Desert Bound (Cambio Springs) (17 page)

Ted said, “Please tell me the family suite has more than one room.”

“Of course!” He held open the door as she walked through. “It has three. Of course, there’s only one bedroom.”

“I knew it.”

Alex could tell she wasn’t really mad. He grabbed her around the waist and nipped at her neck before she could go exploring. “Seeing as you already make a habit of sneaking into my bed, I didn’t figure you’d mind.”

“Charming…” she murmured, but he didn’t know if she was talking about him or the room.

It was pure luxury, from the leather sofas and the solid antiques to the red drapes and—

“Are those mirrors?” Ted asked, looking up. “On the ceiling?”

“Well…” He kissed her neck again. “It’s classy, but it’s still Vegas.”

They were waiting in the lobby for Cam a few hours later. His old friend had called just an hour after they’d arrived at the hotel, asking them to meet him and a date for dinner. The simple black dress that Ted brought was perfect. She’d done her hair in the loose curls he loved and brushed on some makeup, which she rarely wore at home. It made her dark eyes even more dramatic. The only jewelry she wore was a pair of deep turquoise earrings. The pop of color against her gold skin and dark hair was eye-catching. Despite her earlier reservations, more than one man turned to look as they walked through the lobby. But then, Ted had never needed elaborate outfits to catch a man’s attention.

“We’re meeting Cam and his dad? Or just Cam?” she asked.

“Cam and a date. Don’t know who it is. But the new restaurant here is supposed to be good.”

“It’ll be nice to see him. It’s been… ten years since the last time?”

“Or more. I haven’t seen him in over a year, even though I called him when I knew I’d be opening the resort in the Springs.”

Cam had asked him to visit Las Vegas at the time, but he hadn’t been able to. So Alex was more than happy to meet for dinner, glad to catch up with his old friend and hopefully find out if meeting Cam’s dad was also an option.

The old man and his son appeared to keep their businesses separate, from what Jolene could find out. Even though Frank Di Stefano had transitioned most of his business into legitimate enterprises, a few shadows still lingered. Shadows he didn’t want near to his only child. Still, if Alex and Ted wanted any information from Frank, then Cam would need to be convinced. Cam trusted him… to a point. But the information they were after had to do with the distinctly shadowy portion of his father’s business. He’d be cautious, but Alex was expecting that.

“Alex!” 

He turned and saw his old friend. Cam had taken after his French mother’s side, so he looked far more California Golden Boy than East Coast Mob Scion. That, too, was something Alex suspected Frank Di Stefano liked. Going legitimate was a generations-long process, and the cleaner he could keep Cameron Di Stefano, the better things looked to investors.

“Alex.” Cam stepped forward and gripped Alex’s hand. “How the hell are you? I heard you moved out to the desert, huh? Leaving the field open for me?”

Cam and Alex had competed—in a friendly way—for almost everything. Contracts. Property. Women.

The other man’s eyes went to Ted, surveying her in an appreciative way. He ignored the blinking blonde at his side, who Alex would bet money on being an “actress/model” so common on the arms of wealthy men in Southern California. He ought to know. They’d been his type when he hadn’t wanted anything serious.

“Ted, you’re far more beautiful than even my exceptional memory could recall,” Cam said as he leaned over and kissed Ted’s hand. “And still obviously far above this man’s league.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Alex said.

“Thinking’s over, man. I’m on to the planning stage already. Keep up.”

Luckily, Ted laughed. She gave Cam’s hand a polite squeeze, but then linked her arm with Alex. “Nice to see you too, Cam. Who’s your friend?” 

Cam looked over his shoulder. “Ah. This is Laura—en. Lauren.” He held out his hand and the girl stepped forward, not appearing to notice that Cam had forgotten her name.

Alex felt a kick of embarrassment, knowing that he’d done the same thing more than once with the women he’d dated after Ted had left. They’d been interchangeable to him, a social necessity with no emotional connection. He felt a stab of disgust at the man he’d been, but it only made him pull Ted closer. Those days were over. Ted was his future.

