collect.â
âAnytime,â Amber promised, disconnecting the call.
Deep in thought, she pinched the bridge of her nose. King Bobby knew her first name and her former occupation. And after Howard had told everyone she was from L.A., Amber knew Bobby could eventually track her down. But it would take a lot of time, money, patience and a reason for him to waste them all.
Pride was a darn good reason and King Bobby was loaded with it. What did he suspect? And who was he after? If he even sensed that sheâd been in on Marshallâs scamâ¦She shivered at the thought.
She pulled out her marriage license and smoothed out the wrinkles on the paper. âMichael Corwin born in Stewart, Massachusetts, residing in Boston,â she read to herself. She bit the inside of her cheek, conjuring up her sexy savior.
Just the thought of him set her body tingling.
Her first priority, as always, was her father and keeping him safe. She needed to settle him into another nursing home immediately.
When sheâd chosen his current home, sheâd also strongly considered another residence that was as clean, safeâ¦and affordable. Sheâd move him there. And sheâd make sure that the only visitors allowed would be herself and her friend Paul.
Paul had lived in the house next door to her grandparents when sheâd lived with them as a teen and theyâd been best friends ever since, keeping in touch over the years. He was like the brother sheâd never had and heâd be more than willing to take care of her father for her. Most important, she could trust him to keep her whereabouts a secret.
With the cash resources she had saved and allocated for her fatherâs immediate care, Paul would be able to handle getting her dad settled while she got herself out of town.
Once she was safely on a plane to Boston, sheâd have plenty of time to figure out how to handle Mike.
Â
S HEâD BE BACK . It was only a matter of time, Marshall thought. Not because Amber loved the life the way he did, but because they were a team. Sheâd been raised at her fatherâs knee and sheâd learned all the tricks of the trade, but she had something extra. Sheâd been blessed with a memory as gorgeous as the rest of her.
And she was his. Oh, sure, sheâd married that cop and at first that pissed Marshall off. But he realized she needed a wake-up call. Sheâd done the same thing once before, gone to live her life in L.A., but sheâd come back.
To him.
As soon as she needed someone to lean on, shereturned to Marshall. Sheâd be back again when that stupid, straight-as-an-arrow cop broke her heart. And heâd be waiting with open arms.
CHAPTER FOUR
C OURT HAD BEEN a breeze thanks to a green public defender straight out of law school. The guy didnât know what he was doing, which meant Mike got out in time for lunch. He headed directly to the café near the station to meet his cousin Derek, whoâd called early this morning, needing to talk.
Mike had a gut feeling his father, Edward, was causing trouble again, in one of his unpredictable irrational attempts to protect the family from the curse. It didnât seem to matter that the curse had originated centuries ago and those who had perpetuated its belief were no longer wreaking havoc in his hometown.
The Perkins family had settled on the coast and made their money in real estate and shipping. Just recently, Mary Perkins, the descendant of the original so-called witch who had placed the curse on the Corwin family during the era of the Salem witch trials, was in jail for blackmail, conspiracy and a whole host of other crimes. Meanwhile, her granddaughter and namesake was in a mental institutionuntil she was deemed fit to stand trial for arson. Sheâd burned down the Wave, a nightclub that had been an institution in the town of Perkins. Both women had used the Corwin curse to hold on to power in the town. With them
Miranda James
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