Werewolf in Las Vegas (22 page)

“I get your motivation, Luke, but you don't have the time to give that place the personal attention Benedict Cartwright gave it. His personality brought in the customers. Unless you find someone with charisma to run it, you could end up with a losing proposition on your hands.”

“I hope this isn't leading up to some hidden agenda, like you asking me to hire Landry for that position.”

Bryce stood. “Absolutely not.” He glanced at Giselle. “In fact, maybe my sister and I should make ourselves scarce and let you two work things out. It's not our business, after all, and we have some things to discuss, anyway.”

Giselle got up. “That's an excellent idea. Where do you want to go?”

“If I may make a suggestion?” Mr. Thatcher appeared in the living room as if he'd been summoned, which he most definitely had not. But he'd probably been eavesdropping from the kitchen. “I can escort you both down to the Howlin' at the Moon bar. Even if the two of you have not experienced so much in regard to it, it's a landmark not to be missed.”

“I've seen—” In the nick of time, Giselle caught the look Bryce had thrown her way. There was more to this invitation than visiting a Vegas landmark. “I'd love to go,” she said, and was rewarded by a big smile from her brother.

Luke stood. “You don't have to leave. Cynthia and I can hash this out later.”

“We'll be back.” Giselle walked over and touched his arm. “Bryce makes a good point. This is your family business. You and Cynthia need to work this out between the two of you.” She held up her phone. “Text me when you've talked it through.”

“Trust me, it won't take long.” He didn't look particularly happy that she was leaving, but he didn't have much choice. He couldn't order her to stay and participate in the discussion.

“See you soon, then.” With an encouraging smile, she turned and followed Bryce and Mr. Thatcher out the door.

Once they were all in the elevator, Bryce glanced at all the wooden surfaces. “Is this thing bugged?”

“Not that I know of,” Mr. Thatcher said. “But I advise you to refrain from any conversation for now.”

Bryce nodded.

Giselle looked from one to the other. “Are we going where I think we are?”

Mr. Thatcher put a finger to his lips.

Giselle didn't need any more of a hint than that, but she was worried. Even if Benedict was somewhere nearby with the remote, they couldn't chance using it now. She trusted Mr. Thatcher to use the utmost caution when going into the playground, but this didn't feel like caution. It felt downright reckless.

“You really like Giselle, don't you?” Cynthia kicked off her designer shoes and curled her feet under her.

“I do, but it's not going anywhere.” Luke remained standing and began to pace.

“Why not?”

He glanced over at his sister lounging on the sectional, her blond hair loose around her shoulders. Even dressed casually in jeans and a navy hoodie, she was beautiful. She'd always had catlike grace, but he'd refused to see that a dancing career fit her perfectly.

Thank God she wanted to dance here and not on Broadway. Then he caught himself. If she decided to try to make it in New York, he'd be supportive. He was through standing in the way of what was obviously her destiny, at least for now.

Her blue eyes, so like his, focused intently on him. “You don't want to tell me about her, do you?”

“Not particularly, since she'll go back to San Francisco tomorrow and that'll be that. What's the point in discussing her?”

“It's just that I've never seen you so . . . absorbed in a woman before. And you just met her, right?”

“Yeah.” He massaged the back of his neck. “That's the crazy part, how fast we connected. I feel as if I've known her a hell of a lot longer.”

“Luke, I realize you think of me as a kid who doesn't know anything, but—”

“No, I don't.” He stopped pacing to gaze at her. “You're a hundred times smarter than I am.”

“You're talking about academics, but you don't think I'm smart about people.”

She had him there. “I'll admit I used to feel that way, but my opinion on that score is changing. Tell me about Landry.”

“He's just a friend.”

“Is he gay?”

She laughed. “No! Why would you think that?”

“Because you're gorgeous! You've had guys running after you since second grade. Why should Bryce Landry be any different?”

“He just is. If you must know, I think he's still in love with his ex-fiancée, and I hope they get back together. Is that your issue with Giselle? She has someone else back in San Francisco?”

“No. At least, I don't think so. She said she didn't, and I can't imagine that she does, considering . . .” He stopped himself before he revealed more than he'd intended.

“Are you referring to the chocolate-covered sex orgy? Is that what convinced you she was unattached?”

He gulped. Damn it, he was blushing. He could feel the heat creeping up his neck. A quick glance at Cynthia confirmed that she was enjoying the hell out of his embarrassment. He couldn't think of a single thing to say that wouldn't make the situation even worse, so he kept quiet.

“We arrived minutes before the cleaning crew.” Sisterly triumph rang through every word. “You almost got away with it, but I just knew you two were headed for bedroom games. That scene in the gondola was the clincher. That's why Bryce and I decided to make the leaky water bed our grand finale.”

