“Yes.” She tipped her head to one side. “Don’t tell me that you want to buy one for Zoe?”
“When you get married there’s supposed to be a ring.”
She studied him for a long moment.
“You ought to know,” she said softly.
Chapter Twenty
They flew into Las Vegas that evening. At eleven o’clock they were standing in front of the altar of an all-night wedding chapel.
The ceremony was everything one could hope for in a Las Vegas wedding, Zoe decided. The chapel, a glittering little palace decorated with a lot of crystals and candles, was tucked away on a side street just off the Strip. It featured a blue carpet, a white gazebo, and several large vases overflowing with artificial blue flowers.
The minister bore a striking resemblance to Elvis in one of his heavy phases. His assistant, who doubled as bridal attendant, witness, and secretary, was a retired showgirl. The woman cried when the vows were spoken. The tears looked genuine. Zoe was not sure that was a good sign.
The most disconcerting moment occurred when Ethan, at the appropriate moment, produced a gold ring cut with an unusual design.
The best part was that she got to sign her full name on all the legal paperwork, Sara Zoe Luce Cleland. No more hiding in the shadows.
Fifteen minutes later, Ethan guided her outside into the neon-lit night. They slipped into the endless stream of people moving from one magnificent casino resort to another.
Zoe clutched the little bouquet of real flowers that the assistant had pressed into her hand just before the ceremony. The circlet of gold glinted on her finger.
“You thought of everything,” she said, trying to sound blasé. “How did you come up with a ring on such short notice?”
“It’s not from any of my previous marriages if that’s what’s bothering you.” There was an edge to his voice.
She felt herself turn red and was grateful for the shadows of night and neon. “I was just curious, that’s all.”
“I picked it up at Gallery Euphoria before we left. Arcadia knew your ring size.”
“Oh.” She spread the fingers of her left hand and studied the gold band. “It’s quite beautiful. Must have been expensive.”
“Arcadia gave me a deal.”
“I’m sure she’ll let you return it for a full refund,” Zoe assured him.
“It’s not going on your bill as a miscellaneous expense, so stop worrying about the cost.”
She realized that she had insulted him.
“It’s just that I’m already so deeply in debt to her,” Zoe said, trying to explain. “After we got out of Xanadu I could not access any of my own cash or credit cards. We had to use the money that she had stashed away in an offshore account. I’m making regular monthly payments to her, but the truth is I won’t be able to repay her for the costs of using the Merchant’s services and my business start-up expenses until I cash out of Cleland Cage. That probably won’t happen until a few months after the merger takes place.”
Ethan looked intrigued. “Arcadia is into things like offshore accounts?”
“In her other life she used to be a very successful financial trader. She invested for clients and for herself. She knows an incredible amount about really arcane business stuff. She’s the one who helped me figure out that Cleland Cage was vulnerable and that a takeover was in progress. She mapped out the strategy for me.”
“Huh. Never would have guessed.”
Zoe looked at the ring sparkling in the light of a neon-lit doorway. “It was a nice touch,” she said, still searching for the right note.
“You don’t have to wear it if it makes you feel uncomfortable.”
“It’s okay.”
“Not like the ring makes the marriage any more legal.”
“I know.” She tightened her grip on the flowers. “I said it’s okay. I’d appreciate it if you would not snap at me right now. I’m a little tense.”
“Was I snapping at you?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry.”
“I think we’re both tense.”
“You certainly seem to be a little high-strung this evening,” Ethan allowed.
She resented that. “I’m entitled. It’s not like I get married every day.”
“Well, maybe you don’t get married every day,” Ethan said gravely. “Some of us, on the other hand, have had considerable experience in that regard and I can assure you that—”
“Oh, shut up. I am not in the mood to joke about your previous experience, so don’t start.”
“Fine. Not like it’s my favorite topic, anyway.”
A cloud of guilt settled on her. He had probably been trying to lighten the mood with a little self-deprecating humor, and she had overreacted.
A long stretch limousine cruised past on her left and turned into the spectacularly illuminated entrance of one of the mega resort casinos. A woman dressed in a glittering sequined gown got out. She was followed by a man in black-and-white formal attire.
On the right, people dressed in jeans and tee shirts drifted past on a long, moving walkway that bore an unsettling resemblance to a lolling tongue. They disappeared into the mouth of a giant casino.
Up ahead she could see the brilliant gold and silver sign advertising the hotel where Ethan had made reservations for the night. They had dropped off their luggage earlier when they had checked in, but there had been no time to go to the room before Ethan had hustled her off to take care of the few formalities required to get married in Nevada. She did not know if he had booked two rooms or one and for some bizarre reason, she had found a lot of excuses not to inquire into the matter.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I shouldn’t have said that. Especially not after all you’ve done. I really don’t know how to thank you.”
“Forget it.”
She examined her rapidly wilting flowers and the ring on her finger. “That’s a little hard to do under the circumstances.”
