Lucky Streak

by Carly Phillips

  As he spoke, deliberately cold, thinking the worst of her, Amber saw a flicker of hope in his blue eyes that told her he wanted to find something to hold on to between them, too.

  She grabbed on to that emotion and like a lifeline, she clung to his gaze. “I haven’t lied to you,” she said, her voice steady and reassuring. “I admit that I left things out, but only because I didn’t think you were ready to hear them. But I haven’t lied.”

  Mike exhaled a slow breath, conflicting thoughts filling his head. She hadn’t lied. But she had done things he couldn’t have begun to imagine.

  He reminded himself that he shouldn’t be surprised. He’d known she wasn’t telling him everything. Giving her the benefit of a doubt, he attempted to look at her life from every angle. A young girl who’d never had a mother with only a con-artist father and older grandparents from whom to learn. A child with a natural affinity for her father’s so-called craft.

  Unfortunately, any way he viewed the situation, she was a thief, stealing from poker opponents and later, from him.

  He and his wife weren’t just polar opposites. They diverged on the fundamental concept of honesty and integrity. Those notions defined his life.

  The cop and the con. As he looked at her beautiful, imploring face, he couldn’t find any middle ground.

  “If you didn’t lie, then how did card counting fit into your Beverly Hills life?” he asked at last.

  “It didn’t. Not until my father got sick.” She ran her hand through her curls.

  He couldn’t help noticing her hands shook. This wasn’t easy for her, either. But she’d had time to prepare for this conversation. He was hearing it all for the first time.

  He forced himself not to think, just to listen.

  “I had health insurance through the hotel, but it didn’t cover my father. And when I went to look at the nursing homes I could afford, it made me sick. I couldn’t put him in one of those places.” Her voice cracked as she spoke and her pain affected him, slicing deep.

  How could it not? He had a father he loved, too. One who, he admitted to himself, he’d thought of institutionalizing rather than allowing the man to live alone, never knowing what he’d do next. Whether he’d step over the line that defined sanity. Could he have left Edward in one of those places? Mike wondered.

  He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her and tell her he understood her pain. But he couldn’t. Because as much as he empathized with her emotions, he didn’t understand her choices.

  In the wake of his silence, Amber drew a shaky breath and continued, “So I contacted Marshall.”

  “And you became partners,” Mike said. He heard the disappointment in his voice as the memory of his first meeting with Amber came back to him in vivid detail.

  A lovers’ quarrel, Marshall had said.

  Ex-partners, Amber had claimed.

  The illegalities had never been mentioned.

  Mike’s blood chilled. If he’d known, he’d never have spent the day with Amber. Never have married her.

  She touched him on the shoulder.

  A mixture of warmth and hurt flooded him on contact and he jerked away.

  “Hey! Don’t you judge me until you’ve been in my shoes!” she said with indignation. “Imagine what you’d do if you couldn’t pay for decent care for your father.” Her eyes flashed with defiance, defending her choice.

  “I have thought about it, dammit. While you explained your reasons, it’s all I could think about. I’m trying like hell not to judge you, but I’m a cop. Right and wrong is just too clear-cut in my world.” He ran a hand through his hair, wondering how she couldn’t see the solid barrier her past…hell, her present, placed between them.

  “Then consider yourself lucky things are so simple for you,” she said coldly.

  Once again she was angry at him for something he hadn’t caused, he thought, the irony strong. This woman and her damn contradictions, her warped sense of right and wrong.

  “Why don’t you continue,” he said, suddenly exhausted, but knowing she hadn’t finished.

  Amber let out a sigh. “You know the rest. High-stakes poker games for big money. Every penny went to the home for my father’s care. I supported myself with savings and the money I made working at my friend Paul’s bar. Look, I’m telling you this because, despite how it all looks, I believe in honesty. I’ve wanted to tell you all along. I just didn’t know how you’d react to the truth.”

  “Like hell. You’re confessing now because you’re cornered and you need protection.” Did she really think he was an idiot? he thought, frustrated.

