Chapter Thirteen
It was always the same.
Seth and Presley had breakfast down in one of the hotel restaurants and, as usual, someone had struck up a conversation with Presley in the buffet line. The woman who looked to be in her twenties had asked Presley a question about the muffins and then they were off to the races. The young woman was here with her girlfriends on a sort of half vacation-half bachelorette party and had regaled Seth’s wife with tales from last night when they’d attended a male strip show. They’d urged Presley to go as well at her earliest opportunity.
Hell no. There was no way he was going to allow his wife to ogle a bunch of oiled-up muscle men waving their dicks in her face to loud music. At least he assumed that’s what would happen. He’d only seen that movie and even then against his wishes. Presley had dragged him there on one of their date nights. He’d spent the entire film slumped in his seat with his hand over his eyes, shoving popcorn into his mouth.
“Is it always like that?” Griffin asked later in the morning when they were all on a conference call. Seth and Presley had gone back to their room and were debating how to spend their day.
“It is,” Seth confirmed quietly, giving his wife a loving look. “You get used to it after awhile. So much for keeping a low profile. She just attracts people wherever she goes.”
“Then her new coffee shop should be a raving success. You’ll get customers from three neighboring counties,” Griffin laughed.
“I’m glad you find this amusing,” Presley sniffed, plopping down into a chair near the window so she could look out. It was a warm and sunny day. “I can’t help it, you know. I don’t control other people. As much as I’d like to.”
“How do you do it?” Dare asked. “I’m being completely serious with this question. Do you think it’s something you do or simply some vibe you put out into the universe?”
“I have no idea,” Presley sighed. “People just gravitate toward me, although I do think it’s because I’m a people person in general. If you want more people to talk to you, Dare, you could try smiling more.”
Presley had said it gently and it was clear Dare Turner hadn’t taken any offense, instead laughing at her suggestion. “I didn’t want to know how to get people to talk to me. Far from it. I wanted to know so I could make sure I didn’t do whatever it is that you’re doing. People are a pain in the ass.”
Presley grinned and laughed at their grouchy friend. “Does Rayne know you feel like this?”
“She does,” he confirmed. “And she’s given up trying to reform me. I’m a lost cause.”
“Well, I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t go out of my way to speak to strangers. They find me. It drives Seth crazy.”
Not as much as in the beginning.
“It’s not so bad. We’ve met some interesting people over the years,” Seth admitted. “It’s only when someone is trying to kill you that it’s annoying.”
“Speaking of someone trying to kill me. Shouldn’t I know what this Danny Harbaugh looks like so I can watch for him?” Presley asked. “For all I know he was the guy at the waffle station who asked me if I knew if it was going to rain today.”
“What did you say?” Tanner asked.
“That I didn’t know for sure, but we’re in the desert so odds were no.”
Seth had been standing right there, too. Presley was gorgeous but she didn’t usually realize when men were hitting on her.
Wanting to smack himself in the forehead, Seth scrolled through his phone. She was absolutely right and he should have thought of it without her having to ask. He flipped the screen so it was facing Presley. “This is Harbaugh. Does he look familiar?”
She squinted at the screen and then reached for the phone to take a closer look. Studying the photo, she finally shook her head. “Not even remotely, but if he’s such a smart criminal then wouldn’t he wear a disguise? Change his hair color? Grow a beard? Maybe wear glasses?”
“He’s no mastermind. He got caught,” Griffin replied.
“But he managed to pull off several bank robberies before doing so,” Tanner pointed out. “He might think about altering his appearance but then you and Seth could do that too.”
Last time they’d gone through this Presley had changed her hair color and style but Seth was hopeful that they didn’t have to go to that extreme.
They continued chatting about plans for the day, Seth and Presley keeping a vigilant eye out for anything that didn’t look quite right if they ever managed to leave the hotel. To Seth’s relief nothing seemed amiss this morning and he didn’t have that crawling feeling on the back of his neck that they were being watched. Sneaking out of town might just have worked.
Dare quietly cursed on the other end of the line. “I just got a text and I think you all need to hear this. Danny Harbaugh is dead. His body was identified in a meth lab explosion outside of Bozeman.”
* * * *
Presley wanted to believe what Dare was saying but it seemed too good to be true. She didn’t much like the fact that she was relieved that another human being was dead, but when that same human being had been hunting her down she was going to give herself a pass. She would rather that he’d been captured and returned to jail but his decisions in life had put him on another path. He hadn’t been at a meth lab to sell encyclopedias.
“They’re sure it’s him?” Presley pressed. “I mean, if it was an explosion, how are they sure?”
Apparently Dare had a second phone to his other ear trying to get the details while she peppered him with questions and he was being quite patient about it. If this was true it was a huge relief. Ben and Lulu were safe and so were she and Seth. Her little family was going to be fine.
“Okay,” Dare came back on the line. “I have some more information. There was an explosion and it’s early yet but the cops think it was an accident, not intentional. They were able to quickly identify Harbaugh because not only did he have a wallet in the back pocket of his pants, the body that they recovered had a very distinctive tattoo on his chest that wasn’t completely destroyed in the explosion so I don’t think there’s any doubt here. Harbaugh is dead.”
Everyone was quiet as they absorbed the news.
“So it’s over,” Tanner finally said. “Looks like you can enjoy your second honeymoon after all.”
The call ended shortly after with effusive thanks from both her and Seth. These men were true friends and Presley promised to have them all over for dinner very soon along with their wives. She wanted to show her appreciation for all they had done, although cooking them a meal seemed like such a small thing in return. How do you thank someone for dropping everything and protecting you and your children?
