Taking Flight (A Devereux Novel) (8 page)

“Yes, Gary, Evan told me you were coming to town.
I’m not so sure that’s the best idea. Have you met with Evan? So you’ve heard
his warning? I know
it sounds like bullshit, but trust me,
Gare
,
he’s onto something
.
Someone ran me off the road last night, and that doesn’t happen. I’m lucky I
didn’t die. It was off those cliffs I took you through the last time you were
here, in between the airport and my home.”

Derek loved his youngest
brother, Gary, the most out of anyone he had ever known. Maybe it was because
Gary reminded him of Mother, or maybe it was because he’d needed it growing up,
but the two had always had a tight bond. Even so, given the current
circumstances, he didn’t want Gary anywhere near him. It wasn’t safe.

“You’ve already landed at
the airport? Damn it. No, that’s fine. If you’re already here, then I won’t
turn you around and send you back. Just be careful, okay? I’m getting paranoid.
I can understand Evan’s point of view now.”

He hung up the phone and
stared at it. He normally would have been overjoyed to host his younger
brother, but with the combination of whoever was out to get him and his
courtship of Sara, it wasn’t the best timing in the world.

Sara had asked him if he
could meet so she could apologize for her reaction earlier. He’d insisted it
wasn’t a big deal, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer, so he gave her the
name of his
favorite
café.

It was a popular enough spot
for celebrities—he wasn’t too out of place. The staff did a good job of
maintaining a calm and civilized atmosphere and had a strict no camera policy
so the various stars and famous faces could meet and enjoy their lattes or chai
teas in relative peace and quiet.

It helped that the coffee
was among the best Derek had ever tasted. He let the complex
flavors
wash over his tongue, luxuriating in the delicate
interplay. It was a simple pleasure, one anyone could enjoy no matter how much
money they had in the bank or who their parents were. He wished more people
would understand that many of the best things in life came at a low cost, so
long as a person took the time to enjoy them fully.

Sara walked through the
front door and peered around for a second. Derek waved to her, but he was back
in a secluded corner, and she didn’t notice him. When she whipped out her phone
and tapped away, he rose to his feet and cut his way through the intervening tables.

“Looking for someone?”

She looked up, startled.
“Oh! I didn’t see you there! I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

“Not so much, I just got my
coffee. I would have ordered for you, but I had no idea what you would like.”
He led the way back to their table, careful to cut a respectful distance around
the other patrons.

“Oh, jeez, I don’t even
know,” she said. “It smells so wonderful in here, if they could just stick that
smell in a cup I’d be more than happy with it!”

The waitress was at their
side almost before they had even taken their seats. “Can I get you something to
drink?”

Sara mulled her options,
looking over the menu beautifully inscribed with
colorful
chalk on blackboards around the room. “Maybe a caramel macchiato? That would
just about hit the spot.”

Order taken, the young girl
bowed her head and sped away.

“So,” Derek said, “long time
no see, I suppose.”

There it was—the
magnificent blush he’d become so
enamored
with. It
spread along her cheek like a sunrise, brilliant but fleeting.

“Yes, Derek, I’m so sorry!”
she said. “I really am, I feel like an idiot for ditching you in the middle of
the park like I did earlier. That was incredibly rude of me—I’m glad you
agreed to meet me again. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you didn’t want to, you
know.”

Her earnestness was a
refreshing change. He didn’t doubt for a moment that she spoke the truth, and
that was a very rare occurrence
;
something to
treasure. The way her eyes looked at him beseechingly was impossible to treat
with a cavalier attitude.

“I won’t lie and say it was
a comfortable feeling,” he said. “And I’m sure the few photographers following
us around had a field day with it. The tabloid covers are likely flying hot off
the presses as we speak. That’s not a big deal, though. I’m more worried about
you, how you’re feeling. You took the view hard, Sara. Are you okay to be out
again, with me? I understand if you aren’t.”

It wasn’t like him to be so
generous with a woman he barely knew, but something in her pulled it out of
him. He wanted to know her, protect her. Show her that the world was still a
magical place if she let it back in.

