love you, but I love you like a brother. I’m dating Aethelu and I’m in love with her.”
Alex kept the smile on his face, but it didn’t extend to his eyes. “I know.”
“I don’t think you do know. You booked this trip for us, you’re in my room. You keep making comments, like the one about me looking better in a towel. It has to stop.”
“It was just a joke. It didn’t mean anything.”
“You kissed me the other day!”
“I’m sorry, it was an accident. It won’t happen again.”
“It can’t happen again.”
“It won
’t, I promise.” She looked him in the eye and decided that she believed him.
“Come on, let’s go downstairs and get saddled up.”
She was actually more excited about going horse riding than she had made out. She purchased a white cowboy hat from a little gift shop in the ranch’s foyer and met up with Audsley at the front of the ranch. There were four other tourists who would be riding with them plus Audsley and two other ‘cowboys’, Jake and Mike, who were the trip leaders. Each of them had been designated a horse, and Anais was a little disconcerted to find that she’d been given the biggest horse with the rather worrying moniker, Warpaint.
“Don’t worry,” yelled Audsley, as they set off along a trail. “He’s only named Warpaint because of the patch of white on his face. He’s a big softy, really.”
“That’s fine for you to say, you are riding a horse called Sunny,” Anais grinned. Despite the fact they were trotting slowly along in a line, she was having a great time. It was pleasantly warm but not too hot, and the blue of the sky contrasted beautifully with the orange of the earth. The only sound she could hear was the clip clop of the horses’ hooves and the occasional cry from a bird. She’d left Rafe’s cane back at the ranch and as she stretched her legs out, she realised that the combination of Winnie’s exercises and the hot shower had eased her leg considerably. She wiggled her ankle and was pleasantly surprised to find that it moved easily and without pain. Warpaint snorted as if to say ‘stop moving your foot’, which she did and patted him on the side to say sorry.
After about an hour of riding through dusty terrain, they came to a roughly made corral in a clearing amongst some trees. They tied the horses up and sat around a campfire, expertly made by Jake. He and Audsley cooked food for them over the open flames, while Mike took each of the tourists in turn, and showed them how to use a lasso. Anais successfully lassoed the post on her first try, but Alex gave up after his fifth attempt. In a fit of silliness, Anais picked up the lasso and managed to Lasso Alex before he got back to the campfire.
She reeled him in and laughed. He pulled the rope off and laughed along with her.
“That’s it; I’m eating your toasted marshmallows now.”
“I’d like to see you try.” They raced each other back to the campfire, where everybody else was already enjoying dinner. Alex won by a long shot as Anais’ leg was not yet fit for running, and she had to hop most of the way. The light was beginning to fade, and by the time they had started on the toasted marshmallows, the only illumination was from the campfire and the stars.
Mike had set out sleeping bags for each of them, and after dinner, they all lay down in them and looked up at the night sky. Jake knew all about the stars. He pointed out the Milky Way and the North Star. Mars and Venus were also visible. Anais was mesmerised. The massiveness of the universe made her feel small and insignificant, but it was so beautiful. Unseen crickets serenaded them with their chirping, and she could hear the occasional snort from one of the horses. She had never felt so at one with nature, and it felt wonderful. Jake’s talk of the stars soon turned into tales of the Wild West and cowboys past. At some point, a bottle of whiskey appeared and was passed round the group. It warmed Anais up on the chilly night, but it made her sleepy. She was asleep way before the end of Jake’s story.
She slept more soundly than she ever had before, thanks partly, to the whiskey and partly due to the fresh air. Jet lag probably had something to do with it, as well.
She woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking over the fire. After a wonderful breakfast they once again climbed aboard their horses and made their way back to the ranch, taking a different route from the way they had come. The sun, even in the early morning, was baking hot, and it warmed Anais’ shoulders as they trotted over a rocky path.
Back at the ranch, Anais felt grubby after sleeping on the ground, so she decided to take another shower to wash all the dirt and sand off, this time making sure to lock the bedroom door first.
Once she was clean and dressed, she made her way to the reception and asked for Audsley. A few tourists were milling around the reception area, either waiting to check in or check out. Audsley appeared a few minutes later from a back office. She winked at Anais and held up her finger to indicate that she’d be just a minute. She smiled at a couple of tourists and booked them into their room before returning and taking Anais to the dining room. It was set up for lunch but empty of guests. A pot of tea, accompanied by two cups, was brought to her by one of the staff.