She expected him to make an acid comment, but he said nothing.
They passed the entrance to a high-end shopping mall built into a hotel. Another doorway invited them to view a world-class exhibition of old masters. Zoe knew that if she and Ethan allowed themselves to be lured into either the mall or the art gallery, they would eventually be fed straight into the resort’s casino. That was how Las Vegas survived. The bellies of the great, glittering beasts were the gaming floors, and the creatures required around-the-clock feeding.
“Ethan?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”
“It’s a little late to be asking personal questions,” he said very seriously. “You ought to ask those before you marry the guy.”
She smiled. “I’ll remember that.”
“What’s the question?”
“How did you get into the private investigation business?”
He said nothing for a few seconds. She thought that he might not answer her at all.
“I was the family screwup,” he said eventually. “Took after my uncle Vic. Dropped out of college. Joined the army. When I got out, I went to work for a large security firm in L.A. for a couple of years and then I went out on my own.”
“Bonnie told me about what happened to your brother.”
“Figured she said something that night we had pizza.”
Zoe looked at the crowds up ahead on the sidewalk. “I know how it feels to lose someone like that.”
“I realize that.”
“I understand what it does to your insides to want justice so badly you can’t sleep and to have people tell you that you should just keep quiet and let the authorities handle it. I understand how it feels to wake up in the middle of the night knowing that the system isn’t going to work for you.”
He reached out and took her ring hand, lacing his fingers through hers.
“I know,” he said.
“That’s why you’re going through all this for me, isn’t it?”
She clutched the flowers. “Because you’ve been in my position. You know how the obsession for revenge eats at you. How it can make you a little crazy.”
“Yeah.” He tightened his fingers around hers. “What was he like?”
“Preston?” She summoned up some of the old memories. “He was warm and loving. Caring. Kind. A truly decent man. Pretty much the exact opposite of his relatives. He was the outsider in his family. They’re all business people. Preston loved his art history.”
“And you loved him.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes, I loved him. By the time I met Preston, I had been alone in the world for a long time. In his own way, because he was so different from the others in his family, Preston was also very much alone. I think that was the reason we were drawn together.” She swallowed. “We promised each other that we would take care of each other.”
“And then he got killed.”
“Yes. I didn’t do a very good job of taking care of him. The only thing I can do now is try to avenge him. While he was alive, Preston cared about the future of Cleland Cage, but as far as I’m concerned, it was Forrest and the company that are responsible for his death.”
Ethan kept his grip on her hand. “Drew was four years younger than me. He was everything I was supposed to be. He finished college. He was successful in business and he served on the board of a charitable foundation. He didn’t screw up three marriages. He found a woman who loved him. He started a family. He was a fine father and a pillar of the community.”
A chill of understanding went through her. “You were his older brother?”
“You know what that means?”
She exhaled slowly. “It probably means that somewhere deep inside, you felt that you were supposed to take care of him.”
“Yes. But I didn’t do my job. He got killed.”
The words echoed all the way through her.
“Do you think,” she said very carefully, “that the reason you were obsessed with getting justice and the reason I want revenge so badly is because we both feel that we failed in our responsibilities?”
“Got a hunch that’s part of it. What do you think?”
“I think you’re right. But it doesn’t change anything, does it?”
He squeezed her hand. “No, it doesn’t change a damn thing.”
Maybe nothing had changed when it came to her need to avenge Preston, she thought, but something was certainly different about her relationship with Ethan. She wondered if he felt the link between them or if it was a product of her imagination.
They walked past a shallow man-made lake that fronted another giant hotel complex. Small boats, their bows adorned with colored lights, floated across the surface of the water. The little vessels, together with their cargoes of laughing passengers vanished under a bridge into yet another casino.
“You know what?” Ethan abruptly changed direction, dragging her with him. “You were right. It’s been a long day and we’re both stressed out. What we need is some distraction. Come on.”
Surprised, she clung to her drooping bouquet and hurried to keep up with him. “Where are we going?”
“I’m feeling lucky.”
“Join the crowd. Las Vegas is designed to make you feel lucky.”
“I’m serious.”
He whisked her through the nearest casino entrance, plunging them both into a world of flashing lights, tinkling slots, and a sea of card tables. The sounds of laughter, conversation, and lounge music filled the air.
Ethan dragged her to a blackjack table.
“I don’t know how to play,” she said quickly. “At least not in a real casino.”
“Then stand right there and think positive thoughts.”
He took a seat. Zoe wrapped both hands around her bouquet and tried to think positive thoughts.
Ethan played with no outward show of emotion, but when he got to his feet fifteen minutes later, he seemed satisfied. He tipped the dealer and pocketed his winnings.
“Good news,” he said. “I won’t be billing you for the cost of the hotel room. I just won enough to cover it.”
Room. Singular.
“It’s all right,” she said hastily. “I really don’t mind. I understand that out-of-town expenses aren’t included in your basic fee.”
“Think of it as a wedding present.” He handed her some quarters. “Here. Try your luck.”
