Dance For The Devil Read Online Free Page B

why we didn’t think of it before?” Then he was gone, leaving like a sudden gust of wind.
    The room felt empty. Vacuum sealed. Lifeless. Gil Vandercamp had an amazing presence. Almost mesmerising. Jake remembered that Gil had been like that in college. Tremendous energy and personality. Large than life. Almost too good to be true. If you didn’t know Gil personally, it would be easy to believe it was an act. As rehearsed and glitzy as a Vegas showgirl. Of course, that notion was quickly dispelled by Gil himself. He was warm, funny and tremendously caring. He knew each of his employees and frequently invited them to his house. Marvelworks was like a family, Jake thought. One huge, dynamic family with Gil Vandercamp reigning as the benevolent and loving father.
    Weird, in a way. But good. It felt good to be part of that family. With Gil’s influence, perhaps he could learn to be a better father himself.

CHAPTER TWO
     
    The entrance to the Vandercamp family home was grand. A winding driveway lined with century-old oaks, a large expanse of manicured lawn and a bounty of roses blooming everyw here the eye wandered. The Tudor-style house was very traditional and very English. A uniformed butler greeted guests at the front door and escorted them through the elegantly appointed mansion to the back garden. Here, terraced patios overlooked the swimming pool and tennis court, and ultimately, the ocean. Extending from the shoreline was a private pier, where Gil Vandercamp kept his boat moored. “Not a yacht by any standards,” Gil chuckled depreciatingly, but at forty-two feet, the Vandercamp boat was large enough to boast two staterooms plus an area that converted into a third. Certainly ample space for a couple with only one child.
    The party was in full swing. Several dozen adults mingled on the patio, while their children swam and ran and played. A group of men were competing in a friendly game of croquet and Jake noticed Gil Vandercamp was part of this group. Gil motioned for Jake to join them and Jake held up five fingers to indicate he’d be along shortly.
    Jake turned to his kids, finding them already engaged in the throng of teens. Skeeter was poolside, preparing to cannonball his skinny body with the hopes of drenching a bevy of sunbathing girls. Amy was nose-to-nose with Jason Vandercamp and a few other kids, deep in conversation. It was nice to see her finally making friends. Jake accepted an icy beer from a white-coated server and went to join Gil and whack a few croquet balls.
    “Jake, old buddy, great to see you. I was getting worried you weren’t going to make it.” Gil threw his arm around Jake and greeted him like the prodigal son.
    Jake laughed. “Yeah, kind of late, aren’t we? Teenage girls take an extraordinarily long time to get ready. Last week Amy couldn’t care less about her appearance and today she kept us cooling our heels for over an hour. I suspect your son has something to do with that.”
    “If you think teenage girls take a long time to prep, you should see teenage boys . Jason can spend an entire morning blow-drying his hair, trying to get just the right unkempt look. Kids. You gotta love ‘em.” Gil passed Jake a mallet. “Listen, I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been thinking about that new idea you had the other day and I have some suggestions that might interest you.”
    “Any input would be welcome.”
    “I wouldn’t want to step on any toes, but – oh, Lordie, here comes Cynthia Blake. Looks like she has her sight set on you, Jake. An unattached man is something a woman cannot stand. It’s a genetic defect. They always want to set you up with their cousin from Spuzm or some goddamned thing like that. You are shark bait, buddy; a big, bloody bucket of chum.”
    Gil turned his smile to the approaching woman and held out his arm. “Cynthia, darling, what brings you all the way over here? You’re going to get grass stains on those gorgeous shoes of yours.”
    “Oh, Gil.