Taken (24 page)

Kassie was ready and waiting when Dad pulled over in front of her un-shoveled driveway. Josh got out to clear a path with his boots and walk her to the car.
 

She grinned and waved from the front porch. “Happy Valentine’s Day!”
 

Josh turned sideways to hide his face from Dad and adjusted Kassie’s coat collar. “You’re supposed to be upset over Eric. Wipe the grin off your face and act broken-hearted.”

She spoke through gritted teeth without moving her lips. “If you don’t get rid of Ezra so I can spend Valentine’s Day with Hunter, it won’t be an act.” The girl should be a ventriloquist.

Dad got out of the car and gave Kassie a one-armed hug. “How you holding up, kiddo?”

Kassie sighed and blinked as if she had tears in her eyes. “As well as can be expected.”

“So, what’s the plan today?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Anything to keep my mind off my worries.” She rubbed her baby bump and sighed again.

Dad said, “So, who else is joining you two?”

Kassie looked surprised and shifted her gaze to Josh. “You promised it would be just the two of us. You know how emotional this day is going to be for me.”
 

Bingo!
Josh shot Dad an
I told you so
look then grabbed Kassie’s arm and pulled her against his chest and patted her back.

Either Kassie was a better actress than Josh thought, or she was really crying.

“I called … Eric … last night to talk about … baby names … and sh … sh… sheeee … was theeeere.”

Dad rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath then said, “I think I’ll stay here and shovel the driveway. Kassie’s mom can give me a ride home. You kids don’t need an old man slowing you down.”

~***~

As soon as they pulled away from the house, Kassie pulled out her phone and called Hunter. “Hey, it’s back on. Meet us at the park-n-ride … Love you too. Bye.”

Josh couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “So … you and Hunter have dropped the L bomb on each other. That’s great!”

Kassi shrugged her shoulders and said, “We’ve been hooking up for over a month now. It seemed kind of silly not to.”

Not quite the reaction Josh was expecting. “Do you really love him, or are you just saying it?”

“It’s nothing like what you and Channie have but it’s good enough for now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It doesn’t
mean
anything. It’s just a high school relationship, that’s all.”

“Does Hunter realize he’s got an expiration date?”

“Can we talk about something else? You’re killing the mood.”

“Be careful, Kassie. Hunter’s been through a lot. You could hurt him pretty bad.”

She turned her head to the side and looked out the window. “I know.”

They had to wait another forty-five minutes for Channie and Hunter to arrive, but it was worth the wait. Even bundled up in her lopsided, multi-colored knit hat and down parka, Channie took his breath away as she bounded off the bus and flew into his arms. He picked her up and swung her around in a circle then set her feet back on the ground and kissed her. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Mrs. Abrim.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, husband of mine.”

Hunter said, “Get a room!” then laughed at his own joke. Josh hoped the idiot hadn’t ruined the surprise.
 

When they got to the Omni, Kassie let out a squeal of delight and attacked Hunter without even bothering to take off her seat belt.

Channie’s eyes widened as her lips parted.
So tempting
. He leaned across the console and kissed her. It took quite a bit of self-control to keep from devouring her mouth, but he wanted everything to be perfect and he knew how much Channie enjoyed slow, tender kisses.
 

She put her hand over his heart and ended the kiss, but the sparkle in her eyes promised so much more. “What are we doing here?”

He pressed his forehead against hers and said, “We are going to spend the entire day in bed.” He glanced into the rearview mirror and rolled his eyes. “Now who needs to get a room?”

~***~

Josh dropped Channie and Hunter off one block from home then pulled into the empty lot on the other side of Heritage Park to wait until Channie’s bedroom light went out. Hunter had already texted him, to let him know all was well, but Josh always slept better, seeing it for himself — even if it was sort of stalker-ish.
 

He was still glowing when he walked through the front door. Literally. It was a good thing no one but mages could see heart-bonds or energy fields because his lit up the entire first floor. Dad was in his office, waiting up for him. He said, “You sure look happy. How’s Kassie?”