“That’s… not what I expected
you to say,” she sighed. “I’m finding it hard to reconcile this part of you,
the part I’ve grown to know and admire, with the other image of you.
The consummate lady’s man, the ruthless socialite.
Are you
sure you are this nice of a guy?”

So she doubted him. It was
fair—he couldn’t help but still doubt her. Her appearance just after
Evan’s warning and the incident the other night may have been coincidental, but
then again, maybe it wasn’t.

“I’m not sure I can answer
that to your satisfaction. All I can say is there are two sides to every story,
and multiple accounts of the same thing. You can believe what the rags say, or
you can continue to make up your own mind.” It was as succinct as he could put
it. Trying to convince her of anything except to keep an open mind was a lost
cause. Actions were the only way to prove your true intentions, and he had no
intention of doing anything that might harm her.

“I guess I can’t argue with
that,” she said.

Her shoulders dropped a
couple inches from where they hunched up around her ears. He wondered if she
even noticed what her body was doing, the screaming signals of discomfort.

What has she been hearing about me since earlier today that could have
gotten her back up so much?
It was difficult to imagine.

“You said your roommate came
to town with you?” She nodded. “Why don’t you tell me about her?”

Sara smiled. It differed
from most she’d sent his way. It was full of equal parts exasperation and love.

I must have a similar smile when I think about my brothers.

“Well, she’s an absolute
pain in my ass, for one. But I love her, and we’ve been best friends almost
forever, and living together for almost as long. She has dreams to make it big
as a fashion designer, and she’s working hard at it but making barely enough to
scrape by.” Sara laughed, the full sound drawing a smile to Derek’s own face
even though he didn’t know the source. “She made me promise to introduce her to
you in case I didn’t want to have a go at you, so she could live in comfort the
rest of her days with no effort.”

He couldn’t help but laugh,
himself. The sad part was that it wasn’t that uncommon of an occurrence for
him. “She sounds like an interesting girl.”

“Interesting doesn’t even
come close to it,” Sara said. “She begged to come with me to L.A. so she could
convince celebrities to rep her fashion designs on
Instagram
.
She wants to get enough traction so she can design full-time and leave the
execution and marketing and selling—you know, the business
aspects—to someone else.”

“Hmm. You know, there’s a
party tomorrow night she might like to go to. I wasn’t planning on going, but I
could take the two of you, if you think she would be interested. There would be
more than a few models, designers, and agents there, and at least a couple of
them are good people with an eye out for new talent.”

“Oh my God, really?” Sara’s
eyes lit up, and Derek was pleasantly surprised to see how thrilled she was on
behalf of her friend. “She would absolutely die. That is her dream come true,
right there!”

He grinned. “If I’ve made at
least one dream come true, then it’s been a good day’s work. I hope it starts
to make up for the turmoil I put you through earlier today. I feel like a cad
for forcing you to experience that.
Although it could have
been worse.
I had almost invited you to the private airport we use for
the air races so you could see the planes and the obstacle course.”

The blonde paled. “Ooh, no.
No, I’m glad we didn’t do that. I can’t even stomach it when I see a jetliner
pass by. I don’t want to think about what might happen if I had to look at them
up close!”

“It’s probably best we avoid
that,” Derek agreed. “For now, at least.”

She stuck her tongue out at
him.

“I can’t believe this is happening!” Becky had been
ecstatic ever since Sara had let her roommate hear the good news about the
party invite. “This could be it, Sara. This could start a whole new life for
me, if I don’t screw it up.”

The woman stood in the
living room surrounded by dresses. She had hauled everything she brought with
her out and covered every available surface in a dizzying array of color and
style, the many garments contrasting, each with its own charm and character. As
much as she liked to tease Becky about her passion, her friend made cool stuff.

“I have to choose
carefully,” Becky continued. “What we wear will decide the course of the rest
of my life.”

Sara smiled until her
roommate’s words sunk in. “Wait, we?”

“Of course!” Becky looked at
her as if she were thick between the ears. “I need every chance for my talent
to be recognized. Do you think I’ll let you arrive at the club wearing anything
other than one of my designs? In fact, would we get away with bringing costume
bags? A couple mid-party changes might be in order, especially if our first
choices aren’t a big hit.”

