Exquisite Betrayal (8 page)

“
Bloody fucking hell!” He storms out
of the room and I stand there, not knowing where to turn. Then I
think about Facebook.

“
Ryland! Can I use your computer?” I
yell.

“
Why?”

“
Facebook. I can send them all
messages on Facebook and they’ll answer because they all have the
mobile version.”

“
Yeah. Give me a sec.”

He boots his laptop up and opens up Facebook
and then logs out. I get into my account and leave them all a SOS.
Then I wait. About five minutes pass and I get a hit from Kat.

“
Where the hell are you?
We’ve been worried sick! You wouldn’t answer your
phone.”

I give Kat the rundown, which she can’t
believe, and she tells me they don’t have my purse. They’re all
headed to the airport and have checked out of the hotel already.
They left my suitcase at the bell stand. She asks if I want her to
come back, but I tell her no. She has to get home to her family and
go back to her teaching job, so she can’t deal with my issues right
now.

I collapse back into the chair and then I
sob. I’m stranded in Vegas with no money, no credit card, no phone
and no ID. What the fuck am I going to do?

She crumbles to bits right in front of my
eyes. She’s in the biggest mess, if I’ve ever seen one. Feeling
helpless isn’t a good place to be. Especially since she spent the
night puking all over the place and now her clothes are ruined. The
poor girl is totally wrecked. I’m also sure that little sexcapade
of ours didn’t help, either.

“
Look, why don’t I give you something
to wear and we can go to the club and look for your
purse.”

Those incredible eyes of hers lay into me.
They’re so filled with panic that I’m at a loss of what to do or
say. “I don’t want to be any more of an imposition. If you don’t
mind, I’d like to borrow some clothes, though, and I can just walk
back to my hotel.”

“
And do what? Sit there?”

Her lovely lips form and O and then her face
crumples.

“
I’m sorry,” I say as I rub my face.
“At least let me help you look for your purse.”

She finally nods. I rummage through my
drawer and pull out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She thanks me
and pulls the shirt over her head. The loss of that spectacular
view causes a feeling of such deprivation that I almost ask her to
take the damn thing back off. Next, she pulls on the jeans. They’re
huge. She rolls up the legs and turns down the waist, however it
doesn’t help much.

“
Those aren’t going to work. Why don’t
I run down to one of those boutiques in the lobby and buy you
something?”

Her eyes widen and her head starts to shake.
“Oh no! I could never let you do that. Besides, I have clothes in
my suitcase. I only need to wear this to the hotel and then I’m
good.” As she bends down and puts on her sandals, there’s a knock
on the door. Room service.

“
You need to get some food into you
first. Then we can go.”

“
I’m pretty sure I can’t eat right
now.”

“
At least try.”

She agrees and I tear into my breakfast
while she picks at hers. When we’re finished, we head down to the
lobby. I watch as she struggles to keep my pants on, which causes
me to let out a chuckle because she looks cute as hell, but she
tosses me a nasty look.

“
What? I can’t help but think it’s
funny. And you look rather cute.”

She must not agree because she ignores me. I
hand the valet my ticket and we wait for my car. When it arrives,
her eyes bug out. Growing up in England created a love for Aston
Martins, so I always told myself, when the time was right, I would
buy one. And that’s what I did. I bought the V12 Vantage and it’s
quite dishy, if I say so myself.

The valet opens the door for her and she
slides in, allowing herself to be hugged by the leather seats.
“Nice ride.”

“
Thanks. So, where to?”

“
The Space Nugget.”

“
The what?” I’ve never heard of that
hotel.

“
Take a left and it’s about six blocks
on the right,” she says.

We get there and I can’t hide how
appalled I am. “You stayed
here
? For several nights?” The place is
atrocious.

“
Well, yeah.” She sounds like there’s
nothing in the world wrong with this eyesore of a dump.

“
Thanks for the ride. And for, um,
taking care of me while I was sick. Yeah,” she says as she gets out
of the car.