“I never win when I play slots.”
“Give it a shot.”
“Oh, all right.” She snatched a few of the coins out of his hand, dumped them into the nearest machine, and pulled the handle.
Quarters tinkled pleasantly in the tray.
“Hey, Ethan, look.”
More coins cascaded into the bottom of the slot.
“Oh, my gosh,” Zoe whispered.
Ethan lounged against the nearest one-armed bandit and grinned. “Guess this is your lucky night, too.”
The quarters continued to rain down into the tray.
“Here, hold my flowers.” She tossed the bouquet at him, opened her tote, and went to work scooping up her loot.
Ethan waited until she was finished before he took her arm. “Let’s get a drink to celebrate.”
He led her into the nearest lounge. They sat down in a booth. Ethan put the bouquet on the table.
A waitress dressed in a tiny gold costume appeared.
“Champagne,” Ethan said.
The waitress glanced knowingly at the flowers. “Is this a celebration?”
Ethan put an arm around Zoe in an unmistakably possessive move.
“Just got married,” he said.
“Yeah, that happens a lot around here.” She gave both Ethan and Zoe a genuinely warm smile. “Most of the time I figure it’ll last about a week. But you two look good together. Congratulations.”
The champagne took some of the edge off the tension, but it did nothing to allay the unsettling mix of excitement and apprehension that Zoe was experiencing. By the time they arrived at the door of the hotel room, the fluttery feeling in her stomach was almost unbearable.
Calm down. It’s not like this is a real wedding night. I’m just sort of having an affair with him. Actually, until now, it’s been more of a one-night stand.
But that freshly minted wedding license in Ethan’s pocket and the ring on her finger made it all seem surreal. What did you call it when you slept with the man who had just married you?
She was concentrating so hard on the question that when Ethan opened the door she walked into the room without her usual pause on the threshold.
The heavy wave of raw lust hit her so hard that she dropped her flowers and nearly fell to her knees.
“What the hell?” Ethan flipped on the light switch. He caught her arm and steadied her. “Are you okay?” Concern edged his voice.
“Yes.”
That was an outright lie. She was not okay. The suffocating essence of recent sex suffused the atmosphere. It was not the kind of earthy, natural emotional energy that sometimes clung to a bedroom for a while. This room reeked of sick and twisted cravings. She breathed shallowly and looked around with a sense of desperation.
On the surface, everything was pristine. The beige-colored carpet had been properly vacuumed. The massive, round bed with its gold-and-black-striped spread and matching, king-sized pillow shams appeared clean and fresh. The bathroom door stood ajar, affording a view of acres of white tile.
But the taint of unwholesome sex clung to the furnishings like a terrible stench.
There was no way she could spend the night in this room. She needed an excuse to ask Ethan to call the front desk and request a move, and she needed it fast.
The answer came when she looked up and saw the large mirror installed in the ceiling over the bed.
“I can’t handle that,” she said.
Ethan followed her gaze. He saw the mirror and smiled slowly. “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked the front desk clerk for the address of the nearest wedding chapel. Go
t a feeling he tried to do us a favor by upgrading us to a honeymoon suite.”
“Would you mind very much if we downgraded ourselves? That mirror is a little over the top for me.”
“See, that’s the thing about you interior decorators. Picky, picky, picky.”
But he was already reaching for the phone.
His request was granted immediately. They collected their bags and went downstairs to get new keys.
“Will you need help with the luggage?” the clerk asked.
“No, thanks,” Ethan said. “We can manage on our own.”
They made their way back through the casino to the elevator lobby in silence.
Five minutes later they opened the door of another room on the eleventh floor. This time Zoe remembered to halt on the threshold. Nothing intense hit her, just the usual assortment of minor sensations that she could easily tune out.
Ethan watched her walk into the room. “This one okay?”
“Yes, thank you.” She was embarrassed but enormously relieved. “Sorry about the fuss.”
Ethan hauled her suitcase and his own small flight bag into the room and dropped them on the floor. “I admit that the mirror over the bed was a little on the tacky side.”
“Yes, it was.” She went into the bathroom, found a glass, and stuck her bouquet into it. “I regret to say that there are a few people in my profession who don’t know when to stop when it comes to mirrors.”
Ethan came to stand in the bathroom doorway and watched her run water into the glass. “I don’t think those flowers will make it through the night.”
“Probably not.”
But she could not bring herself to dump them into the trash.
“Zoe?”
“Look, there are two sinks,” she said brightly. “Which one do you want?”
He walked to where she stood and gently cradled her face in his hands.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I got one room because I was going on the assumption that we needed only one bed. But if that assumption was wrong, all you have to do is tell me. I can afford two rooms tonight.”
A deep warmth flowed through her. She spread her fingers across the front of his shirt, savoring the hard strength in him. The hunger in his eyes was unmistakable, but it was under full control. If she asked him to get another room or to sleep on the floor he would do it.