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you do. I saw you come running in here to check your pockets after I got up.”
    “If you put it that way, I have pretty solid evidence that all humans are thieves and will strip you bare sooner or later.”
    He stared at her for a second, and she regarded him down the length of her elegant nose. Heating with embarrassment, Joe balled up his jeans and flung them at his bag, then tucked the check into the front pocket of his clean jeans.
    “Hmm. Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps it’s best not to trust anyone.”
    She stood regally in the doorway, chin lifted. Joe could hear doors slamming shut in her mind. He’d obviously just dropped a thousand notches in her esteem.
    There went his chances of getting under her skirt.
    “I appreciate you letting me sleep over.” His own chin tilted naturally as he turned to her, defying her to look down on him.
    Not that she could, since he was several inches taller. But her quiet dignity gave her stature beyond her physical height.
    “It was nothing.” The emphasis on the last word cut him like a blunt knife.
    “How can I repay you?”
    She laughed. The sound of it curdled his breakfast. “Don’t worry. I’ll just help myself.”
    Joe felt his heart literally sinking. He didn’t realize until this moment, but overnight he’d come to count on Susana’s friendship. And now she’d withdrawn it.
    The renewed sense of aloneness chilled him. His calm relaxation of a few minutes ago evaporated as the familiar tension crept back into his muscles, tightening them. Girding him for battle with a cruel world.
    “Look, I didn’t mean to insult you, Susana. It’s just that this piece of paper,” he fished into his pocket and drew it out. “It’s all the money I have in the world.”
    She raised an eyebrow very slightly over her withering glance.
    He unfolded the crumpled and insignificant looking blue paper.
    “It’s a check.”
    “I can see that.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
    “For one million, nine hundred and seventy two thousand dollars.”
    Her eyes widened. “That’s a lot of dough.”
    “You’re telling me. You can see why I’m a little antsy about it.”
    “You should be. Why are you carrying that kind of money around in your pocket?”
    “I was on my way to the bank when I stumbled across this gypsy fortune-teller.”
    “Banks aren’t open in the evening.”
    “No? Guess it’s okay I didn’t make it there, then.”
    Susana planted her hands on her hips and stared at him. The expression on her face softened. She glanced down at the blue paper then back up at him.“What’s it from?”
    “I sold my business. Well, my share of it anyway.”
    To the thieving swine who stole my wife .
    A spark of rage stirred his gut, and he blew out a breath. No sense getting all riled up any more. It was over. Cold hard cash, that was all he had left to worry about now.
    “Huh.” She pursed her lips. “Must be nice to have that kind of money.”
    Joe shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t cashed it yet.”
    “What kind of business was it?”
    “Security.”
    She raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask for details. “What are you going to do with it?”
    Joe suppressed a chuckle. She was pretty interested all of a sudden. “I dunno. Maybe we could go to Atlantic City and see if I can double it?”
    Her eyes narrowed, and he saw her fighting to keep a smile from creeping across her lips.
    “I’m serious. I’m a desperate man, remember?”
    “Not that desperate. You’d better get that to the bank before someone less trustworthy than me relieves you of it.”
    “Yeah. I guess I’d better. You want to come?”
    He watched her hesitate, her eyes suddenly bright. Jeez, maybe she did like the idea of sticking close to all that money? He didn’t much mind, though. As long as she was back on his side.
    “Come on, I need you, Susana, I don’t even know which bank to go to. You can pick one for me. But then I don’t suppose gypsies go in for banks much. Do you