AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Prologue
JED
Jed Marshall strutted out of his parking garage’s gold-paneled elevator lobby, drawing the gaze of his employees and the high rollers alike. He marched across the casino floor of The Outlaw Resort and Casino in his black Armani suit and shiny Doc Martens, eyeing the smooth carpet with a nostalgic smirk. Updated frequently but always replaced with a custom pattern of money bags and gold coins, the silky fibers blended to create an ambiance like the finest establishment in the Wild Wild West. From the fine brown leather casino tables to the rustic handcrafted wagon wheel chandeliers, the creative theme he’d chosen for his operations’ home base worked, and it worked well.
Customers flocked to The Outlaw to deposit cash and swipe their credit cards, repeatedly pressing buttons to spin for the jackpot or attempt to bluff their rivals in poker. And with every ruthless dollar spent, he became a richer, more powerful man. The casino wasn’t his only source of income—his quieter dealings on the side brought in his healthiest bottom line—but it sure was good cover and a fine place to live. A place where he ran the show.
Fifteen years ago, his first security guard called his budding casino’s name stupid as hell, and he’d tossed the man onto the pavement face-first. Not one of his employees had said an unkind word since, and now, after years of establishing an esteemed reputation, he was the sheriff in town—the law in Reno. Everyone called him Marshal, spelling it the way good old Webster’s Dictionary did, and that suited him better than good. He didn’t want any links to his real identity.
Jed entered the break room, and three of his best men sat drinking whiskey and watching some crap show on television.
“Hi,” a sultry voice purred from the speakers, “you must be Hannah. I’m Gigi.”
His heart raced as he stared at the flatscreen on the wall, framing the love of his life… Genevieve. Too much time had passed since he set his sights on her rockin’ hot body sporting those hourglass curves. Her long, wavy hair inconspicuously covered her adorable heart-shaped face while her full, red-coated lips mouthed the words she spoke on the screen. She was just the right blend of sassy and sweet. Genevieve could handle the street or the haughtiest establishment in Reno. She was seasoned, smart, cultured—and he wouldn’t settle for having a television screen or any number of miles between them.
Jed raked his tongue along his teeth. “What show is this?”
Roman, his head of security, rotated his thick, muscular neck toward him. “The Race for Riches or Romance,” he said, raising a brow. “Season 2, Tangle in the Tropics. It’s a reality TV re-run. We’ve been watching to make fun of football quarterback Andrew Meyers. He’s on here making a fool of himself, trying to win over some blonde bombshell named Hannah. It’s funny as hell. Never seen you take the time to care about lame shit like this.”
Jed’s mouth went dry, his heart hammering like a lovesick teen. What had it been? Two years since Genevieve split and run from being his head of advertising? Or, more accurately, split and run from him? She had to know he’d never stop searching for her.
But he had her now.
“The woman,” Jed spit out, “in the red shirt and black shorts. Tell me about her.”
His lanky head of finance, Ace, flicked his wrist, pointing a skeletal finger at Roman, who tripled his size with his toned muscles rippling over the sides of a nearby leather chair. “Roman’s been paying better attention than Luke and I.”
Roman’s head jerked back, his dark eyes opening wide. “I…we don’t know anything about her, boss. This is the first episode we’ve seen her in. She just came onto the show with some guy named Brendan.”
“Brendan who?”
All three of his men shook their heads.
“No idea.” Roman shrugged. “Brendan and Gigi are sidekicks. The main draw is Andrew Meyers. The football quarterback from the Broncos. He’s?—”
“Not important.” Jed angled his chin toward his head informant, Luke, who was probably the most valuable and hardest to replace of all his men. With his beefy form, Jed worried that a heart attack might take Luke out, but what could he do? He wasn’t about to babysit the man’s diet. “Luke, I want you to find out everything you can about the woman calling herself Gigi and that Brendan guy. Everything. Drop the rest of your load till it’s done.”
Luke blinked. “Sure, boss. I’m on it.” He cleared his throat, shooting a nervous look his way.
“Speak freely,” Jed said, secretly pleased his head informant was still apprehensive around him after all these years. “You three are my top guys. No need to tiptoe around me.”
Strumming his fingers down his bushy brown beard, Luke said, “Well, Marshal, it would help if I understood why I’m on the chase. Background info is a bonus when I’m dredging.”
“You know how I’ve had you looking for Genevieve?”
Luke nodded.
“Gigi is Genevieve.”
Luke gaped, his double chin bulging out as he blinked at the screen. He snagged the remote and hit pause. Tilting his head, he forced his eyes steady as he studied Genevieve. “Huh, she’s hiding behind that mass of brown hair, and now she’s got red highlights. I didn’t even recognize her even after combing for her for months. What a dumb move on her part.”
After a contemplative pause, Luke shook his head and continued, “I always get my mark. She should know that, and damn, I should have recognized her without your help. Sorry about that, Marshal. Wasn’t thinking outside the box during my break.” He chuckled in relief, cracking his knuckles. “Not a clue’s turned up—not even with facial recognition searches. I was seriously impressed with your lady until now. Why go to all that effort to hide and then stupidly appear on television”—he shrugged—“even if she is concealing her face?”
“I don’t know.” Jed slapped his hands together. “But she did. Break time’s over, boys. Come up with a plan to bring my girl home.” He split a wide grin. “One where she’ll never want to leave.”
One
BRENDAN
