Lucky Streak

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

MIKE SAT in front of the television in his father’s family room scarfing down a microwaved bowl of mac and cheese, wondering why the hell he felt so damn bad. He’d accomplished everything he wanted. Well, almost everything. Amber was safe and out of his life, he was single again-or at least, he would be-just the way he liked it. And if he didn’t have her half of the hundred fifty grand, who cared? It wasn’t the money that had been important to him anyway.

Then what was?

Before he could reflect on that question, he flicked on the television set and turned the channel to the local news, hoping for some sort of diversion from his thoughts.

“And now, here is our own Cathy Carmichael, reporting live outside the Diner on Main Street in the small coastal town of Stewart, where reporters have flocked seeking information on disgraced Olympic hopeful Jason Corwin.”

“Oh, shit,” Mike muttered. So much for diversion.

“To date, there hasn’t been any sign of Jason Corwin, but his uncle Edward was spotted inside the diner with a lady friend. But that’s news, too, due to the infamous Corwin curse and the fact that Edward Corwin has been a loner…” The reporter’s words droned on, but Mike didn’t hear the rest of what she said.

He was glued to the sight of Edward and Clara trying to make their way through the throng of reporters. His father appeared pale, hanging on to Clara’s arm for dear life.

Suddenly Gabrielle appeared, looking beautiful as ever in a flowing dress that resembled one of Clara’s outfits. A rosy, determined glow stained her cheeks. “Leave him alone!” she yelled to the crowd, pushing her way through.

When his cousin Derek got a load of this, he was going to hit the roof, Mike thought. He rose, wanting to go help, but needing to see how things played out here first. He’d never get there in time anyway.

“What a treat! Our local celebrity author, Gabrielle Corwin. Have you heard from Jason? Is he guilty of doping? Where is he hiding out?” the reporter asked.

As she spoke, Mike noticed Clara led Edward a few steps away from the large group of people. Thank heavens for that woman. Mike couldn’t believe his own thoughts, but they were true.

Gabrielle’s eyes narrowed at the reporter. “My standard answer would be no comment, however your stupid questions warrant a different response. Jason Corwin has never done drugs in his life. And if you did more than make your money off of this town, if you knew this town, you’d be rallying behind him and not hurling stupid questions that sound like accusations!”

Mike chuckled. “Go, Gabrielle,” he said, proud of her.

The way he’d been proud of Amber when she stood up to his uncle Thomas to protect Edward. Like a woman loyal to her man, Mike realized, the thought coming unbidden. He rolled his head back and forth, seeking relief from the building tension.

“Does that mean you’ve spoken with Jason Corwin since the scandal broke?” the reporter asked, nonplussed at Gabrielle’s outburst.

“Where is he?” another reporter asked, pushing the microphone into Gabrielle’s face.

Another reporter shouted yet a different question and suddenly Gabrielle was being jostled from all sides.

Mike hoped she wasn’t wearing those stupid high heels. She’d break an ankle trying to remain on her feet.

“Everyone, step back!” a woman shouted.

Amber.

Mike bent down to get a better look at the screen. Sure enough, Amber had joined Gabrielle, shoving reporters out of the way. “Move it. Back off. The Corwins have no more comments!”

Gabrielle shot an appreciative glance at Amber.

“Who are you?” a reporter asked.

Amber glanced away. “Just a family spokesperson.”

“Just a family spokesperson?” Mike asked aloud. “What the hell? You’re my wife,” he yelled at the screen.

The sound of his voice and his vehemence took him off guard. Where had such possessiveness come from? Hadn’t he just sent her packing? So why did her minimizing her position in the family bother him so damn much?

“Just one more question,” a reporter asked as he sidled up to Amber from behind. He tripped and fell headlong into Gabrielle.

Amber pulled Gabrielle out of the way before the man’s big body could fall against her. “I said back off! She’s pregnant!” Amber shouted, and clapped her hand over her mouth, obviously regretting her words.

As far as Mike knew, nobody in the family had been aware of that fact. Except Amber.

Mike shook his head and reached for his cell phone to call his cousin, then grabbed his keys. He had to get to town before his father, standing in the background, went crazy over the news. And he needed to thank Amber for protecting the people he loved.

“YOU’RE SUCH AN ASS,” Marshall said to himself as he sat in a seedy bar on the water in a town named Perkins. He couldn’t find Amber, even though she was like a needle in a very small haystack. Somebody ought to have seen her and yet…nada.

It was his own damn fault. He’d lost track of Amber after she’d left the diner with that cop husband of hers. Since Marshall couldn’t risk being seen, he’d decided to follow King Bobby, figuring the big man would be in touch with Amber Rose again soon. But for now, following the Texan was useless. He’d somehow found himself a motel on the outskirts of town, probably paying off a reporter while Marshall was left biding his time.

