24. Nik

CHAPTER 24

Nik

The desert stretches out before us, a vast expanse of color as the sun begins to dip lower in the sky. I stand at the floor-to-ceiling windows of the living room in Brie's house at Solara, eyes scanning the horizon for threats out of sheer habit.

The silence is broken by the soft clink of ice against glass as Brie pours us both a drink.

"You plan to stand on duty 24/7?" Brie's voice carries a hint of amusement, but I detect an undercurrent of exhaustion that has nothing to do with physical tiredness. Today's revelations about Phil and Sophie have taken their toll on her. When we got back, we found Hudson fast asleep. I sent Brie to bed as well, and they both woke up about an hour ago. We went to the clubhouse to eat a late lunch, and Hudson finally opened up about this stalker of his, and the anonymous notes, though he admitted to having destroyed all of them.

The fact that they were physical notes, rather than texts or emails, is interesting to me. Whoever the person is, they have enough access to the casino to be able to slide notes right under his suite's door. Maybe they don't have his phone number—or maybe they don't want to risk being traced.

But they were willing to be seen on security camera. Holden said he'd checked and seen nothing, but now that he's aware of the scrubbed footage from the night of the murder, he thinks he should check again.

Brie and I agreed. But for now, until we can get him a copy of the footage from those particular dates and times, he's getting back to work on the footage from the night of the murder. That's where he is right now, in the security room.

Brie has just been making private phone calls to Frank Colombo about Family business, but seems to be finished now. I turn, accepting the glass she offers. Our fingers brush, and I feel that increasingly-familiar jolt of electricity. "Things okay at the casino?" I ask before taking a sip.

Brie settles onto the sofa, her golden hair catching the light. She looks softer here, away from the harsh neon of the Strip. She smiles at me. "They're fine. And Holden's going to be busy for a while. So…we'll have to entertain ourselves for a while." Her smile turns into a wicked grin. "Any ideas?"

I still haven't told Brie that I met with Eva. But surely she must expect me to have spoken to my boss, even if she hasn't?—

"Hey, I was just kidding around," Brie says quickly.

"I'm sorry," I say at once. "It's not that I don't want…I mean, I—I'm just processing everything."

"Maybe you could use a nap, too?" she suggests

I'm about to answer, but a movement outside the front-facing windows catches my eye. I'm on my feet in an instant, tensed for action.

"Nik? What is it?" Brie's voice is sharp with concern.

I hold up a hand, silencing her as I move closer to the window, and Brie follows behind me. A moment later, she gives a giggle. "It's okay. It's just Katy, the cleaning manager."

Brie moves to answer the door, and I position myself just out of sight, close enough to intervene if necessary. The door opens, revealing Katy, who looks startled to see Brie.

"Oh, Ms. Colombo! I didn't expect to see you here," Katy says, her voice warm but curious. "The schedule said you'd be absent."

Brie leans casually against the doorframe, the picture of nonchalance. "I forgot to update it—again. I'm sorry. Is everything alright?"

Katy nods, but her brow furrows slightly. "Yes, of course, ma'am. It's just that your house is scheduled for cleaning today. I'll leave you alone, but—well, while I'm here, I did want to check about the ongoing schedule. Maybe we need to look at shifting our cleaning times? You've been here more often lately, and I wanted to make sure the staff isn't disturbing you."

I tense at her words. Katy's innocent observation that Brie is here more often could be dangerous in the wrong hands.

Brie's laugh sounds forced to my trained ear, but I doubt Katy notices. "Well, you know how it is. Sometimes you just need to get away from the city lights."

"Of course, of course," Katy agrees. "So should we expect you to be here more regularly now? We can adjust our schedule accordingly."

Jesus, what is it with this woman and her damn schedule? I have to fight to swallow my huff of irritation.

"That won't be necessary," Brie says quickly. Maybe she heard me after all. "My schedule is unpredictable at best. Just keep to the usual routine. And you're welcome to come in now, if you like—there's no reason you can't do your work while we're here.

"Oh, my goodness, I don't think so," Katy gasps. "No, our instructions about this house are quite clear. Only during absences. I'll return another day."

Brie's posture softens slightly. "Thank you, Katy. That's very accommodating. Have a good afternoon."

As the door closes, Brie turns to me, sighing. "Terry insisted that none of the staff could ever come in while I was here. It was one of his conditions."

"He was right to be cautious," I say. "But I don't like that the staff here is keeping tabs on your movements. And I don't like that they have unfettered access when you're not here."

"They're filmed on the internal cameras while they're here."

"But if word gets out about this place…"

Brie runs a hand through her hair in frustration. "Damn it, this was supposed to be my sanctuary , the one place I could let my guard down."

I move closer, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it still is. We'll get the fucker behind all this, and then you can move on with your life."

She leans into my touch, just for a moment, before a cleared throat makes us jump.

"Sorry to interrupt," Holden says, with a half-smile. "I just wondered who was at the door."

"Katy, the cleaning manager," Brie tells him.

"Oh, right. She came in earlier today, just after you left. I scared the hell out of her—she thought the place was empty."

Brie groans. "I'll just halt the cleaning schedule altogether for now," she says. "That seems the easiest thing to do." She looks at Holden. "How's it going with the footage?"

He shakes his head. "I feel like my eyes are swimming. Honestly…I think I need more specific tech that only the casino would have. I was thinking I could head back there for the night."

Brie shakes her head at once. "I don't think that's a good idea, Holden. Not if someone's gunning for you like they are for me."

He looks torn. "I'm not excited about the idea, either," he admits. "But this footage is the best chance we have."

Brie seems to come to a decision. "How about you stay in my suite instead of your own? If there's someone after you, they wouldn't think to look there." I don't like that idea at all, but I can hardly tell Brie what to do with her own property. And at least it seems to comfort Holden, who looks a lot happier now.

"That's a great idea," he says. "And I'll let you know as soon as I get anything off the tapes."

We take him down to the clubhouse to call him an Uber, and then Brie and I walk back up to her house. "So," she says, once the door is closed behind us again. "I guess we really will have to entertain ourselves tonight. Any movies you've been hanging out to see? Or is there…something else you feel like doing?"

I look at her, free of makeup after her earlier shower, her hair in a simple ponytail, her shoulders relaxed for once, and a wicked glint in her eyes. An insistent throbbing pulse starts running through my body, brain to clit.

"Yeah," I tell her. "I can think of one thing I'd really like to do." I push her back against the wall, and she lets out a gasp as I clamp my hands around her wrists, holding her hands above her head. "I'd like to tease you until you can't remember your own name, and then make you come so hard you soak the floor with it. What do you say?"

"Yes please ," she breathes, just before I claim her mouth with mine.