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eBook Category: Romance/Mystery/Crime
eBook Description: Sydney Rawlins is on the run with nowhere to go and no one to trust. Her brother is accused of murder and presumed dead, and a priceless piece of 200 year old art is missing. Refusing to give up hope, Sydney will do whatever it takes to find the truth even if it means losing her heart--and possibly her life--to a man with too many faces. Graham Montgomery is not who he appears to be and the fewer people who know this, the better. Betrayal leads him on a dangerous journey to find peace with his life and past. With ties to both sides of the law, he has no time to waste protecting a headstrong woman determined to get herself killed in the name of justice. The bright lights of the Vegas set a backdrop for intrigue and betrayal in a world of politics and art where no one will come out unscathed.

eBook Publisher: Echelon Press, Published: 2002, 2002
Fictionwise Release Date: September 2005

3 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: eReader (PDB) [176 KB] , ePub (EPUB) [170 KB] , Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [143 KB] , Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [967 KB] , Palm Doc (PDB) [159 KB] , Microsoft Reader (LIT) [149 KB] , Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [195 KB] , hiebook (KML) [420 KB] , Sony Reader (LRF) [218 KB] , iSilo (PDB) [131 KB] , Mobipocket (PRC) [164 KB] , Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [199 KB] , OEBFF Format (IMP) [210 KB]
Words: 49014
Reading time: 140-196 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Portable Document Format (PDF) Format:  Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud DISABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED
ISBN: 1590800508

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Dammit!" Intending to enjoy a long soak, Sydney Rawlins rinsed off in the soapy bath water. Her cat, Mischief, hissed as the banging continued, oblivious to the pain he caused using her arm as a launch point.

"Sydney? Open the door! I know you're in there! Open up!"

"I'm coming I'm coming," Sydney stood and grabbed a towel, "don't get your shorts in a wad."

What the heck was he doing here anyway? Just because Las Vegas was considered a twenty-four hour town didn't mean she had to take visitors twenty-four hours a day.

"Come on, Sydney! I'm freezing out here!"

"Yeah, well he can freeze out there all night for all we owe him, right Mischief?" Sydney muttered to her pet as she belted a robe securely around her middle and headed for the front door. How dare Nick St. Germaine show up unannounced at this time of night!

"Damn it, Sydney, open this door!"

Temper soaring, Sydney flung open the door and barely missed being hit by Nick's fist as he aimed to pound again.

"Sydney! What took so long?"

Shock kept her immobile just long enough for Nick to slip inside and slam the door. He stood in the entry his normally fastidious clothing tattered and his face smudged with what appeared to be mud.

Nick?" She stared, open-mouthed. "Look at you! What happened?"

"I don't have time to explain. Do you still have a key to Stone's condo?"

"Stone?" Icy fingers of dread gripped her. Nothing could be wrong with her big brother she wouldn't accept it. Stone was world, her champion. "What's wrong with Stone? Where is he? What's happened?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm in a hurry, and I need that key. Do you have it or not?"

The desperation in his voice scared her even more. She hesitated before answering. "Yes, I have the key, but I'm not giving it to you until you tell me what's going on. Is Stone hurt?"

"I don't have time to play twenty questions, Sydney. I've got to get to Stone's."

"Then tell me what's going on!" Hearing the near hysteria in her own voice, Sydney struggled to stay calm. Obviously something had happened, but what? And why wouldn't Nick tell her what was going on? She wasn't moving an inch, much less surrendering the keys to the condo, until he gave her some answers.

Nick glared hard at her and raked a hand through his tousled blond locks. "Stone may be in trouble, he's not answering his phone. I don't have time to explain more. Now will you give me the keys?"

"I'll do one better, I'll go with you."

He gaped at her. "No! That's absolutely out of the question. Just stay here and I promise I'll call you when I get there."

The vehemence of his denial shocked Sydney. She hesitated before dashing for the stairs. "Why?"

"Because it's too dangerous."

"All the more reason for me to go! If Stone's in trouble, he might need me. Besides, you can't get into his condo without me."