With the couple of bucks he had left in his pocket, he bought himself cheap beer on tap and wondered what the hell had happened to his lucky streak.

He’d used his winnings with Amber to pay off the loan shark he owed. Marshall had found another game to make some cash, but without Amber, his luck had gone south.

Unlike King Bobby, Marshall didn’t have money to burn. He’d been stuck sleeping in the car he’d rented with a stolen credit card.

He glanced up at the television on top of the bar and nearly choked on his beer. There she was, Amber Rose, pretty as a picture, on Main Street in Stewart. Beneath the screen, the tag read LIVE!

He slapped a couple of bills onto the bar and walked out whistling. His luck was changing after all. Once he had Amber back by his side where she belonged, money would follow.

MIKE PARKED HIS CAR behind the diner and ran to find his family. The first person he asked sent him to Derek’s office. When he arrived, chaos ruled. But the only person he didn’t see was the one he most wanted to lay eyes on.

“Where’s Amber?”

No one answered.

Mike glanced at his father.

Edward paced the floor, muttering about curses. He seemed worse than before Mike had left.

“Dad, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. The curse doesn’t care about me right now. It’s them you should be asking about.” He pointed to Derek and Gabrielle on the other side of the room.

“Don’t you worry, I’m taking care of him,” Clara assured Mike.

“Thank you,” he said. Mike glanced around quickly. “Dad, where’s Amber?” Mike asked.

“Why do you care?” Edward didn’t look up as he answered. “The curse is going to get you two anyway,” he muttered, continuing his pacing.

Knowing a lost cause when he saw one, Mike stepped over to Clara who sat at Derek’s laptop, typing on the keyboard. “Clara, where’s Amber?” Mike asked.

“Just a minute, son. I think I’m onto something here. Do you know your father’s exhibiting signs of paranoia and bipolar disorder?”

Mike nodded. “We’re going to see a psychiatrist on Friday.” He just hadn’t told his father yet.

Edward stopped in his tracks. “The hell I am! There’s nothing wrong with me that won’t be cured by me staying away from people.”

“Dad, we’ll discuss this later,” Mike said, patting him on the shoulder. He’d planned to spring the psychiatrist appointment on him at the last minute, preferably in the car when Edward was already on his way there.

“No, we won’t,” he said, clearly angry. “And missy, if you want to protect your baby, you’ll listen to me,” he said to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle turned from where she sat in Derek’s big, comfortable chair behind his desk, gripping the old wood so hard her knuckles turned white. “Uncle Edward, I don’t want to hear another word about curses. Please!”

Derek shot Mike a look, silently warning him to get Edward to back off. Then Derek glanced at his wife. “How is your ankle? You know better than to wear those high heels when you’re pregnant! That reporter could have knocked you over,” he said, obviously concerned.

“Well, he didn’t, because Amber took care of things, didn’t she?” Gabrielle asked her husband. “I’m pregnant, not sick. Not an invalid. I can wear heels and-”

Mike stepped between them. “Speaking of Amber, where is she?” he asked again, hopefully for the last time.

“If you’d told me about the baby-” Derek interjected.

“You would have driven me crazy for an extra couple of days,” she said. “Can’t you just be happy?”

He stopped in front of her and knelt down. “I’m thrilled, sweetheart, you know I am.”

Mike had a lump in his throat watching them, knowing how much they loved one another, how they’d do anything to protect each other.

An unaccustomed feeling of envy welled up in his chest, along with thoughts of Amber.

“I hate to ruin the moment, but can someone please tell me where the hell Amber went?” Mike asked in a low, level, I mean business tone.

He just wanted to make sure she was okay. That was all. Really.

Finally, everyone turned to face him.

“She’s gone home, no thanks to you.” Gabrielle spoke first. “She said now that she was safe, it was time to leave, since according to you, there was no hope for anything lasting between you two.” Gabrielle’s voice held a wealth of accusation.

Mike didn’t blame her.

“Tell me you didn’t say that to her face,” Derek said to Mike.

“I may have led her to believe it was over.” He shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

“Is it?” Gabrielle asked.

“It needs to be.” And he wasn’t going to reiterate all the good reasons he’d been trying to convince himself of.

“Then there’s no need for you to go to the bus station,” Clara said. “She was taking a bus to Boston and then catching another one home to Las Vegas.”

“I can’t believe you’d let a woman like that go,” Derek said at last.

Mike’s cell phone rang and he answered on the first ring. “What?” he asked, glad for the distraction.

“Hey, there, Detective, it’s King Bobby. I got me some information you might want. Seems I was followed when I left the diner.”

Mike raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure you’ve made a few enemies in your day. Why is this of interest to me?”

