He frowned, perhaps not knowing what to make of her statement, and she touched his tense arm, sliding her hand up to his shoulder. She really wanted to hug him, which, for her, was a very strange thing to want. She wanted to kiss him again like she did when they were at the monster-killer tree.
But she didn't want him to meet the Boss. He'd tear Quinn apart in two seconds flat with or without
Janie's help.
And ifshe wasn't going to kill him, then nobody else got to. She'd make sure of it.
Barkley scampered back to join them.
"Am I interrupting anything?"
"No." Janie tore her gaze away from Quinn's handsome face.
"I'm finished checking things out," he said. "My nose is worn out from sniffing everything. By the way, I did find those crepes if anyone's hungry."
What little hope Janie had for success slipped away. Luckily, it wasn't much of a surprise. "Listen, I appreciate you giving it your best shot, but it's time we head back to the El Diablo."
He looked back over his shoulder. "Oh, no, I found her. She's in the VIP room playing high-stakes roulette. Am I drooling? Because she's even more gorgeous than in my dreams."
Janie's eyes widened. "You… you found her? Seriously?"
He nodded. "Come on."
Janie's heart pounded hard in her chest as she followed the werewolf through the casino.
Quinn smiled and squeezed her hand. "See? I told you we'd find her."
"You didn't really believe it, though, did you?"
His smile widened. "No comment."
She grinned back at him, feeling completely stunned. What was she going to say to Angela? She was relieved but at the same time incredibly apprehensive. The most important thing was her sister's safety.
Period.
Barkley stopped walking and pointed into an intimate, richly decorated room roped off from the main casino floor.
Janie's heart lurched. There she was.
She touched her were-loom necklace. Angela still wore hers, as well, the turquoise stone standing out vividly blue-green against the rich red color of her hair and the alabaster of her skin.
The last time Janie remembered seeing her, she'd been eighteen years old wearing ripped jeans and an orange halter top, hair back in a ponytail. This Angela looked different.
She'd be twenty-three now, Janie thought, as she watched the beautiful woman lean over the roulette table to place her bet, a smile curling her full lips, as her eyes—the same ice blue as Janie's—caught the light with a mischievous twinkle. Wearing a low-cut black dress that showed off ample cleavage, she was the only woman playing, and the other six men surrounding the table watched her every move.
Janie frowned. That was strange. Her sister had always been flat-chested.
She shook her head slowly.
Unbelievable, she thought.The girl had time for a boob job, but not enough time to let me know she was okay .
But even with that thought, Janie couldn't suppress her own happiness at seeing that her sister was alive and well-endowed. It was as if a heavy weight on her heart had lifted.
But still. There would be words.
The roulette wheel spun, and Angela gave a big smile as it landed on her number. The other men cheered for her, despite their own losses. She added to the large pile of chips surrounding her.
"Very lucky,mademoiselle ," the dealer said. "Congratulations."
A man next to her, who wore an expensive-looking tailored tuxedo and had black hair, silver at the temples, leaned in and whispered something to Angela. She laughed lightly. He slid his fingers into her long red hair and pushed it off her neck so he could kiss her.
"Hey!" Barkley protested under his breath from over Janie's right shoulder. "That dude is kissingmy woman."
"Take it easy," Janie said. "You guys stay here, okay?"
"If you need us," Quinn whispered in her ear in a knee-weakening way that almost made her forget the redhead in the next room actually existed. "We won't be far."
"Thanks," she managed.
She entered the room and felt half the men's eyes shift to her.
Oh, right. The dress.
Worth every damn penny.
Angela didn't even look up from her paramour and her winnings.
There was a plush red seat vacant next to her, and Janie slid into it.
"Angela," she whispered.
Angela was kissing the older man now, rather passionately.
Janie tapped her on the shoulder. "Angela. Please, look at me."
Angela stopped kissing the man and turned a bit to look over her shoulder.
"Oh, my God." Janie couldn't help the smile that blossomed on her face. "I am so happy to see you!"
"I'm sorry?" Angela crooked a well-defined eyebrow above her beautiful eyes rimmed in smoky black liner and gave her a blank look.
"Yeah, sorry would be a good start." Janie grabbed her wrist. "Come on. We have to get out of here right now."
Angela wrenched her hand away and glanced at the man before looking back at Janie. "I think you must have me confused with someone else. Who are you?"
Janie let out a nervous laugh. "I'm the Easter Bunny. Now move it."