by Cat Schield
“Why not? No reason to draw things out when it’s so obvious that you blame me for Madison heading to L.A. I realize now that I’m always going to be doing something you disapprove of. And I need someone who has faith in me.” She was trying to sound calm, but he could hear the emotion in her tone.
She stopped speaking and offered him a chance to respond. The violent rush of blood through his veins made his ears ring. She was giving him an opportunity to take back his accusations and abandon his disapproval of her past. Her silence pulled at him, but he couldn’t form the words she wanted to hear.
“I have to go,” Scarlett said. “I’ve got something important waiting for me. I’ll call you if I hear from Bobby or Madison. Goodbye, Logan.”
And then she was gone, leaving him to curse that he’d treated her badly when all she wanted to do was help. And thanks to his stubbornness, he’d lost her.
Overwhelmed by a whole new set of worries, Logan sat down at his kitchen table and tried to push his conversation with Scarlett out of his mind. First things first. He had to find Madison before she got into trouble.
Once that was accomplished, he could figure out what to do about Scarlett.
* * *
Unsure how she’d gone from walking on clouds this morning to trudging through mud this evening, Scarlett turned back to the photos Grady had uncovered. She’d sent the man home to shower, eat and sleep an hour ago. He hadn’t gone without protest. Grady’s passion for Las Vegas history was boundless. It’s why she’d hired him to develop her Mob Experience exhibit. Days of sifting through Tiberius’s files had yielded many things of interest, but little that Grady didn’t already know. This recent discovery was something completely new and not wholly related to Las Vegas.
She should drop it. Preston Rhodes was not the sort of man you accused of criminal activities without a whole lot of solid evidence. And she had none.
Scarlett slipped everything into the folder marked George Barnes. A business card had been stapled to the manila file. It belonged to an L.A. reporter by the name of Charity Rimes. On a whim, Scarlett pocketed the card. Just because Tiberius’s killer had been caught didn’t mean she had to drop the mystery of Preston Rhodes and George Barnes.
After that, Scarlett left the storage room. Her fight with Logan moved to the forefront of her mind as she walked to her car. What was she thinking to push him away like she had? Sure, he’d taken his frustration out on her, but it wasn’t the first time. Now, thanks to her impulsiveness, it would probably be the last. What had she done?
But she couldn’t just blame herself. It stung that he continued to throw her lack of a formal education in her face. Granted, a business degree would have helped her when she’d first taken over Fontaine Richesse, but she’d always been a quick study and had mastered her responsibilities faster than anyone expected.
Why couldn’t he appreciate that she was better at thinking outside the box than either of her sisters? Street smarts had to count for something. She understood how people’s greedy nature could get the best of them and made sure her marketing appealed to their desire for fun and profit. Granted, she might not pull in Violet’s younger sophisticated crowd or Harper’s überwealthy clientele, but her casino was always packed and always bringing in huge profits.
On her way back to the hotel, she worried over the fact that she had too few answers and too many questions. Madison. Logan. Tiberius’s files. Her thoughts spun like a hamster on a wheel, going faster and faster but getting nowhere.
Instead of heading straight for Fontaine Richesse, she drove to Violet’s hotel for a liberal dose of her sister’s optimism.
She found Violet in the middle of Fontaine Chic’s casino, with her long dark hair pulled back into a smooth ponytail. Violet’s evening style was like her hotel, elegant, sleek and cosmopolitan. Dark eye shadow made her eyes pop in her pale face. Crystal chandelier earrings swung from her earlobes. Her form-hugging black dress showed off her lean lines and toned legs.
“Got a second?” Scarlett asked as she approached. “I need to talk to you. I really blew it with Logan and I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Come with me while I check on things at Baccarat.” She was referring to the stylish lobby bar that overlooked the strip. “We can sit down and you can tell me what happened.”
Scarlett settled in a quiet corner of the bar while Violet went to speak with her bartender. He seemed more animated than usual and their conversation stretched out for longer than Scarlett expected. While she waited for Violet’s return, her gaze drifted over the crowd. As usual, the young and beautiful occupied the sofas and chairs. Violet’s hotel attracted a twenty-something clientele from L.A., New York and Miami. They liked to party more than gamble, but when they did hit the casino, they spent more than a dozen of Scarlett’s customers combined.
One man stood out from the other bar patrons. With a jolt, Scarlett recognized him. JT Stone, Tiberius’s nephew. What was he doing here? Scarlett followed the direction of his gaze. Staring at Violet is what he was doing here.
“That’s JT Stone,” Scarlett said as Violet sat down on the sofa beside her. “I’m surprised he’s here.”
“He comes by most nights around this time.”
“You know he’s staring at you, right?”
“It’s just his way of telling me he’s angry because I stole Rick away.” Violet nodded toward the bartender who was whipping up one of his legendary cocktails.
“He doesn’t look angry. He looks hungry.” Scarlett paused for effect. “For you.”
Violet waved her hand dismissively. “Why don’t you tell me what happened with you and Logan.”