“It was quite a finale, all right.” Luke sighed. He'd go through the water bed incident a hundred times if it could be followed by the kind of afternoon he'd spent with Giselle.

“So you're going to just let her go?”

“I suggested coming up to San Francisco for a visit, and she said that wasn't a good idea.”

“Hm.” Cynthia tapped her finger against her mouth. “So she's a bit of a mystery woman. That intrigues me.”

“Look, I don't want you to—”

“Interfere in your life? That's funny, Luke. Makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it? Now you know how I felt.”

He blew out a breath. “I was wrong, okay? I'm sorry. And I'm not just saying it. I really am sorry that I treated you that way, as if you didn't know what was good for you.”

“I believe you, but I wish I had a recording of that.”

“In case I backslide?”

“Exactly.” She gestured to the curved part of the sectional that faced her. “Have a seat and stop pacing. I need to think about this Giselle problem, and I can't do it while you're roaming around like a caged lion.”

“I'll come over and sit down, but I don't want you delving into Giselle's situation. She's told me to back off and I'll honor that.” He walked to the sectional and sank down.

“How noble of you. Did it occur to you that I have a source who might tell me what's going on with her?”

“Uh, you mean Bryce?”

“He's her brother, after all. I could mention that she's throwing up roadblocks and see what he says about that.”

“No.” The concept made him cringe inside. “It sounds like junior high all over again.”

“So you're willing to let her go and never find out why the two of you can't be together? That would drive me crazy.”

“I'll deal with it.” He didn't know how, but he'd have to. He had no choice.

“I mean, it's one thing if someone dumps you and tells you why. You're upset, sure, but at least you understand the issue. You can get drunk, break a few dishes, and move on.”

Luke chuckled. “Is that what you do? Throw breakables?”

“Maybe.” She gave him a dimpled smile. “My point is, you won't be able to move on. You'll have that question nagging you forever.
What was the problem? Why did she leave without giving me an explanation?
I guarantee a mystery breakup is the worst kind.”

“You've had those?”

“No, but a girlfriend of mine did back at Yale. Some dude walked out on her and refused to tell her why. Two years later she found out he'd had a girlfriend back home with a baby. My friend was
so
relieved. Mad as hell, but relieved. She could finally forget about the creep once the mystery was solved.”

Luke couldn't believe he was listening to relationship advice from his little sister, but what she'd said made sense. He
was
frustrated about not knowing the big secret that stood between him and Giselle. Although he'd vowed not to dwell on that, he probably would anyway. He was enough like Cynthia that the mystery would drive him crazy, just like it would her.

“Time is of the essence,” she said. “Bryce and Giselle will fly back to San Francisco tomorrow, and the opportunity to investigate will be lost.”

“So?”

“We could text them and ask them to come back up here, but I'd rather head on down to the Moon. We can say we finished our discussion and decided to join them for a drink. I'll get Bryce alone, which will be easier at the bar than up here, and ambient noise can make conversations harder to overhear. I could challenge him to a game of pool and find out what's up.”

“But we didn't finish our discussion.”

She looked at him. “Nobody's here but me, big brother. Tell me the truth. Are you thrilled about owning that bar?”

He met her gaze. Pretending seemed stupid at this point. “No. To be honest, I've considered bulldozing it.”

“No!” Her eyes widened. “That would kill Benedict!”

“You sound as if you like the guy.”

“Of course I do. I always have. He was nice to me, didn't treat me like a little tagalong. Mr. Thatcher likes him, too.”

Remembering that moment at the table when he'd looked into Benedict's tortured gaze, Luke sighed. “I kind of like him, too. But don't you think the Cartwrights deserved to go down?”

“I was angry with Harrison, but he's already dead. I'm sorry, but I never thought Vaughn and Benedict were our enemies. I was sad when the feud started. I liked the Cartwright family. And Benedict loved that bar. I'll bet losing it was the worst thing that's ever happened to him.”

“Then he shouldn't have put it on the line.”

“I bet I know why he did.” Cynthia stretched out her long legs and propped her bare feet on the coffee table. “He probably was sick of staring at the Silver Crescent, and he had even more reason to hate looking at it, because the Cartwrights used to own it.”

“I guess that could be true.”

“I also bet he wanted to prove himself to Vaughn, just like I've always wanted to prove myself to you.” She glanced over at him. “I know how that feels.”

“You don't have to prove yourself to me.” Emotion tightened his throat. “I'll love you no matter what.”

She swallowed. “Backatcha, big brother.” She held his gaze for several seconds, and then she smiled. “Wow, we're getting mushy, huh?”

“Guess so.” He cleared his throat. “You really think I should sell it to Benedict?”

“I do.”

“I don't know if he has the money to buy it.”

