Page 8 of Trina Gabrini: Bring Him Back Home to Me

“Did you see a tall blonde with big boobs wearing a miniskirt just walk in?”

“Ah . . . no sir.”

“She just walked in.”

“I’m afraid I don’t recall seeing her, sir. But as you can see we have a full house tonight.”

Reno was flustered. “Then why you bothering me if you can’t help me?”’

He hurried further into the restaurant, looking everywhere. He even peeked into the ladies room and asked the lady inside if she’d seen a woman with that description he’d given to the maître d. But she didn’t see her either. Reno looked down, under the stalls, but saw no feet. And that was the last place he could look.

By the time he made it back outside, Trina’s car was just coming up. But he also noticed how that same tall black guy was by her side again, talking to her again. Which pissed him off gain.

But what he didn’t notice was that a patron who had had way too much to drink had just gotten into his car, which was parked in the parking lot. He had apparently put his car in Drive rather than Reverse, floored the gas petal, and sped straight ahead without braking.

His car sped across the sidewalk and headed straight for the valet station. Only Trina was standing in between the valet station and that car, which meant that car was heading straight for her!

Reno’s heart dropped as soon as he saw the car coming, and he began running as fast as he could run. “Trina!” he cried as he ran. “Tree! Lord no, Tree!” But he was too far away.

But the black guy Reno had previously dismissed was right beside her and he shoved her out of the path of the car one way as he leaped the other way and that car flew past them, slammed into the valet desk, and then crashed through the huge glass window of the upscale restaurant. Two valets were knocked aside, but they were okay. It wasn’t clear who was hit inside the restaurant.

And Reno didn’t care. All he cared about was getting to Trina. The black guy that had saved her life was hurrying to her side too. He got there first and was helping her to her feet.

But Reno took over when he arrived. “Tree, were you hit?” He grabbed her two arms and looked all over her for injuries.

“I’m alright,” a frazzled Trina said.

“Were you hit?” Reno asked again.

“No, I’m alright,” she said again. Then she looked at the businessman. “Thank you,” she said heartfelt. She knew how close a call it was.

“That drunk bastard almost took us both out,” he said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Yeah thanks,” Reno said.

The man gave Reno a tacit nod, and then he looked around and went to check on the valets.

But Reno felt like hell. He left to go chase after some ghost from his past, and his wife almost died. What kind of man was he?

Trina had a different question. “Where were you?”

“I thought I saw somebody I knew. I was coming right back.”

“Was that somebody a woman?” Trina asked him.

Reno didn’t answer. But he didn’t have to. She already knew.

CHAPTER THREE

“Didn’t I say no, Madison?”

“But Dad, it’s the chance of a lifetime.”

“That’s what you always say. And it always turns out to be a big waste of your time and my money. No,” Jimmy said again over his car’s phone. He was behind the wheel of his Maserati Gran Cabrio as he navigated the dark roads of Vegas on his way to his father’s hotel where he and his daughter shared an apartment. Now she wanted to move in with friends again. But the last time was an unmitigated disaster that led to stalking charges for one of her roommates and felony theft charges for the other one. He wasn’t about to get on that emotional rollercoaster ride with her again.

Jimmy was the west coast chief operating officer of his uncle Tommy Gabrini’s Fortune 300 mega corporation and had moved up the ladder to such an extent that he was in line to take over as full CEO once the board, namely his uncle, gave the go ahead. Which, he knew, was going to be a handful. But Madison Gabrini, his only child, was a handful-plus.

“These are new friends,” Madison insisted. “They’re nothing like Jason and Tavia. We have so much in common.”