Roxy never thought she’d be part of a murder investigation. At least, she thought it was murder. With all the blood… She shook her head. She didn’t want to think about that. She had bigger issues. Like Rafe looking at her as if she kicked his puppy.
“You two know each other?” Rafe’s large, defined arms were crossed over his chest. At some point, he’d lost the suit coat and was sporting a white button down,with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. It was like arm porn—complete with bulging muscles.
MacAuley’s lips curved into the barest of smiles before tilting back down. “We met today.”
“There was a whole thing with a servee throwing cacti at my car.” She sighed and sat on the bed. She never thought she’d wish the worst thing a servee would do was throw pottery at her car.
“I’m Detective Geary.” Baritone motioned to Sarina, then Roxy. “Can I get your names?”
“Roxanna Horne.”
“I’m Sarina West.”
“So, let’s start at the beginning.” Geary wrote on a little pad of paper. “What were you doing at the hotel tonight?”
“I was working the opening of the club downstairs.” Sarina looked tired. But after all that happened tonight and the whole passing out thing, she should be.
“Then how did you get up here?” MacAuley didn’t have a pen and paper, but Roxy had the feeling he was remembering everything.
“We saw Donnie Dunne in the lobby.” Roxy said, and avoided meeting Rafe’s stare. “I needed to serve him a summons, so we followed him up to the forty-fourth floor.”
“You followed him up?”
“Well, not really followed. We watched him push the button for the forty-fourth floor and then went back to the club.”
“Why did you go back to the club?” Geary’s pen hovered over paper.
“Because we were told we weren’t allowed to follow him.”
“By whom?”
“Mr. Amato,” Roxy said.
“It’s against hotel policy for anyone to harass or intimidate my guests.” Rafe’s arms were still crossed in angry-man fashion.
“I didn’t harass anyone.” Roxy felt the pout grow on her lips. She wasn’t harassing.
A loud hmm came from the wall where Rafe stood. “Well, you’re not intimidating.”
Like those were the only two options. She could think of lots of perfectly lovely things to call herself. Just not right now, with the cops hovering.
“How long did you stay in the club?” Geary asked.
“Thirty minutes or so.”
“Then what?”
“Then Sarina and I came up to the forty-fourth floor and knocked on doors, looking for Double… Donnie.” Since the poor guy was now gone, she should probably stop calling him Double D or the leprechaun. Respect for the deceased and all. “We noticed the door was open.”
“We?”
“I noticed it. It was on my side of the hall. I volunteered to go in so Sarina could keep knocking. We didn’t have time to stop because one of the hotel guests threatened to call security.”
“How long were you in there alone?”
“A few minutes?”
“What were you doing for those minutes?” Rafe’s shoulders bunched and he looked like all the scary.
“I walked into the room and no one was there, and there was all this food just sitting on the counter. I love strawberry cake, but I didn’t want to cut someone’s cake because that’s just rude. But there were brownies.”
“You stopped to eat?” Now MacAuley was looking at her like all the crazy.
“No.” She so was not coming out of this story looking normal. “Okay, fine. I ate a brownie. I didn’t know there was anyone in there. No one answered.”
“He was dead.” Geary’s face had gone from chick-be-crazy to chick-be-guilty. The judgement in his eyes was obvious.
“I know that now,” Roxy protested, waving a hand. A bloody hand, Not a good idea. “I didn’t know it then. I didn’t do this. You know that, right?”
Geary didn’t answer, just repeated, “So, you were alone with the body for a few minutes.”
“It might have been less. I don’t know. Can’t you check the video tapes?”
“What video tapes?” Rafe sighed. “We don’t record in the rooms. That would be illegal.”
MacAuley didn’t seem to have judgey eyes for her, but the way he looked at Rafe said there might be a story there. “After the brownie, what happened?”
“Sarina came in and passed out. Then Rafe, I mean Mr. Amato, ran in and found us.”
“How long after Ms. West came in did Mr. Amato and his team arrive?”
“Seconds. It was right away.”
“We had multiple complaints of someone knocking on doors.” Rafe glared at Roxy.
Like it was her fault all this happened and like there were multiple people complaining. “Multiple? Only one guy said he’d call.”
Rafe shook his head. “Not everyone opened their door.”
“Why not?” She’d said she was looking for her dad. What if it had been an emergency? Well, what if she’d actually been looking for him and there had been an emergency? They didn’t know she was lying. Yet they ignored her knock.
