one of her “applicants.” The thought had torn him to shreds, so he’d refused to believe it. And he’d pounded again. Then he’d decided she was sleeping really deeply, so he pounded louder. Then he’d wait, thinking she’d be back soon. He’d get tired of waiting and pound again. Eventually, a man opened the door next to hers and asked him to stop, so Luke just sank to the ground and waited.
He was losing his mind, feeling impotent, not being able to do anything. Who knew what had happened to her? It was four o’clock in the morning, and while people were still out on the streets, he knew Kathy wasn’t one for staying out until the wee hours of the morning unless she was with somebody or something had happened to her.
Neither of those options appealed to Luke.
It had been two days since he’d slept, but he wasn’t about to fall asleep on this carpet. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years, and Luke again sent a mental plea to Kathy to please come back to him. He needed her out of this place. He needed her with him.
Luke hadn’t brought clothes with him, he’d been in such a hurry to leave Serendipity and get to the airport in Dallas. Instead, he’d bought clothing in the gift shop at his hotel, showered and come straight over to Kathy’s room. So he sat here, wearing a discount tee shirt proclaiming, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” with sweat pants with Las Vegas in large print up the side of one leg. It didn’t matter. They were clean, and sort of matched. At least they were before he’d sat on the floor.
Each time the elevator dinged, Luke looked to see who came out of the doors, his heart in his throat. Each time, as Kathy didn’t emerge, he swallowed it back to its rightful place.
He’d texted Amy that he was at her hotel, but didn’t tell her Kathy wasn’t here. He didn’t want to worry her sister needlessly. However, Amy wouldn’t take his vagueness for what it was, an attempt to alleviate her stress. She had relentlessly texted him until he finally told her he couldn’t find her, and since then, she’d texted him every ten minutes asking for updates. Finally, he’d turned his phone off. Kathy hadn’t responded to his texts or phone calls in weeks. In fact, he suspected she’d changed her number when she went on this expedition of hers.
Again, he hoped to God she was okay. At this point, he would rather she’d found another man to spend the night with. The alternatives racing through his mind were so much worse.
Luke rubbed his gritty eyes, and leaned his head against the wall behind him, fighting sleep. If he fell asleep here, no telling what would happen to him. And that thought got his mind going again to all the calamities that could befall Kathy in this city. Scenes from CSI-Las Vegas ran through his head. She could be lying in a gutter somewhere, raped and crying alone. She could have been shot trying to make change with a pan-handler. She could have become a victim of a rogue magician on the strip. She could have decided to try her hand at cabaret and fallen on the wrong side of a love triangle with the stage manager. Or worse, she could have tried dealing cards and gotten blind-sided by a shark.
A pair of scratched, bare feet came into his line of sight.
“Luke?”
His eyes tracked up a pair of beautifully familiar legs, the frayed hem of a much too short skirt, and memorable pleasure pods to the most stunning face he’d ever seen. Puffy red eyes, rimmed with streaks of mascara, peered at him from under long lashes, framed by her strawberry blond hair, which stuck out in all directions.
Finding a hidden well of energy, he leapt up and gathered her in his arms. “Kathy.” He breathed her name, as she sank into his arms.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so sorry. This was all a terrible mistake. I’m so stupid. Oh God…” Her words disintegrated into sobs and Luke held her, making ineffective shooshing noises.
“You’re alright, now.
He was losing his mind, feeling impotent, not being able to do anything. Who knew what had happened to her? It was four o’clock in the morning, and while people were still out on the streets, he knew Kathy wasn’t one for staying out until the wee hours of the morning unless she was with somebody or something had happened to her.
Neither of those options appealed to Luke.
It had been two days since he’d slept, but he wasn’t about to fall asleep on this carpet. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years, and Luke again sent a mental plea to Kathy to please come back to him. He needed her out of this place. He needed her with him.
Luke hadn’t brought clothes with him, he’d been in such a hurry to leave Serendipity and get to the airport in Dallas. Instead, he’d bought clothing in the gift shop at his hotel, showered and come straight over to Kathy’s room. So he sat here, wearing a discount tee shirt proclaiming, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” with sweat pants with Las Vegas in large print up the side of one leg. It didn’t matter. They were clean, and sort of matched. At least they were before he’d sat on the floor.
Each time the elevator dinged, Luke looked to see who came out of the doors, his heart in his throat. Each time, as Kathy didn’t emerge, he swallowed it back to its rightful place.
He’d texted Amy that he was at her hotel, but didn’t tell her Kathy wasn’t here. He didn’t want to worry her sister needlessly. However, Amy wouldn’t take his vagueness for what it was, an attempt to alleviate her stress. She had relentlessly texted him until he finally told her he couldn’t find her, and since then, she’d texted him every ten minutes asking for updates. Finally, he’d turned his phone off. Kathy hadn’t responded to his texts or phone calls in weeks. In fact, he suspected she’d changed her number when she went on this expedition of hers.
Again, he hoped to God she was okay. At this point, he would rather she’d found another man to spend the night with. The alternatives racing through his mind were so much worse.
Luke rubbed his gritty eyes, and leaned his head against the wall behind him, fighting sleep. If he fell asleep here, no telling what would happen to him. And that thought got his mind going again to all the calamities that could befall Kathy in this city. Scenes from CSI-Las Vegas ran through his head. She could be lying in a gutter somewhere, raped and crying alone. She could have been shot trying to make change with a pan-handler. She could have become a victim of a rogue magician on the strip. She could have decided to try her hand at cabaret and fallen on the wrong side of a love triangle with the stage manager. Or worse, she could have tried dealing cards and gotten blind-sided by a shark.
A pair of scratched, bare feet came into his line of sight.
“Luke?”
His eyes tracked up a pair of beautifully familiar legs, the frayed hem of a much too short skirt, and memorable pleasure pods to the most stunning face he’d ever seen. Puffy red eyes, rimmed with streaks of mascara, peered at him from under long lashes, framed by her strawberry blond hair, which stuck out in all directions.
Finding a hidden well of energy, he leapt up and gathered her in his arms. “Kathy.” He breathed her name, as she sank into his arms.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so sorry. This was all a terrible mistake. I’m so stupid. Oh God…” Her words disintegrated into sobs and Luke held her, making ineffective shooshing noises.
“You’re alright, now.
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