Despite Baccarat’s dim lighting, Scarlett spied bright color in Violet’s cheeks. But rather than torment her sister with more questions, Scarlett decided to let the matter drop. For now.
“Madison took off for L.A. and Logan blames me.” Scarlett paused as the waitress brought their drinks. Eager to see what Rick had made for them, she took a sip. It was a spicy blend of jalapeño and lime with just a hint of sweetness. “Delicious.”
Violet coughed, probably caught off guard by the punch of heat. “I’m not sure this is one of my favorites.”
“It’s definitely not for everyone.” Scarlett tasted the cocktail again.
“You two have fought before,” Violet reminded her.
“Not like this. He said things. I said things.” Scarlett felt hot tears fill her eyes. “I think I told him that I was done.”
“You think you told him?”
“I didn’t actually come right out and say that I never wanted to speak to him again.”
“What did you say exactly?”
“I think I told him I need someone who has faith in me.” She’d been so hurt that words had just poured out of her. “He makes me feel as if everything I do is wrong.”
“You two have very different ways of approaching things.” Violet patted her hand. “What did he say?”
“Nothing. I gave him a chance to tell me that he believed in me, or to tell me that not everything I do is wrong, but he didn’t say anything. So I ended the call.”
“It doesn’t sound like you two are done.”
“It sure feels that way. I can’t imagine a future with a man who can’t love me, faults and all.”
“Give him a little time to calm down. From everything you’ve said, being in charge of Madison has been really stressful for him. I’m sure he simply overreacted to her going to L.A. without warning.”
Scarlet wanted very much for Violet to be right, but wasn’t sure she could make herself believe that she was.
“Thanks for listening to me,” Scarlett said, forcing herself to smile past the ache in her throat. “Now let me give you a piece of advice. Take JT one of these.” Scarlett lifted her glass and smirked at her sister over the rim. �
��Unless, of course, you think he’s already hot enough.”
Violet scowled at her, but the burst of color was back in her cheeks. With a laugh, Scarlett finished her cocktail and bid her sister goodbye.
On her way back to Fontaine Richesse, Scarlett’s fingers itched to dial Logan’s number. She was desperate to find out if he’d heard from Madison, but decided to heed Violet’s advice to give him some space.
Scarlett returned to her office. Normally she would go down and make sure everything was running smoothly in the casino, but tonight she needed some uninterrupted time to sort through the day’s revelations.
The message light on her office phone made her heart leap. Maybe Madison had returned her call. But it was Logan who had left the message. He was heading to L.A. to find his niece. Why hadn’t he called her cell? The most obvious answer was he hadn’t wanted to talk to her.
She dropped into her desk chair with a frustrated exhale, her thoughts coming full circle. Maybe she’d been right to end things. Logan showed no sign that he’d stop treating her like a friendly enemy and start regarding her as his partner. On the other hand, the chemistry between them was explosive enough to make it worth their while to find some middle ground.
Of course, Logan’s steely determination wasn’t conducive to compromising any more than her stubborn streak made her easy to get along with. But she’d sacrificed a fabulous part in a television series in order to stay in Las Vegas and be with Logan. And he’d tracked her down at her suite to ask that she not leave town. Surely that spoke to change for both of them.
Scarlett couldn’t stop thinking that if she’d called Madison today the teenager might not have headed to L.A. Nor was she happy with the idea of sitting around and waiting for the situation to resolve itself. What she needed to do was head to L.A. and track Madison down. She’d convince the eighteen-year-old to give up acting and choose college. Logan would then see that she might make mistakes, but she could fix them, as well.
Decision made, Scarlett booked a plane ticket for the next morning and called Sandy to let her know she was going to L.A. Next, she called her second in command and put him in charge of the hotel with instructions to contact her if anything serious arose. She doubted he’d have any problems. The hotel had been running smoothly for months with only the occasional blip.
* * *
In a cab on the way to the airport, Scarlett debated calling Logan and letting him know she was coming. In the end, she decided not to give him the opportunity to say no to her help. On the other hand, he wasn’t a man who appreciated being surprised. If she found Madison and he didn’t know she was in L.A. looking, he would be angry. Her earlier reflection on their relationship determined her course of action. If she wanted Logan to consider her a partner, she needed to be open and up-front with him. Even if it went against her normal operating procedure to do so.
Not surprisingly, her call ended up in voice mail. Once she’d delivered the news that she was on her way to join him, she sat back and waited for the explosion. But when her phone rang it was Chase.
“Madison decided to take off and go to L.A.,” she explained. “I’m on my way there now. I hoped maybe you’d heard from her.”
“And here I was thinking you wanted to get together and relive old times.”
Scarlett forced her voice to relax. “I’m sure you have better things to do than that. Has Madison called you?”
“I gave her my number, but haven’t heard from her.”
“If she does call, would you let me know? We’re all worried about her.”
“Sure enough. And give me a call later if you want to get a drink.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got my hands full at the moment.”
“That Wolfe guy?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.”
“I figured the way he was mooning over you and glaring at me.” He sounded amused. “If he doesn’t treat you like you deserve, let me know. I’ll kick his ass.”
