This Kiss (Made In Montana Book 12) (17 page)

After he slid behind the wheel, she laid a hand on his arm. “I haven’t forgotten you. I’m calling Craig now.”

“You think I’m pissed about that?” His eyes were blazing mad when he turned to her. “You’re a smart, capable woman, Sophie, I’ll give you that. But obviously you’re in trouble. Do you honestly think I could stand by and not help? Is that the kind of man you think I am?”

“No, of course not, but—”

“Frankly I don’t give a shit what you have to say about it. I’m going to help you any way I’m able.”

She’d never seen him this angry. Maybe that day back in high school. “Okay.”

Looking straight ahead, he turned the key and started the truck. His lips were a thin line, his jaw clenched. Leaving the engine idling, he reached over the console, grabbed her upper arms and pulled her toward him.

“Damn independent little cuss,” he muttered, and then kissed her hard on the mouth. He released her, took a deep breath and asked, “Now where the hell are we going?”

17

A
FTER
CONTACTING
M
ANDY
and receiving the bad news from Craig, Sophie worked from her tablet at the small table in the dinky motel they’d found three miles down from the snack bar. The room sucked, but the Wi-Fi was good.

Ethan had stepped outside so he wouldn’t disturb her while he called his agent. Brian would probably come in person to strangle Sophie. If they’d gone straight to Wyoming last night as they’d planned, Ethan wouldn’t be missing his court date in—she looked at the time and felt a little sick—five minutes.

There was still a possibility that everything would work out for him. Mandy was on the case, and Sophie had a great deal more faith in the bounty hunter than she had in herself at the moment. Sophie was pretty damn close to blowing everything.

Craig was furious that she hadn’t warned him about Wendy being Broderick Fullerton’s wife. Apparently Craig was on retainer with two of Fullerton’s subsidiaries. They’d exchanged a few choice words, and Sophie might’ve called Craig a yellow-bellied chickenshit. It was actually one of the nicer names that had come to mind after discovering he’d called Lola and told her everything. So now her poor cousin was a complete basket case, worrying that Fullerton would have his bank call in their loan and kill their line of credit.

Sophie had only herself to blame.

Sighing, she rubbed her eyes. The screen blurred. She was tired from stress and lack of sleep, and staring at Hawk’s—no, Floyd’s—background file was frustrating. She was missing something, but she couldn’t seem to pinpoint it. For the third time, she searched through his late teenage years, the job-hopping, being nailed for shoplifting cigarettes, petty stuff. Mostly his past was uneventful.

Her cell buzzed. She picked it up and read the text from Lola. A warrant had just been issued for Ethan’s arrest. Sophie briefly closed her eyes. She wanted to call Mandy, but there was no point. If she had news, she would’ve called.

Sophie stared at the text, wanting so very much to curl up into a ball. Oh God, what had she done? He could’ve made it to court. They had been on their way to Wyoming. Did she have to pick then to rail against life’s injustices? Did she need any more proof that she was hopeless when it came to Ethan? She had no judgment, no ability to reason, and now two people she deeply cared about had been caught in her well-intentioned but destructive wake.

She wondered if she should call Lola. And say what? Sorry I wasn’t there for you? Sorry I was too busy chasing a childish dream? Sorry I didn’t warn you about Hawk? Sophie could go on forever about the ways in which she’d failed. And she hadn’t even gotten to Ethan yet.

Speaking of which... She heard the door being unlocked. She looked up as Ethan walked into the room. He looked grim but gave her a smile. She tried to return it. Had he been keeping track of the time? Was he expecting to hear about the warrant? She had to say something.

She moistened her lips. “A warrant has—”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry, Ethan.”

“Why? You tried to warn me.” He slipped behind her chair and massaged her cramped shoulders.

His strong, gentle hands felt so good, but she didn’t deserve his kindness. Or his forgiveness. She didn’t deserve him. “I’m also the person who encouraged you to drive to Vegas instead. I was so sure Craig would come through, or that Wendy would finally—”

“Shh, it doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it does.” She stopped when her voice shook.

“Aren’t you going to check that?” he asked.

“What?” She realized she’d gotten an alert and looked at the corner of the screen. Floyd had used his credit card to buy gas—he was in Reno, Nevada.

Ethan took the other chair. “This is good. You’ve located him, right?”

“For now.” Something clicked in the back of her mind that made sense about him being in Reno. “I have to check something before I call Mandy,” she said, knowing Mandy would head for the airport as soon as she heard the news. So if she hadn’t made progress solving Ethan’s problem... Well, that was that.