It was a startling realization to have among the shiny facade of Las Vegas, but Alex knew at that moment that nothing else in his life was as
real
as his relationship with Ted. At her side, he was the man he wanted to be. Anything less than that was unacceptable now. Anyone other than Ted would be a lie.

His hand tightened on her waist and she turned to him. “What is it?”

“Tell you later,” he whispered, brushing his lips across her temple.

They followed Cam into the restaurant and toward a corner booth, draped with a set of heavy curtains that had been pulled back. A private room where the owner could still enjoy the buzz of the busy restaurant and the curious patrons could also see him. A smart set-up in the image-centric city that also would afford them privacy, if they wished.

The chef greeted them after the sommelier brought out a selection of wines. The cuisine was Italian, with an American bent, and Alex was looking forward to it. One of the things he did miss about Southern California was the food. Though the Blackbird Diner was a great restaurant, it did get more than a little monotonous.

He heard Ted take a deep breath. “Smells so good,” she said with a smile. “I need to remember to come up here more often, just to eat at the restaurants.”

“I was just thinking the same thing. Come up here for a quick weekend away. It’d be fun.”

“Yeah.” There was a light blush on the arch of her cheek. “That would be fun.”

With Ted, organizing expense reports would be fun.

Maybe that was stretching it.

“So, Alex—” Cam broke into his thoughts about what he’d do with Ted later. “—tell me about this resort. Sounds like an interesting opportunity.”

They spent most of the dinner talking about Alex’s plans for the Cambio Springs Resort and Spa, which was great for Alex, since Cam had been in the hotel business longer than he had and offered some a lot of insight. But it had to have been boring for Ted. He was grateful she chimed in with questions or comments now and then. It made him wonder how much she’d actually been paying attention to the project, even though she claimed to not care about it one way or another. Cam hung on her every word, obviously charmed. “Laura-en” just smiled a lot.

By the time dessert was offered, they’d covered construction woes, budget oversights, staffing problems, and the unpredictable vagaries of desert weather, but Alex had no idea how to politely broach the topic of a meeting with Frank Di Stefano about Marcus Quinn’s murder. Luckily, Ted came to the rescue.

Ted turned to Lauren and said, “So, Lauren, did you know that, as well as being an MD, I’m also the Sheriff-Coroner’s consultant for Cambio Springs? I deal with the dead bodies. What do you do professionally?”

The color drained from the woman’s face and she put a hand on her throat. Cam stifled a smile and put an arm around her shoulder. “Lauren, sweetie, could you go see if Romano has any of those cigars that I like? He’ll know the one’s you’re talking about.”

She nodded, clearly happy to have a reason to escape. “Of course, Cam. I’ll be—”

“No rush.”

There was a flicker in her eyes that told Alex the girl knew she was being dismissed. As soon as she’d left the table, Cam turned to Ted. “So, gorgeous, why’d you want to scare my date away? Since Alex is still here, it’s not for the reasons I’m hoping.”

“No, but it does have to do with a dead body.”

Cam’s eyes darkened and flickered to Alex. “What’s going on, man?”

“Cameron, we need to talk to you about someone… someone your dad had business with a few years ago.”

His friend’s eyes grew sharp and slid to Ted, then back to Alex. He read Cam’s sign without needing a word.

“Ted,” he said quietly.

“Not on your life, Alex.”

He gripped her hand under the table and glanced at Cam. “A minute.”

Alex pulled Ted up from the table and led her to a quiet hallway near the kitchen. Her face was set in stone.

“Don’t even think about cutting me out on this,” she said.

“You need to go.”

“Do I need to remind you that technically, this is my investigation? Technically, I’m the only one that has any, admittedly dubious, jurisdiction in this case. Nothing he says—”

“Nothing he says is going to be repeated in court.” And he sure as hell wasn’t going to put her in the position of feeling like she had to report someone or violate oaths he knew she’d taken, personally or professionally. He knew what had happened to Missy messed her up. No way was he going to ask her to step into that grey zone for him. And definitely not for Cam.

But she didn’t give up. 

“Alex—”

“You need to go.” And he had to get back to the table. The mere fact he was even having this conversation with Ted was probably causing Cam to doubt whether he could trust either of them.

