Save Me: A Singular Obsession Novella Read online

  Andie held up a hand. “I’m going to stop you right there. I want that mousse, and I want it now.”

  Eric laughed. “Well, you heard the lady. But I’m going to ask that it be delivered to our room.”

  Andie flushed and bit her lip.

  Trick squeezed his eyes shut and waved his hands. “Say no more. I’ll go relay that to the kitchen and make myself scarce. Be sure to stop by the suite for a drink sometime before you check out.”

  “I’ll do that,” Eric promised, waving as the other man walked away.

  “You are shameless,” she chastised with a giggle as he sat back down.

  He grinned. “Three words. Record-setting honeymoon.”

  She slid across the leather, closing the distance between them. “Well, in that case, I have a few ideas about how to serve this chocolate mousse.” Andie leaned over and began to whisper in his ear.

  Eric shifted in his seat. Andie giggled, looking down at his suddenly too-tight pants. She loved knowing she could do that to him with just a few softly spoken words.

  Her husband waved at the waiter. “Check, please!”

  Chapter 15

  Eric strolled out of the shower, wearing nothing but a towel around his hips. She wanted to jump off the bed and tear it off him, but the expression on his face stopped her.

  “Is the honeymoon over already?” she asked, the corner of her mouth turning up.

  He smiled weakly. “I was thinking you’d liked to do some shopping while I run a few errands. You can take my credit card and hit the Strip casino shops. I hear the Venetian has a few nice ones, or maybe the Paris?”

  “Don’t you like what I’m wearing now?” she asked, rolling over to display her nude body.

  Eric’s lips parted, hunger lighting in his eyes. “I love it. If I didn’t need to meet a medical supplier, I’d literally be jumping you right now.”

  Andie pouted and got on her knees. She reached over to run her hands over his chest. “Why don’t I go with you?”

  There would be plenty of time for solo errands later. And even though they hadn’t worked out all the details, Andie was going to be his PA. She’d have to get to know his suppliers eventually. It would be part of her job to help with purchasing.

  But Eric’s expression didn’t lighten. He opened and closed his mouth a few times as if trying to find the words to tell her no.

  Andie backed away from him with a frown. “What’s wrong? Why don’t you want me to go?”

  He took a deep breath. “I just think shopping would be a lot more fun. But you don’t have to do that if you’re not up for shopping. You can catch a movie or go to the spa. Enjoy your R and R before you start as my physician’s assistant.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. He might have been a better poker player, but she could still read him like a book. “What don’t you want me to see?”

  Eric’s shoulders lowered a notch. He held out his hand. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  * * *

  Andie sat in the passenger seat of the car, staring at the modest ranch house Eric had driven her to.

  She turned to him. He was watching the place with a doleful expression. “Where are we?

  He leaned closer to the steering wheel, gripping it in both hands. “This is my mother’s house.” Eric squinted at the mailbox. “Well, it’s the Sanchez’s house now, I guess.”

  Oh. This was the house he’d gambled away.

  The expression on his face was breaking her heart. She reached out and took his hand. “I would never have wanted to live here.”

  It worked. He burst out laughing.

  “I didn’t want to live here either. My mother didn’t expect me to. She preferred my upscale apartment high rise, although she wouldn’t consider something similar for herself. She was too set in her ways. Or at least that what she always said when I offered to help her find one.”

  “Then this isn’t your sacred childhood home?”

  “No, I didn’t really have one of those.” He took another long look at the house before putting the car back in drive.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Back to the hotel.”

  “I see.” Andie peeked at him from the corner of her eye.

  He adjusted the mirror and sighed. “Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind?”

  She bit her lip. “I don’t want to overstep.”

  He glanced at her. “Don’t hold back. That’s not you. You’ve always said what’s on your mind. I love that about you, so spill.”

  Eric was right. She’d never minced words with him, but that had been back when she’d been the girl he hooked up with and nothing more. Their relationship had been intense, but they’d never had deep personal conversations. On occasion, something had slipped out about her background. That had been inevitable. But Eric had always held back. She knew why now, of course. The fallout of his gambling and the guilt over losing everything must have eaten him alive.

  But we’re married now. From this moment on, they were sharing their lives. And there was something he probably needed to do before they could leave Las Vegas behind them.

  “Your mom is buried here, right?”

  He kept his eyes on the road but he stiffened. “Um, yeah.”

  “Maybe we should swing by, so we can pay our respects while we have the chance.”

  Eric raised one fine black brow. “We could, I suppose. But I hadn’t exactly planned on it today. It’s not what I would call a romantic honeymoon activity.”

  “I know. But I think it would be good for you. Maybe you can…talk to her or something. Get some things off your chest. At the very least, I should meet the woman so I can tell her how much I love her son.”

  His silence went on too long. She was starting to regret opening her big mouth when he finally replied.

  “That would be…nice. Sort of.” His gaze caressed her lovingly. “She would have loved you.”