“You should be happy,” he said, frowning.

“I am.” She paused. “Ethan? Why do you think this might be your last chance to go to the finals?”

His face darkened. “I never told you that.”

“I overheard you mention something to Arnie.”

He shrugged. “It’s nothing.” He glanced at her tablet. “Shouldn’t you be moving on this information?”

“Please tell me.” She begged with her eyes even though she wouldn’t blame him for never trusting her with anything again.

He stared back, then sighed. “You ride long enough your body’s bound to suffer some wear and tear. I’ve had some trouble with my shoulder. Nothing serious, but I’m going to quit before I blow my future. That’s all.”

“Really?”

“Really. I’m being sensible. Imagine that.”

Sophie smiled. She wanted to kiss him. It would be a stupid move. She’d already proven she couldn’t think straight when she was around him. She glanced at the file on her screen just when her phone rang. It was Mandy. Sophie told herself not to get excited yet. “Tell me something good.”

“Something good,” Mandy said in her usual calm voice.

Sophie’s heart lurched. “How good?”

“Mrs. Fullerton turned out to be extremely cooperative once I explained all the possible ramifications of making a false charge against a popular rodeo celebrity. She agreed it would be best to explain she’d misplaced her jewelry and drop the charges. Done deal. I just left the sheriff’s office.”

Sophie looked at Ethan. “What about the husband?”

“He’s out of town again,” Mandy said. “But hell, that’s her problem. Have you got anything yet?”

“I think I might. Call you in ten?”

“Yep.”

The moment they disconnected, Sophie hugged Ethan.

“She found him?” He held her tight, his smile matching hers.

“No, not yet. Wendy dropped the charges. You’re in the clear.”

He frowned. “I thought you guys were looking for Hawk.”

“I am. Ethan. Aren’t you excited? No more charges against you. They’ll cancel the warrant.”

“Well, yeah, of course I am. How?”

“Mandy had a talk with Wendy. She pointed out how easily a trial could get out of control with other men stepping up to swear Wendy had sex with them and turning everything into a media circus.” Sophie didn’t mention that she’d thought up the tactic during their drive. She’d told Mandy, who thought it was a brilliant maneuver and volunteered to do the deed. “Of course Wendy didn’t know that you’ve been trying to keep it out of the media. I told you. Mandy totally rocks.”

Ethan smiled. The relief on his face lifted her spirits. “Well, now that I’ve given Brian heart failure,” he said, “I’ll call back and tell him to relax. What about Hawk?”

“The prick’s real name is Floyd,” she said, focusing on the information on the screen. Sophie had finally realized what she’d overlooked in his file. Annoyed with herself, she shook her head. “We got you, you dumb ass.”

She grabbed her phone again and while waiting for the connection, glanced at Ethan.

He was watching her and frowning. “What?” she said. But then Mandy answered. “He’s twenty miles outside Reno,” Sophie told her. “The idiot was too lazy to walk inside and pay for his gas with
our
money. He used his credit card.”

“Reno’s a big place,” Mandy said. “Any thoughts on whether he’s passing through or sticking around?”

“I think he’ll be hanging around,” she said. He’d had some petty scrapes over gambling with a fake ID when he was a kid. She should’ve figured he’d want to go play big shot in a high-stakes poker game at a casino where they’d kiss his ass.

“Have you told Lola yet?”

“No, but I bet he’s bragged about something or other that could point us in the right direction. Lola can help us there.”

“Or he’s cried over being mistreated,” Mandy said. “Either way, I say we meet in Reno.”

“I agree.” She looked over at Ethan, who of course was still watching her. Why hadn’t he gone to call his agent? “Let me know after you book your flight. I’m kind of in the middle of nowhere. Driving might be quicker for me. I’ll call Lola.”

As soon as she hung up Ethan said, “We can check flights out of Billings and see if it’s worth backtracking, but I think you’re right. We’d be better off driving.”

Hell no, she would not let him tag along. She felt guilty enough for the messes she’d created. Yes, they’d avoided one disaster, but they still needed to nail Floyd before he blew all their money. That was where her focus needed to be. Not on Ethan, who had to get himself mentally psyched for the finals.

Couldn’t he see they were reaching the end of the road anyway? The thought hurt. She could barely think about it, so why prolong the agony?

