Risking It All: London Calling Book Three Read Online Free PDF Page B

Spending time with her mother was hard enough without revisiting their past. Without a single sip, Natalie set the cup down. “I should go.”
    For a second, her mother seemed to sag into her seat. Then, she took a deep breath and met Natalie’s gaze straight on. “I’m sure you’re very busy. Thanks for stopping by.”
    The distant formality of her mother’s tone nearly stopped her. Instead, Natalie rose, gathering her jacket, scarf, and the gift for Sebastian. She fixed her eyes on the chunky necklace her mother wore. “I’ll see you soon, Mum.”
    Turning, she nearly missed the look that passed over her mother’s face, same as before.  
    Pity.
    ***
    Dominic took a cab from his hotel, a small boutique inn located in Chelsea. Frank, the new driver he’d hired under pressure from Bennett, had the early hours of the evening off. Alighting from the taxi, he casually took in the historic Georgian townhouse with its curved bays, gray stone balustrades and wrought iron balconies. Separate terraces bumped out from the second and third floors, with the lower one extending to overlook what appeared to be a walled garden next to the property.
    Dominic shook his head, impressed with the preserved but vibrant history. It was easy to forget how young America was in the bigger scheme of the world. He straightened his cuffs and approached the formally attired doorman to the very private, very exclusive Club Hobart.  
    The man stood, stone-faced in his navy blue morning suit with tails and burgundy-piped trim. As Dominic grew closer, the man reached out a hand in greeting. It was the polite way of asking for the required credentials to enter. Luckily, Dominic took care of those details earlier in the secluded privacy of his hotel suite.
    He extended his passport and waited while the other man pulled a phone from his pocket and verified his membership. While it was within his means, Dominic found the astronomical fees associated with admission to such a club unpalatable. On a normal day, he steered clear of places that demanded wealth or status for access in an effort to exclude.  
    However, this was not a normal day.  
    Yesterday, he stopped by Natalie’s apartment to find she’d moved away. Anticipating the doorman might not remember him, he brought dark chocolate truffles liberally laced with rum as both a reminder and a bribe. The other man did recognize him, and clued Dominic into the fact that Natalie moved out the week prior.
    He wouldn’t budge on where she’d gone, despite Dominic’s best efforts to cajole him. Perhaps the older man also remembered Dominic’s abrupt departure.  
    There was only one thing left for him to do. Back at the hotel, he had ordered dinner from room service then opened his laptop and set about digging. Less than two hours later, he had a much better idea what she’d been doing the last several months. He was disappointed but unsurprised to find her employed. What was a shock was that she had landed in one of the high-end private gaming clubs of London’s Mayfair district.  
    The liveried doorman held open the door, and Dominic strolled through with unconscious elegance. For the occasion, he’d donned a formal evening suit but left his collar open. Silver cufflinks with dark jade inlays provided the only color against unrelenting black and white. As was usual, both male and female eyes followed his movements into the club, unable or unwilling to resist his natural magnetism.  
    As was also usual, the admiring glances were entirely ignored by Dominic.
    He scanned the gaming room, appreciating the dark wood paneling offset by intricately carved crown molding and tray ceilings painted the color of rich clotted cream. Roman style pillars dotted the room, presumably as support but also serving to unobtrusively divide the bar area from the gaming tables.
    As he made his way across the room, he spotted at least a half dozen blackjack tables and slightly fewer poker games. One corner hosted a