Unwritten Lives: Path To Destiny Read online

  24

  Nevada

  ALEXIS finally made it to Las Vegas. She walked up to the desk clerk of the New Frontier Hotel & Casino. “Yes, you have a reservation for Alexis Garris,” she whispered.

  “Yes, Mrs. Garris.”

  “Please, I’d like my stay here to be anonymous. Can you do that for me?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Anything you want,” she smiled.

  “Good,” Alexis looked around. “Is something wrong around here? There are cops all over the place.”

  She laughed slightly. “No, ma’am. There’s a police officer convention at one of the hotels down the street.”

  Alexis’ eyes widened “You’ve got to be kidding?”

  “No, police officers from all over. They got everyone, patrol officers, metro PD, some detectives, local officers, and even state troopers,” she smiled. “Not a good week to be a criminal.”

  Alexis laughed. “That’s just too funny.”

  “Here are your keys. Your stay is confidential.”

  “Good. Just advise anyone to just address me as ma’am, please.”

  “I will. Tyler will take you to your room now.”

  Alexis smiled as Tyler picked up her bags. “Thank you.”

  Alexis stood out on the balcony as she gazed at the amazing neon lights of Las Vegas. “Yes, perfect place to get lost,” she whispered to herself.

  She unpacked her suitcase and changed her clothes. She carefully placed her gun under the pillow.

  She smoothed out her short, black dress and put on her heels. She headed down to the bar. She was in complete awe of the officers wandering around the lobby of the hotel that she didn’t hear the man come up behind her.

  “Um, Jane,” he put his hand on her shoulder.

  She turned around quickly. “Evan? Is that you?” She smiled and hugged him.

  “Yeah. How are you, Jane? Or should I say, Alexis?” He grinned.

  “So, I guess, my secret is out,” she smiled.

  “I knew before. So, don’t worry about it,” he kissed her softly.

  “How much of my secret is out?” She flirted.

  “Well, you know, it’s kind of funny, but I was talking with a few others that are here, and they seemed to know you, too.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “No, Alexis, I’m not.”

  “So, now what?”

  “Why don’t you follow me?” He took her hand and led her into a banquet room. The men stood up as they saw her.

  Sergeant Jack Townley walked over to her and hugged her. “Please, Alexis, sit down.”

  “Jack? It’s so good to see you,” she sat next to him and looked around at the other men, as they smiled at her. “So,” she took a deep breath. “Trading Alexis stories?”

  They laughed. “Well, kind of,” Officer Tom Reilly spoke up. “We didn’t mean to, we just kind of grouped ourselves together. You know, like an Alexis fan club.”

  She shook her head. “Tom, you’re just lucky I gave you your badge back,” she laughed. “Aren’t you a long way from Ohio?”

  “Well, it’s a convention. State troopers, local PDs, and state patrols.”

  She looked at Evan. “Then what are you doing here?”

  He looked down. “Spending the last year of my retirement as a patrol officer. Lost my detective shield.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. It wasn’t my fault, was it?”

  He sat next to her. “No, it wasn’t. It was all about me. No worries. I still get my pension, though.”

  She looked at Jack Theisen. “So, Jack, how have you been since I last saw you?”

  “I’m still really sorry about that.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I know you were just doing your job. You’re not the one that took me to jail, just back to the hospital.”

  “I know, but I still feel bad about it,” he whispered.

  “Don’t, please. I have to say that it’s a little awkward sitting with all of you, well, since, well, you know,” she sighed. “But I just want you to know that I came to Vegas to get lost. You need to know that Alexis Garris is now dead. You all played a wonderful, sexy and sensual part in her fantasies, but now, Alexis is dead,” she stood up. “Thank you, everyone. Please don’t take this wrong. I enjoyed every minute and every inch of each of you. It really is good to see you again, but I need to leave now,” she stood up and walked back into the lobby. She looked around and headed towards the bar. Did I really say that?

  “Vodka, straight up, please,” she asked the bartender.

  “Here, you go,”

  She smiled. “Thank you,” she drank it down quickly. “Another, please,” he set down another drink. This time she sipped it.

  “Excuse me, ma’am? Are these seats taken?”

  Alexis took in a deep breath and smiled. She looked up at the handsome man, whose eyes smiled at her. He had such a beautiful scent. “Officers, right?”

  The two men sat down next to her. “How’d you know we were cops?”

  “Not many men call me ma’am, unless they work here or are cops,” she twirled her hair. “So, where are you from?” She flirted.

  “Arizona. I’m Randy and this is my partner, Leon.”

  She shook their hands and smiled. “Nice to meet both of you. I’m, um, Lexie,” she said.