It took quite a bit of effort for Josh to replace his cheshire cat grin with what he hoped was a look of concerned compassion. “It was a tough day. I’m glad I could be there for her.”
 

Now that he thought about it, Kassie and Hunter had both been silent on the way home. He’d been so consumed by his own bliss, it would’ve blocked any emotions emanating from the back seat. He barely remembered dropping everyone off. Hunter had walked Kassie to her front door, but something was weird between them … had he even kissed her goodnight?

The next morning, Channie woke up with a start. Daddy was gripping her shoulders so hard it hurt. She grabbed her heart afraid her bond was glowing or that Daddy had somehow learned what she’d been up to.

“Get up, Channie. I need your help.”
 

“With what?”
 

“There’s a huge poker tournament in two days and your momma is so dang wrapped up in her book, she can’t focus on nothing else. I you need to take her place.”

“I don’t know how to cheat at cards.”

“That’s why we need to get on back to the casino as soon as possible. Now get dressed and meet me in the car. Don’t worry about packing a bag. I’ll buy you some clothes when we get there.”

Channie did as she was told, but she made a slight detour into the family room to wake Hunter and tell him what was going on so he could tell Josh. Her heart sank to her stomach as she wondered how long it would be before she saw him again.

Daddy explained his system to Channie as he drove to Blackhawk. She focused on his words to distract herself from the pain of her stretching bond. This was the furthest she’d been from Josh since their binding ceremony.
 

Daddy said, “The main thing you gotta do is look calm the whole time.
 
But you can’t hold your feelings in. I need to read your energy field so I’ll know what kind of hand you got. It’s tricky.”

“You don’t use any signals, like tugging your ear or—”

“Hell no. That’ll git us throwed out and banned from all the casinos. Just play the game and read my energy.”

“What do you need me for? Why can’t you just read everybody’s energy.”

“That only works on amateurs. The pros know how to stay calm no matter what kind of hand they got. Their energy never shifts. This tournament is gonna draw poker pros from all over the country. The buy in is five hundred dollars with a guaranteed prize pool of half a million. I figure we got about a seventy percent chance to win the whole shebang.”

“What if I’m no good at it?”

“You cain’t be no worse than that dang Feenie kid.”

 
“I’m not old enough to gamble. They aren’t gonna let me in.”
 

“Sure they are.” He handed her a driver’s license, but it was a stranger’s name and face on the plastic card, not hers.”

“This isn’t going to fool anyone. Why didn’t you get me a real one, like Hunter’s?

“There ain’t time for it. Besides, I’ll be right there with you and use a little magic to persuade the bouncers to let you in.”

When they arrived at the Ameristar Hotel, the main floor casino hadn’t opened yet. Channie heaved a sigh of relief, but bit back a groan of frustration when Daddy leaned on the marble counter in the lobby and asked if there were any openings for two at a private poker table.
 

“There’s always a spot for you Mr. Belks. Perhaps you’d like to freshen up a bit while I make a call. Management upgraded your room to a complimentary suite.”

Daddy said, “That’s right kind of ‘em, but I’d like to get started as soon as possible.” He leaned sideways towards Channie and said, “The more I lose, the friendlier they get.”

Daddy must have lost a lot of money. Everyone treated them like royalty. They were so vulnerable to his magic, no one even asked to see Channie’s identification.
 

A man in a black suit met them when they got off the elevator and led them to the end of the hall. He used a plastic key card, just like the one Josh had used at the Omni Hotel. The double doors swung open, revealing a huge room crammed full of round tables. There must have been at least a hundred people in there, but it was as quiet as a church. Everyone focused on their cards. A few people in uniforms milled around silently removing empty glasses, replacing them with a variety of colorful drinks. Most of the gamblers ignored them. Four burly men in dark suits scanned the room, obviously keeping an eye on things — probably looking for cheaters.

Channie wiped her palms on her jeans and shivered. She knew how to play Texas Hold ‘Em and Five Card Stud but she was no poker expert.
 

Daddy put a hand on her shoulder and said, “This is just practice. I don’t expect to win today. Just relax and enjoy yourself.”

Yeah, right.
Daddy always expected to win.