  Andie doubted that, but it was sweet that he thought so. “Why don’t we stop by somewhere and pick up some flowers?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a plan. But just so you know, we resume normal honeymoon activities this evening.”

  She took his hand. “Absolutely. We have a record to break.”

  Chapter 16

  Andie had never had so much sex in her life. Almost a week had passed since she’d solemnly sworn to love, honor, and occasionally obey Eric Tam.

  The “occasionally” had been his suggestion. He’d said marriage would be no fun if she obeyed all the time. That was the moment she knew marrying him was the right decision.

  So far she had no regrets. Even when Eric resumed working at the club, she stayed in the hotel room, relaxing with the various spa treatments he insisted she enjoy.

  She also rested. There had been so many sleepless nights in the past month, and it felt good to relax and regroup before facing the world again, this time as Mrs. Eric Tam.

  So many things were still unresolved. She had texted Juliet to let her know she was all right, but hadn’t gone to the apartment to pick up her things yet.

  Andie would be moving to Boston as soon as Eric was free. He wasn’t sure when that was going to be, but she understood. He didn’t want to leave Calen or Mike in the lurch while the whole drug mess was still an issue.

  Eric suggested she go ahead to Boston without him, giving her license to redecorate his apartment however she wished. As tempting as the offer was, she didn’t want to go anywhere without him. Plus, the cops would find it suspicious if she suddenly skipped town.

  On the second evening, Andie decided to stop procrastinating and go pick up the rest of her clothes. She hadn’t needed them yet, but would if she ever intended to leave the hotel again. There was a huge list of things to get done before moving.

  She also wanted stop by Juliet’s apartment and clean it as thanks for helping her out. Eric had given her a little stash of cash too, so she could leave some for her share of the utilities.


  Andie hated borrowing money, but couldn’t refuse her own husband. She would pay him back every cent, although she suspected he would fight her on that. He was very much of a what’s-mine-is-yours mindset. Which was great, except she didn’t bring much to the relationship. It made her feel guilty.

  That was going to change. She had her priorities straightened out and was getting the rest of her life back in order. Once in Boston, she would convince Eric to hire her as his PA so they would never be apart again.

  After her beloved groom left for the club she took a cab down to Juliet’s building. She swore when she realized her phone was completely dead.

  Of course, she thought as she arrived. Her phone charger was here at Juliet’s. Well, if her friend had already left for her shift, at least she would come home to clean place.

  Humming quietly, Andie was so busy admiring the sparkle of her engagement ring that she almost didn’t notice the door to the apartment was open a crack—something her cautious roommate would never allow.

  Pushing the door open with her hip she stopped short. The place was a mess. It had been ransacked. Pillows and random papers were strewn all over the floor. And it was getting worse because the person making the mess was still there.

  She recognized him immediately, despite the fact his back was to her. Sensing her presence, Todd spun around to face her, a ripped sofa cushion in one hand and a knife in the other.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Andie asked, leaving the door open behind her in case she had to make a quick escape.

  Todd turned around, surprise flashing across his face before it twisted. “You’re so smart you fucking figure it out!” he hissed at her.

  He pivoted on his heel and started grabbing the cushions off the couch, squeezing them before tossing them to the ground, swearing under his breath the whole time.

  She thought she heard him say something about a “fucking doctor”, but she dismissed it. Then he started tearing at the lining, ripping the backing cloth from the frame.

  “What the hell, that’s Juliet’s sofa!”

  Andie stood there like an idiot as he shifted from the couch to the shelves above it, tossing things off, and opening a decorative box to check inside.

  “Todd stop or I’m going to call the cops!”

  She had to call the police anyway. He was vandalizing Juliet’s apartment. Was this some sort of revenge for breaking up with him? He must not know she wasn’t staying here anymore. Was he hoping Juliet would kick her out onto the streets so she would be homeless?

  Todd flipped another table over on his way to the kitchen, where he started rummaging through the cupboards. Andie shook her head, pushing herself to do something. She fished her cell phone out of her purse, and pivoted on her heel, prepared to run out the door and call the police from the safety of the stairwell.

  She stopped short, staring into the barrel of a gun.

  Chapter 17

  “You were supposed to shut up and keep your head down, but you couldn’t even do that,” Juliet said, the gun held steady in her hand.

  Andie gaped at her, belatedly realizing Juliet hadn’t been speaking to her. She had been talking to Todd.

  She put her hands up in the air as if she was in an old-fashioned stick-up. “What the hell is going on?”

  Todd whipped his head around and started when he saw the gun. “You’re supposed to be at work,” he said accusingly.

  Juliet raised a single brow. “You won’t find my stash. Look around. This isn’t where I keep my money. That’s hidden someplace else.”

  “A stash of what?” Andie was still in shock.

  “The drugs.” Todd sneered. “The ones she talked me into pushing for her.”

  Her drugs? The Drek in her locker belonged to Juliet?

  The world started spinning crazily and she stumbled, but quickly righted herself when the gun swung back in her direction.

