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“Isn’t it? We’ll have to go out proper sometime. Or order some takeout and catch up.”
After they’d said their goodbyes, William checked the locks on all the doors and headed outside to his dark gray Aston Martin. There, instead of getting inside immediately, he loitered, pulling out a cigarette and a flip-top lighter. After applying one to the other, he took a long drag and looked out toward the road. It seemed long and dry and almost endless, but he knew that if he went far enough, there would be life and bustle and sex. Antique shops and other curiosities tended not to be located on the Strip, but often just off, or further out into the dust. He’d considered locating his new business nearer to the university, but the chance that he might run into the little sister there was high, depending on what the girl’s interests were now. When he’d known Michelle, she had been an adorable little nerd. Dead obsessed with Harry Potter. Either way, William suspected that she wouldn’t be too friendly and that Anne would be less than pleased if he tried to buddy up to her sister again.
William let out a long string of smoke. He could see the lights of the Strip from here. It was harder to trail him when he was down there. Especially when he slipped on down to Freemont, where a lot more deals went down. He had no plans of being so obvious, however. He dropped the butt and ground it out with his heel, then got into his car. He started to drive back to the hotel.
As his Aston Martin zipped down the road, William could almost see Anne in his passenger seat, her hair billowing behind her as he revved the engine. It had been a different car. Same brand, different model. Up until that point, he’d never seen her look so relaxed. So free. From top to bottom, Anne had always been just a cop, wound too tight, with too much to prove. That night though, with the uniform at home and her hair loose, the other parts of her had seemed to unfurl, a vibrant young woman with layers and layers of wit, kindness, loss, and beauty. That had been the night that they’d told one another about losing their mothers. It had been the night when he’d devoured her tempting neck with kisses, and the night she’d let him.
His thoughts were drifting toward the image of her thighs peeking out of a pair of jean shorts when the blue and red lights began to flash behind him. What now? He’d done precisely nothing to warrant being pulled over. He’d even kept to the speed limit, something that he was almost morally opposed to, due to his stalkers with badges. With a huff of irritation, William pulled over and reached for his license.
Chapter Four
Anne reached blindly over to her nightstand. Was that her alarm? Normally, she woke before it. Her fingers slid over the screen, expecting silence.
Instead, a peeved British voice snapped: “Could you possibly call off your dogs, pet?”
Pet? Anne sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked at the phone. The number was unknown, but that was obviously William.
“What are you talking about?” Anne said after she picked up the phone.
“Look, I can handle you people following me everywhere, but when you pull me over and search my car for no bloody reason, I’m going to have a bit of a problem. There was no probable cause, it took forever, and one of your moron rookies scratched my Aston Martin.”
“Oh, my God, William. It’s so early. Why are you calling me about this?”
“Because you are the one who told them about my ring and caused this moronic pack of roaches to scuttle after me everywhere I go!”
Anne got out of bed and ruffled her hair as she squinted through the blinds at the rising sun. “If you’d give us a straight answer about the ring, then maybe they’d lose interest.”
“Ah, yes. I’d forgotten the Los Vegas police’s motto: Harass until you find a reason to call them guilty.”
Anne winced. “Okay, fine. You’re right.”
“God, that must’ve hurt to admit.”
“Cut me some slack, Will. I just woke up,” Anne snapped. “Have you called your lawyer yet?”
“No. I have business this morning, and it was too late last night.”
“I would appreciate it if you held off.”
“I’m sure you would.”
“I just need to talk to the guys at the station. No one wants to taint this investigation. I’m sure it was just a couple of rookies trying too hard to prove themselves.” Anne paused. “Thank you for calling me before you did anything. It means a lot. Having this case explode wouldn’t be good for me right now.”
“Didn’t do it for you, love.”
Love. Anne sighed, uncertain what to say next. “Too bad. You’re thanked.”
William was quiet for a moment. She could imagine him pursing his lips and his sharp cheekbones sticking out even more as he did so.
“I don’t have any information for you,” he said finally. “I’ve hardly had the opportunity to go anywhere but work and the hotel.”
“Have you been looking?” She made no effort to keep the surprise out of her voice.
“Only inasmuch as I would prefer to stay on this side of the prison walls. As you might imagine, it’s no vacation.”
Anne smiled reluctantly and picked up her brush. “I’m sure.”
The tottering steps of her daughter caught Anne’s attention, and her heart pounded in alarm.