“No.
I’ll
be better off driving.” She gathered her things. On the way out she’d call Lola. “I’d appreciate a ride to pick up a rental car, though. I’ll be fine, Ethan.” She wanted to kiss him, but better she stay detached. It was for his own good. And for hers. “You, on the other hand, are driving to Las Vegas.”

* * *

E
THAN
GLANCED
AT
Sophie’s boots scuffing up his once-clean dashboard. “Are you going to sulk all the way to Reno?”

“Probably,” she huffed. “Yes, I am. You deserve it. What part of
please drop me at the car rental office
did you not understand?”

Sighing, he nodded to himself. Yep, he knew she was a handful. Stubborn. Irritating. A real pain in the ass when she wanted to be. Sophie was also fiercely loyal. Smart as hell. And she was softhearted, which he could never say to her and expect to live.

She looked so damn tired it made his gut knot. He’d bet anything she was beating herself up over failing Lola. Which really wasn’t the case. Not that Sophie would listen.

“It wouldn’t hurt for you to get some shut-eye,” he said. “Nothing’s going to change because you’re asleep.”

“Why don’t I drive for a while?”

“No, thanks.”

“You are so damn stubborn.”

He snorted. “You would know,” he said, turning on the radio. He kept it low and found an easy-listening station.

She surprised him by not complaining. Ten minutes later, just as he’d hoped, she was asleep.

He drove for another hour and then stopped at a motel. Even if they slept for six hours, they had time to get to Reno and meet Mandy. The best flight she could get had two stopovers.

After checking them in and paying for the night, he drove them closer to the room. She slept through it all, even when he carried her inside and laid her on the bed. He thought about undressing her but decided that would be a bad idea. Yeah, they’d both better keep their clothes on or they wouldn’t get any rest.

He lightly kissed her parted lips, hid the truck keys, just in case, then set the alarms and crawled in beside her.

* * *

T
HE
P
ALACE
C
ASINO
AND
H
OTEL
wasn’t the snazziest of the large casinos in downtown Reno, but it looked to be the busiest.

A steady stream of mainly older folks led the way into the hotel, where dings and trills of electronic music mostly covered up the piped-in oldies. The purple carpeting and gold chandeliers had probably been daring in their day.

As they headed toward the front desk, Ethan took her hand, and a shiver ran up her spine. Such a simple touch brought so much pleasure. She’d add this moment to her mental scrapbook.

They had to wait in a short line to reach the front desk. But that was okay, because Mandy was still ten minutes away and Sophie wouldn’t proceed without her. So she waited with Ethan, who stood right behind her, draping his arms over her shoulders. Her hands were on top of his where they met on her chest.

She’d meant it when she told him to head to Vegas, but she was still glad he was here. The feel of his body warm and comforting. She was a horrible, selfish person. By tomorrow he would have no more grace period. He’d have to leave first thing to check in for the finals.

“I could eat a whole buffet,” he said. “Not including the desserts.”

“That’s the best part.” Dammit, now she wanted chocolate.

It was their turn at the desk, and by the time Sophie explained the importance of speaking to the casino manager himself, Mandy had joined them.

When Sophie made the introductions Ethan thanked Mandy for her help in getting the charges dropped. She looked pleased with the recognition, and not surprised by their clasped hands.

It took a few minutes for the manager to arrive, and he was surprisingly young considering his title. Maybe late thirties? However, the way he sized them up before inviting them into his office said he was going to be a challenge.

His office was small, nothing ornate. Behind him, though, was a door opened just enough for them to see a wall of monitors showing every cash transaction, second by second.

“How can I help you?” Dan Pfizer asked, waving them to the seats in front of his desk.

Mandy took the lead. She showed him her ID, a picture of Floyd, and offered a video of the idiot emptying the company safe.

He stopped her when she brought out the flash drive. “It won’t do you any good. Even if I watched him steal from you personally, without a valid warrant there’s nothing I can do.”

“We’re going to call the police,” Sophie said. “We already know you have private poker rooms, and that he’s in one of them. Probably throwing all our money on the table.”

“We saw his Harley close to the valet booth,” Mandy added. “So we know he’s here.”

Pfizer shrugged. “Show me a warrant, and I’ll be happy to call the police myself. You have no idea how many times I get asked to do this. Wives wanting their husbands to come home. Vice versa. My hands are tied.”

“Actually you might want to reconsider, assuming you want to keep all this quiet. Do you know who this is?” Sophie asked, nodding at Ethan, who didn’t even blink at her tactic.

“I’m afraid I don’t,” Pfizer said. “But I really do have to be—”