Ian's Ultimate Gamble - Brenda Jackson [26]
She turned around and smiled. "I won't."
"My place. Seven sharp." She nodded and continued to stare at him until the elevator door closed.
Brooke sat idly at a table in one of the cafes sipping her coffee and thinking of her telephone conversation with Tara Westmoreland that morning. Tara was Delaney's best friend and was married to Delaney's brother Thorn Westmoreland. Tara had invited Brooke to the surprise thirtieth birthday party being planned for Delaney next weekend at the Rolling Cascade.
Brooke was surprised Ian hadn't mentioned anything about the party to her. Perhaps he didn't want her there. She could remember how tense things had been at Dare and Shelly's wedding. But at that time the relationship between her and Ian had been very strained. Now. although they weren't back together or anything like that, at least they were talking... and kissing, she thought, smiling to herself. However, he might not want to give his family the wrong impression, and if they were seen together she could certainly see that happening.
"Enjoying your stay, Ms. Chamberlain?"
Brooke glanced up and met Vance's less-than-friendly eyes. On more than one occasion she had Caught the man staring at her as if he was deliberately keeping her within his scope, and more than once she had wondered if Ian had asked him to keep an eye on her while he was gone. If he had, that meant he suspected her of something. It also meant he still didn't trust her.
Her heart quickened and she inwardly scolded herself for jumping to conclusions. This man was head of security at the casino and he was probably programmed to be suspicious of everything and everyone.
"Yes. I'm enjoying myself. This is a beautiful casino."
"I think so, too."
"And please, call me Brooke."
"Okay, and I'm Vance."
Brooke nodded. She was very much aware of who he was. He was the man who had taken her to Ian's office that first day. She had a feeling that had she refused he would have found a way to get her up there anyway with minimum fuss. He had that air about him, a no-nonsense, get-the-job-done sort of guy, and she wondered if he'd had a history at some point with the Bureau.
"Would you like to join me for coffee, Vance?" she asked, nodding to the huge coffeepot sitting in the middle of the table.
He surprised her when he said, "Don't mind if I do." And then he took the seat across from her. She leaned back in her chair. He had asked his question and now it was time to ask hers. He was former military; that was a given from his demeanor. But she needed to know something else about him.
"What Special Forces or federal agency were you affiliated with, Vance?"
His blue eyes, sharp and clear, riveted to hers as he poured a cup of coffee. "What makes you think I was part of the military or an agency?"
She shrugged. "Your mannerisms."
He chuckled. "I guess it takes one to know one."
She raised her brow, and before she could say anything, he said, "Don't bother denying it. Ian told me. Only because he knew he could trust me. So your secret's safe."
She took a sip of her own coffee and then said, "It's not a secret. It's just that my profession isn't anybody's business."
He moved his massive shoulders in a shrug. "Like I said, Ian mentioned it. As head of security here he felt I should know."
She nodded and wondered what else Ian might have told him. "You still haven't answered my question," she decided to remind him.
"I didn't, did I?" he said, smiling coyly. "I was in the Corp and then I worked for the Bureau awhile before taking a position in the Secret Service."
The executive branch, Brooke mused. "I take it you know Quade," she said of Ian's twin brother.
Vance grinned fondly. "Yes, I know Quade. In fact I'm the one who trained him for his first assignment. Quade and I worked together for years and that's how I met Ian. When I decided to retire after twenty-five years in the service, Quade knew I wasn't one to sit idle and twiddle my thumbs. He mentioned Ian had a position here that I might be interested in. The rest, as they say, is history."