The VIP Room(23)

I was going to help Chloe find her brother, there was no question about that. Then I was going to take the little shit aside and tell him to man up and stop hiding behind his sister every time he got his dumb-ass in trouble. In my opinion, her brother and her father were a good part of the reason I had to be so careful with Chloe.

Nolan leaned on her for everything and, as far as I could tell, their father pretty much checked out after their mother left them when they were little. So the men she’d grown up with were either users or they walked away. She didn’t have a lot of history that taught her she could trust a man with her heart. And my track record wasn’t that great, either. I had no problem getting women, but I’d never bothered to keep one. Not for long, anyway.

Now things had changed. She was going to be living with me until we dealt with Nolan. I had a real shot to get to her after work. To make her see me as a man, not a player with a different girl each week, but as the man I was inside. And I wasn’t going to let her go. We were too close for me to believe she couldn’t want me. I’d just have to show her how it could be with us before she got a chance to get scared. It was high time I stopped being such a wuss and made a move.

I looked over at her again, not liking the shadows under her eyes. While I thought he was an ass, I knew she loved Nolan. She must be terrified. I reached over to take her hand.

“We’re going to find him, Clo. I promise.”

Chloe gave me a wan smile and said, “I hope so.”





Chapter 4





Chloe





Sam held my hand all the way back to his house. He wasn’t usually so touchy, but I needed the anchoring warmth and I was grateful for it. The more I thought about Nolan, the more worried I got. What could he have done to have those men looking for him?

We pulled into the drive at Sam’s house, a sleek, modern home he’d built himself based on the design of a renowned architect. Desert Vistas had built the whole community, but in my opinion Sam’s house was the best. It sprawled out across the desert looking more like a sculpture than a home, all sleek lines and contrasting textures. Before I saw it I would have said that modern architecture wasn’t my thing. In general it still isn’t. Sam’s house managed to be both art and a home at the same time. Still, it was huge, over eight thousand square feet, and in comparison to my small apartment it could be a little overwhelming.

He parked the truck in the four car garage and came around to help me down from my side. He always did that when we rode in his truck. It was jacked up with huge tires. Perfect for construction sites, terrible for a short woman. Usually he gave me his hand. This time he leaned in and lifted me out of the truck, sliding one arm behind my back and the other beneath my knees. I was so surprised I didn’t even ask him to put me down.

When he didn’t, but started into the house instead, I finally got my head in gear.

“Sam, what are you doing? I can walk,” I said, squirming to get to my feet. His arms tightened, keeping me where I was.

“No,” he said. “You scared the hell out of me tonight. I’m keeping you right here until I feel like putting you down.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Sam walked at a sideways angle to ease us down the long hallway from the garage to the kitchen. I was just wondering how to handle this when we entered the kitchen and came face to face with Daniel, Sam’s Dad.

I knew Daniel well. He was a construction foreman with Desert Vistas and he was in and out of Sam’s office all the time. A gruff but kind man, he looked like an older version of Sam, except with dark hair. I’d always thought he liked me well enough, but he’d never seen me being carried into the house he shared with his son. Awkward.

“Hi Daniel,” I said with a little wave. Looking up at Sam I said, “Will you put me down now?” He dropped his head and met my eyes.

“No. You’re exhausted, just relax.”

“Are you finally getting your ass in gear, kid?” Daniel inexplicably asked. I felt Sam shrug.

“Working on it. Chloe’s having some problems. Her brother is missing, and some men broke into her place tonight. They said something about taking her if they couldn’t find Nolan.”

Daniel swore under his breath. I squirmed in Sam’s arms again. “Put me down,” I said, “so I can make some tea or something. Daniel, do you want a snack?”

Sam set me on my feet. “The tea you like is in the cabinet over the electric kettle. And I think some of those muffins you brought to work are in the pantry. We could probably all use some tea and something to eat.”

Sam was being sweet. He hated the herbal tea I drank. Daniel liked it, which was why they had a box in the house. But Sam would prefer decaf. Glad to finally have something constructive to do, even if it was only making a light meal, I got busy in the kitchen. I loved Sam’s kitchen.

It was spacious, with tall windows looking out over the swimming pool grotto on the lower level behind the house and out into the light of the city beyond. Long counters, tons of cabinet space and an oversized island perfect for a quick meal made it homey when it could have been too cold. Not to mention the state-of-the-art appliances. I’d drooled over the Viking range. Since I’d be staying here for a few days, I’d have to cook something in the kitchen just to get my hands on that Viking. I’d always wanted one of those.