“
Uhh
…”

“No, of course not, you’re
right. First impressions are everything, and we don’t want to walk in carrying
huge bags like a couple of porters. I have to make the right choice from the
beginning.” The redhead stared at her collection with feverishly bright eyes
approaching a level of fanatical obsession that would have scared Sara if she
hadn’t seen it before on herself.

I had the same look during my first real big investigation. Every
witness was vital, every question the potential make-or-break for my entire
career. I had such drive back then.

It had been before Michael’s
death, when he supported her all the way and there was nothing she couldn’t
achieve because of it. Her mentality had shifted along the way, her enthusiasm
battered and waning.

Becky made Sara try on a
series of dresses, each more outlandish and cutting edge than the last.
Eventually, she had to put her foot down.

“Beck, this might look
amazing on a runway during a fashion show, but it’s just not practical!” The
pale green number she wore had a long skirt so tight she could barely walk, and
featured a massive bow that interfered with her accomplishing anything useful
with her right hand.

The other woman sighed.
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Sara. I just want to show them I have vision, you
know?”

Sara felt a pang of regret
at her outburst. It wasn’t the right time to dampen her friend’s enthusiasm. “I
get it, Beck. Maybe that first dress you had me try on, though. That black and
blue one? It’s sleek and stylish, and it’s got interesting patterns to it. I’m
sure it will catch more than a few people’s eyes, if they know their stuff.”

She liked that
dress—it was fun, flirty, and distinctly one of a kind. There was nothing
like it walking around Hollywood, of that she was sure.

“You know, you’re right.
First time’s the charm, huh?”

It took another painful half
an hour before Becky picked something out for herself, and once more, Sara had
to intercede to prevent disaster. It was a close call—her friend almost
went out looking like she stepped straight off the set of a science fiction
film. Luckily, Becky had been so eager to get ready that they had more than
enough time left to get to the venue to meet Derek.

When they pulled up to the
club, Sara’s jaw dropped at the length of the line waiting to get in. The party
was open to the public, but Derek had said there was a special VIP area where
all the rich and famous would hang out. That was where Becky would have her
shot at trying to impress anyone willing to give her a chance.

The cab driver dropped them
at the red carpet in front of the club. Sara immediately felt foolish arriving
by such a mundane mode of transportation when the rest of the invited guests
likely took limousines or got the valets to park their sports cars or luxury
sedans. There was a fair bit of laughing in the line as they walked up to the
velvet rope, and the look the beefy bouncer gave them was not encouraging.

“Good evening, ladies,” he
said.
Good start.
“The back of the
line is that way.” He pointed with his pen.
Crap.

A group of girls at the
front of the line laughed and cheered. “Good one, Jerry!”

Sara forced a smile onto her
face. She wasn’t used to going clubbing, absent from social circles for two
years and engaged in a fulfilling relationship before that. “We’re here as
guests of someone, although I don’t know whether we’re on the list or not.”

He looked her up and down,
and evidently what he saw was enough to justify at least a cursory look.
“Names?”

“Sara Flight and Becky
Williams.”

The
pen
traced down
the list. It didn’t take long before he shook his head and
shrugged. “Sorry, ladies, I’m afraid not. You’ll have to wait in line like
everyone else, although at this point, the night will be over by the time you
get to the front. You should have gotten here three hours ago like these girls
did if you wanted a chance to get in tonight.”

The raucous group of women
made several rude comments Sara chose to ignore.

“We’re here to meet Derek
Devereux. Could you please just let us in?”

Incredulous murmurs from the
audience to their right left no doubt what those women thought of her claim.
“As if she would have rolled up in a cab if she knew Derek Devereux.”

Jerry gave her a long look.
“Derek never brings a date with him when he comes to the club. Nice try, though.”

“Fuck, Sara, what are we
going to do? Can you call Derek?” Becky tugged her arm. “I have to get in
there!”

“Just give me a second.”
Sara fumbled with her purse, fingers leaden and nervous. She hated being made a
fool of. It gave her flashbacks to grade school.

