Escaping Vegas (The Inheritance Book 1) (21 page)

“I would have pegged you as prom queen, no problem. Were you a total nerd in high school, or what?” He couldn’t stop chuckling over the idea of a prom date list.

“Nerds need love, too,” she said in a simpering voice.

He laughed. “Yes, they do. A certain nerd in particular will get even
more
love later on tonight.”

Covering an amused noise with her napkin, she changed the subject. “Seriously, you didn’t have to do all this. But I love it.” She made a vague gesture to the flowers, the food. The outfits.

“I know I didn’t. I wanted to. Besides, I figured you were about ready to crawl out of your skin without a new change of clothes. I sent your other ones down to be cleaned.”

“You know me well for such a short acquaintance. Every time I get near my duffel bag, we wind up on the run or something, and I’m stuck without anything.” She ate the olive, then sipped the wine.

“Tomorrow, after the exchange, we’ll make sure we get you your things.” He ate almost everything on his plate, enjoying the comfortable atmosphere. He didn’t rush and didn’t rush her. Dinner—lemon chicken and steamed vegetables—went over well. Cole found himself distracted often by Madalina while she ate, with her peculiar habit of cutting everything into tiny bites, and the small sips that left a vague imprint of her lips on the glass, as red as the wine within. The companionable silence, broken only by the tink and clank of utensils on fine china, was a welcome respite from the conversation he knew they needed to have. In the aftermath of the meal, he could avoid it no longer.

“All right. So here’s how tomorrow will go down. I’m going to meet the Chinese agents at the Summer Festival—”

“Are you positive that’s the best place? There will be hundreds and hundreds of people there.” Madalina frowned.

“That’s the point. I
want
a lot of people around.”

“So the men don’t try to make a move on you?”

“Yes. Before, they’ve had the element of surprise. This time, I’ll be able to get someone’s attention immediately if I need to. Anyway, I’ll make the exchange near the funhouse at four o’clock, and then I’ll wait until they depart before leaving myself. I wanted you to know the timeline so you won’t worry.” Cole resisted an urge to reach over and drag a thumb across Madalina’s appealing mouth. Addicted to the supple softness, he dredged up memories that threatened to distract him from the topic at hand.

“Cole?”

“Hmm?” He jerked himself out of his own thoughts, inwardly amused that she had such an effect on him. The dark layers of her hair fell loose around her face, a mane of black that had felt silky and slinky every time he’d run his fingers through it. Her eyes, though. He got lost in the pale blue color, happy to drown in her effortless sex appeal. Sex appeal she didn’t realize she had.

“You’re not listening to a thing I’m saying.” Madalina snapped her fingers in front of his face.

“Yes, I am.” He lied.

“Then what did I just say?” She crossed her arms over her chest, lips twitching at the corners like she was trying to suppress a smile.

“That you, uh, wanted to, er . . .” Cole cut his lame reply off when she laughed. She sounded delighted instead of angry, teeth shining behind her smile.
Get your damn mind out of the gutter, man. There’s business to deal with.
“Yes. Tomorrow. Anyway. I think we should stay here another two days, just to let the whole thing blow over. Then, if you’re up for it, we can make a trip to your house. I know you’re anxious to get in there and see what, if anything, you can salvage.”

“I’ll do whatever you think is best.” Madalina paused, then said, “The house is going to take a lot of work.”

“Yes, it is going to take a lot of work. I’ll help you with it.”

“Really?” She cocked her head inquisitively.

Cole realized that she wasn’t sure what would happen to
them
once they were free to come and go as they pleased. He hadn’t made specific plans beyond helping her get her house in order, and seeing her life returned to something approaching normal. “Yes, really. I’ll find a place to rent close by, maybe, since it’ll take a few weeks at least to clean everything up, fix the holes in the wall, and repaint.”

Madalina toyed with the napkin, folding and bending a corner in repetitive motions. Cole tried to gauge her mood, her reaction. She seemed curious, pensive, contemplative. The last few days had been almost blissful; reality was about to set back in, and he sensed she wasn’t sure what to do. Or say.

“What? Is that not all right with you?” he finally asked.

“No, it’s great. I wasn’t expecting you to . . . stay . . . and help, I mean.”

“Or you just weren’t expecting me to stay at all.” He based his guess on Madalina’s somewhat stammering reply.

“We’re kind of playing things by ear right now. I honestly don’t know what to expect about any of it. But I’m glad you’re going to be here while I get my life back in order.”

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he said, and that was the truth.

“What about work? What will you do now?”

“You mean do I have any jobs coming up? I’m still on tap with my collector to find the other three dragons, but right now, I have no good leads. Other than that, I’m considering two different contracts but haven’t accepted them yet.” Cole took the jobs he was interested in, depending on where he had to travel, how long he would be gone, and the level of danger. The dragon collector task was an ongoing case; if and when he could find one, then he would get it.

