Leaving Las Vegas (Entangled Ignite) (7 page)

Chapter Seven

According to the sign in the parking lot, the Grand Canyon was eighteen miles wide, 277 miles long, and over a mile deep. Staring down into the mammoth crevice, Luke could just make out the Colorado River wending its way toward the sea. A blue trickle of water in the distance, the sight was calming, meditative.

Beautiful, but he still needed to figure out who’d set him up. He needed a plan, and a good one. Who could he trust to help him? His mother, most definitely, but she didn’t seem to know anything. Chester, probably, but if his mother didn’t know anything, Chester would be beyond clueless. Definitely not David Tanner—although the man had been vetted thoroughly before being hired, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t give out crucial information if someone made him a good offer.

Because everyone could be bought. For the right price.

He’d probably put Bone on his list of suspects, except the guy had gotten shot. And Grant wasn’t part of the Las Vegas crowd.

There was a private investigator from New York. Donny Burke. The man who’d vetted Tanner. Before Luke had hired the security chief, he’d contracted a bunch of work through Burke. The man was good at his job, with plenty of contacts in the security community. More importantly, Luke hadn’t talked to him in years. There was no way he could be involved.

Besides, it wasn’t as if Luke could call the guy up. He’d crushed his phone when he’d thought they were being tracked. That meant he and Glory would have to stay off the beaten path and find some hole-in-the-wall that sold burner phones. He’d buy one with some of the cash from the game, then call Burke. If he heard anything suspicious, he’d toss that phone and get a new one.

As they’d driven along the 64, he’d filled Glory in on who the players at the game had been. She’d raised her eyebrows when he told her Chester was his stepfather but had politely refrained from commenting on how loudly the man had squealed when the guns went off. She’d been equally quiet when he’d mentioned how Tiffanette’s employment application had included a red push-up bra and a slinky satin number, but he’d seen the jealous frown on her face.

The tinge of jealousy shouldn’t have made him happy. Glory had made things perfectly clear. She didn’t want his kisses, which meant he should be keeping his mind off her body… and his eyes off her…

God, the woman was heavenly.

He glanced back to where Glory was standing—a stony pillar in a mass of moving tourists—a good twenty feet away from the edge. Time to take his mind off Glory…and the soft taste of her mouth. He motioned to the canyon and said, “All that power. It’s incredible what water can do.”

“Uh-huh,” Glory’s hands twisted in her T-shirt. Her eyes seemed glazed over.

Huh. If Luke didn’t know better, he’d think she was scared. He tilted his head slightly, scanning the surrounding area for thugs in big black cars. Not that he expected to see anyone. The Vanquish had proven its worth, ditching the SUV before he and Glory got on the 64. All he saw was a smattering of Hawaiian shirts, some very tired-looking adults, and dozens of screaming children all excited to have time out of the car.

Nothing to be scared about.

“Come here.”

“Uh—no.” A sharp laugh barely escaped Glory’s throat. “I don’t think so.”

“It’s absolutely wild.”

“Not going to happen.” She shifted backward on her heels, raising her voice to be heard over the crowd. “Thank you kindly.”

One last glance into the mammoth crevasse of red rock and sand, then Luke stepped back. He walked over to Glory. “Come look at this. It’s beautiful.”

She shook her head. “It’s hot. I’m tired. I want to grab something to eat and get back on the road.” She took a step back. “Can we go?”

“Not until you look at the Grand Canyon. It’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world.”

“I’ve seen better.”

“Like what?” Luke racked his brain trying to think of anything more breathtaking. “The Great Barrier Reef? Mount Everest?” Every landmark had Glory shaking her head, her cheeks flushing a deep, vibrant red. “Victoria Falls? Paricutín Volcano?”

“No.” She was staring past his shoulder, out into a wilderness of red rock and cacti. “I’ve never left the country. Heck, I’ve hardly ever left West Virginia. Where I come from, you don’t need to go far to see something wondrous.”

West Virginia. Luke tried to form a picture of it in his mind and failed. All he could picture in his mind was Glory. Sexy, beautiful, and determined Glory. “I don’t think I’ve ever been. Tell me about it.”