Restless, Presley slid off of the couch and walked over to the window where she could see the bustling streets below. “What do we do now?”
A slow smile slid across Seth’s face and his eyebrows waggled up and down.
“Vegas, baby.”
* * * *
The slot machines were being kind to Presley. She’d managed to stay even or a little ahead today. Nothing big. She wouldn’t be retiring anytime soon but she might be able to afford a steak dinner out with her husband tonight.
On their second honeymoon. A real one now that she could relax and enjoy herself. She’d talked to her in-laws and the children already, not revealing that they’d been under the protection of a couple of bodyguards. They were having a great time and she’d loved the kisses Ben and Lulu had given the computer screen.
“You have the best luck. I think I’ll let you do all the gambling today.”
Poor Seth was having a rough time. He hadn’t gambled much but when he had he’d lost. He’d made a joke about being lucky in love but she could tell when he was frustrated. If he wasn’t having any fun, she wasn’t either. She didn’t honestly care about the slot machines, She just wanted to spend time with him.
“We can go on up to the room if you want. I wouldn’t mind a nap or we could just laze around and read or watch television.”
Or the two of them could try out that jetted tub again.
“Are you not having a good time?”
He was so worried about her, he’d forgotten that this was his honeymoon, too.
“I don’t think you’re having a good time. Seriously, let’s go back to the room. Peace, quiet, and sleep sounds like a vacation to me. Maybe your luck will be better later.”
His brows pinched together. “I wanted you to have fun.”
“I always have fun with you.” He hesitated as if he wasn’t sure she was serious. “It’s fine. We can order room service. You know how I love to do that.”
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “You do enjoy that. Okay, let’s head on up.”
“I might take a bath too.”
Now she had Seth’s full attention. His arm around her waist tightened and he leaned down to press a kiss to her temple.
I love that bathtub. They can bury me in it. In about sixty years.
“The peace and quiet is lovely,” she said as they strolled hand in hand through the casino and toward the elevators. “This is going to sound crazy but I miss the noise and mayhem.”
Like last week when Ben had fed his grilled cheese sandwich to Fergus and the poor dog didn’t poop for two days. Presley had called the vet in a panic after she’d realized he’d eaten the whole thing but the doctor had assured her that Fergus would be fine. Then the kindly older man had regaled her with a tale about how his own dog had somehow managed to get the refrigerator door open and wolfed down most of their leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner.
Chuckling, Seth pressed the elevator button. “I miss them too, honey, but I know they’re having the time of their lives and being spoiled rotten by my parents.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
It was going to be difficult to get the kids to follow rules after a few weeks of being without them.
The entered the elevator and the doors began to close when another man, breathing hard, managed to slide in at the last minute. Brown-haired with glasses, the man flashed a smile their way and pressed his floor button.
“Whew, barely made it,” he said, wiping at his brow. “Having any luck today?”
Clearly Seth didn’t like being trapped in a small box with an unknown person. This was his lawman persona and it didn’t matter that no one was trying to kill her anymore. This was all about his cop instincts. He was a cynical bastard and saw ax murderers behind every ficus plant.
Seth probably didn’t even realize what he was doing as he crowded her so she was placed behind him in the corner of the elevator. He was in protector mode and she’d do well to let him do whatever he felt he needed to do, because she knew from experience there wasn’t any way to talk him out of it. If he even admitted to the behavior.
“We’re doing fine,” Seth said curtly after a long pause. The tone in which he’d answered didn’t invite further conversation and Presley hoped that the man received the message.
Sadly, he didn’t. “Can’t get over this dry weather. I’m from Florida. Tampa, actually. Ever been there? Humid as the devil’s armpit.”
Seth’s reply was to push her tighter into the corner so all she could see was his wide back. The other guy could have been brandishing a weapon and she wouldn’t know.
But…she had to admit that it was weird that the stranger had brought up Tampa, her former home. Was it one of those strange coincidences?
“No,” Seth answered again, this time almost growling the reply. Luckily, he didn’t have to say any more as the car came to a stop and the doors slid open.
“You folks have a great day,” the man said cheerily, exiting the elevator. “Enjoy your stay.”
The doors closed and Seth stepped forward to press the button for their floor several times as if to make the car go faster. A muscle jumped in his jaw. No elevator ride had ever been longer than the two floors to their room.
“What the fuck was that?” she asked in exasperation as he pressed the key card against the sensor of their door.
Seth stomped over to the wet bar and pulled out a bottle of water. “I don’t know. Don’t you think that was weird?”
Presley wrapped her arms around Seth, placing her head on his chest. This whole Danny Harbaugh situation had taken its toll on her husband. Even now when they were safe he couldn’t seem to relax. Maybe he was having as hard a time believing it as she was. They’d been at a thousand percent stress and then suddenly…nothing. The threat was gone and life was normal again. They needed to give themselves time to get used to the news.
“It was probably just some friendly tourist. That’s all. We’ve been paranoid as hell on this trip and it’s made us crazy and suspicious.”
Seth was shaking his head. “He mentioned Tampa…”
“The Tampa Bay area has about a half million people in it. One or two of them might have decided to come to Vegas on vacation this weekend.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Seth’s expression was anything but happy. “I’m overreacting, aren’t I? It’s just…”
“I know,” she said. “I’m having trouble adjusting too. A few hours ago, we thought we were being hunted down and now we’re supposed to just go have fun and pretend it didn’t happen. Maybe we should just cut ourselves some slack and have a long soak in that bathtub.”
She didn’t need casinos and neon lights to have a great vacation. She only needed Seth.
And a nap. And maybe that jetted tub. And room service.