  “Nice to meet you, Lexie,” Randy said.

  She was about to lean in closer when she noticed the wedding ring on Randy’s finger. “Well, I hope you two enjoy your stay,” she stood up quickly and paid the bartender.

  She hurried out into the lobby and dropped her purse on the ground. When she bent over to pick it up, a man handed it back to her. “Here, let me help you,” he smiled brilliantly at her. “Here you go, ma’am,” he saluted her and walked away.

  She turned around and watched him walk out to the street. “Mr. O’Roark, your car’s waiting for you,” The doorman said to him.

  Alexis ran as fast as she could to the door, but he had already pulled away. “JC,” she whispered.

  She shook her head and turned back to go into the hotel. As she entered the lobby, she noticed that Randy and Leon were no longer at the bar. “Good. No more cops,” she said.

  She sat down at the bar and ordered another drink. She noticed a dark haired man watching her and smiling. She nodded to him.

  He walked over slowly. “Is this seat taken?” His dark eyes smiled back at her.

  “No, please, have a seat. I’m Lexie,” she smiled.

  “I know who you are. I’m Peter. Peter Johnson.”

  “You know who I am?”

  “Yes, your secret’s safe with me, if mine’s safe with you?” He stroked her hand.

  “What secret’s that?”

  “That I’m attracted to you.”

  “Oh, what makes you so attracted to me?”

  “I happened to overhear your conversation with the officers in the banquet room. You want to get lost, don’t you?”

  “Kind of. I just want to leave my past and my previous life behind me. I did what I could as Alexis, but I need to be a new person. Just not sure what to do next. So, I’ll stay here until I figure it out,” she smiled.

  “Would you like to have dinner with me?”

  “Are you from Vegas or just in town?”

  “I’m from Vegas,” he smiled brightly.

  “Good. I’d love to have dinner with you.”

  He took her hand and led her to the restaurant down the hall from the bar. He gazed at her from across the table. “So, um, Lexie, how long you staying in town?”

  “Um, Peter, not really sure right now. I just need to get away from myself. I’ve done so much in the past two years. I just can’t take it anymore.”

  He held her hand. “Like what?”

  “Oh, let’s see, I guess just traveled and met, well, you know, um, cops,” she rubbed her forehead back and forth with her hand.

  “I see. Do you have something against cops?”

  “Oh, no, actually I use
d to hold myself against them,” she smiled. “Just a fascination, or fantasy, I should get a way from.”

  “Oh,” he looked down. “Lex, I’m a police officer.”

  “Sorry. I really didn’t know. Most of the cops around here are at least wearing their badges.”

  “Do you want to leave, now that you know?”

  She smiled. “No. I don’t want to,” she sighed. “But I do have to be honest with you, I haven’t been in a real relationship since my, well, husband, passed away. And at this moment, I’m not looking for one.”

  “What are you looking for?” He smiled brightly at her.

  “Peter, I really don’t know. I don’t even know if you want to know who I am or what’s going on with me.”

  “Lex, I’d love to find out what’s going on in that head of yours, if you’ll let me.”

  She smiled. “Do you mind if we skip dinner and just go for a walk?”

  “Not a problem,” he took her hand and led her out to the street.

  They walked down the strip for a while. Alexis took a deep breath to enjoy the sights. She leaned her head on Peter’s shoulder. “This is nice.”

  He turned and looked at her. “What do you want to happen between us? I know we just met, and I have to admit, I picked you up for two reasons.”

  “And those were?” She flirted.

  “Sex and sex with you,” he touched her face. “But, now, that I’ve met you. I’d like a little bit more.”

  “Like what?”

  “Just someone to do things with. I’m not looking for a commitment or anything, just someone to go out with, and do things together, and well, yes, have sex,” he licked his lips.

  “Peter,” she stroked his cheek. “I think that I can do that. But…”

  “But what?”

  “If we, well, go somewhere, you know to have, well, sex, I don’t want to do it here at the strip. Everyone seems to know me, and they’ll just assume…”

  “I know. I was kind of going to suggest that. I think we should get two separate rooms. To be honest, if the guys at the station find out that I’m with Alexis Garris, I’ll never hear the end of it. I’d just like to keep this between you and me.”

  “I’m flattered and I’m not,” she laughed slightly.

  “I’m sorry, I was just being honest.”

  “No, that’s fine. I prefer honesty. That’s why I was honest with you,” she took his hand. “Let’s go eat. After dinner, you go home and I’ll go to my room. Tomorrow, if you want, we can meet somewhere when you get off shift.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. Tonight, I’m just tired and hungry,” Alexis kissed his cheek. “Let’s eat.”