  “I don’t want to know anything about this so I’m just going to leave now,” Andie said very quietly, holding her purse to her chest.

  But she didn’t make it more than a few steps. Juliet blocked her path to the door, which she must have closed behind her when Andie was staring at Todd.

  “I’m sorry you got dragged into the middle of all this,” Juliet said, sounding genuinely contrite. “But now that you’re aware of my real business I can’t let you leave.”

  Oh God.

  “I won’t tell anyone anything,” she promised. “I swear.”

  Juliet shook her head. “I wish I could believe you. And I really did have the best of intentions when I let you stay here. I was grateful for the in at Lynx. Getting a job there is next to impossible. You’re the only reason they took me on. It was hard as balls to get around Mike and the other security guys. I eventually figured out a way when I caught this asshole hooking up with a girl in the bathroom. He was a real shit boyfriend by the way. But he cared enough about you to start working for me in exchange for my promise to keep my mouth shut about what I saw. I did want to tell you, but I figured you’d find out on your own. Once a cheater always a cheater, after all. I was right too. This idiot blew up his own spot weeks later and I had an employee of my own.”

  “Fat lot of good working for you did,” Todd muttered. “You got me involved in too much heavy shit and Andie dumped me anyway.”

  Juliet tsked. “Not my fault. You should have kept it in your pants.”

  Andie was swamped with confusion. “How did he work for you? We all would have noticed those Drek capsules switching hands. The main bar is the most crowded one in the club.”

  Juliet nodded. “The nice thing about those capsules is they dissolve. He just slipped one into a particularly colorful drink when I gave him the sign. It worked great so long as I was the server and the ass didn’t drop more than one in. My customers would pay me direct, and it just looked like they gave me a very generous tip afterward. It was the perfect system until this shit decided to bring in the whole stash to the locker room that day instead of keeping it in his car and refilling his pockets as needed.”

  “So how did it get in my locker?” she asked.

  “Ask him,” Juliet said, rolling her eyes at Todd. But he was quiet now, perhaps unnerved by the presence of the gun. “He stuffed it in there when he heard someone coming,” Juliet explained. “I told you he knew your combination.”

  Todd grunted. “I don’t fucking remember her combination. Andie always forgets to spin the lock when she clocks in. It’s almost always open during her shift.”

  Un-fucking-believable. She was in this mess because she forgot to turn a fucking dial?

  Juliet shifted and the light reflected on the gun. No. She was in this mess because she had awful taste in friends and boyfriends.

  Not all my choices were wrong. Eric had come back.

  “I thought having Andie sic the cops on you might teach you a lesson about respect, but I guess you haven’t learned anything yet,” Juliet said.

  “Okay,” Andie said, trying to sound calm. “What can I do to reassure you I don’t care about any of this? I—I just got married and I’m going to move to Boston any day now.”

  There was silence for a beat.

  “You’re married?” Todd exploded behind her. “You fucking bitch!”

  Andie didn’t turn to him. She kept her eyes on the gun.

  Juliet pursed her lips. She was so quiet Andie’s heartbeat picked up. Sweat trickled down her spine as she waited for an answer.

  “So you married the doctor?” Juliet asked.

  “Yes,” she whispered, showing her the ring. Behind her Todd shuffled, but she ignored him.

  “And he’s friends with Calen McLachlan.” Juliet bit her lip.

  “Also some other billionaires apparently. I met one the other day,” she added, hoping it would convince her former friend to let her go. She wasn’t a nobody anymore. Someone loved her—and in a stroke of blind luck that man had some serious connections.

  “Then this is going t
o be even worse than I thought,” Juliet muttered.

  Andie swallowed hard. “What does that mean?”

  Juliet shook her head, an expression of sympathy in her eyes. “It means it’s already too late. I work independently here, but I’m part of a network. And when this shithead forced my lock, the silent alarm I had installed went off. I called in an alert. Two enforcers are on their way. My intention was just to teach Todd a lesson. We need him to keep working the bar. But your presence here complicates things.”

  Andie didn’t like the sound of that. She liked it even less when those enforcers showed up a few minutes later.

  Juliet had motioned both her and Todd to sit on the couch. She was waiting there when two men came in. Like the bouncers at the club, they were massive, but unlike Mike and the other security guys at work these men looked dangerous…evil.

  Her stomach hurt when one of them kept staring at her like she was a piece of meat. He licked his lips and she fought the urge to vomit.

  Juliet pulled the men aside. They had a whispered conversation, stopping to glance up at her and Todd on occasion.

  “I did this for you, pushing that shit,” Todd said quietly as he sat next to her on the couch. “And then you go and marry that asshole.”

  Andie clenched her fist, momentarily distracted from her fear. “Eric’s not an asshole. And no one told you to break the law for me. It wasn’t worth it.”

  Todd snorted. “You got that right.”

  Andie wanted to turn and punch him in the face, but she had enough to worry about. Motionless, she waited for the conference deciding her fate to be over.

  “You,” one of the men said, pointing at Todd. “Come with me.”