Chapter Two
Gabriel
Jesus Christ. Yeah, that little tad of blasphemy summed it up. What had I done? God knows I didn’t mean to. Luna was a good girl and deserved better: that’s for sure.
I found the menu and dialed downstairs. Hoping she was hungry, I ordered her something hearty. When that good deed was done, I plopped down on the couch and raked my fingers through my hair. She should be out of the shower by the time the food came, and she needed to get something in that little tummy of hers.
I remembered the taut flesh there as she’d lifted up her shirt for body shots. I remembered my mouth on her, my tongue trailing down to her navel, and the way she’d let it all go. I’d never seen her so alive and happy, not in all the years I’d know her. But last night, man oh man she was a real sparkplug of fun.
It was as if someone flipped a switch and she had been taken over by a real party girl. Who knew a little alcohol could shoot life into someone like her? Not that she was a bore, by far, but I’d never even heard her utter a cuss word or lose her composure before, much less dance on the bar and do body shots with strangers.
Thinking about her made my cock respond, and I adjusted myself accordingly. Her warm lips on mine had been amazing. The perfect shape of them, the pouty, full bottom lip I’d sucked into my mouth, and the supple, yet defined Cupid’s bow I’d licked, both tasted divine.
But when we’d returned to the room, and she was suddenly so out of it, as if the alcohol caught up with her the moment she sat down at the foot of the bed, and I knew I couldn’t take advantage of her. No matter how much she was saying she wanted it before she passed out.
God, the things she’d said. I could only imagine her embarrassment when she found out, and it was probably much more than mine, considering all that had happened. We had a lot to talk about and the least I could do was see to it she had a decent meal and felt better before we did.
My other concern was how much she remembered; I had a feeling most of the night was a blur. No, she’d emerge from that bathroom this time with questions and expect me to have all the answers. I wasn’t giving anything up unless directly asked, though. The less she knew, the better, at least for a while.
I’d have to get things sorted from his mess. With her being my assistant, it made it all worse and I knew I might have to hire someone else. She’d never want to work with me again, much less for me. Nope, I’d fucked things up good and proper.
My cell phone rang and I peeked at the screen, seeing my sister-in-law Sandra’s name again. God, the woman was too much. You’d think she was my wife with the way she carried on after me, and I’d have to have another talk with her about that when I got home.
That and the way her son, Harbor, had been acting. The kid was getting out of control, and at twenty, it was time to stop acting out and be a man. Despite all his drama, he reminded me of my brother Robert at that age, though he’d been much easier to talk to.
As the hotel phone rang, I suddenly felt very popular. It was probably the kitchen telling me they were out of something again. The last time it had been cheese. Who the hell runs out of cheese? I grabbed the phone and put it to my ear. “Talk to me.”
Before anyone answered, there was a knock on the door. I heard the line go dead as there was another sharper knock. I hung up the phone and crossed the room to the door. Through the peephole, I could make out a man and woman who stood looking very impatient. “Who is it?”
“Detectives Hatcher and Schaffer, Las Vegas P.D.”
I opened the door to see their badges flash in front of my face. The man, Detective Hank Hatcher, appeared to be in his fifties. His graying hair and tired blue eyes dulled behind his forced smile. The other badge belonged to Detective Carla Schaffer who, unlike her partner, hadn’t attempted to force any sort of welcome.
“How may I help you?” I asked them.
The woman was a brown-eyed beauty, but too intimidating to throw such a compliment to. She looked tougher than the man she accompanied and a tad younger, too. She straightened her back and lifted her chin. “We’re here in the hotel investigating a crime. We’re asking the guests if they saw anything suspicious.”
I shook my head. “No, ma’am. I was a tad busy last night and slightly drunk at that. If I recall anything later, I’ll let you know.”
Hatcher put his hand on the door, and I didn’t think he’d let me close it if I tried. “You mind if we step inside?”
“Not a problem for me.” I stepped aside, thinking the two maybe wanted to check out the suite. People were funny about that kind of thing, but not these two as it turned out: they were all business. The man turned to face me. “Where were you last night?”
“I gave a speech in the Serendipity Hotel for my company and then headed over to the casino for a bit of a celebration.”
“Were you alone or accompanied?” The woman’s question came as fast as a one-two punch.
“I was with my assistant.” The two looked at each other as the man’s phone went off, playing “O Fortuna.” Detective Schaffer rolled her eyes as if she hated the piece, and I had to admit after seeing The Omen, so did I. I briefly wondered what it said about the person on the other end that it represented.
Detective Hatcher palmed the device and turned his head to mumble something to whoever called. Schaffer stepped around the room, and I suddenly had the strange feeling something was terribly wrong. My fears were confirmed when the man turned around and stuffed his phone in his pocket. “Do you know two women by the names of Cindy Clarke and Stacey Boyd?”
