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“No problem. Have fun,” Minka bade.
Qasim stopped before the woman and gave her a level stare. “Never keep anything like this from me again, all right?”
Minka seemed relieved. “All right. I only hope nothing like this ever happens again.”
“Nothing that raises your suspicion is ever too petty for you to come to me with. It’s what I depend on you for.”
“Hmph.” Minka shook her head. “That’s what Vectra tried to tell me.”
“She was right.” Qasim thought of the woman he loved.
“So is that where—or who—you’re headed off to see?”
“I think I scared her a little the way I tore out of her house the other day,” he admitted.
Minka sighed. “Qasim, I really am sorry about Will. He was your friend, after all.”
“It was a friendship born out of gratitude, not mutual interest, and one I’m not sad to see the end of.” Qasim reached out, gave Minka a tiny shake.
“Never hide anything like this again, Mink.”
She gave a solemn shake of her head. “I won’t.”
Chapter 17
Miami Beach, Florida
Vectra didn’t usually take the time to enjoy all that the city had to offer. Seeing as how the staff at Gallery V–Miami had things well in hand for Yancey Croachman’s upcoming show, there wasn’t much that required her constant presence there.
The trip itself had been unnecessary, as she’d figured, but that was another story. She had been gone almost four days and Qasim hadn’t tried to contact her since. She’d gotten consistent with forcing herself to change her train of thought when she silently reminded herself of the fact that it was what she’d wanted. Furthermore, she contented herself that she must have been dead-on with Qasim’s attitude about prying into his business.
Just as well, she thought, closing her eyes and trying to allow the serenity and shade of the dock to relax her.
She’d decided on a condo instead of one of the palatial beachfront homes that epitomized South Beach living. On a smaller scale, the condo was a stunning place in its own right. The dwelling was awash in sun and splashes of color from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The turquoise waters of an infinity pool spanned almost half the condo’s expansive brick deck.
Vibrantly textured furnishings complemented the wall canvases and throw pillows. They filled the open lower level and more private rooms on the second floor.
Vectra enjoyed her solitude even as she criticized her handling of the situation.
“You could’ve done this same thing in California, you know?”
She jerked into an upright stance on the lounge so fast that the chair’s legs scraped the brick deck.
“Sim? How...?”
Qasim didn’t need her to finish. “You mean, how did I track you down here based on the note you left? Well, I didn’t since you didn’t leave me one.”
“Sim—”
“So once I got past the shock of you doing something so stupid and impolite, I thanked Charlotte for sharing what little details she had about your sudden travel plans.” He lifted his hands slightly before letting them fall back to his sides. “Here I am.”
With slow, grounding breaths, Vectra left the lounge once she felt up to standing. She noticed the downward trail Qasim’s eyes took when he appraised the lavender bikini she had pranced around in for the better part of the day.
She’d decided against walking inside for a cover-up and leaned along the back of the deck sofa. She hoped the stance might de-emphasize her current state of dress.
“I knew you’d be busy after we talked...about Will.”
“Right...” His nod was deliberately slow. “So naturally you had to leave the country?”
“Sim...”
“Why’d you go, really?”
“Qasim, I don’t like having to step in on matters related to your business.”
“Vectra—”
She resisted the urge to wince when he growled her name. “I swear it’s true. Those kinds of deeds haven’t done me any favors in the past.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Qasim didn’t realize how angry he was until he was standing within touching distance of her.
After leaving Carro, where the housekeeper, Charlotte Sweeney, had told him of Vectra’s sudden and unexpected departure, he’d set out to find her. According to Charlotte, Vectra had skedaddled little more than an hour following his own heated exit. He’d expected that she may have been unsettled by his reaction to what she told him about Will, but enough to leave town? Hell, the country? He guessed so.
“How’d you find me?” she asked.