The other man let out a booming laugh. “You got me all wrong. The King’s a lover, not a fighter. And this isn’t my fight. The man followin’ me is Marshall Banks, and I’m thinkin’ he’s not after me, but your woman.”

Mike’s stomach cramped. “Why would you think that?”

“’Cause I’m not blind, man. I’ve seen how he looks at her. I also have a hunch she was the brains behind the operation so he needs her. He’s not just going to let her go.”

Mike had seen the same thing in Marshall’s eyes back in Vegas. “How long has he been tailing you?”

“I realized it when I left the diner earlier.”

“And you’re just calling me now?” Mike asked, annoyed.

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I knew the little lady was with you, so she’d be safe.”

But she wasn’t with Mike now. She was alone. And he was to blame.

“Anyways, I’m just calling to ask you to keep an eye out. If you see Marshall, make sure you let me know so I can collect my money,” King Bobby said.

“Where are you now?” Mike asked the other man.

“I got myself a hotel room in the next town over. Why?”

Mike drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Meet me at the bus station in Stewart,” he instructed the Texan. “It’s on the far side of town.”

“Why?”

“If you want your money, just be there.” Mike disconnected the phone and faced his family. “I’m out of here,” Mike said.

“What’s wrong?” Gabrielle asked.

“That guy who was after Amber is in town.” Mike clenched his jaw, furious at himself for not seeing this coming.

Derek rose from behind the desk. “If you need backup, I’m there for you.”

Mike shot his cousin a grateful glance. “I can handle it, but thanks. You take care of your wife.”

Gabrielle stood. “You’d better call the minute you find Amber. I want to know she’s safe.”

“I will.”

“Goddess speed,” Clara called.

Mike looked at her curiously. Sometimes her words were so odd. “Thank you.”

“Dad?”

Edward paced, but didn’t answer.

“I’ve got him,” Clara promised.

Torn, Mike nodded and turned to leave. His father was in caring hands.

Mike didn’t know whether or not Amber was in trouble, but he wasn’t ignoring his gut. If Marshall was in town, Amber had to be his target. He already had his money. Who else would he be looking for?

And if her ex-partner had seen her meeting with King Bobby in the diner, he might assume Amber had betrayed him. Marshall hadn’t struck Mike as being the nonviolent type when they’d met in Vegas. He had to get to Amber and make certain she was safe.

BY THE TIME Amber had extricated herself and Gabrielle from the reporters, Derek had arrived in town to retrieve his wife. Along with Clara and Edward, they’d retreated to Derek’s office for privacy. Mike’s cousin was furious Gabrielle had kept him in the dark, ecstatic she was pregnant and worried that Edward would snap at any moment. His office was the nearest place to calm everyone down. Although they’d invited Amber to join them, she’d declined. She wasn’t family and never would be, something she needed to accept sooner rather than later.

But to do so, she needed to leave town and get away from Mike, his family and the memories she’d created in such a short time.

To let go, she needed to go.

So she’d walked down Main Street alone and finding it difficult to breathe, the pain of loss overwhelming. She didn’t have a plan, but she had ideas. Careerwise, she’d definitely go back to work for the Crown Chandler if they’d have her, preferably in Vegas near her father. She’d rent a small room instead of paying a mortgage or rent, and cut back on the luxuries. Anything to keep her father comfortable and still enable her to live her own life.

Without Mike.

She shook her head, caught her breath and continued to walk along the sidewalk, heading for the bus station. Since she was no longer trying to hide her whereabouts, she could use her credit card to go home, but flying was out of the question. She still needed to be frugal since she’d have to save as much as possible in order to keep her father in his current home. But she didn’t have to panic.

At this point, she had time, knowing her savings would keep him there for a few months more while she came up with a plan of action. Those savings were the cushion she hadn’t had when Sam had been diagnosed. The reason she’d contacted Marshall, which had set her on this painful course.

But she didn’t regret meeting and marrying Mike. This past week had been the best of her life. She knew now she could never settle for less than everything. She understood what it meant to care so much she’d come to think of his family as her own. And she discovered how her past could affect the future. Her choices would be made with greater care from this point on.

She strode into the Greyhound station and paid for a bus ticket to Boston. From there she’d travel home over the course of three transfers and three days.

Her bus didn’t leave for over an hour so she wandered outside. On the sidewalk outside the station, a few people milled around, but overall, the place was pretty empty.

A car honked, taking her off guard.

She turned. For a foolish moment, her heart tripped as she looked, hoping Mike had come after her. Instead, she saw Marshall pull up beside her in a burgundy rental car.

She narrowed her gaze, surprised he’d resurfaced.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

Now. After she’d settled her problems with King Bobby and no longer needed him.

“That’s no greeting, baby. Get in so we can talk.”

She shook her head. “I have a bus to catch.”