~***~

Channie lost track of time. She also lost a considerable amount of Daddy’s money. He didn’t seem too perturbed about it and just kept buying more chips. By the time the sun rose the next day, Channie could barely keep her eyes open. She no longer cared what kind of hand she had. Or so she thought. When she looked at her hand and saw three kings and two aces, she barely managed to keep her face neutral. A spike of excitement shot out of her energy field like a sun flare.
 

Daddy’s lip twitched the tiniest bit as his energy responded to hers. The movement was so subtle no one else noticed.
 

Daddy kept upping the ante until everyone but Channie folded. Then he let her take the pot. They played three more hands, losing half of what they’d just won before Daddy excused them from the game. He bowed out graciously, congratulating the winner and shepherded Channie out of the room. She couldn’t wait to collapse into bed, but Daddy insisted on taking her to breakfast first.
 

After filling their bellies with pancakes and coffee at the complimentary Centennial Buffet, Daddy took her shopping. He said it’d be harder to get her into the big tournament if she didn’t get all gussied up first. He even bought her makeup and let the sales lady teach her how to use it. She would have enjoyed it a lot more if she weren’t exhausted, but she had to admit, it was fun. Daddy finally relented and gave Channie a key to their room. He said, “I’m gonna go play a couple more hands while you take a nap. Be ready to go by nine o’clock. And be sure to wear your hair up. You look a lot older with it piled on top of your head.”

It was almost noon, so that would give her a good eight hours of sleep. Channie sighed and nodded. “Is it okay if I call Hunter from the room?”

Daddy grinned. “How’s it going with you two? I hear you been on a couple of dates.”

Channie’s spine stiffened. She’d assumed Diego had been reporting to Daddy, but she had no idea what he might have told him. “We’re taking things slow.”

“Good. But don’t take things too slow. You don’t want the boy to lose interest before you can bind him. You ain’t getting any younger.”

“I’m sixteen!”
 

“And he’s seventeen. He ain’t gonna wait forever.”

“Daddy, no one gets married that young out here.” Channie was surprised how easy it was to lie to Daddy. But if he had any idea that she’d married Josh, he’d kill both of them.

“Hunter’s one of us. He knows the rules. None of that shacking up or living in sin. Y’all need to start thinking about your future.”

“Right now, I need to think about getting some sleep so I don’t pass out during the tournament.”

“That’s my girl.” Daddy patted her back. “You’re a natural gambler.”

“Thanks.” Channie’s stomach sank. What had she been thinking? She needed to prove she had no aptitude for gambling or Daddy was going to make this a permanent arrangement. She’d never see Josh again. Once the tournament started, she’d be sure to let her emotions show on her face.

Channie called Hunter as soon as she got to the room. He was at work so of course his phone went straight to voice mail. “Hunter, it’s me, Channie. Tell Josh to call me at this number no later than eight-thirty tonight.” She didn’t want Daddy to be there when he called.

She didn’t have to wait long. The phone rang five minutes after noon, but it was Hunter, not Josh. “What’s going on? Are you okay? Where’s your daddy?”

“I’m supposed to be taking a nap. I’m fine. And Daddy’s gambling. Did you give Josh my message?”

“I wanted to be sure you were safe first.”

Channie sighed. “I’m just really tired, Daddy kept me up all night gambling. Have you seen Josh today?”

“Did you win? Your daddy can get downright mean when he loses.”

“Hunter, focus. Where’s Josh?”

There was a loud sigh then, “He’s eating lunch with Kassie.”

“Well, get off your butt and go tell him to call me.”
 

“I’d rather wait till after school.”

Hunter wasn’t supposed to fraternize with the students. It was a ridiculous rule but one he refused to break. “You don’t have to hang out with them just give him the message. Now!”

“Okay, okay. Don’t get your drawers in a bind.”

Hunter hung up on her. Josh called five minutes later.
 

“Hey, babe, are you okay?”

Channie could hear the worry in Josh’s voice. She closed her eyes and pictured him, the little crease between his eyebrows, the slight narrowing of his eyes, the downward curve of his mouth … “I’m fine. I just miss you.”