The Best Bet Read Free Page B

his way.
    “Well, Mister, er, Damián, if you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way to the airport.” Her voice held a note of defensiveness.
    He hadn’t meant to offend her by finishing her sentence. He just wished she would chill out on the service issue. “Can I come, too?” The question popped from his mouth.
    “That really isn’t necessary, you know. I’m more than capable of locating your bags.” This time, she didn’t bother to mask the exasperation in her voice.
    “I have the utmost confidence in your ability, Miss de Los Santos. But it’s my luggage, and I don’t usually duck my responsibilities.” It was a lame excuse, but he couldn’t tell her the real reason he wanted to go with her. “And I might be able to help, too. My luggage is black and lumpy and looks like everyone else’s. But I know I’d recognize my bags so you wouldn’t have to check all the tags.”
    She didn’t answer right away, and he could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. “As you wish, Damian. I’ll pick you up at the front entrance under the porte cochre. My car is a late model, dark blue Ford Taurus. Give me twenty minutes. Okay?”
    “Twenty minutes. I’ll be there.”
    He checked his watch and went to the nearest bathroom. The requisite toilet articles in tiny bottles were provided along with a hair dryer but no comb or brush. Turning on the cold water, he splashed water on his face and tried to ignore his itchy eyes. With wet fingertips, he smoothed down his hair.
    Leaning over the sink and staring at his reflection in the mirror, he wondered why he was pushing this. His ex-fiancée and what she’d done to him was never far from his mind. Except for a few arranged dates by his family, he’d avoided the opposite sex for the past two years. Adriana was attractive, but so were a lot of women. And he would only be in Vegas for a few days. A short-term fling wasn’t exactly his style.
    Maybe he’d assumed his brother’s carefree personality along with his identity. Whatever temporary insanity might be driving him, all he knew was that he wanted to see Adriana de Los Santos again.
     
     

Chapter Two
     
    Adriana pulled from beneath the gilded and neon-clad Xanadu porte cochere, making a quick U-turn onto Harmon Avenue to avoid the glutted Strip traffic. As she headed toward McCarran Airport, the sun was setting at her back and the eastern mountains were turning purple. It was her favorite time of day in the desert city—twilight.
    Normally, she would be savoring the constantly shifting patterns of shadows on the mountains, breathing deeply and composing herself after a grinding day at work, except for one small detail: Damian Escobedo, sitting next to her, close enough to touch. The scent of his spicy cologne teased her senses, making her acutely aware of him. His incongruous presence, as her Mamá would have said, made her as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
    He snapped his seat belt into place. “Thanks for letting me tag along.”
    “My pleasure,” she said, wondering again what he was doing here. Most high rollers would have hit the tables the minute they arrived. Their luggage could have ended up in Timbuktu for all they cared.
    She still harbored doubts about him, magnified by his unusual attention to his luggage. What could be so important about his bags? Was he smuggling in drugs to cover his gaming habit?
    She doubted it, mentally shaking her head. She must be watching too many late night reruns of Miami Vice . He really didn’t seem the type to engage in illegal activities. But what type was he? She wanted him to fit neatly in her little box for high rollers, but he didn’t and that bugged her. Besides, she hadn’t had the time to delve deeper into his background.
    Recalling that one moment when he’d looked her over and smiled his roguish smile, she fervently hoped he wasn’t going along to hit on her—that was the one part of her job she didn’t like. High