Into The Night

balding. The skin on his face and neck was tanned and taut, and his body was lean and toned, giving the appearance of a man in his thirties.

With so many people around, it was difficult to find an opening with Sloane, and Nathan mulled over the various ways he could steer him away from the other guests for a little one-on-one conversation. Reining in his impatience, he took a small drink of his champagne and pretended interest in the photograph of the Nevada desert on the wall in front of him before moving on to the next picture.

That’s when he saw the girl across the room, slightly turned away from him as she took in the artwork on display. In a sea of women decked out in sophisticated, designer outfits, she stood out like a breath of fresh air in her simple white summer dress. The hem, ending modestly just below the knee, was trimmed with floral cutouts, a pale pink ribbon cinched her small waist, and a sparkly pink headband in her blond hair completed the outfit.

He could only see the soft lines of her profile, but he pegged her age at around sixteen. She was the first young girl he’d seen tonight and he wondered who she was with. She moved on to another picture, and Nathan noticed that Sloane’s gaze was now following the girl, watching her with the kind of avid, predatory interest that told Nathan this girl had just become new prey for the older man.

Nathan tensed as old, protective instincts surged to the surface, flooding his veins with a rush of adrenaline. Refusing to let the girl become one of Sloane’s casualties under his watch, Nathan circled closer just as Sloane excused himself from his group of friends and started toward the girl, leaving Nathan a good ten paces behind the man. Sloane reached her before Nathan could and said something to her that made the girl turn her head and smile at him.

Instantly recognizing those soft, velvet blue eyes and that pretty feminine face, Nathan jerked to an abrupt stop about five feet away from the couple.

It was Nicole-though a much younger-looking version of the woman who’d blown his mind with a phenomenal night of uninhibited sex.

Shock and disbelief warred within him. He gave his head a hard shake, but the vision of Nicole remained. Gone was the artfully applied makeup she’d worn when he’d first met her, along with her sexy, tousled hairstyle and head-turning pink dress. In her place was the look of a sweet, fresh-faced, guileless teenager.

No way . No fucking way .

He heard her giggle as Sloane did his best to charm her, much different from the husky, sensual laughter she’d shared with him during their night together. She’d never divulged her age to him, but as an ex-vice cop, he knew she wasn’t as young as she looked today. She’d been too sophisticated and experienced with him, and no one under the age of twenty-one had been allowed to participate in the speed-dating event.

So what the hell was she doing here? And why was she pretending to be so young? He quickly flipped through his memory, recalling what she’d told him about being a journalist conducting research for an article on dating trends.

So, she was a reporter of some sort. Was she there to interview Stephanie Diaz on her debut at the gallery? If that was the case, Nicole’s youthful appearance and the way she was subtly flirting with Sloane didn’t jive with what he’d expect of a journalist.

Suddenly feeling on edge, he set his half-empty glass of champagne on a passing tray. This whole scenario didn’t sit well with Nathan, and he needed a better handle on the situation and Nicole’s reasons for being here before confronting her. And he would confront her, just as soon as he could get her alone.

He casually moved behind the duo so that he wasn’t in their line of vision, but remained close enough to hear their conversation while he stared at another piece of artwork. Sloane was currently complimenting Nicole on how lovely she looked and she ducked her head demurely at his indulgent praise and murmured a bashful “thank you.” Yet another reaction that belied the confident woman he’d met two weeks ago.

“I’m Preston Sloane,” the other man said, introducing himself as he extended his hand for her to shake- undoubtedly a calculated move to touch her.

She slid her smaller palm against his, and Nathan watched as Sloane slowly stroked his thumb along the back of her hand-a very inappropriate caress between a man in his fifties and what appeared to be a teen.

Sloane was attracted to Nicole in her teenage facade, and that knowledge made Nathan’s stomach turn with disgust and solidified the urgency of forging a friendship with Sloane so he could rescue Angela.

“I’m Nikki,” she replied softly, then withdrew her hand with just the right amount of shyness.

Nikki . A girl’s nickname. Oh, yeah, she was definitely up to something, and playing Sloane in the process.

“Are you enjoying yourself this evening, Nikki?” Sloane asked, his voice warm and inviting.

Nicole nodded and met Sloane’s gaze, somehow managing to appear flattered by his attention. “Very much. I love photographic art and can spend hours in an art gallery. After graduating from high school next year, I’m hoping to attend the art institute here in Vegas.”

High school? Nathan would have laughed at the tale she was weaving if the situation weren’t so damn serious.

“That’s an outstanding goal.” Sloane smiled, and this time the slight curve to his lips held a hint of seduction, as if he was testing how she’d respond to the unspoken overture. “You know, I have quite a large collection of rare artwork that I’d love to show you sometime, if you’re interested.”

“Oh, wow, I would love that!” she said, her voice expressing her enthusiasm.

“Excellent.” Sloane looked pleased with her easy acquiescence, obviously believing he’d just cajoled a pretty young thing one step closer to his lair. He retrieved a business card from his wallet and handed it to Nicole. “Here’s my private phone number. Give me a call when you’re free for a few hours, and I’ll send a limo to pick you up and bring you to my estate. I have an entire room devoted to some of the most amazing artwork you’ll ever see.”

Nicole tucked the card into the small purse hanging over her shoulder, while still managing to project a wide- eyed innocence. “Thank you. I really appreciate the offer. I’ll see what I can do about giving you a call this weekend.”

“That would be great.” He winked at Nicole, and she blushed, of all things.

And just like that, Nicole was in .

Nathan’s jaw clenched in irritation. He was more than a little pissed at Nicole’s appearance and whatever game she was playing with Sloane. The last thing he wanted was her obstructing his case, or inadvertently blowing his cover if she saw him. She had the ability to screw up the groundwork he’d already established with Sloane, and he refused to allow that to happen. Which meant he had to find a way to take control of the situation-pronto.

Sloane shifted closer to Nicole and inclined his head, his expression much too intimate considering their age difference. “Are you here by yourself, or are you with someone?”

Knowing this was the only opening he was likely to get, Nathan stepped up to Nicole before she could reply to Sloane’s question. He slid an arm around her waist and felt her stiffen in surprise as he pulled her close to his side.

“Sweetheart! There you are,” he said, his affectionate tone establishing that she was with him. He smiled down at her, noticing the stunned disbelief reflected in her big blue eyes at seeing him again. “I was wondering where you’d disappeared to,” he chastised gently.

To his relief, she didn’t struggle against him and went along with the pretense, confirming his hunch that she was trying to deceive Sloane somehow and didn’t want to expose her own cover. “I, uh… I was just wandering around admiring the artwork.”

“Alex,” Sloane said, his gaze moving from Nicole to Nathan in a pleasant greeting. “You know this lovely girl?”

“I do.” His hold on her tightened, and the possessive move didn’t go unnoticed by Sloane. “She’s here with me tonight.”