A loud engine roared and
echoed down the street, and all the eyes watching their spectacle turned to see
a bright red Ferrari tear down the street and screech to a perfect stop in
front of the club. Despite living in the city and being used to seeing famous
people all the time, the people waiting in the line waited expectantly to see
who would step out of the vehicle after such an impressive entrance.

Oh, thank God.

Derek’s high cheekbones and
tousled black hair were exactly the sight that Sara needed. He tossed his keys
to the valet and strolled up the carpet toward them. As ever, he was clad in an
expertly tailored suit that conformed to his lean, muscled body. Not for the
first time did Sara picture him as though an artist had drawn him, too perfect
for real life.

“Derek!”

The bouncer opened the red
velvet rope and stuck his arm out to bar Sara and Becky from joining Derek.

“Hey, what the hell?” Sara
asked.

“What do you think you’re
doing?” Derek asked Jerry with a dangerously low voice. “Get your hands off
Sara.”

The exterior of the club had
gone quiet enough to hear a pin drop. The sound of the bouncer nervously
swallowing was sweet vindication to Sara’s ears. His arm dropped. “I’m sorry,
Mr. Devereux, sir. I thought they were pretending they knew you to get into the
club.”

“Next time you should check
with me before you make decisions on my behalf,” Derek replied.

The bouncer outweighed Derek
by a healthy margin, but it was clear where the balance of power lay. There was
something in how Derek carried himself that suggested he could handle himself
against all comers. The wealth and power were two distinct advantages, but
something told Sara that Jerry would have thought twice about crossing Derek
even without those things.

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.” Jerry
stood to the side with his head bowed.

As though he had already
dropped the matter from his mind, Derek held out his hand to Becky. “I assume
you must be Becky. Sara’s told me a little about you. It’s great to make your
acquaintance.”

She took his hand and
smiled, flustered. “Oh, trust me, the pleasure is all mine! Sara’s told me all
about you. I mean, I already knew all about you before, but… oh, shit, I mean
I’d obviously heard about you, but she’s told me about how you’ve met and
talked and… well, hi.”

He smiled. “Shall we?” He
offered an arm to each of the woman, and they walked to the door, passing in
front of the group of women still barred by a velvet rope. Even though she
tried to hold herself above being bitchy to other women, Sara couldn’t help but
laugh aloud at the looks on their faces.

The club was already packed.
The side entrance into a VIP area was not that far in, and they had more space
to breathe once they were up there. The music was also not as loud so that
actual conversations could take place, albeit at an elevated volume. Once
again, Sara was amazed at the attendees; it was a liberal galaxy of stars, from
rockers and models to actors and athletes. There were many people she had never
seen before, but with all the big personalities at every turn, all the other
faces faded away and it felt like she was watching the highlight reel of an
award ceremony.

Derek introduced them to
several people, talking up Becky’s skills as a designer and pointing out the
dresses that the two of them wore. There were many
favorable
comments and second looks, and one look at Becky’s face showed how alive she
felt.

Derek stepped close to talk
into her ear over the music. “I’m going to step outside and check on my
brother. He just got into town and I want to make sure he’s settled into my
house okay and has everything he needs. Will you two be fine on your own for a
little while?”

Sara looked to the side.
Becky had settled into a deep conversation with a group of models, and a couple
of them examined her dress up close. “We’ll be okay. Get back soon!”

He treated her to a wink and
then turned to go.

She watched him, admiring
the way the fabric of his suit jacket lay over his broad shoulders.
That is a serious hunk of man-flesh.

As he left the club, she
couldn’t help but notice that another dark figure in a suit trailed behind, so
close that at first she thought they were walking out together until Derek
turned to look behind him and the other man shifted to stay out of Derek’s
eyesight.

That’s… weird. That must have been a coincidence though, right?

Unbidden, the memory of a
dagger shoved forcefully through the metal of her apartment’s front door rose
to the fore.

She spared a look toward
Becky. Her friend was still enmeshed with her new acquaintances. Sara
hesitated.

Derek knows how to take care of himself.