Magic Moment Read Free Page A

every evening. Most were not ladies, and none were friends. Whatever made this particular one so special that Chase had to meet her, he had no idea, and he didn’t want to go.
    As the knock on the door announced the arrival of breakfast, he thanked Rachel and disconnected. After signing the receipt including a generous tip, Chase left a message on his father’s voicemail. He was stuck in Atlantic City with a stomach bug, he lied. And he was sorry he had to miss the dinner. Another lie.
    He poured from the coffee pot. The aroma of dark, roasted coffee caressed his senses, and he salivated at the prospect of his first sip. Gulping half of the strong brew, he regretted not asking for Laura when talking to Rachel. If the busybody secretary had thought the request suspicious, Chase could have claimed he needed a vendor check processed.
    He had always liked Laura. She was a pleasant, quiet woman. Pretty, too. He often admired her shoulder-length blonde hair. It wasn’t a cool or brassy blonde, but a warm golden color with a copper twinge. She wore dresses often, and Chase enjoyed looking at her long, slender legs. He munched on a bacon strip. She had looked so damn scared yesterday, her expression wringing his heart. He hoped she was all right.
    Chase downed the rest of the coffee. He’d come to Atlantic City for a night of casino gambling, drinking, reminiscing, and debating sports and politics with two of his college fraternity brothers. One, Tom Paulson, lived in Atlantic City and worked for the county. The other, Ned Stahl, was an attorney and lived in a central New Jersey yuppie development complex. Both were married. Both had kids. Both always welcomed the opportunity for a night out with Chase to see how the single half lived.
    While Chase overstated most of his colorful bachelor stories for their amusement, there was one convenience being single afforded him. Like Cinderella, his two buddies had to be home by midnight, or there would be hell to pay with their wives. Chase, on the other hand, reserved a hotel suite. Midnight was much too early for a healthy, wealthy unattached male to call it a night. Prowling around in search of other mischief-making activities, Chase had ended up in the casino at the blackjack table, requesting that the cards and drinks keep coming.
    But the remaining hours hadn’t brought Chase the enthusiasm he’d anticipated. He felt drained, and not from the hard night of being a carefree bachelor, but from his life. On the books, he had the freedom to make his own choices and be with anyone he wanted. Women were lining up, even knocking each other over for a roll with him. He stayed out until all hours. Being on his father’s payroll, no one cared if Chase showed up for work on time, or if he even showed up at all. He had the life, his buddies had insisted. Chase chuckled at their envy.
    So why was he miserable?
    Drinking, gambling, plenty of money, and picking from a buffet of delicious women, Chase mused over his life’s options. Oddly, none held the same magnetic appeal he had grown accustomed to. Last night, while sitting at the blackjack table, he had ignored the flirtations of a buxom, bouncy redhead in a too-tight scarlet dress. He had only stopped drinking when the dealer’s cards no longer made sense.
    Chase was in the mother of all funks and was stymied on how to shake it off.
    He eased back on the bed.
    Magic Lake Island.
    The ocean, tranquility, solitude … the most peaceful place on earth …
    Magic Lake Island, where nothing out of the ordinary ever happened …
    … and exactly what Chase needed.

Chapter Two
    “How much of that shit you give her?” the male voice drawled.
    Terror gripped Laura’s very soul. Her head ached, and her throat was dry. Breathing weighed down her lungs. She had to stay still. She couldn’t let on that she was awake.
    Visions blurred in her head.
    Earlier events all rushed back. Returning to the warehouse precisely at 5:30. No one there but Dick