“It’s best for members of the public to leave the police work to the police,” MacKade said to Bastian.
“Of course.” Bastian inclined his head. “We appreciate the hard work of our local police.”
“I know. I’ve seen how much you donate to the LVMPD Foundation.”
Bastian stiffened. “That was supposed to be anonymous.”
“It is. I just did a little digging.” MacKade lifted his chin and tugged his wife closer. “Now, I think I’ll get myself a drink and enjoy the party.”
“Nice to meet you.” I winked at him. His lips twitched before he and his wife walked away. “That was fun.”
“MacKade is a smart and tenacious detective. Be careful of him.”
“And his wife?”
“No idea, but be careful of her too.”
We wandered some more, stopping when people caught Bastian’s attention. He was polite and charming, but never stopped anywhere too long. I noted he kept scanning the room.
Still no Dean.
While he was talking with some businessmen, I turned and tried to keep a lid on my growing impatience.What the hell was he waiting for?
A male server walked past with a loaded tray. I saw the instant he tripped. He bobbled the tray, trying desperately to save the drinks. I jumped to the side as several glasses toppled. Some champagne splashed on the hem of my dress, and the glasses rolled across the carpet.
“I’msosorry,” the man said from behind his mask.” He patted at the stain on my dress. “Please, let me get some soda water on that so it doesn’t stain.”
“It’s fine.”
The man set the tray on a table. “Please. If my boss finds out, I’ll lose my job.” He took my arm. “It’ll only take a minute.”
Was this Dean?I studied him more closely. The bare chest was firm and waxed of any hair. He looked to be in his twenties, so he couldn’t be Dean.
“No, really, I?—”
He tugged firmly. “I insist.”
Bastian still had his back to me. I really didn’t want to cause a scene.
“Look, I’m not going to tell your boss, so?—”
“I believe the lady said no. She’s fine.”
The smooth male voice held a cool British accent. I looked up, and if I wasn’t involved with Bastian, this man would have snagged my attention. He had a classic Greek-God face with a square jaw, delineated cheekbones, and sea-blue eyes. His hair wasn’t sure if it wanted to be light brown or blond, and was styled impeccably. He looked like he’d been born wearing his tuxedo.
He tugged me away from the server.
“Okay, if you’re sure.” The costumed man grabbed his tray and headed back into the crowd.
I turned to face my rescuer.
He shot me a charming smile. Bastian’s smile was pure sex, but this man’s was filled with charisma underscored with an undertone of amusement. “You’re a pretty thing.”
I raised a brow. “And you look like you’d match the casting call for the next Superman remake, or James Bond movie.”
He chuckled. “Thank you, Ms. Smith.”
“Just stating a fact, Mr. Archer.”
