Lucky Streak (Lucky 2)

She narrowed her gaze. “It’s in the other room.” She ran back to his bedroom and returned with her phone, handing it to him. “Here. Why?”

“To verify your story.” He turned on her phone and played with some of the buttons. “Incoming at the right time, outgoing immediately after…” He hit another button and placed the phone to his ear.

“What now, Officer?”

“Detective. I’m calling your friend Marshall.” He made a frustrated face and handed her back her cell phone. “It’s disconnected. But at least I can see you aren’t lying, for whatever that’s worth. What did Marshall want the money for?”

“To buy into a poker game. He needed to make some big cash to pay off a guy he owed. He promised he’d win back what I took so I could pay you back in full.”

Mike couldn’t believe the idiocy coming from her lips. “Exactly what guarantee did Marshall have that he’d win at cards? Isn’t that why it’s called gambling? The outcome is uncertain?”

“Unless you know how to count. Look, he’s good at what he does, but something went wrong. He only won back half of what I owe you. But if you remember, you said if you won, half was mine, so technically you’re paid back in full—less the taxi and airline ticket, which I’ll pay back. But I never intended to take any of your money, so I promise I’ll pay you back every cent of the other half, too. Somehow.” She smiled and fluttered her lashes at him, trying to make light of the mess she’d gotten herself into.

“Damn right you’ll pay me back,” he muttered.

“The first thing I did afterward was to come back to your hotel room, but you were gone,” she pleaded, wide-eyed and rushed, obviously hoping he’d buy her story.

“Should I have waited around for my wife to return with the stolen cash?”

She winced. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

“You could have woken me. I stepped in with Marshall once. I would have helped you again.”

She drew a deep breath. “My life is complicated. I wanted to get settled here and make things work with you. I even hoped to eventually move my father here if our relationship was strong enough.”

“But we’ll never know because you didn’t trust me with the first big thing that came up.” And that, Mike thought, hurt more than it should have.

So did the wounded look in her eyes at his bluntly spoken words.

“It’s got nothing to do with trust. It’s habit. I’ve been on my own for so long. I never had my mother, and my father was loving and fun, but he wasn’t always around. Look, I’m not used to turning to anyone. Marshall had my father and it was up to me to save him. But I came back. And I’m here now…”

It wasn’t enough that she distracted him with her long, bare legs and flashing cleavage, but he was drawn to her plea of understanding, to her words. She expected him to buy her crazy story. Crazy enough to be at least partially believable because she had come all the way east to find him.

Still, she was obviously omitting plenty and this woman was trouble. So why was he still so damn attracted to everything about her, including her fantastical tale?

His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. He walked to the portable and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

“Mike, it’s Derek. You’ve got to come deal with your father. In person.”

Damn. “What’s he done now?”

Amber watched him, curiosity all over her expressive face.

“He strung cats around our front porch,” Derek said.

Mike shut his eyes and groaned. “Live cats?” Mike asked, his stomach in knots. “Or dead ones?” He crossed his fingers as he waited for an answer.

“Stuffed ones, but that’s not the point. Dammit, Mike, Gabrielle’s going to have a heart attack wondering what he’ll string up next!”

Mike ran his hand through his hair. “I hear you. I’ll be there in an hour.”

He glanced at Amber and knew he had no choice. He wasn’t letting her out of his sight again until he could decide what happened next.

“Get dressed. For real this time,” he said.

“Where are we going?” she asked, wide-eyed.

“To meet your father-in-law.”