Page 16 of The Kiss that Captured a Billionaire
Theo’s fingers flexed at his sides. “No. She’s not a regular atThe Rocks. Considering our reputation as a top-tier security firm, we've been unsuccessful far too often lately. We’ve reached dead ends both in finding Lorenzo’s granddaughter and now… now with Rose. Sometimes I wonder if the universe laughs at our misery, Nikos,” he murmured, turning to look back out the window again.
Nikos grunted and headed for the sleek espresso bar built into the far wall. “I would agree, but we are tenacious and thrive on this type of challenge. Don’t forget that either.”
“It’s almost like she didn’t really exist. She wasn’t on the guest list. There was no scanner entry of her ID, no facial recognition trace. Nothing,” Theo said in a disgruntled voice.
Nikos poured himself a double and winced. “Right. About that…”
Theo narrowed his eyes. “What?”
Nikos took a sip, then ran a hand down his face. “I was thinking she—or one of her friends—might have known someone at the door. Someone who let them in—bypassing the club’s protocols.”
Theo’s rage sparked instantly. “Find them. Fire them.”
“I already did,” Nikos said, meeting his gaze. “But I decided to try a different approach before cleaning house.”
Theo’s eyebrows rose.
“I threatened to fire them all if I didn’t get some cooperation,” Nikos said with a dry grin. “And what do you know—it turns out, one of the new bouncers recognized the guy she was with. Rod Turner.”
Hope punched through Theo’s chest like a battering ram.
Nikos set his coffee down and pulled his phone from his jacket. “I tracked Turner down. He remembered the night—remembered Rose. Didn’t know her, though. Said she wasn’t with him. She was a last-minute fill-in. He gave me his girlfriend, Clarissa’s number.”
Theo’s pulse roared. “Clarissa knows Rose?”
“Not really,” Nikos corrected. “She just met her that night. Said Rose was quiet, but could be a bit of a b—witch. I suspect that Clarissa wasn’t happy about being thrown out of the club. Anyway, she said Rose kept to herself. But Clarissa did give me another name—Kerry. That’s the woman who invited Rose and knows her.”
He held up his hands before Theo could speak. “Don’t get too excited. I called Kerry. She was polite for about ten seconds, then shut me down tighter than a bank vault. Said she didn’t know what I was talking about and hung up.”
Theo muttered a sharp curse and sat down heavily in the chair next to Nikos.
“But,” Nikos said, drawing out the word like a showman preparing a trick, “Clarissa did say one more thing—something interesting.”
Theo leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and glared at his friend.
“She said she thought Rose liked to go to the theatre a lot,” Nikos continued. “The one nearThe Rocks.”
Theo stared at him.
“And?” he asked, biting back the urge to wrestle the rest out of Nikos.
“And,” Nikos said, grinning as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a slip of glossy cardstock, “I got us tickets to tonight’s show. No guarantees, but maybe—just maybe—we’ll get lucky. Or at least find someone there who knows her.”
Theo leaned across and took the ticket when Nikos held it out. His heart thudded in his chest as he ran his thumb over the glossy paper.
It wasn’t much.
But it was something.
For the first time in two weeks, the vast sprawl of Manhattan felt less like a desert—and more like a map with a single dot of hope. Somewhere out there, Rose was real.
He studied the ticket, his lips curling when he saw the play’s name—Beauty and the Beast.The irony didn’t escape him. She was his beauty, and she probably thought of him as a beast.
He definitely felt like one at the moment—and only Rose could break the curse she had placed on him.
He was going to find her.
No matter what it took.