The names were immediately familiar, and I wondered what my two exes had gotten into. I’d seen Cindy the night before, when Luna and I were partying with some of the event goers in the casino. She’d come up to me and leaned in, brushing her lips to my ear as she whispered hello. Then she’d given Luna a cutting glance and strolled away. I hadn’t seen her since.
She and Stacey didn’t even know each other, but had obviously plotted something up to come out against me. The two could never claim rape or any other sexual misconduct because everything had been more than consensual and it was public knowledge I’d dated the two women. It wasn’t like I’d even had them at the same time or anything. I didn’t have a habit of cheating and certainly not between those two women.
How they even knew one another puzzled me, unless Stacey had heard about me dating Cindy and called her up. I couldn’t imagine what the two would have to talk about, and Cindy didn’t seem like the type to deal with Stacey’s immaturity.
Cindy had been the more recent of the two relationships, and she and I dated for three months before I’d learned that she had a habit of sleeping with wealthy men in hopes of getting knocked up.
Stacey had been a good girl in the beginning, but got too hung up on jealousy. I’d dated her a good year before Cindy, and it had been months since I’d seen either one – not counting the encounter the night before.
My head bobbed up and down almost robotically as my heart started to pound. “Yes, I know them both.” A million things went through my mind as to what could have happened. Surely they were okay. Surely nothing had happened to them. It wasn’t normal for investigators to come in and ask about people unless something awful happened to them. No, I was in a panic. Nothing had happened to them.
But part of me could imagine they’d both die before doing something to hurt me, unless they were teaming up to go after my money. People did shitty things for money, even people who were supposed to be your friends, and most certainly family.
Detective Hatcher’s eyes narrowed. “When was the last time you saw them?”
I shook my head as I tried to remember the exact time I saw Stacey, but came up short. “I haven’t seen Stacey in at least eight months, but I saw Cindy just last night in the casino. She came up to say hello and that was it. She disappeared into the crowd, and I haven’t seen her since.”
“How did you know them?” the woman asked, sounding a bit like she already knew the answer to that question.
“I used to have a relationship with them, but not at the same time, of course. I dated Stacey first and then Cindy.”
Detective Hatcher looked over at his partner. “That’s all I needed to hear. I’m afraid we need to take you in for further questioning.” The man’s arm locked on my bicep and I stumbled, my knees trying to give out with the excitement.
My jaw went slack and I felt as if all the wind was knocked out of me. “What’s this about? What kind of crime are you investigating?” I had the urge to pull away from the man, but I didn’t want to look as though I was resisting. No, nothing good could come from putting up a fight.
“Can I at least get my shoes?” I motioned across the room and Hatcher gestured for Schaffer to grab them. She walked across the room, found them, and brought them to me, allowing me to shove my feet down into them. I supposed a pair of socks was too much to ask for. I was suddenly thankful I’d put on pants and a shirt, though the thing was barely buttoned.
I could hear the shower in the distance, but they thought nothing of it. I needed to get Luna’s attention but hesitated. Should I get her involved? She could help me, and I’d have her get my lawyer much faster. “I need to talk to my assistant.”
They weren’t listening. Instead, they acted like they hadn’t heard me.
Schaffer went to the door and turned around as Detective Hatcher led me into the hall. “We’ll need your full cooperation, Mr. Grant. You’re being questioned in the investigation of the murders of both Cindy Clarke and Stacey Boyd. You’ll be allowed to call your lawyer from the station.”
My legs went out from under me. Cindy and Stacey were dead? It couldn’t be. I couldn’t accept it. They had both been so full of spark and such fighters. Despite what had happened between us, I never had any ill feelings against either of them. Both had their own flaws, but I couldn’t even fathom a world without them somewhere in it.
Hatcher dragged me along beside him to the elevator. “Please, I need to talk to my assistant! She’s in-”
Hatcher let out a long sigh, as if this sort of panic from a suspect was not only boring, but overdone. “You can call her from downtown.”
“Are you placing me under arrest?” I pulled away, my nerves getting the best of me.
“We’re taking you in for questioning, but if you keep resisting, we’ll arrest you.” I met his eyes and knew he meant business.
I didn’t fight it as I was led down to the lobby. Reporters and photographers from the press had gathered and were waiting as the elevator opened. Apparently, whatever went down, it took a while to point a finger my way. While I was upstairs regretting the night’s sins, they were gathering to see me emerge.
Worse than that, though, Cindy and Stacey had been murdered somewhere in the hotel, and even though I didn’t kill them, I couldn’t help but feel responsible.
As the first camera flashed in my eyes, I ducked my head, knowing my life was never going to be the same again. Thinking of Luna upstairs in my suite, I realized things couldn’t get any more fucked up.