  “I’m telling you because if King Bobby is coming after me and I’m staying here with you, you need to know what’s going on. Again, it’s about honesty.”

  “King Bobby? What the hell kind of a name is that?” He couldn’t help but laugh.

  She tried unsuccessfully to block a grin. “King Bobby, owner of the biggest used-car dealership in all of Texas,” she said in a Texas drawl.

  “Oh, brother.” Mike rolled his eyes. “How do you know for certain he’s after you?”

  She recounted how she’d seen King Bobby and his wife at the Bellagio after she’d gone looking for Mike. She explained the trail King Bobby had left from Vegas to Beverly Hills, asking about her. “He’s a smart guy and chances are, he’ll dig up our marriage certificate and track me down here. It’s only a matter of time. I don’t know what he wants, but I like my body the way it is too much to let him find me.”

  Mike liked her body, too. That was part of the problem.

  “We have two choices. Hang around like a sitting duck for this King Bobby character to find you, or hide out.”

  “We have two choices?”

  He shook his head in frustration, not sure if he wanted to strangle her or kiss her senseless and make her problems go away. “Did you really think I’d just abandon you to deal with this guy on your own?”

  “Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect from you.” She sniffed and turned away.

  That disappointed him. Hadn’t he come through for her before?

  “Go pack up your things.”

  She frowned at his order. “To go where?”

  To the only place he could think of where she’d be safe. Where a man named King Bobby from Texas would have a hard time tracking her down. “To my father’s place. This King would never guess to look for you at the home of a reclusive old man without a phone.” And when Edward had had a telephone, his number had been unlisted.

  “Are you sure he won’t mind us staying there?” Amber asked, obviously surprised at Mike’s choice of hideouts.

  “Not us. You.” Mike bit the inside of his cheek. “I can’t get off until this weekend. I’ll have Derek head over and prepare my father. You can take my car first thing tomorrow. It’s a fairly easy drive.”

  And since she needed a safe place to hide out, Mike trusted her not to run away again.

  Her eyes turned soft and liquid as she stepped toward him. “I really appreciate your help, considering how you feel about me.”

  She had no idea how he felt about her. Hell, most of the time he had no idea how he felt about her. He just knew how he felt about what she’d done.

  Not trusting himself with words, he stepped out of her reach and gave her a curt nod.

  Mike headed to the bedroom to shower before bed. He needed a good night’s sleep so he’d be able to think more clearly tomorrow. Although once Amber climbed into bed beside him, sleep would be the last thing on his mind. She’d end up with her hand—or her mouth—on his body, expressing her thanks.

  And as he’d proven more than once, he had no self-control when she touched him. In bed, their differences weren’t so obvious. If he was smart, he’d send her to his father’s tonight, but he knew his cousin wouldn’t brave Edward’s house at night, un-announced. And since Mike knew Edward didn’t always answer his cell phone, Derek would have to make the trip in person.

  In good conscience, Mike couldn’t sp
ring Amber’s visit on Edward without warning. Tomorrow would have to be soon enough. He’d have to survive one more night sharing a bed.

  Then he’d send his soon-to-be-ex wife to stay with his father while Mike looked into this King Bobby character. His father, Amber and Stinky Pete together under one roof. Mike shuddered at the thought.

  Hopefully, Mike could straighten out the mess Amber was in and divorce her without too much trouble. He paused in the doorway and glanced at the woman standing in the family room, appearing to be contemplating something. She twirled her finger around one lock of hair and looked as if she was planning her next move.

  He had no real idea how her brain worked and wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. She’d be gone before he knew it and his life would get back to normal.

  Unfortunately, normal had been solitary and routine, and the notion didn’t bring him the comfort it should have.

  HE MUST BE A WEAK MAN, Mike decided, because when Dan picked him up for work he was humming. So was his body, the result of a spectacular bout of first-thing-in-the-morning sex and a long thank-you/apology kiss from Amber as she walked him to the door and said so-long.

