LITMIR.BIZ

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was unique, her vibrancy extending beyond the simply physical.

      And she was the first of any of their acquaintances to put them at risk. Add on Rafe’s recent Rejuvenation—totally out of pattern—and something didn’t sit well with him.

      Gabe had gone back and reexamined the file, Evangeline’s sad past coming to life in each and every word. Despite his wariness, he hadn’t been unaffected by what he’d read. Or what he knew needed to be done. Hell, he liked her himself. She’d done wonders to the property in little less than a year, ran a tight ship, and the woman knew how to take care of herself. She was impressive and intriguing and he admired her.

      If only…

      The woman was a risk to them all. If she was a Hunter, she had far too much access. If she wasn’t, it was more than possible she could still lead the Hunters straight to their door.

      Troy and Victor had been perfect examples. Both had checked out—Gabe had examined their employment files, too—yet both were on staff, plotting to do worse. Evangeline had dealt with them, but was it all an act? A show of camaraderie that would soften them up and assume she wasn’t in league with those who sought to destroy them?

      He and Rafe had done everything in their power to make the Archangel a haven. They knew how to cloak and shield their existence, both from determined prying eyes and from the world around them. Add on the standard measures of security and caution required to run a world-class casino hotel and they had believed themselves safe.

      Protected.

      Was it an illusion? And had they really led the wolf straight to their door?

      “Gabe!”

      Charlie ambled up to the security station, leaning forward as he zeroed in on the image of Rafe and Evangeline. “Who is that? Wait—Evangeline?”

      “Yep.”

      “Rafe’s dating her now?”

      “He’s watching her.”

      Charlie leaned forward once more. “Damn right he is. She cleans up well.”

      Charlie’s reinforcement of the scene playing out on the restaurant cameras did nothing to calm his spiking ire and Gabe tapped a few keys on the console, changing the main display. “Heard she had a tussle yesterday with a few of her employees.”

      “Didn’t Trevor walk you through it?”

      At Charlie’s narrowed eyes, Gabe pressed him. “I’d like it from your point of view.”

      “She followed protocol to a T. Kicked both of her employees straight off the grounds for poor conduct and possible endangerment of hotel guests. Was pretty steamed about it, too, but she called Security and let us manage the removal of badges and escort off property.”

      Gabe let Charlie talk, his matter-of-fact recap of events reinforcing what he already knew about the incident.

      “Heard you were going to investigate them tonight yourself. Looking for company?”

      “I could use an able body or two.”

      “I’m in. I’m always up for a little Hunter ass-kicking.”

      Reject, deflect. Parry, thrust. Like an endless dance, she and Rafe kept going round and round throughout dinner over the burning man on the hotel grounds. Oh, he’d done a good job of changing the subject, but each and every time she directed the conversation back that fruitless dance started once more.

      For reasons she couldn’t quite name, that disappointed her most of all.

      She liked him. When she wasn’t irritated at his obtuse behavior, she had to admit he was a charming and enjoyable dinner companion. And while he was way more than a little easy on the eyes, his appeal quickly extended beyond the physical.

      It made whatever secret he was hiding that much more difficult to bear. And Evangeline wasn’t sure whether she was ready to back off or hunt down the police and the gaming commission in one fell swoop.

      She knew what she’d seen. No amount of refusal or denial on Rafe’s part was going to change that. What had changed over the past two hours was her need to understand the reasons why. Why there was a burning man in the first place. Why she couldn’t see any evidence on the ground. And why nothing—absolutely nothing—showed on the security cameras.

      Where she’d been initially wary that the Stavros family was hiding something illegal, or worse, committing crimes of their own, her time in close company with Rafe had shifted her direction. Her instincts might be on high alert, but increasingly it seemed there was a mystery afoot that had nothing to do with crime or greed or anything else.

      The problem was, what sort of mystery would surround a man who burned to a crisp and left no detail, residue or ash behind?

      Trying desperately to shake off the endless questions and keep her wits about her, she brought herself back fully to the moment. The two of them walked down the marble expanse that led from the restaurant to the indoor gardens, their steps slow and measured as Rafe asked her questions about the internal installation she’d proposed that morning.

      “You think you can do this installation fully in two days?”

      “Of course. We’ll start early the day after New Year’s and be done by the end of the next. Forty-eight hours, tops.”

      “And when will you sleep in all this?”

      Evangeline stopped at that, turning to him fully. “What is it with you and my work schedule? This benefits you. Your hotel. The experiences your guests will have when they visit. I’d think you’d appreciate a timely schedule and a plan of attack.”

      “Not at the expense of your health. Your well-being.”

      “It’s not like I’m doing anything else, anyway.”

      The words flew out before she could stop them and the congenial dinner companion morphed right there on the spot. The stubborn, hardheaded man who refused to share any of his own secrets almost seemed to surge forward as he leaped to understand hers.

      “What’s that about?”

      A healthy blush crept up her neck, spreading toward her cheeks. “No holiday plans this year. It’s not a problem.”

      “Will you be alone?”

      A sudden chill swept up her bare arms, at direct odds with the embarrassed heat, and Evangeline fought the urge to rub her upper flesh. “It’s no big deal.”

      “Forgive me if I don’t agree.” Rafe moved closer, his large hand closing around her empty one, devoid of her small clutch. “The holidays should be full of family and fun. The chance to make memories.”

       I have plenty of those and none of them are good.

      The words had nearly left her lips—nearly—before she caught herself. “I’m ready to make memories. The moment I watch the guests of the Archangel walk through the interior gardens in wonder and awe.”

      “That’s not what I’m talking about.”

      “Why not? If it makes me happy, makes me satisfied that my work brings pleasure to others, what’s wrong with it?”

      “Nothing. It’s just that the holidays are a time for family. For being together. For celebrating.”

      The banked embarrassment flared to life once more before it shifted—transformed, really—into whip-quick anger. Evangeline tugged her hand from his, taking a step back in determined self-preservation. “Not everyone celebrates. And not everyone has a family. More to the point, not everyone wants one.”

      “You don’t want a family?”

      “Of course I do. At some point.” And she did. It was her fondest wish, something she wrapped close to her heart each night as she lay down to sleep. Her lack of one haunted her as she worked the property, watching

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