“What—” Her head tipped up slightly, her gaze locking with his. “You really want to know?”

“I really want to know.” Luke reached out, grabbing her arm and pulling her close. The motion was sudden, instinctive, but somehow it felt right. The heat racing through his veins made the desert air seem cool in comparison. It was all he could do to keep from dipping his head slightly, pressing his lips against hers, and picking up exactly where they’d left off on the hood of his car an hour earlier. She’d changed after his phone calls—blocking him out. He wasn’t sure what to make of that, but heck, he’d try again. “What makes West Virginia so special?”

“Well…we’ve got all kinds of things to do. Rafting, rock climbing, hiking, biking, and that’s just out at the New River Gorge. There’s all sorts of things growing. Blueberries, huckleberries, raspberries. I pay kids two dollars a quart to pick berries for me in the summer, make so much pie and jam it’s hard to believe. Two dollars a quart for berries, and a dollar a pound for whatever they take out of Black Lake.”

As she talked about her home, her eyes grew bright and her body relaxed slightly. So many wondrous things, but all Luke could concentrate on was her lips—the color of fresh raspberries themselves—turning up in a soft smile.

He wanted to see more of that smile. Of that soft look in her eyes. “Tell me more.”

Her body relaxed. “The lake’s beautiful, set up in the foothills. It’s where we all learned how to fish. All summer long the entire town camps out on the shore, fishing, rafting, swimming. People set up grills, and there’s a bonfire most Saturday nights if Ashley has anything to say about it.” Her words cut off, her expression changed from soft and filtered to hard and sharp. She tensed. “I shouldn’t be telling you this.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re a developer.” She spat the word like a curse.

“Wait—what? What’s your issue with developers?” He was genuinely puzzled.

“You build things, without paying attention to what’s already there. You don’t care about communities. You’ve never been so desperate to save something you’d take a bus thousands of miles from your home. To risk everything for a few dollars.”

“We’re talking about more than a few dollars.” Standing on the edge of one of the most beautiful sites in the world, holding on to a woman who took his breath away, Luke needed a moment to figure out what she was talking about. The money. From the poker game. The money she’d tried to take by hook or by crook. She needed money for her
town
? “Why does your town need a million dollars?”

“They don’t—I told you—it’s not about a million dollars. It’s about $860,000, approximately.”

“Eight hundred and sixty thousand dollars is awfully specific. Why not more?”

“It’s actually a little less. I can never remember the exact amount—$858,062.27, something like that.” Her eyes flickered open, dark shadows staring out at him, accusing.

As though he’d done something wrong. Worse, as though he was still doing it.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re rich.” The statement was short, to the point. No mistaking it. “I—” Her regret was sudden, obvious. Her skin went pale, eyelashes fluttered against the smooth skin of her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I—”

“Why?”

“I don’t even know you. Not really. We’ve been together less than a day. I know your poker tells. I know the kind of music you like. You’ve got a fancy-ass car, but maybe it’s all for show. Maybe you’re not actually mind-bogglingly rich.”

“The word you’re looking for is wealthy.” His grip tightened. He pulled her close, captured her against his body. She let out a soft gasp. “Extremely wealthy.” His free hand reached up, running through his hair. “You’d be surprised by what I can understand… Tell me, Glory. Tell the truth.”

“The truth?” She snorted. “Which truth? The one where I’m going to be a hero, bringing back the money needed to save the town? The one where I’m strong, capable, a woman who knows what she wants and goes after it? Or the other truth?”

Her hands were shaking. Not just her hands—her entire body was pulsing with pain and anguish against him.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “That truth.”

“That truth is the one where I’m struggling to stay above water. The one where I’m driving across the country with a man I don’t really know in a last-ditch attempt to save my town. Beaux—” The words caught in her throat. “It’s everything.”

He didn’t speak. Just waited.

Her chin jutted out, stubborn and full of righteous indignation. “I live in a small town. Beaux used to be bigger, back when they were still digging coal out of the hills. Seven hundred and fifty-three people live there now.” A pause. “Well, seven hundred and fifty-
four
people when Beth-Anne gives birth next month.”