“I know I try and be as American as possible, but I do love a cup of English Tea.”
“I just wanted to thank you for letting us stay. I loved last night.”
“Not a problem, I love having the family to stay. I only wish you could stay longer.” She sipped at her tea. “I think this is what you came for.” She indicated her star-shaped necklace which was hanging around her neck. It was identical to all the others except that it had a pink diamond on the front. She put down her tea cup, took it from around her neck and laid it on the table in front of Anais.
“I can’t believe it is hollow. I would never have guessed. How are things going at home? I heard about James. What’s he like? I remember him from all those years ago. It’s really creepy that Jago is still out there. How is everyone?”
Anais laughed at the barrage of questions, not sure which to answer first.
“We are all scared, James included. His daughter Sabine was kidnapped just before we caught him, probably to keep him quiet, but it backfired as we had already found him. I suppose it means that Jago was worried that we would rumble his cover. Alex thinks Jago is a normal human who happened to find out about us, but none of us can figure out how.”
“It certainly is strange. I do worry about you all over there, trapped in that big old house. I never really liked it. I much prefer it over here. It’s warmer for a start,” she grinned. “I’ve lost count of the times that I’ve invited the whole family over here to live. I have the space. I wish I’d tried harder to persuade everyone. At least I know Mummy and Daddy are safe on their boat. It only seems to be the lot of you in The Manor that are having trouble. Jago has never contacted me at all. I suppose it’s because I wouldn’t have a clue how to brew an elixir of eternal life. I tell you what, I’d make a billion if I could. Everyone in Vegas is after money and youth.”
Anais tried to keep up with Audsley’s train of thought and realising that she’d not asked a question this time and so required no response, she instead picked up the pendant and put it around her own neck.
“We have a number of problems to deal with. We have to find Sabine, obviously. James is beside himself with worry. Then, of course we are still short a couple of the pendants. Amber and Abel have the last two, and they haven’t been seen for a hundred years. Finally, Rafe has gone to Kenya to be with Judith, which will absolutely crucify Andrew should he ever find out. Goodness knows where we will be if that happens. He’s been locked in his room ever since Judith left, and Alex has had to sort out the security by himself.”
Audsley looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure I can help you in regards to Sabine or Rafe, but I may be able to help you with Amber and Abel.”
“Really? Do you know where they are?”
“Not where they are, no, but I do know where they were. When they first left, Winnie was beside herself. She and Amber had been best friends for years. She may seem strong now, but she totally went to pieces at that time. About two months after they had gone, Winnie received a letter. I recognised Amber’s handwriting. You have to know that we were all very angry with Amber and Abel for leaving in the middle of the night. I’m ashamed at what I did, but I read the letter then threw it in the fire. Winnie never knew it had been sent.”
“What did it say?”
“I don’t remember much of it, but it said something about a big secret that she was scared to tell Winnie and that she had to leave rather than reveal it. She said she’d made a mistake and wanted to tell Winn
ie everything. She gave an address. I don’t remember the full address, but I know it was in Cairo.”
“Egypt?” Anais suddenly felt hopeful. “Winnie told me that Amber had always wanted to visit Egypt.”
“Of course, that was a hundred years ago. I don’t know if they are still there. I saw no more letters.”
“It’s a start!” She stood up and hugged Audsley. “Thank you!”
“Don’t mention it” laughed Audsley. “Look, Alex mentioned that you are going home tomorrow. You can’t come all this way and not see The Strip. I’m taking you and Alex on a night out to end all others.”
Four hours later, Anais found herself back in the pink Limo, glass of champagne in hand, gazing at the magnificent hotels on the strip. She’d never seen anything like it, themed hotels in all shapes and sizes: fairy-tale castles connected by moving walkways to ancient Rome, scale replicas of the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower and the canals of Venice stood alongside modern-day fast food outlets and tacky souvenir shops, all full of hundreds of thousands of tourists.
Rafe’s cane had been dispensed of for the first time and was now propped up against the bed back at the ranch. Anais’ leg felt achy, but her walking was improving with each step. The champagne she had been given was also helping the achiness.
Anais was already beginning to feel tipsy by the time they were dropped off at a hotel with two life-sized pirate ships where actors were playing out a carefully choreographed swashbuckling fight scene complete with cannons.
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