Chapter 35 / Part 2
The Safe House: Max’s office…
Sitting at his desk re-reading the police report from the cellar incident, Max looked at the clock and sighed. Although she only went to the airport with Maria and Isabel to see Kenya off he still missed her. A knock sounded at the door. “Come in…”
Opening the door, Zan walked in carrying two cups of coffee from the El Flamingo. “Hey, Zan… How’s it going?”
Taking a seat in front of Max’s desk, he set the coffee cups down. “Things are good. Did you hear my program this morning?”
Max laughed. “Oh, yeah… Liz and I both.”
“I know I’ve been busy lately, but who’s Liz?”
“Do you remember that girl I had a crush on in high school…?”
“The theater geek waitress from The Crashdown… How could I forget?”
“Well, that was Liz Parker… My new house mate.”
Zan’s jaw dropped. “Liz Parker… Thee Liz Parker, professional dancer and theater actress from the Lund Fontanne Theater in New York… The one that did that seductive chair dance routine on TV… That was her?”
“Uh-huh… She’s retired from the theater now and working as a bartender here at the club.”
Zan raised an eyebrow. “New roommate… You’ve been crushing on her for years. So, how’d you pull that one off?”
Max couldn’t help but smile. “Easy… Maria and Alex kept in touch with her through the years. Knowing of her pending retirement and the personal problems she was having, they asked Isabel and me about job openings here at the club…”
“That’s interesting and all, but how did she come to live with you?”
“She hit rock bottom before officially leaving the theater, so I offered her a place to stay.”
“And it’s probably killing you.”
“Um, not really… We’re gradually developing a relationship of sorts…”
“Damn… Does she have a sister or friend who’s single?”
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The phone rang as the Caller ID lit up. Las Vegas Police Department…
Why are they calling? If something happened to Liz, one of the others would have called. He wondered answering on the second ring. “Max Evans…”
“Lieutenant Porislukski calling…”
Silently, Max listened intently to what the Lieutenant had to say. A chill ran down his spine. Sean had somehow managed to escape from prison and was on the run.
Shit… Liz is at the airport with Maria, Isabel and Kenya.
Thanking the Lieutenant for calling, he stated that he would inform the others and have Kyle beef up club security before ending the call.
Reaching for his cell phone, he called Liz. There was no answer. “Dammit…”
“What’s wrong, cuz?”
Ignoring Zan, he tried calling the others. Isabel answered on the third ring. “Isabel… You need to listen to me…”
“Hello to you too, Max…”
“This is no time for pleasantries, Isabel. I just received a call from the police. Sean managed to escape from prison and is on the run. Keep an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious…”
“Omigod…”
“Don’t panic. Just do as I said. Hurry back after Kenya’s flight takes off because we’re having a staff meeting.”
Ending the call with Isabel, he typed a quick e-mail to Kyle informing him of what happened and stating that security needed to be beefed up until further notice.
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“What’s going on?”
“To make a long story short, we’ve been having some problems here at the club. Someone tried to assault Alex… And Liz was attacked in the wine cellar. The guy who tried to assault Alex is Sean. The other person was never caught…”
“Damn… I need to spend more time hanging out here where all the action is.”
“You should…” pausing, Max smiled remembering Zan's earlier question. “… Liz has a theater friend from New York who’s single and from what it sounds like; she’ll be a frequent guest in between shows.”
“Have you met her? What’s she like?”
“Kenya drove out here with Liz and stayed here at the club for a while before returning to New York for an audition… Personality wise, she’s well-rounded… Honest, loyal, caring, outgoing, and competitive. You and her would get along great. But, don’t ever tell Liz I said that…. She’d kill me.”