Prodigal Son Read Online Free PDF Page A

front of him. His smile had disappeared once the door shut behind them, and his sober gaze never shifted from Cara. The tailored suit he wore made him look like the cover of a fashion magazine, but it also emphasized his powerful, athletic build. Though she longed for a shower and change of clothes, he had somehow convinced her with just a few words to go see Bartow immediately rather than continue on to Danny’s apartment.
    Now he stood across the room, looking much less charming. The mantle of danger around him made her think he could move fast as a snake and be just as deadly—though neither of these guys struck her as Eagle Scout candidates, especially since they’d somehow talked her into coming here when she’d had no intention of doing any such thing.
    Why had she allowed him to bring her here? That piece of the puzzle still eluded her.
    She focused on Bartow again—short, chubby, and balding. Her stepbrother’s boss. Or at least he had been before Danny had stupidly borrowed the man’s Lamborghini, been arrested, and then jumped bail. Casinos didn’t keep criminals on the payroll, and Danny had crossed the line. But now he was gone without a trace.
    She knew it had to be bad, whatever he was into. Nothing but death or the threat of it would have kept him away from New Jersey on August nineteenth, the anniversary of their parents’ accident. And she refused to believe he was dead.
    “Miss McGaffigan,” Bartow said, bringing her attention back to the present. “All we want now is for Danny to turn himself in, for this whole terrible ordeal to be over.”
    “That’s what I want, too.”
    “Of course you do.” Bartow spread his hands, grinning with all the congeniality of Marlon Brando playing Santa Claus. “That’s why we’ve offered to have you stay at our beautiful Mesopotamian Resort and Casino, courtesy of the management. Perhaps your stepbrother will contact you, and you can convince him to do the right thing.”
    The right thing? She glanced from one man to the other. Whatever Danny was into had probably started right here, with the manager of the Mesopotamian Resort and his well-dressed watchdog. Her instincts told her they had some sort of ulterior motive for having her stay at the hotel. That there was something else going on here.
    A cold knot gripped her stomach. Was she bait in a trap to catch Danny?
    Bartow apparently took her silence as assent. “Is there anything we can do to make your stay with our hotel more comfortable? Anything you want, on the house.”
    “No, thank you. I won’t be staying. I have other plans.” Her instincts urged her to flee, but Cara calmly got to her feet, fingers clenched around her purse. “It’s been a long day. I appreciate your time, Mr. Bartow.”
    Bartow stood as well and came around his massive desk. His head reached her chin as he stopped in front of her. “I hope your stepbrother contacts you soon. Not knowing is the worst, in my opinion.”
    Uncertain how to reply, she just nodded, then shook his proffered hand. His fingers tightened around hers with surprising strength as he looked up at her. His eyes were dark and small and all but lost in the plump flesh of his face. For a moment, she felt as if she were looking into the gaze of a reptile. Unnerved, she broke the contact between them; a shower appealed even more now. “Good-bye, Mr. Bartow. Thank you for your time.”
    “Miss McGaffigan,” he said with a nod. “Mr. Gray will see you out.”
    The unsettling Mr. Gray opened the door to the office for her. “Good day, Miss McGaffigan.” He touched her arm as she made to walk through. “You should stay here at the hotel. Why not? It’s free. You can go to Danny’s apartment after you check in.”
    The world tilted as a wave of dizziness hit. His voice seemed to come from a long way away, his suggestion wrapping through her consciousness like smoke. Then everything cleared.
    She shook her head. Wow, the stress of all this must be worse