She shook her head. "I can't accommodate you. Being a one-night stand made me feel cheap."
"You were more than a one-night stand. My night with you is very significant to my future."
"Oh please," she groaned. "Don't add insult to injury by feeding me juvenile lines like that."
"You are my alibi."
* * *
Chapter 9
"Alibi? Like in a crime?"
"Exactly like in a crime."
Devon shook her head. "I don't understand."
Lucky told her about the fire. "Several pieces of large machinery were destroyed. The damage is estimated at close to seven figures. At this point Tyler Drilling is stuck with the loss."
As always, whenever he thought about it, he became frustrated. "It's crazy. If the local authorities were handling the investigation alone, we, my family and I, would never have fallen under suspicion. But with the feds in on it…
"See, apparently a lot of oilmen who are in financial straits are taking desperate measures. I'm sure fraud is rampant. So, the insurance companies are on the alert. Of course their suspicions are unfounded in this case, but we've got to prove them wrong. My brother can verify his whereabouts that night. I can't. Not without you."
She regarded him closely for several moments before averting her head to gaze through the window at the traffic moving along the congested downtown boulevard.
"So you want me to go on record as your alibi. You couldn't have been in Milton Point setting fire to the garage because you were in bed with me all night."
"That sums it up."
She swung her gaze back to him. "I can't do it."
Before he could react, she slid from the booth and headed for the door of the diner.
"Hey, what the—" Standing, he worked his hand into the pocket of his jeans and tossed a ten-dollar bill onto the table. "Thanks!" he shouted to the waitress as he bolted through the door in pursuit of Devon Haines.
He caught up with her at the intersection where she was jaywalking. "What the hell do you mean you can't?" He took hold of her upper arm and halted her in the middle of the street. Horns began blaring around them. A beer truck swerved to avoid a collision.
Lucky ushered her to the curb. Once they had reached the sidewalk, he drew her out of the flow of pedestrian traffic and repeated his question. "This time I really can't take no for an answer, Devon."
"You'll have to. I can't vouch for your whereabouts that night."
"The hell you can't," he ground out. Pulling her against him, he lowered his
head to within whispering distance of hers. "You know I was lying beside you all night. I fell asleep before you did. You were gone by the time I woke up the following morning. And if you've forgotten what happened in between, I'll be happy to refresh your memory."
She nervously dampened her lips with her tongue. "I don't need to be reminded, thank you."
"At least you're not denying it happened."
"No, it happened, but I wish it hadn't. I'm not proud of it. I'm certainly not going to confess it to the world." She wrested her arm free. "I'm sorry you're in trouble. Truly I am. But that fire has nothing to do with me."
"Maybe not, but you're the only thing standing between jail and me."
"Oh, I doubt that. A man like you always lands on his feet. I'm sure that before you're formally charged, you'll see a way out." She began backing away from him. "In any event I won't be able to help you."
She turned and entered the newspaper building through the revolving bronze doors. Lucky charged after her. By the time he was disgorged into the lobby by the rapidly turning doors, she was about to step onto the elevator. He raced for it.
Two uniformed guards lunged for him, catching him by the arms from behind. "Hey, buddy, you bothering Ms. Haines?" Apparently they'd been asked to intercept him.