  “Goodbyes are permanent and I’ll be seeing you on Friday,” she’d said, ever optimistic. She totally ignored the fact that he didn’t approve of her choices any more this morning than he had last night, something he’d made certain she understood. Just because they’d shared another night of mind-blowing sex, he didn’t want her to think anything else had changed.

  A divorce was in the cards, Mike thought. A perfect play on words if ever there was one.

  He’d given Amber directions to his father’s house along with his cousin Derek’s home and cell phone. Since Derek’s wife Gabrielle had had a stalker issue last year, his cousin understood Mike’s concern and had taken a ride out to Edward’s this morning. He said Edward had complained nonstop about having his privacy invaded, but he’d also begun rinsing glasses in the sink in preparation. Unusual to say the least.

  Could Amber’s assessment of Edward be correct? Was he too ingrained in his reclusive life to ask for help, yet looking for a way out? Mike refused to get his hopes up. What could Amber possibly know about the crazy old man Mike called his father?

  And yet Mike found himself placing hope in Amber’s ability to reach Edward during her stay there. Once again, he found her contradictions maddening. Was she a card-counting cheat or a warm, caring, insightful woman who wanted to help Mike’s father? Could she really have had no choice?

  No! He crumpled up the paperwork he’d filled out incorrectly because he hadn’t been concentrating. They were too different. He couldn’t possibly trust her. And she caused complications in his life he just didn’t need.

  He’d help her, then file for divorce. With that settled, he refocused on work.

  CHAPTER NINE

  AFTER THE MORNING RUSH HOUR, Amber drove to Stewart in Mike’s car. She’d had an hour to think about her choices and the things she wished she’d done differently in life. But regret couldn’t change the facts. All she could do was go forward and hold on to hope, an attitude she’d learned early in life, each time her father had dropped her at her grandparents’ and left for his next “business trip.” She’d wait expectantly for him to come back, and he would. In the meantime, she’d made the best of where she was and appreciated the life her grandparents had given her. Until she joined her father for good. At the time, she’d just decided and then moved on. Just like she wanted to move forward now.

  The drive to Mike’s father’s house was an easy one and she took in the scenery, marveling in the differences between the dry desert out West and the lush greenery in the East. She’d heard about fall and winter, but she’d never experienced either season firsthand. She wondered if she’d get the chance this year.

  The farther away from Boston and Mike she drove, the more nervous she became about showing up on Edward Corwin’s doorstep, and she tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

  Sure, she’d liked Mike’s father, but he was still a hermit of sorts. And even though she thought she understood him, she didn’t have a psychology degree. She doubted he’d welcome her with open arms. Still, she was a people person who trusted her instincts and her instincts told her Edward needed a friend. Fate was giving her an opportunity to do some good for Mike and his father and she intended to make use of it.

  Maybe a small thank-you gift would help soften her intrusion into his home. She pulled off the highway one exit before Salem for a brief pit stop. According to her directions, Stewart would be the next exit, so she had to find something for Edward here. She checked out the stores in a small strip mall in search of a fitting present for Edward Corwin.

  The first store in the row of shops was a boutique with items that seemed too froufrou for a gruff man like Mike’s dad. The liquor store was next, but Amber doubted Mike would appreciate her adding alcohol to his worries about his father.

  The last store was a New Age shop named Crescent Moon. Intrigued, Amber peeked in the cluttered window. Barely bigger than a walk-in closet, the place oozed eccentricity. It was perfect.

  She opened the door and bells tinkled over her head. As she stepped inside, a pleasing scent welcomed her. Incense, she guessed, and she glanced around. Oddities surrounded her, along with more familiar items like silver jewelry, turquoise and other types of stones.

  Dreamcatchers hung from the racks and she lightly touched one, wondering what Edward would think of it. Would it trap his evil spirits as well as it supposedly caught bad dreams?

