Destiny sat on the high stool in front of a slot machine, and pushed the button, not paying attention to the whirling sounds or the tumblers. No, her eyes were glued to Owen MacKenna, seated several feet away at a blackjack table. Dane and his brothers were off somewhere, putting their heads together and making plans to confront Matthew MacKenna with the fact Dane was the missing Duncan heir, Thomas Elliot Duncan.
Honestly, she thought they were making a mistake, tipping their hand this early in the game. While the mountain of evidence she and Dane collected was overwhelming, it wasn’t a given it would hold up in a court of law. She knew for Dane it wasn’t about the money. Financial gain didn’t have anything to do with his reason for wanting to bring down Matthew MacKenna. He wanted justice. He wanted to avenge his parents’ murder. He wanted—peace.
Pushing the button again, she watched Owen hand a high-dollar chip to the dealer and stand. Dang it, he was leaving. Bells and sirens blared, the sounds shrill and far too close. She jumped, realizing it was her machine making the racket. She’d won. Not a gigantic jackpot, but still a couple hundred dollars. Who’d have thought she’d hit right when Owen decided to leave?
Grabbing the voucher for her winnings, she shoved it in her pocket and stood, following Owen through the archway of the casino and toward the bar area. She wrinkled her nose at the overwhelming stench from cigarette smoke. Ugh, she hated smoking. Her mom had smoked while Destiny was growing up, and she’d hated it. Hated the smell and the taste and the fact that her mother couldn’t quit. It was the one thing about her mom she’d had a problem with, because not only did it make the house unbearable, but more than once her mother had gotten in trouble at work because she got caught smoking when she shouldn’t. Now she was going to have to burn these clothes because she’d never get the smell out, and she certainly didn’t want to pack them into her bag to take back home.
When Owen walked through the door to the bar, she knew she’d guessed right. He’d been losing consistently, ever since she spotted him at the blackjack table. Maybe he planned on drowning his bad luck in booze. Slipping through the opening, she looked around. While the place was crowded, they weren’t packed in like sardines, so she was able to breathe.
Owen took a seat at the bar, and she knew she had a decision to make. The wrong move could blow everything. Yet, how often did an opportunity like this come up? She doubted he’d noticed her that night in the Japanese restaurant. Nobody would associate her with Dane. Still, it was a risk.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled back her shoulders and stood tall. She headed toward the bar and slid onto a stool one seat away from Owen. When the bartender asked for her order, she picked a soda. She’d learned a long time ago she and alcohol weren’t a good combination. It had been almost ten years since she’d touched the stuff and had no plans on changing that tonight.
Owen lifted his glass, and she watched the golden whiskey disappear down his throat. He motioned for another.
“Run of bad luck?”
His head swiveled in her direction at her question, and she studied him, looking for signs of recognition. Nothing flared in his eyes, except maybe a flicker of interest when his eyes strayed to her boobs. Great, not only was Owen MacKenna a lush, but he was also a loser. This was a bad idea, but it was too late to back out now.
“It was until now. Can I buy you a drink? Maybe something a little stronger than that?” He gestured toward her soda.
“Thanks, but I’m good with this. Appreciate the offer, though. As a matter of fact, how about I buy you another one? I’ve done pretty well tonight.”
Lifting his glass, he downed what was in his glass in one gulp. “Sure, why not?”
Motioning to the bartender, she indicated Owen’s glass and held up one finger. At his nod, she turned her attention back to Owen. This was the first time she’d had a chance to study the man, other than in photographs. She knew the basic facts. He was forty-two, ten years older than Dane. Married once and divorced after three years. He maintained a gym membership and kept himself in decent physical shape, though if he kept hitting the bottle like he was tonight, that wouldn’t last.
“You in Vegas for business or pleasure?”
“A little of both. I’m babysitting my dad, making sure he doesn’t do anything to get in over his head. How about you?”
Making sure he wasn’t looking, she slid her wedding ring off, saying a silent sorry to Dane. “I’m here to have some fun. I work hard and I like to play hard. I haven’t had a break all year and decided after my last job I needed to take a step back and relax.”
“Now that’s a sentiment I can understand. I’ve been focused on nothing but business for the last couple of years, Nothing but work, work, work. Sounds like we’re kindred spirits.”