“
Wait, we need to check the bar for
your purse.”

“
I can take it from here.” Her
stubbornness is poking its head out now.

“
Fallon, please let me help you. You
have no money, credit cards, nothing.”

“
I’ll be fine. Really.”

She gets out of the car and somehow ends up
twisting her ankle to the point that the strap on her sandal snaps.
“Ouch, oh hell,” she yelps.

I leap out and run around to help her.
Apparently, when her sandal broke, her foot slid out of the shoe
and she stepped on a rather large piece of glass that’s now stuck
in her foot. Bugger. What’ll happen to her next?

“
Let me have a look at that. It may
need medical attention.”

“
No! I don’t have insurance, so I
can’t do that.” Her voice is edged in panic.

“
I’ll pay for it,” I huff, “but I
think this needs to be sewn up.”

“
Naw, it’ll be fine.” Her hands are
trembling and she’s looks like a ghost.

“
Fallon, this is a deep cut. The glass
is stuck in your foot. I’m afraid to pull it out, it’s in that
deep. Christ, you’re bloody stubborn.”

She sinks back into the car, defeated.

“
I’m sorry to be so harsh, but you’re
acting the fool. Now where’s your luggage?”

“
Kat said at the bell
stand.”

I nod and go inside. The Space Nugget is
deplorable. At least it’s clean, but how could they stay here? I
see the bell stand and one bag next to it that’s nothing except
strips and strips of duct tape. “Does that bag belong to Fallon
McKinley?”

“
Yes, sir.”

Handing him a twenty, I collect it and roll
it to the car. We get back to the Bellagio and when we get to the
room, I have the concierge send a doctor up.

Thirty minutes later, one arrives and
confirms my fears. Fallon needs stitches in her foot. The glass
went quite deep and she stares ahead, blankly, as I’m sure she’s
now trying to figure a way out of her quandary.

“
Stay off that foot for the next three
days. After that, if you don’t see any bleeding, you can put some
weight on it, but not a hundred percent. The stitches should come
out in ten days.” He then hands me a slip of paper with the name of
a medical supply store on it so I can get crutches for
her.

When he’s gone, I ask her if she’s thirsty
and she breaks down and cries. She’s hugging the pillow to her
face. I walk over to her and pull it out of her hands then drag her
into my arms to let her have a good cry. What will I do with her? I
was leaving today.

“
What am I gonna do?” She
sniffs.

“
Can you call your
parents?”

Something passes over her with those words.
Her eyes darken and she says, “Not unless your cell service reaches
the afterlife.”

Shit. “Oh, Fallon, I’m sorry. Both of them?”
I only ask because I think of how strange a coincidence that would
be.

“
No, just my dad.”

“
What about your mum?”

A bitter laugh escapes from her. “I could be
in the ICU somewhere and she’d tell me it was my problem and I need
to figure it out on my own.”

“
Oh, come on, Fallon.” It’s difficult
for me to believe any parent can be like that. “Just call her and
tell her what’s happened. She’s bound to help.”

Her jaw clamps shut and that little muscle
in her cheek is going click, click, click. “Hand me your phone,
please.” Her eyes are rapid fire blinking, and I think she’s doing
her damnedest not to cry again.

I hand her the phone, she dials her mum and
puts it on speaker. While she talks, I can hear her mum’s voice on
the other end saying exactly what Fallon had predicted. She’s loud,
abrasive and uncaring. I’m incredulous.

“
Fallon, that’s what you get for going
to Vegas. You should’ve been more responsible in the first place
and not lost your pocketbook. I bet alcohol was involved, wasn’t
it?”

“
Yes, ma’am,” Fallon
responds.

“
How many times have I told you to be
more careful? You obviously have paid no heed to my advice. So
since you thought so little of what I’ve told you, you’re on your
own. You can figure out what to do. You’re a resourceful girl, or
at least that’s what you keep telling me. Let’s see how you manage
this debacle.”