“No problem, then I’ll get out.” He parked his car in front of the station in a No Parking zone. But then in Marshall’s mind, the rules never applied to him.

She started to walk toward the door, hoping to lead him inside where she felt safer.

But when Marshall joined her, he hooked his arm through hers and steered her straight along the sidewalk outside the bus station. “You’ve been a busy girl, running off on me, getting married, and then hiding out here in a small Podunk town. What’s going on with you?”

Amber stopped in her tracks. “Are you crazy?” She looked him over. In his jeans and mock short-sleeve turtleneck and leather jacket, he looked over-dressed for the heat, but every inch the slick Marshall she knew. “You know exactly what’s going on with me. You left me high and dry while that big Texan came after me for money you stole,” she said, her voice rising.

He shook his head and laughed. “Come on, that’s water under the bridge. I knew King Bobby wouldn’t hurt a woman. I was just waiting until the heat was off to come find you.”

“So you hid behind my skirts? That’s low, even for you,” she muttered.

He gripped her arm tight and she realized her mistake. She’d let his friendly veneer fool her into thinking she was safe.

“Drop the tough-guy routine, Marshall, it’s me. We can talk this through.” She hoped. “What is it you want?”

“You. Me. Things back the way they were.” His voice held a hint of desperation, but he released his grip, which told her he was sure he could reason with her.

He’d kidnapped her father and used him as leverage. Even if Amber hadn’t opted out of the life for her own reasons, there was no way in hell she’d trust Marshall on any level now. She may have once viewed him as her salvation, but now she saw him as he truly was-a shell of a man, a pathetic con artist, and nothing more. But she knew better than to let her true feelings slip again. Especially when she looked into the dark depths of Marshall’s eyes and saw nothing there.

She decided to humor him. “Didn’t you pay off the loan shark?” she asked.

He nodded. “But there’s always the next score. You know that. And I need you.”

She wondered if he was in more trouble and didn’t want to admit it to her. “We can talk,” she promised him.

He exhaled a long breath. “That’s my girl.” He not so subtly patted the pocket of his jacket and she realized there was a bulge there.

He had a gun.

Her heart pounded in her throat, fear rising like a wave but she refused to panic. She knew now to keep him calm-she wouldn’t give him any reason to use the weapon. Her next priority was to get inside where she wouldn’t be alone with him.

“You must be roasting in that jacket. Let’s go in where it’s cool. I’ll buy us each a bottle of water and we can figure out a plan.” She started for the door.

To her relief, he followed. “I knew you’d come around. You’re heading home anyway. What happened? Prince Charming turned out to be a frog?” He laughed.

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from telling Marshall that Mike was one hundred times the man he’d ever be. “He didn’t understand me,” she said instead.

He nodded, obviously pleased. “Not like I do, baby. We’re partners, you and I.”

“We’ve had our moments.” She stopped short of agreeing, too busy trying to figure out how to get away from him once they were inside the bus station.

“Amber!”

She whipped around at the sound of her name.

Beside her, Marshall froze as Mike walked toward her from one side.

“How y’all doing?” King Bobby called from the other.

“Shit,” Marshall muttered. Without warning, he grabbed her arm once more, stopping her from running away.

“Let her go, Banks,” Mike said, his voice low.

Deadly.

Amber wouldn’t think of crossing him when he sounded like that. But Marshall always had an inflated sense of self. He was also holding a grudge against Mike for coming between him and Amber in Vegas. She knew this wasn’t going to be pretty.

She broke into a sweat, as much from fear as from the sun overhead.

“Everyone relax,” King Bobby said in his long drawl. “Listen, son, I just want to talk to you.”

“Bullshit,” Marshall said. “You want your money and he wants her.” He yanked Amber closer to him.

“Don’t hurt her, Banks.” Mike’s warning was loud and clear.

Amber tried not to grimace and give Mike a reason to act, but Marshall’s fingers dug into her arm painfully.

“Don’t tell me what to do with my lady, Detective,” he said with a sneer. “She was leaving you anyway, so you’ve got no rights where she’s concerned. Isn’t that right, baby?”

Amber swallowed hard. She never tore her gaze from Mike as she repeated the words Marshall needed to hear. “That’s right.” Anything to keep Marshall from turning on the man she loved.

Loved.

Oh, God, she loved him.

She didn’t just want a chance, she wanted him. Now, forever. Nothing else mattered. They’d work out the little details over the next fifty-plus years.

But Mike didn’t love her. He’d protect her when necessary, like now. But then he’d let her go.

“You heard her, man. Go home. She’s where she wants to be.”

“Then why do you have a death grip on her?” Mike asked sarcastically.

Marshall’s hold turned to a bruising pinch. Amber couldn’t stop herself from groaning out loud.

Mike immediately pulled out his gun, prompting Marshall to do the same.