“I’ll come by later and tell you what arrangements I’ve made for you,” Tanner said in a low tone as she passed him. “I’ll make certain that you’ll be safe.”

She nodded and the next moment she was closing her bedroom door behind her.

Silence.

She needed the silence and the darkness in this moment. She’d been bombarded by emotions and sensations tonight and she wanted to take them apart so that she could think and come to some decision.

Because there was a decision to be made. Tanner was all set to tell her what she had to do again. He would try to fit her into his busy schedule and then talk her into what was best for her.

Bullshit. She had to clear her mind and think.

*  *  *

She still had the lights out when Tanner knocked on her door two hours later.

She was across the room in seconds and threw open the door. “Come in.” She stepped aside. “You were a long time. Did Kaskov give you everything you need to know?”

“Everything he knows.” He turned on the lights and she saw he’d taken off his tuxedo jacket and unbuttoned the top buttons of his white shirt. He had a bottle of beer and handed her a Coke. “Which was considerable since he was digging deep for facts about events eighteen months back. There are some things Rennell and I will have to find out for ourselves on the spot.”

“You’re going to Las Vegas?”

“It’s the next step. Kaskov couldn’t tell me absolutely that Sandrino is dead. I have to be sure. I have to know what happened in Las Vegas. Then, if that leads me to Volkov, I’ll go on the hunt.”

Her gaze was searching his face. “You still hope he might be alive.”

“Hell, yes.” His lips twisted. “Sandrino performed magic for me and Rennell, and I can’t help hoping he might have pulled one more magic trick out of his sleeve for himself. But I know how slim that chance is.” He looked at her sleep shirt. “You took off the white gown. Pity. I liked it.”

She made a face. “It wasn’t me.”

“Kaskov wanted it to be you. He went to a lot of trouble to turn you into the prima pianist of the century. He’s still working on it.” He dropped down on the couch and took a drink of his beer. “But you’re not going to have any trouble with Kaskov wanting to harm you. He’s a genuine music lover, and he’ll fight to keep that talent alive. You can cross that off your list of things to worry about.”

“I figured that might be true. Maria said that she’d watched him while I was playing, and he was…feeling…it. You think that I can trust him and accept favors until I get on my feet?”