Or not, he reminded himself, since he was all but allowing the Treasure Dragon to slip through his fingers. He hadn’t planned to care so much about the owner of the dragon, either, which made all the difference.

“And if you
do
find another dragon, what will you do with it?” Madalina asked.

“Sell it to the collector.”

“Not try to see if the agents will pay you more for it?”

“As far as I can tell, they believe that the dragons inherently belong in China. Which means they won’t want to pay millions to have it back in their possession. Besides, it’s always tricky when you’re dealing with people who are willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want. The collector covets the dragons. He’s dependable, predictable, and good for the money. There’s a passion to have the final four, but he wouldn’t kill for it. I can’t say the same for the agents. Maybe I’m judging them too harshly, but they
were
going to try to run us off the road and had no problem chasing us down several times. So no, I won’t play the
pay me more money
game. Two million per dragon is plenty.”

“I’m relieved you won’t have to deal with the agents after this. You or me or any of us. I won’t know how to feel to be able to just live my life again,” she finally said after a brief hesitation.

“You’ll get used to it quickly. We’ll be busy dealing with your house, not to mention my first visit to your shop. That should distract you pretty good.”

“You want to visit the store?” Madalina looked surprised.

“Of course.” He smiled at the pleased flush on her cheeks. “I’m sure I’ll have a few suggestions on how to improve business.”

She balled up a spare napkin and tossed it at him. It bounced off his shoulder. “I’m sure you will.”

Chuckling, he got to his feet. “I almost forgot. There’s one more thing . . .”

“Dessert? I’m not sure I can eat anything else. Dinner was excellent, by the way,” she said.

He picked up a medium-size box from the counter and walked it back to the table. Setting it to the side of her plate, he sank into the seat and gestured for her to open it. Nestled inside, on a bed of brown velvet, the dragon replica waited for discovery.

“What’s this?” she asked, eyeballing the box almost warily.

“Open it and find out.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s not going to jump out at you or anything,” he said with a laugh. “I promise it’s not booby-trapped.”

“It better not be,” she said, a clear warning in her voice. Picking up the mahogany box, she lifted the lid and drew in a slow breath of surprise. “But . . .”

“That’s not the real one. That’s a duplicate I had made. I realize it won’t have the sentimental value of the real one, but it’ll be a reminder of what your grandfather left you.” He watched her expression carefully, searching for any sign of distress or displeasure. All he saw was a sweet kind of gratitude.

“I have few things of sentimental value left from him—and I’m not sure any of it survived the damage to my house. When he traveled, he traveled light. A backpack, usually. When he did visit, he always brought me some little token from distant lands. A polished stone from New Guinea, a lion’s whisker from Africa, a postage stamp from Paris. He always told me a story about each item, which was my favorite part. My grandfather had a vivid imagination. I don’t recall any stories about a dragon, though.”

“Did he ever mention a trip to China?”

Madalina’s gaze went distant on a far wall. One finger tapped against the lid of the box. “I don’t remember. There isn’t a mini-gift from there, though. No story. Maybe the dragon was supposed to be it, and he just forgot to tell me the tale.”

“It’s unfortunate that he passed before telling someone about it. I really do hope the other little things he gave you survived.”

“Either way, this is very thoughtful of you. At least I have a memento, something to remind me. I don’t know when you had time, but thank you.” She stood from the seat.

Cole, anticipating her reaction, rose to his feet as well. He accepted her into a warm embrace, brushing a kiss to her temple. “You’re welcome. Thank
you
for letting the other one go.”

“It’ll cost you.” She tilted her face back, mischief gleaming in her eyes.

“I’m afraid to ask what.”

“A dance. You
do
dance, don’t you? We’ll have our own impromptu little prom.”

He laughed. “I do dance, although I’m not sure that’s the definition everyone else would give it.”

“I promise not to make fun of your two left feet. Come on. Let’s find some music.”

Cole couldn’t say no.

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
-N
INE

M
adalina opened her eyes to a stream of early afternoon sunlight. Squinting against the brightness, she stretched, clutching a sheet against her chest. Sleeping this late was unusual; normally she was at the boutique unpacking new merchandise, helping customers, or doing the books. Then again, she and Cole hadn’t gone to sleep until the wee hours. When she remembered that today was the day Cole returned the dragon, she flipped back the covers, sat up, and experienced an uncomfortable jolt when she found his side of the bed empty. For a horrible moment, she thought he’d left without saying good-bye.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Cole said, striding out of the bathroom followed by a blast of roiling steam. Pushing hair away from her face, she glanced his way. A cream-colored towel wrapped his strong hips, although it couldn’t hide the more obvious parts of his masculinity. He raked a hand back through the wet length of his dark hair, the muscles of his arm and abdomen flexing with the gesture.

She released a pent-up breath. He’d just been in the shower. “For a second there, I thought you’d left without saying good-bye.”

“Next time, I’ll just wake you up with a kiss. Then you’ll know where I am and what I’m doing.” He winked and turned to find clothes that he’d laid out before his shower.