“Vaughn would float him a loan. I'd lay odds on that. And you won't have the humiliation of the bar losing business under your ownership, which I think it might.”

“It might.” He hadn't wanted to admit his fear of that happening, but he knew Benedict had been popular with the customers. Building customer loyalty to the new regime would take time he didn't have.

“Have I convinced you?”

He blew out a breath. “Yeah, you have. Don't take this wrong, but you would have made one hell of a lawyer.”

“I know.” She looked smug. “But I'll make an even better dancer. Ready to go down to the Moon?”

“Might as well. It won't be ours much longer. Once I sell it back to Benedict, we'll have to pay for our drinks, and chances are he'll charge us double.”

“You, maybe.” Cynthia winked at him. “Me, he likes.”

•   •   •

Giselle had a million questions for her brother and a few for Mr. Thatcher, too, but she waited until they'd left the Silver Crescent through the back door. “Let's stop a minute,” she said. “We can't go into the playground right now. It's too risky.”

“Precisely,” Mr. Thatcher said. “I simply wanted a chance to talk with both of you alone and let you know that Benedict and I are scheduled to make our first inspection after closing time tonight. We've arranged to meet at two in the morning. I wanted to offer you a chance to accompany us.”

“I'm up for it,” Bryce said.

“I probably can't.” Giselle expected to spend her last night in Vegas with Luke. She glanced at Bryce. “So you know about how the blocked-off entrance works now?”

“Mr. Thatcher and I had a very brief moment alone when Cynthia was in the bathroom. He had just enough time to tell me about it.”

The butler glanced back at the Silver Crescent. “I suggest we move on and actually have that drink at the Moon, in case Luke and Cynthia come looking for us.”

“Good idea,” Giselle said. “By the way, brother of mine, were you the one who planted the idea of Luke selling back to Benedict?”

He smiled. “I might have been.”

She gave him a hug. “Well done. Now let's go have a drink and hope that Cynthia talks Luke into it.”

“I sincerely hope so.” Mr. Thatcher fell into step on one side of her.

Bryce took the other side. “And if she fails, Sis, I figure you can take a shot at convincing him. You seem to have the inside track.”

She had a feeling she was busted, but she didn't know for sure. “Don't start with me, Bryce Landry. Not after you gave me a heart attack when I thought you might be getting cozy with a human.”

“The difference is, I
didn't
actually get cozy with a human, while you definitely did.”

“You have no proof of that.”

Ahead of them, Mr. Thatcher cleared his throat. “I'm afraid he does.”

“Oh.”

Bryce leaned closer. “Was it good? The chocolate, I mean.”

She elbowed him in the ribs.

He grunted. “Easy, Sis. I have to be well enough to travel, you know.”

“
Are
you traveling with me tomorrow?”

“I am, and by the way, my camera phone is loaded with pictures of chocolate.”

“Bryce, if you tell anyone about this—and I mean
anyone
—I have an entire list of your previous crimes that will go public immediately.”

“I won't tell, at least not right away. I value the blackmail potential, so I'm saving it for something really big.”

“You'd better be kidding.”

He chuckled. “You'll have to find that out, won't you? Incidentally, there's one surefire way to neutralize the threat.”

“I'm sure it involves paying you large sums of money.”

“I wasn't thinking about that, but I'll file it away for future consideration. If you want to end my blackmail prospects forever, though, you could mate with the dude.”

“
What
?” She came to a halt on the sidewalk outside the Moon.

“All the best families are doing it. Even I can see he's crazy about you and would treat you right. He didn't endear himself to me at first, but the guy's grown on me. I think you'd be happy together.”

“You're talking crazy.”

“I'm perfectly sincere. I've come to admire the guy. He took my jokes in stride. And I'm not an easy sell when it comes to my little sister's future mate. Yes, he does have a tiny flaw, but—”

“It's not tiny!”

“That's your opinion. Others would differ. Looks to me as if the only obstacle is your prejudice against the concept.”

“That is
not
the only obstacle. I'm thinking of him! It would drastically change his life. He'd have to sell his company and uproot himself from a city he loves. Worse than that, he'd have to keep the secret from his sister, and despite what we've been through with those two, they're devoted to each other.”

Mr. Thatcher turned around and joined them. “I hope you don't mind if I put an oar in.”

“Go right ahead.” Giselle looked at her brother. “This fine Were, Mr. Thatcher, has been a second father to Luke and Cynthia. I doubt he'll be enthusiastic about your wild plan to upend their lives.”

“On the contrary. I snatched this time for the three of us partly so that I could invite you both to the playground, but also because I was hoping we could discuss this very topic. I've never seen Luke so besotted with anyone as he is with you. I always urge caution in these matters, but . . . I believe he would be happier with you, despite the obvious difficulties, than without you.”