“Probably because a crazy woman was knocking on their door at one AM.” MacAuley smiled. It would have been adorable if he wasn’t calling her crazy.
“Then what?” Detective Geary asked.
“Rafe told other suit guy to call the police and they moved us to this room.”
“Why?”
Roxy got that all information could be important, but this was ridiculous. Who cared what happened after she found him? “The cops were here.”
“You saw the cops?”
“No, suit guy said they were here.”
“Suit guy?” MacAuley looked at Rafe.
“Gabe Martin,” Rafe explained.
“I think we have everything. If you can think of any more details, please call me.” MacAuley handed Roxy his card. “Don’t leave town.”
“Am I a suspect?”
“Everyone is until we get some answers.” Geary stuck his notebook into his pocket. “I’m going to check on the M.E.”
MacAuley watched his partner leave. Then he turned to Roxy. “Are you okay?”
“I’ve been better.”
“Two incidents in one day.”
“I have a gift.” Roxy rotated her neck as exhaustion slipped through her entire body. “I’d be happy to give it back.”
“Are you done, MacAuley?” Rafe growled. “She needs to go home.”
MacAuley’s attention switched from Roxy to Rafe. “You’re not leaving, Amato.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Rafe still leaned against the wall, his arms still crossed. His hands must be numb by now.
“Do you need a ride?” MacAuley reached out a hand and helped Roxy stand. So chivalrous. Too bad Rafe looked about ready to take his hand off. MacAuley, naturally, found it amusing, if she read the smirk on his face right.
If they whipped it out and started measuring, she was so out of here. “I have my car.”
“Are you sober enough to drive?” Rafe’s scowl hadn’t moved.
It had been a few hours since her last drink. Something about death sobered a girl right up. “Yes. I haven’t had a drink since the club. And I ate.”
MacAuley lips quirked up. “A brownie?”
“It was really good. You should try one.”
“No thanks.” MacAuley gave one of his full-fledged smiles. Nummy.
Nummy? Okay maybe she was little bit tipsy yet. But the room was filled with so much testosterone, she could feel it in her ovaries. Her ovaries? Definitely tipsy. Thank goodness the hotel had a great hamburger joint.
“I’ll walk you to your car.” MacAuley waved toward the door.
“Not necessary. I’ve got it covered.” Amato pulled away from the wall.
She avoided them both. It was almost cute watching two men act like Neanderthals. Although, it usually ended with the girl getting clubbed and being dragged by their hair. Her roots didn’t need that.
“It’s been fun, but we’re not leaving quite yet.” Roxy swept past the two men and stopped at the door.
“We’re not?” Sarina bumped into Roxy, who grabbed at the edge of the door to keep from falling.
She almost forgot Sarina was there, what with all the testosterone flying around. Or it could still be a remnant of the vodka. “No, I need a burger.”
“Yes.” Sarina practically licked her lips. She’d been unusually quiet. “And maybe a drink.”
Rafe wrapped his arm around Roxy’s shoulders and led her out into the hall. He pulled out a business card with one hand. “Give this to the front desk. They’ll set you up with a room and something to eat.”
She flipped the card over in her hand. It wasn’t a free room ticket or anything with the Imprint logo. It was a business card with Rafe’s name and a local Vegas number. That was it. “Why would they believe me?”
“They will.”
“Are you sure? Have you done it before?”
“Yes.”
Why would he give out cards? Then it hit her like a ton of erotic books. “You give these to the women you sleep with, don’t you? Like ‘sorry the sex was mediocre, but here are some pancakes to make up for it’. The least you can do is give them a coupon for Hash House A Go Go. Give a good meal. Although the room is a nice touch.”
MacAuley laughed out loud as he passed them and slipped into Donnie’s room.
“I don’t do mediocre. I don’t give out cards to make up for anything.” Rafe’s lips were at her temple. His voice low. If it wasn’t so charged with sexual energy, she would call it menacing. But as it was, it was hot. “I would do things with you that would make your eyes roll to the back of your head, while you scream for more.”
Her body leaned into him. It wasn’t her fault. It just kind of happened. She was melting into a pile of need and his body was right there to catch her.
Until he wasn’t.
He stepped back. “Enjoy the room.” Amato knew what he’d done. He knew he’d gotten her all hot and sweating. He knew walking away would leave her cold and fretting.
He did it on purpose, because he was sexy and mean and because he knew he could. He disappeared into Donnie’s hotel room without looking back.
And she knew he didn’t look back. She watched.
She couldn’t even blame the alcohol on that bad decision.