Vacation in Vegas
Copyright 2020 RowenaCandlish
Cover art by BookCovers by Design Ltd
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Table ofContents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter10
Chapter11
Other titles by RowenaCandlish
CHAPTERONE
“Stop right there!”Emma shrieked. “Don’t come any closer!”
The man who’djust emerged from the hotel bathroom froze. When he saw her, hisbrown eyes widened in surprise and his chiselled jaw droppedopen.
Emma scrambledoff the bed and picked up the nearest item—a bottle of water fromthe mini bar—and hefted it above her shoulder. Her heart thunderedin her chest and she shook her head, trying to clear the jetlagfrom her exhausted brain. How had he gotten in? Her head swivelledback and forth as she searched for something—anything—to use as aweapon against the intruder. But this wasn’t her bedroom at home,and when she’d arrived at the hotel hours ago she hadn’t exactlybeen staking out the room for weapons.
The intruderslowly raised his hands to shoulder level, palms out. “It’s okay.I’m not going to hurt you.”
Hurt her!Yikes. She was going to die. He was going to attack her andcut her up into tiny pieces. She shouldn’t have stepped on thatplane. Instead of being remembered as a dedicated schoolteacher,she would become a statistic. Just another Australian tourist who’ddied overseas. In a Las Vegas hotel room, no less. Emma cringed,picturing the sordid headlines that would make even Amber and Tashwonder if their respectable friend was leading some kind of sleazydouble life.
She should havestayed at home.
“Stay back!”The shrill tone of her voice startled her. Her chest tightened andshe struggled for breath. Was she having a heart attack? Maybe hewouldn’t have to kill her. Maybe her body was taking care of thatby itself. The bottle in her hand suddenly weighed like an anchorbut she gripped it tighter. She couldn’t show any weakness. If shedid, he might lunge at her and her holiday-of-a-lifetime would endwith her being carted off to the morgue.
But shecouldn’t escape. He was standing in the narrow hallway leading tothe hotel room’s door and blocking Emma’s only exit. Her gazedarted to the telephone beside the bed. No, she couldn’t get to iteither, not without putting herself at a distinct disadvantage.
“How did youget in?” She glared, trying to disguise the breathlessness in hervoice.
His browfurrowed. “With my room key card.”
“What?” Sheblinked, just now noticing a charcoal suitcase propped against thewall between the closet and the huge entertainment unit where shewas standing. What kind of thief brought his own suitcase? Then thepenny dropped. He brought a suitcase so he didn’t look like athief! All the hotel guests she’d seen on her way in had suitcaseswhen they checked in or out, and this guy wouldn’t look out ofplace at all as he hauled his loot away.
It was genius.Pure genius.
He took a stepforward.
“Get back!”Emma screamed. “I’m warning you!”
From thecorridor outside her room, the murmur of voices became louder. Asudden pounding on the door startled her so badly she dropped thebottle of water. It landed with a soft thud on the thick carpet androlled away.
From thehallway, a loud American voice drawled, “are you okay inthere?”
“Help! I’mbeing robbed!”
The intruder’sbrow furrowed. “Robbed? Are you insane? Look, lady—”
“Don’t move!”Emma ducked for the bottle. Who was she kidding? Even if she didmanage to hit him with it, the most it would do was bounce off hismuscular frame. She blinked again, trying to clear the heavy fuzzfrom her brain. Why was he wearing a towel? Beads of water drippedfrom his dark hair onto his broad, tanned shoulders, beforetrickling down his torso. He didn’t have corrugated abs like theguys her sister flaunted online but there was definitely aripple.
His broad chestwas tanned and his skin gleamed under the light from the bathroom.His hair was tousled like he’d just run the towel over it anddecided it could drip-dry. Black eye lashes were spiky from thewater.
Was this guyfor real?
“Did you use myshower?” What kind of robber broke into someone’s hotel room andtook a shower?
“Myshower.” He jerked his shoulder in the direction of thebathroom.
“You’re not avery good thief, are you?” Maybe this was his first heist.
“Thief?” Hisgaze chilled, boring into hers. “I’m not—”
“Ma’am!” Adeep, authoritative voice spoke through the door. “This is hotelsecurity. Stand back. I’m coming in.”
The intrudersighed and closed his eyes.
Emma frowned athim. He didn’t seem alarmed, well, any more alarmed than havingwalked out of the bathroom and found her threatening him with abottle of water. He stood still; he wasn’t even trying to escape.Not that there was another way out of the twelfth-floor room, butstill. Why wasn’t he panicking? Or threatening her?
The door burstopened and a big, burly man wearing the hotel security uniformstrode into the room. A similarly dressed woman hovered in thedoorway. The guard’s eyes widened as he took in the state of herintruder wearing a towel, a few drops of water, and nothingelse.
“What’s goingon here? Ma’am, are you alright?”
Emma swallowed.Her knees gave out and she leaned against the entertainment unitfor support. “I woke up and this man was in my room.”
Before Emma orher thief could react, the guard had pushed the intruder face firstagainst the wall and pulled one of his arms up across his back. Theintruder winced and Emma slapped her hands to her cheeks in shock.She’d seen enough television shows to know things weren’t going toend well for him. Perhaps that would make him think twice beforetrying to rob another poor, unsuspecting guest.
“Sir, you’llaccompany me to the duty manager’s office.” The guard spoke to theintruder then glanced at Emma. “Ma’am, we’ll call the police fromthere. Please wait here until further notice.” He glanced over hisshoulder at the woman, still hovering in the hallway behind him.“Annie, stay