This time he took a smaller sip of his drink, and she wondered if he’d loosen up more if she got him someplace a little quieter. It couldn’t hurt to try, right?
“If you don’t have plans, would you like to maybe have dinner with me?” She gave a simpering giggle and wanted to vomit. This wasn’t her. She wasn’t the girl who flirted with guys. Heck, she didn’t even know how to flirt.
He gave her another assessing look, before answering. Convinced he was going to turn her down, she started to rise.
“You know what? I don’t have anything pending that can’t wait. I’d love to have dinner with you.” He tossed back the remainder of his drink and rose.
“Awesome. Give me just one minute, I need to call my friend and tell her I’ve made other plans.” She waggled her cell phone, knowing she needed to let Dane know she wouldn’t be back for a while. Chances were good he hadn’t even noticed she’d left the suite.
“Go ahead. I’ll check my messages, and then we’ll head out.”
Turning in her chair, she dialed Dane’s number.
“Where are you? I went to check and see if you wanted to go out for dinner, and you were gone.”
“Oh, hi, Nica. Listen, we’re going to have to change our plans. I’m going out to dinner with a…friend, um,” she glanced at Owen and whispered, “what’s your name?”
With a smile, he answered. “Owen. Owen MacKenna.”
“I’m going to dinner with a new friend, Owen MacKenna. I’ll be back later.”
Dane’s voice raised in shock, “Destiny what do you think you’re doing? Where are you? I’ll come—”
“There’s nothing to worry about, Nica. It’s just dinner, here at the hotel.” She mouthed, “Is that okay?” to Owen, who nodded.
“Princess, don’t you dare go with him. He knows who you are, and—”
“No, it’s okay, we’ll catch up later, I promise. Don’t wait up.”
She hung up at the sound of Dane’s sputtered yell. Oh, she was going to hear about it when she got back to their room, but this was too good an opportunity to pass up.
“You ready to go?” Owen extended his arm, and she slid her hand through the crook of his elbow. She gave him a flirty smile.
“Absolutely.”
It didn’t take more than a few minutes to walk through the doors of the steakhouse. Owen slid several bills into the hostess’ hand, and before she could blink, they were led to a private table beside large windows next to the water. Owen pulled her chair out, before taking the one across from her. The setting was intimate, warm, and cozy, with the illusion they were alone in the midst of a large restaurant. She liked the whole vibe of the place and wished she was there with Dane.
“This is a beautiful place. Have you been here before?” She picked up her napkin with a gentle flick of her wrist and placed it on her lap. Within seconds, a waiter arrived to take their drink order. He looked surprised when she again ordered a soda and surprised her again when he got the same.
“Tell me about yourself, sweetheart. How’d you end up in Sin City?”
“Well, I work in IT. Mostly data input, boring but it pays well. My friend, Nica—the one I called earlier—we’ve been putting in a ton of info recently, because of a corporate merger. Some kind of buyout by corporate bigwigs. I don’t pay a lot of attention to that kind of thing, you know? As long as my paycheck clears, and I’ve got enough money to have a little fun, I’m good.”
She hoped Nica didn’t mind Destiny using her name in vain. But calling Dane by his sister’s name would have clued him she was working an angle. Of course, she’d probably get her back side handed to her when she got back to the room. Dane wouldn’t appreciate being left out of the loop, and he really wouldn’t like her going out on her own, especially with a MacKenna.
He took a sip of his drink, studying her closely. When they’d been in the bar earlier, he hadn’t shown any sign of recognition, and she hoped the drinks he had earlier kept him from recognizing her. “Funny, my company does that. Buys other companies, incorporating them into our business. Small world.”
“Wow, maybe I’m working for you. Wouldn’t that be funny?” She ran her hand through her short hair, wishing it was long and flowing because all the sexy women did that weird hair flipping thing when they were flirting. All she had going for her was her cleavage, which Owen kept staring at. Trying not to be obvious, she surreptitiously tugged her top down a smidge lower, exposing the edge of her tattoo.
Let’s see how you like this, Mr. Sleazebag.