Her eyes were on fire when she tore her hand from his and walked from the dining room, not sparing a glance at Cam as she passed their table. She swept out of the restaurant, five feet eight inches of pissed off female in three inch heels. Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath, knowing he didn’t have time to deal with her until later. He walked back to the table to see Cam watching the door, then he turned to Alex and tried to suppress the smile.

“See I didn’t do you any favors there.”

“Yeah, she’s not real happy with me right now.”

Cam’s voice got serious. “This isn’t about a boys’ club.”

“I know that.”

“That said, she makes a hell of a sight walking away, man.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Cam, if you have any respect for me, please do not jerk me around. And please tell me you can help me out here.”

Cam poured more wine into both their glasses and said, “My dad and I keep stuff separate, Alex.”

“I know that, Cam.”

“That said, family’s family. And I am not, and have never been, clueless about shit.”

“I know that, too.”

He paused, took a sip of wine, and considered Alex a few more minutes.

“My old man taught me not to trust anyone outside my family. He also said, if I had to trust a friend, that you’d be a good one.”

That surprised Alex, and he didn’t try to hide it. “That means something, coming from a man who probably doesn’t trust many.”

“Or any.”

“Yeah. Or any.”

“Know why he said that, Alex?”

“No.”

“He said it was because you knew what it was to keep a secret. Not a little one. A big one.”

A cold lump settled in Alex’s gut. Cam’s dad had probably said that years ago. That meant Frank Di Stefano knew—maybe not the details of Cambio Springs’ secrets, but that there was a secret at all. It was enough, because Cameron Di Stefano was a very smart guy. He used that knowledge when he needed it.

Tit for tat. You keep my secrets; I’ll keep yours.

“You get me, Alex?”

“I get you.”

“Good. Now lay it out for me with as few names as possible, and I’ll see what I can do.”

Chapter Thirteen

Ted hadn’t made it five steps into the lobby before she was intercepted by Romano, who fell into step behind her.

“Doctor Vasquez, may I be of assistance?”

She slowed, despite her rage. “I need a key to my room.”

“Of course.” He held a hand out, gesturing toward the corner where his desk lay. “It will only be a moment.”

She’d left her purse at the table. Left Alex at the table. Seriously considered leaving him completely, but not before she got her things from their room. Their gorgeous room with the massive bed she’d been intending to share with Alex that night. 

Well, that wasn’t happening. Not after she’d been dismissed a few moments after Cam’s arm-candy. She wasn’t a woman to make a scene, so arguing with Alex at the restaurant wasn’t going to happen.

And neither was anything else.

As Romano had promised, it was only a few minutes and she was in her room again. Her suite. She didn’t want to know how much it cost a night, and she didn’t care. If Alex thought he could bring her to Vegas, dazzle her with fancy rooms and fancy meals, then treat her like one of his LA women, he was grossly mistaken. She’d known she made a mistake trusting him. 

Romano was still standing in her room when she grabbed her suitcase.

“Is there anything else I can help with, Doctor Vasquez?”

“No—yes.” She couldn’t stay here. She was furious. And with her temper running high—partly from Alex’s actions, but also from the effect of the moon—she was as likely to tear into him as listen. “I need a rental car, please.”

For the first time, the man hesitated at a request. Ted stopped packing and looked at him.

“A rental car, please.”

His face was impassive, but his voice came more softly. “Doctor Vasquez… Teodora, are you certain you want to leave the hotel?”

“Yes,” she answered immediately, surprised by his concern.

“Perhaps another room—”

“Why are you arguing with me on this?” Ted felt her cat clawing under her skin.

He said nothing for a few minutes, then took a step into the room and shut the door to the hallway, giving them privacy. She squared her shoulders and slid her rings off, wary of the possible threat. Romano only stepped a few feet into the room and stopped, hanging his hands in his pockets in the only casual gesture she’d ever seen the man make. It hadn’t escaped her notice that she was alone in a hotel room with a strange man, even if he was handsome and wearing a designer suit. She kept him in the corner of her eye as she went back to packing.

“Mr. McCann told you that I’d been to eat with him at Cam’s house,” Romano started.

“I remember.”

“It’s happened more than once.”