Scarlett grinned. “Thanks, Chase. You’re a pal.” She hung up just as the flight attendant announced that all electronic devices needed to be shut off and stowed. Logan hadn’t called. Anxiety stretched her nerves thin. It was going to be an agonizing hour or so until the plane landed in L.A.
Eleven
As he sat behind the wheel of his rental car glaring at the traffic clogging the 110 Freeway, Logan decided that coming to L.A. had been an impulsive, rash idea. Nothing that he’d accomplished today couldn’t have been done from the comfort of his air-conditioned office at Wolfe Security. Randolph had put him in touch with the private investigator they’d used the last time they’d tracked Madison down and he’d met with the guy an hour after touching down in L.A.
Now, he was heading back to LAX. Not to return to Las Vegas, but to meet Scarlett’s flight. When he’d left her a message last night, he’d half expected, half hoped she’d jump on a plane and come to L.A. He was damned glad she was on her way.
It was hard on a stubborn bachelor like him to realize that Scarlett’s absence hit him physically as well as psychologically. He had an ache in his gut that hadn’t subsided since she’d hung up on him yesterday afternoon. She’d only been trying to help and he’d criticized the choices she’d made in her youth. The same choices that had created the strong, sexy, sometimes vulnerable woman who gave herself to him completely in bed and kept him guessing the rest of the time.
In the past twelve hours he’d come to the realization that what had bloomed between them wasn’t just sexual. His heart ached with emotions too strong to contain and too new to voice. But he had to try.
Standing near the gate exit, Logan couldn’t ignore the churning in his stomach. He was anxious to see her. Eager to apologize for taking his frustration with Madison out on her.
And then she was sauntering in his direction. Accustomed to her vibrant energy, he wasn’t prepared for how pale and subdued she looked and hated the worry lines etched between her eyebrows. His heart thundered against his ribs as she spotted him waiting for her. Before his lips formed a hello, she held up her hand to forestall whatever he’d been about to say.
“Don’t be mad at me for coming,” she said. “I’m just as worried about Madison as you are and I know it’s my fault she’s here.”
“I was wrong to blame you. Madison is strong-willed and once she sets her mind to something, there’s no swaying her.” The need to find his niece weighed on him, but so did the damage he’d done to his relationship with Scarlett. “About our last conversation...”
She shook her head, but wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Not until we find Madison.” When he began to protest, she cut him off. “Promise me. We need to keep the focus on her.”
“Fine,” he told her, cupping her face and staring into her beautiful eyes. “But I’m not happy about it.”
“I didn’t expect you to be.” The throb in her voice gave away more than her expression. She was wary of him in a way she’d never been before.
The end to their last conversation sprang to mind and his joy in her arrival dimmed. Why did he feel as if she was only here to tie up the loose ends of their relationship so she could have a clean break with him?
Logan relieved her of the overnight bag she carried and took her free hand, gratified that she didn’t try to pull away. “The car’s parked this way.”
“Have you had any luck locating Madison?”
“No. I’ve called the boy she followed out here last spring and made contact with the private detective my brother-in-law hired once before, but no luck.”
“You should never have let me near her,” Scarlett said. “If she’d worked with either Violet or Harper she never wou
ld’ve met Bobby and been encouraged to pursue acting.”
“Maybe.” Logan drew her into the warm Los Angeles evening. “Or maybe she was playing all of us this summer and never intended to go to college in the fall.”
“But she said...” Scarlett trailed off and frowned. “If you’re right, she’s a better actress than I ever was.”
“I know that’s not true.”
Scarlett laughed. “You’ve never seen me act.”
“I’ve seen everything you’ve ever done.”
“That’s impossible.”
He felt the weight of her disbelief as he unlocked the doors on his rental car and ushered her inside. Before he closed the door, he took ahold of her gaze. “What can I say? I’m a fan.”
Shutting the door on her stunned expression offered him a moment of amusement. She had shifted sideways on the seat and was poised to get answers as soon as he slid behind the wheel.
“Since when?” she demanded as he started the car.
“I think I saw you for the first time when you starred on That’s Our Hilary.”
“Don’t tell me you watched that.”
“Not me. My sister, Paula. Her, Lucas and I used to fight over who got to watch what. We outnumbered her, but she was older by a year and always got first choice. I really learned to hate that show.” He flashed her a wicked grin. “Lucas thought you were hot.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I thought you said you were a fan.”
“You were really amazing in Sometimes Forever.”
“Do you really expect me to believe that you watched that show? It really isn’t your thing.” Her self-assurance began to slip a little, exposing her quieter, fragile core. “And there weren’t more than eight episodes. It never even made it to DVD.”
“When you first came to Las Vegas, as much as we rubbed each other the wrong way, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I found and watched everything you’d done because I had you pegged as just some woman who read lines someone else had written.” He took her hand in his and lifted her fingers to his lips. “It really bugged me that not only were you beautiful and fascinating in whatever role you played, you also brought great depth to your characters.”