  “Welcome to Crescent Moon.” A big woman approached her. “I’m the proprietress, Clara Deveaux. Can I help you?”

  Her skin was smooth, her hair jet-black, and she possessed an ethereal beauty. Her brightly colored, multipatterned dress floated around her as she moved.

  “I’m looking for a gift,” Amber said.

  “As you can see, I have an abundance of things to choose from.” She waved her hand and her many bangle bracelets jingled around her wrist. “For whom are you shopping? The items in my store have very specific uses. To help you, it’s best I know all I can about the recipient.”

  Amber nodded, enjoying the sound of the woman’s voice. “It’s for a man. My father-in-law, actually. I’m going to stay with him for a few days and I need a thank-you gift.”

  “Since you’re here and not at the gift shop, I assume you don’t want to take the traditional route.” A mischievous smile twinkled in her eyes.

  Amber laughed. “That’s right. My father-in-law is…different.” She chose her word carefully.

  “We’re all different.” Clara spoke with what seemed like wisdom beyond her years. Amber judged her to be in her midfifties, like Edward.

  Amber nodded, acknowledging the other woman’s point. “He’s a loner by choice and he believes in curses. One specific curse to be exact. He’s explored voodoo and claims to ward off evil spirits,” Amber explained. “I’d like to bring him something that says I respect his beliefs.”

  What she really wanted was to get closer to Edward and maybe help father and son gain a better understanding of each other while they still had the chance. She knew too well how quickly those you loved could be taken away from you.

  “If he fears a curse, he’d be happiest when surrounded by positive energy.”

  “That makes sense. I’m Amber, by the way.” She extended her hand for Clara to take.

  They shook in greeting. “Amber. Pretty name.”

  Amber smiled. “Thank you. My mother chose it,” she said wistfully.

  “I’m sorry she’s passed.”

  Amber raised an eyebrow in surprise. How did Clara know?

  Still, Amber inclined her head. “Thank you.”

  “What’s your full name, Amber?”

  “Amber Rose…Corwin.” She used her newly married name out loud for the firs time. It seemed strange on her lips.

  “Corwin as in the Stewart Corwins,” Clara said knowingly.

&n
bsp; “How do you—”

  “You told me your father-in-law is a loner who believes in curses. The Corwin curse is well-known in these parts. Any male with that last name has a rich history of tragedy behind him,” Clara said, her gaze warm and unnervingly understanding.

  Amber was surprised that the Corwin curse seemed to be common knowledge outside of the Corwin family. Apparently it held power over more people than just Edward. “Do tell. I’m new to the area and to the family.”

  Somehow, asking Clara about her new relative didn’t seem odd. And if she was going to be able to help Edward, she needed to know what she was up against.

  Clara nodded. “This will take some time. Let me make us tea first.”

  A few minutes later, Amber was sitting across from Clara at a small corner table she hadn’t noticed earlier.

  Over orange-scented tea, Clara explained the legend of the Corwin curse. Her description matched Mike’s, but she elaborated more on the way in which the current generations in the town of Perkins, which was a mere two miles from Clara’s store, had perpetuated the myth by illegal, as well as immoral means. Both Stewart and Perkins were still recovering from former mayor Mary Perkins’s so-called reign of terror.

  “Now, I’m not saying the curse is real. And I’m not saying it’s not. But Edward Corwin’s attempts to ward off bad spirits make sense. He just needs to use more positive forces than negative ones. That’s the purpose of my business here. To help people do right by others.”

  Amber smiled. “Thank you for sharing this with me. I feel a little more prepared now.” She enjoyed the other woman’s openness and warmth. “This is all fascinating,” she offered, spreading her arms wide and gesturing to the store, as well as the story.

  “It’s Wiccan belief, honey. My mother taught it to me. ‘An It Harm None, Do What Ye Will.’ Translated, it means as long as you don’t do anything that will hurt anyone, it is allowed.” She paused to sip her tea and Amber did the same. “Sounds to me that’s what your father-in-law needs. Some good around him.”