Luke nodded slowly, not quite understanding, but eager to try. “Why do you need $860,000?”

“Because the only industry we have left is tourism. The whole town’s beautiful. The tourists come to Beaux to go swimming and fishing at the lake.”

“I’m with you so far,” Luke said. “Go on.”

“Lately, a developer’s been buying up property around the lake. If he gets one more lot, then he’ll be able to privatize the beach. It’s an old clause in the county’s general plan. And Dandelion House—that’s the last lakefront property—went up for sale recently. There’s been some bidding. The owner finally agreed to sell it to the town for $860,000. If we could come up with the money by Monday morning.”

Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Why she’d been so desperate for the money. Worse, the reason she’d been so upset since waking up in his arms. No, he mentally corrected himself, she’d been happy in his arms, snuggling against him. It was only later—after he’d told her what he did for a living—that she’d started to pull away. “You traveled halfway across the country, entered a questionable card game, and cheated at poker in order to save your local economy?”

“No. You don’t understand. You need to understand.” A short gasp for air. “The reason that everybody in town chipped in the money to send me halfway across the country to enter a questionable card game and cheat at poker is to save the local economy. But my mother—” Her lip wavered, her hands clenched tight at her side.

For one long moment he thought she was going to burst into tears.

She swallowed, hard, and forced herself to keep talking. “My mother used to take Ashley and me to the lake every afternoon. She taught us both to fish. After she died, we taught Hallie. The lake…all my memories are there. My entire past. But it’s not just that. Black Lake is the heart and soul of Beaux. Without it, we’d just be another town falling into a played-out coal mine. It’s my future…
our
future…the entire town, all my friends, my family.”

Luke had never been fishing. Over the years, he’d lived in a dozen different places, mostly luxury apartments or penthouse suites inside one of his casinos or hotels. He couldn’t imagine being that connected to a town or a body of water. No matter how beautiful it was. Still, part of him wished he could relate. The same part of him that lay in bed long into the night, dreaming with his eyes wide open, about a woman who loved him and children to carry on the family name.

“Did they know what you were going to do? How dangerous it was?”

“Some of them. The others—” She shrugged. “They trust I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Lucky them.”

Glory ran her fingers through her hair. All the pain and anguish in her voice, and she’d never looked more beautiful. Her methods might be flawed, but no one could question her motives. “I’m sorry if the truth is disappointing, but it’s all I’ve got.”

“I’m not disappointed. I’m just surprised.” He paused. “I’ve never had anyone I’d be willing to fight for.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve always been the strong one.”

Glory didn’t look strong. In that moment she looked small, tired. As if she’d spent her entire life being strong and now—for once—she needed someone else to be strong for her.

Someone to take care of her.

Luke reached out slowly, his hand hanging in the air for a moment before he rested his fingers on her collarbone. He stretched his thumb across her neck, sliding under her necklace—a thin chain holding an ornate silver cross—to caress her silky skin. Her breath was coming faster now, making his hand lift and fall. She was determined to be so strong. For her family. For her town.

For one long moment the world seemed to come into focus. The air was brighter. The sound of children laughing in the distance louder. The vague scent of hot dogs being eaten at one of the picnic tables near the parking lot dropped away to be replaced by Glory’s own personal perfume.

He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Not today. Not while it was in his power to make sure she got home safe. He frowned. He really needed to talk to Burke sooner rather than later. Once he contacted Burke, it would be only a matter of time before they figured out what was going on. Before he had to go home, leaving Glory to her property debacles and mountaintop disputes.

And if he didn’t want to go home just yet?

If he wanted something more? The touch of her skin or the taste of her lips?

He dipped his head slightly. Brushed his against hers. He’d promised he wouldn’t kiss her until she asked, but she tipped her head up, stretched up to meet his lips with hers.

Their kiss was inevitable, and when it happened it seemed to go on forever. His mouth pressed against hers. His tongue darted forward to taste her, take her. His hands were on her waist, drawing her in closer until he could feel her entire body pressed against his.