A blooming rose in shades of crimson and lighter red, the petals looked like velvet, realistic and lifelike. The realism the artist achieved looked like a photograph, a flower just been plucked from a garden. On the flower a seated fairy kicked her legs, her wings half-furled behind her. Long dark hair spilled across the fairy’s shoulders and onto a sapphire blue dress covering her ethereal body. While the scene appeared whimsical, the artist’s ability made the scene come alive. A single dewdrop glistened on a rose petal, appearing to hang from its edge. She had other tattoos, but this one was her favorite.
“Let’s not talk about business tonight. Instead, let’s make a toast.” Owen lifted his glass. “To finding new friends in the most unexpected places.”
She touched her glass to his and took a small sip. A chill skittered down her spine at the sensation she was being watched. Trying not to be obvious, she looked around the restaurant, but she couldn’t see anybody who seemed to be paying attention to her or Owen. It had to be her overactive imagination. She’d understand if she was out with Dane, because she knew somebody was watching him. Stalking him. And she’d made it her job to keep him safe—no matter what.
When the waiter came, she ordered a small filet and a side salad. Owen ordered the porterhouse and a baked potato. Typical meat and potatoes for the man, she mused.
Owen was charming, kept the conversation moving, clearly at home with small talk without giving out any important details. Heck, they might as well be talking about the weather. At this rate, she wasn’t going to find out anything useful and would’ve wasted her evening. She might as well have stayed in the room doing research; it would have been more productive.
Before she knew it, dinner was finished, and the plates cleared away. Steaming cups of coffee appeared as if by magic, the perfect kind of service. She made a mental note to leave a generous tip.
“It’s still early, much too soon to call it a night. Would you like to explore a bit of Las Vegas with me?”
Taken aback by his proposal, Destiny scrambled to come up with a legitimate excuse, coming up blank.
“What do you have in mind? Remember, I promised Nica I’d be back after dinner.”
“I thought maybe we could walk down the strip for a bit, look at the lights. There’s nothing else like it anywhere. You said we need a break from work, something to take our minds off everything. A little stroll, some sightseeing, and pleasant conversation. Please say yes.”
What could she say that wouldn’t raise his suspicions? “Sure, sounds fun.”
“Excellent.” He motioned to their server, who immediately presented the bill to Owen. He signed it, charging it to his room. Some detective she was; she hadn’t even realized he was staying in the same hotel as her and Dane.
“I was supposed to be taking you to dinner, remember?”
He smiled and held out his hand. “You can pick up the check next time.”
He thinks there’s going to be a next time? Is this dude delusional?
Exiting the hotel, they headed toward the bright lights. Destiny had to admit, she was impressed with the overall grandeur and excess of the city’s famous landmarks. She imagined Sin City in its heyday, with the world-famous casinos and hotels sprawling from one end to the other, all festooned with neon lights. It hosted the best of the best in entertainment, both then and now. Extravaganzas featuring showgirls, strutting their stuff across the stages with feathered headdresses and barely-there skimpy outfits. It was too bad all of that faded glory ended before she was born.
If they weren’t here on business, she’d make Dane take her to one of the shows, just so she could say she’d experienced an honest-to-goodness Vegas spectacular.
Crowds of people bustled around, laughing and having fun, and Destiny found herself relaxing as she walked beside Owen. He pointed out different sites to her. Stopping in front of The Mirage, she noted a crowd beginning to form.
“What’s going on?”
“The Mirage volcano eruption show will be starting in about twenty minutes. Attracts a lot of tourists.”
“I’d forgotten about that. Doesn’t it have lights and music synced to the explosions?”
Owen grinned. “That’s what they told me. I made a reservation earlier, planned on popping over here if I finished up. Before running into you, my night was a real bummer, but things have certainly picked up. Would you like to watch the show with me?
“It’s pretty crowded, I’m not sure we’ll be able to see much from back here.” She gestured toward the crowd, which was growing bigger by the minute.
“We’ll have a much better view from the valet station. A friend told me it’s one of the best places, we’ll have unobstructed views of the whole show. You game?”
“Absolutely!” She didn’t have to fake her excitement, because this was a once in a lifetime experience she didn’t want to miss.