“I’ll hold you to it, although we might end up doing more than kissing,” she dared to say. The rest of the tension evaporated in the easygoing flow of their banter.

“We might.” He shot a rakish, unrepentant grin over his shoulder. Cole made short work of drying the rest of his body and changing into a fresh pair of jeans and a black button-down shirt that hugged his shoulders. “I ordered room service, too. It should be here shortly.”

“That’s perfect. As long as it’s not hot dogs.” Madalina threw the covers back and climbed out of bed.

“Not a fan?”

“I loathe hot dogs,” she confessed with a shudder. Madalina wasn’t unaware of the possessive way Cole watched her cross to the bathroom. A tingle spread over her skin, followed by goose bumps.

“How un-American,” he chided, sounding amused. “Any other food you don’t like that I should know about?” He tracked her to the bathroom doorway.

“Mushrooms, spicy potato chips, egg rolls, and most types of freshwater fish.” She made a face; he laughed.

“Maybe I should make a list,” he snorted, pulling on a snakeskin boot.

“When I get out of the shower, you can tell me what kinds of things
you
don’t like to eat,” she challenged. Everyone had
something
that went on an unfavorite list. Cole’s eyes drifted down her body, lower, lower, until Madalina felt heat flush her skin.

“I’d rather tell you what things are my favorite. We can start with—”

Madalina fled inside the bathroom and closed the door. If he finished his thought, she’d never make it to the shower, and lunch would be postponed another hour or two. Listening to the bellow of laughter from the other room, she flipped on the shower and stepped beneath the spray.

After the shower, Madalina dressed in newly cleaned jeans and a plain green shirt. She attacked a quick lunch of deli sandwiches with pickle spears, while Cole readied for the meeting with the agents. His demeanor had completely changed. He was all business as he tucked a smaller gun into his boot and another into the back waistband of his pants. He’d eaten while she was showering and was now studying a map of the area near the festival on his phone. Knowing he was heading into possible danger, Madalina experienced her first pang of real fear. It had been easy to get swept away these last two days in his presence, and put the agents out of her mind. There wasn’t any way around what he had to do now, no way to avoid the upcoming meeting. Although she had faith in his abilities, she couldn’t help but worry that the agents might have an unexpected trick up their sleeves. Attempting to predict what someone would do in situations like these was difficult, she’d learned.

A sudden knock at the door set her on edge. They weren’t expecting company. She darted a look at Cole, who stepped over to let a man in after a quick glance through the peephole.

Attired in khakis and a faded, teal-blue T-shirt, the man was only an inch or two shorter than Cole, with a similar build. He had tawny hair with honey-colored streaks, as if he spent considerable time in the sun. Madalina guessed him to be a year or two younger than Cole, no more.

“Madalina, this is my brother Brandon. Brandon, Madalina,” Cole said as he closed the door.

Surprised, Madalina held out her hand to exchange a shake with Brandon, who smiled broadly during the introduction. She said, “Nice to meet you, Brandon.”

“You, too, Madalina. Looks like I’ll be staying here with you while Cole makes the trade,” Brandon said.

Madalina shot Cole a questioning glance. This was the first she’d heard of it.

Cole inclined his head. “He’ll be here until I get back. He’s more than capable of keeping you safe, just in case the agents send out another group to intercept you while I’m distracted. I don’t expect it—but I’d rather know you’ve got backup.”

“Shouldn’t he go with you, though? Won’t you need the backup there more than I do here?” she asked. Cole was the one going face-to-face with the agents.

“See, that’s what Thaddeus and I said, too,” Brandon interjected. “We could have had another brother come out to go with you, Cole.”

Cole waved off the idea. “I’ll be fine. Just watch yourselves here. As I told you both already, I should only be gone an hour or so—unless I get caught in another round of god-awful traffic. I’ll call if that happens.”

“If you’re not back in an hour and a half and I don’t hear something from you by then, I’m coming to the fairgrounds,” Brandon said. He withdrew a gun from his back waistband and went through a cursory check of the magazine and safety before tucking it away again.

“All right. You two be good.” Cole clasped his brother’s hand and bumped shoulders in a manly kind of half-hug.

Madalina observed the brothers with no small amount of intrigue. Somehow, meeting Brandon and seeing their close interaction made Cole’s backstory all the more real. When Cole came for her, Madalina hugged him tight and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Please be careful,” she whispered near his ear.

“I will. Don’t worry.” Cole tightened his hold, kissed her brow, and released her. His gaze lingered for a few seconds longer before he picked up a box sitting on the counter and exited the room.

“So, while we’re waiting, why don’t you tell me the story from the start? I’ve heard an abbreviated version,” Brandon said. He examined the room while he talked, as if mapping the layout in his mind.

Madalina suspected that Brandon not only wanted to know the whole story, but also wanted to distract her from Cole’s absence.

She didn’t mind explaining the details one more time.