"Sydney, be reasonable. Stone wouldn't want you anywhere near danger. You know that."

"Bull! If you wanted to keep me away, you shouldn't have come here. But since you have, I'm going, and nothing you say will change my mind." She paused before continuing in a softer tone. "He's my brother, Nick."

He sighed, exasperation evident in his stance. "Fine, then get moving. I've already wasted enough time arguing."

"Just give me five minutes to change."

Rushing into her bedroom, Sydney grabbed the first things she came to--jeans, underwear, and a bulky sweater against the January chill--and pulled them on. She slid her feet into a pair of ankle length boots, struggling briefly to pull the heels up over her socks. In a matter of minutes she was back downstairs.

Nick stood waiting at the door as she grabbed her keys from the antique sofa table situated against the wall. With shaking hands, she tried unsuccessfully to lock the heavy door behind her.

"Here, give me those." Nick took the keys from her.

A fresh shock awaited her when she stepped outside. Nick's pride and joy, his brand spanking new Lexus, was a wreck. One corner of the front end was smashed in completely, leaving nothing but bits of broken glass and twisted metal. The whole driver's side looked as if it had run up the wrong side of a Mack truck.

"Nick, your c-car!" Her voice shook.

"Never mind. We'll take yours." He hustled her around to the passenger side of her polished Mustang Convertible, a twenty-first birthday present from Stone the previous year.

"Put on your seatbelt," Nick demanded as he slid into the driver's seat.

Sydney snapped the belt across her waist and chest, watching anxiously as Nick slammed the car into reverse and shot out of the driveway. She clutched the dashboard for balance as the speedometer needle inched higher with each shift of gears. From Whispering Breeze, they took a right on Hollywood, narrowly missing a Range Rover parked on the corner.

Caught between fear for her life and that of Stone's, Sydney continued to grip the dash in silence. Stewart, Nellis, and Boulder Highway passed in a blur of flashing lights and moving obstacles. Suddenly the two-lane on-ramp to the highway was right before them. The loud blare of an air horn blasted her from the side as an angry truck driver protested the Mustang cutting him off in the acceleration lane. Sydney breathed a short sigh of relief once they were safely on I-95.

"All right Nick, spill it. I want to know everything. Why do you think Stone is in trouble, and what happened to your car?"

Tense silence filled the car, and for a moment Sydney didn't think he would answer.

"All I know is that Stone was supposed to go meet with a new client, then meet me at the office after that. I arrived around ten-thirty and found two gorillas waiting for me instead of Stone."

Sydney did not miss the slight hesitation Nick made when he mentioned this so-called client. But she knew if she asked, he'd never divulge a name. Rawlins Investigations prided themselves on their discretion. Still, there were other ways to skin a rat.

"So, what happened?"

"I caught them trashing the office. When they saw me, one of them grabbed me and the other one hit me. I managed to get away, but they followed and tried to run me off the road," Nick answered.

"Did you call the police?"

"No! You know how Stone feels about involving them in our business. I called his apartment, but nobody answered. I knew you had a key to Stone's, so I rushed over."

"You think they may have gone after Stone?"

"I'm afraid so."

Sydney tried to stem the panic. Unfortunately, her mind wasn't as willing to cooperate. Visions of Stone lying somewhere hurt and bleeding filled her with trepidation. She prayed he was okay, but couldn't shake the certainty that he needed her more than ever right at this moment.

Normally charmed by the shimmering lights of the Las Vegas Strip in all their brilliant plumage, she barely spared a passing glance as the sights whizzed past the window. Concern for her brother was the only thought on her mind. Where was he?

"Try calling the condo again," Nick suggested, handing her his cell phone.

Grabbing the phone like a lifeline, Sydney quickly dialed the condo. She let the phone ring and ring, wanting nothing more than to hear her brother's voice reassuring her on the other end. Several rings later she broke the connection.

"No answer?"

She shook her head.

"His machine didn't pick up, did it?" Nick's frown, already drawing a deep slash between his brows, grew even deeper. "It didn't pick up when I called either, and he's not answering his cell phone. It doesn't make sense, he always leaves his cell on."