She hangs up and then slaps my phone back in
my palm. “Happy now?” she asks as her voice splinters and tears
begin again.

I pull her into my arms, wondering if I’m
comforting her or if she’s comforting me. I’m so saddened by what
just happened. How can a mother leave her daughter stranded like
that? In Vegas of all places? What’s wrong with people?

I take it upon myself to call the concierge
and ask them for advice. They immediately put a call into the LVPD
and I get a call back. I put Fallon on the line so she can describe
her purse. At least now it’s reported.

Her bag is delivered to the room while she’s
on the phone. Once she hangs up, I ask her if she’d like to change
into something of her own.

“
Honestly, right now, I’d just like to
sit here for a minute. My head is spinning and I don’t know where
to turn. I’m paralyzed without my purse. How could I have lost it?
Why did I have to get so damn drunk last night? Why did I come to
Vegas?” Her fingers are knotted into her hair, as though she wants
to yank it all out by the roots.

I don’t know what makes me ask, but I simply
find myself saying, “What happened to your dad?”

I regret it the second the words leave my
lips. When those gray eyes of hers stab mine, I want to die. Her
pain is so raw it pierces my heart. I walk to her and blanket her
in my arms yet again. It takes me back to those days after I lost
my own parents. I tell her it’s okay, only I know that’s not true
and the words ring hollow in my ears.

“
No, it won’t ever be okay with him
gone. He meant the world to me. He went to help his friend cut some
trees down on a piece of land he owned. The chain saw tripped up
and, well, it was pretty bad. They told me he died instantly. My
parents were divorced and I lived with my dad. I was sixteen at the
time. I had to move in with my mom after that and life didn’t go so
well then.” That tells me things were bloody dreadful for
her.

“
Fallon, why don’t you get comfy on
the bed here. I’m gonna take a run to the club. Just to make sure
they didn’t miss anything when they checked. I’ll comb over the
place and then I’m gonna pick up those crutches for you. I’ll be
back in a sec.”

She nods.

At the club, I find nothing. Not even in the
bathroom. When I’m there, I call the LVPD and ask for the officer
that called earlier. I leave him my name and number, just in case
they find her stuff after I leave the hotel. I have to go home
either today or tomorrow and I have a feeling I’m going to have a
houseguest when I do.

Next I call Tilly to see if she can help.
Now she’s involved, which doesn’t bode well for me. Fact is she’s
giddy over this whole thing. I head straight to her suite where she
has that devilish look on her face that tells me she’s up to no
good.

“
Tills, you hafta lay low so she
doesn’t see you. I’ve no idea how I’m gonna maintain my cover with
all of this.” She laughs at me. “It’s not funny,
dammit!”

“
Is, too. It’s the best thing that’s
happened to you since Iris pulled her shit on you.”

The blood drains from my face. I hate it
when she brings Iris up. It’s more than Iris this time. And Tills
senses it.

“
What are you hiding Ryland
Thomas?”

“
Nothing!”

“
Out with it. I can read you like
those damn books you write.”

“
Nothing. She’s just torn
up.”

Tilly’s not going for it. “Uh-huh.” Her eyes
lay into me. She’s always been able to see right through me. “You
slept with her!”

Now my face is heating up. “I did not.”
Technically that is true, but at the same time, it isn’t. “Well, I
did sleep with her, yes, but she was knackered and passed out
cold.”

“
Bollocks. You shagged her. I can see
it in your eyes.”

Fuck! How does she do that?

“
Admit it.”

“
Okay, I sort of did,” I say
sheepishly.

“
What the hell does that
mean?”

“
Tills, I’m not gonna give you the
sordid details of everything I do,” I huff.

“
Out with it, Ryland
Thomas.”

She pesters me until I break and tell her
everything. Well, not everything, though the basics, anyway.

Tilly punches me in the arm. “I can’t
believe you… you arse. No! You’re a fucking arse! How could you do
that?”

“
What do you mean? I’m the one that
got duped!”