Power Play. Beverly Long

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       Chapter 3

      “Be careful,” he said quickly, pointing to the traffic behind her.

      Be careful. He was right. She needed to be very, very careful. “It’s late,” she said.

      “I don’t need that much sleep,” he said. “And—” he looked at his watch “—I don’t have to be at work for another two and a half hours. Actually, now I think I’ll just stay up. I probably should get something to eat.” He put his hands in his jeans’ pockets. “Ever since you said cheese sticks earlier, I’ve been a little obsessed.”

      Maybe it was the drink she’d gulped down on an empty stomach, but his offer sounded so good. Fun. And she desperately wanted not to overthink it. To write it off as simply a cool thing to have a handsome guy ask her out.

      But Anthony, Rodney and this man had been roommates. Best friends, to hear Anthony tell it. Would do anything for one another. Anthony had mentioned several times since she’d started working at the mine that he wanted to come see her, to spend some time with Rodney. Trey would naturally be part of that socializing.

      Was it possible that he was part of something much worse? She’d seen no evidence of that, but then again, she was less than a third of the way through the documents. Had he stuck around for hours and was now inviting her for a late dinner because he had some idea of what was in her backpack?

      How was that possible?

      She wanted nothing more than to run to her car, to seek the safety of her little apartment, but since lately she’d been in the business of turning over rocks—not as a geoscientist but as an amateur detective—maybe the smart thing to do was better understand Trey’s interest. “A bite to eat might be okay,” she said. She did not intend to get into a car with him. “There’s a little bar around the corner. They’re open until four. Really good burgers and sweet potato fries. I suspect there might be a cheese stick or two somewhere in the kitchen.”

      “Breaded, deep fried? Marinara sauce on the side?” he asked.

      She nodded.

      “Sweet,” he said. “Let’s go. Different shoes, I see.”

      Her black skirt and brown hiking boots weren’t a fashion statement but she didn’t care. She was a geologist. Definitely more at home in boots than heels. “The other are in my backpack,” she said. They walked at an easy pace down the sidewalk that was much less crowded than it had been at five when she’d come to work but still had a fair amount of foot traffic. Vegas never really did sleep, with most of the casinos open 24/7.

      He easily moved around her, taking a position on the sidewalk closest to the traffic. It reminded her that her dad always did that—told her once, when she was just a little girl, that a gentleman always walked on that side. It was only later that she’d learned the custom was a throwback to earlier days when wagons would slosh through the street, striking potholes filled with muddy water, and gentlemen took the brunt of it to protect their women from getting their long dresses ruined.

      She didn’t want him to be a gentleman. She wanted him to be a jerk.

      It took just minutes to reach Jada’s, and Trey held the door open for her. This wasn’t the kind of place with a hostess, but rather, guests found an available spot and settled in. As late as it was, most of the tables were full. There was one up front, near where the band was playing, and she led Trey in that direction.

      “This work?” she asked.

      “Perfect. Cheese sticks and Billy Joel. What’s better than that?”

      Not the real Billy Joel, but rather a piano player giving it his best with a young woman singing.

      “I don’t recognize the song,” she said, reaching for a menu that was in the middle of the table.

      “‘This Night’ off his An Innocent Man album. Early to mid-1980s.” He held up a finger. “Here it comes.”

      She listened. “Nice,” she said.

      “More than that. That right there was based off Beethoven’s Sonata Pathétique. Billy Joel gave credit where credit was due in the album notes.”

      His СКАЧАТЬ