Within minutes they were standing at the valet kiosk, with a group of people, close to the wall, and with a fantastic view of the whole show. The whole music and fireworks spectacular lasted about five minutes, but it was worth the wait. Destiny was almost sorry when it ended, but when she caught a glimpse of the time and winced. If she didn’t get back to the hotel soon, Dane would call out the cavalry, i.e., his brothers, and they’d mount a search.
“I’ve enjoyed tonight, but it’s time I get back to the hotel. I’ve got a lot going on tomorrow, and I’ve got to get up early.”
Owen studied her face before finally shrugging. “If that’s what you want.”
Walking side-by-side, they threaded their way through the crowd. Most people looked like they were just starting their evening, full of energy and cheerful spirits. She, on the other hand, felt like she could barely put one foot in front of the other.
The cool night air revived her a little, but it also made a shiver run through her. Owen pulled off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, and she wondered again how someone who acted like a gentleman in public could protect a man like his father. She was convinced Dane was right, and Matthew MacKenna bore the responsibility for Dane’s biological parents’ deaths.
Waiting at the corner for the streetlight to change so they could cross, Destiny watched Owen pull his phone out and check a message. He obviously wasn’t happy with whatever he read, because he frowned before shoving the phone back in his pocket.
The light changed, and she took a step off the curb, suddenly anxious to get back to the hotel, and Dane. The night had pretty well been a bust. While dinner was pleasant, Owen hadn’t revealed anything they didn’t already know. They weren’t any closer to figuring out who’d put the hit on Dane or having the evidence to put Matthew MacKenna away for murder.
She’d barely taken two steps when she heard the squeal of brakes and felt a hard thump on her side. Excruciating pain blossomed in her hip. Strong arms wrapped around her before she hit the asphalt, pulling her back onto the sidewalk as people milled around. Loud voices bombarded her, and someone asked if she wanted to call the police.
“Are you alright? You got hit pretty hard.” Owen’s voice rose above the crowd, and she focused on him. Throbbing pain in her hip had her biting her lip, and she drew in a ragged breath before answering.
“I’m fine. A little banged up, but none the worse for wear. Where’d that car come from? I looked before I stepped out.”
“It came out of nowhere,” one of the women in the crowd answered. “Ran the red light and sideswiped you. Looked like they didn’t even try to hit the brakes. Do you need an ambulance?”
She shook her head. The pain was subsiding to a dull throb, and all she wanted was to get back to the hotel. It was a stupid accident, and she’d probably feel worse tomorrow, but right now adrenaline was shooting through her in the aftermath of the accident.
“Are you sure you don’t want somebody to look at you? That was quite a hit you took.” Owen loosened the arm he’d wrapped around her waist, not quite letting go, and she steadied herself on her feet.
“I’m fine, really. Can we just go back to the hotel? A good night’s sleep and I’ll be ready to rock and roll tomorrow.”
“If you’re sure.” Owen held out his arm. “Why don’t you hang onto me until we get there? Just in case.” He shot her a rueful smile. “Let me at least make sure nothing else happens on the way back.”
The rest of the trip back to the Bellagio was uneventful, if a bit uncomfortable, but she wasn’t about to admit that to Owen. He’d been courteous and mindful of her injury, deliberately walking slower so she didn’t aggravate her hip and leg. Walking through the lobby, she stopped in front of the elevator. “Thank you for spending the evening with me. You kept me from gorging on junk food and going to bed early and watching way too much TV. I had a nice night.”
At least until I got sideswiped by some jerk who needs to take driving lessons.
“My pleasure. You changed my luck, pretty girl. I think maybe I’ll head back to the casino before calling it a night. Thank you, it’s been…insightful getting to know you.”
“Good night, Owen.”
The elevator doors opened, and she stepped inside and pressed the button for her floor. As the doors started closing, she heard Owen chuckle.
“Good night, Destiny. Tell Dane I said hello.”
An overwhelming sense of dread flooded her, and her blood ran cold when she realized she’d been played for a fool. Stupid her, thinking she’d been playing Owen MacKenna, when all along he’d know who she was, and strung her along like an expert fisherman playing with his catch.
As the elevator rose, her one and only thought played over and over in her head.
Dane’s gonna kill me.