The Fate Of A Marlowe Girl (The Marlowe Girls) (2 page)

“Lucas, you seem to have been paying stalkerishly close attention to my offhand vent, but you don't know me or anything about me. You've pegged me wrong. I have nothing against strippers or partying. But I didn't anticipate paying for it. I do have something against guys trying to pick me up in a bar.”

He laughed. “Miss, I'm not trying to pick you up. You look like you're having a bad day. I'm being friendly. You said you didn't intend to pay for it. Your sister called strippers you didn't want a
nd expects you to pay for it?”

The way he said it, it was like a mixture of shock and disgust. Like he thought I should be upset that my sister had strippers in our room. In the back of my mind, I kind of thought I could be overreacting because my little sister was getting married—then again, I'm not exactly housewife material—and because she was marrying Emmett. “I'm her maid of honor. I'm hosting her bachelorette party.”

“If you're paying for the party, and you think it's too wild, go kick everyone out. Tell them it's your party and you'll kick ass if you want to.”

“But it's her party.”

He shrugged. “If I had a party for one of my brothers and he went wild with it, I'd kick his ass. Are you a prude, or is it wild?”

I shrugged. “It could be both.”

“How many girls did your sister bring?”

“I think 10 or 12. I booked three double suites and told everyone to sleep where they could, except for my room. The party was actually supposed to be in one of the other suites, but it spilled over and somehow ended up in our suite, too.”
And I have no idea what the damage to the rooms and my credit card is going to be...

“Go tell your sister to chill.”

“I can't do that.”

A siren sounded outside the hotel. I looked to the glass wall and found a police car’s flashing lights in the circular drive.

“What could have happened here?” The resort seemed so safe.

Luke didn't answer. Instead, he seemed to be focused intensely on something. I turned toward the lobby and saw the hotel manager and two police officers rushing toward the elevator and speaking loudly in
Español
.

“We gotta go,” Luke said.

“What?”

“I think they're going to your room.”

“What? Why?”

Chapter 3

“I heard the hotel manager talking to the police. Too many noise complaints and a girl ran naked down the hall. And I think there was a fight.”

Wow. Way to go Kammy and your boneheaded friends.
“I have to go,” I said, pulling my laptop from the charger. “You've been nice, but I handle disasters on my own, and I don't know you. I've already told you more than I should.” I yanked the charger from the wall and shoved both the charger and the laptop back into my purse before slinging it over one arm.

“You'll need a translator.”

It was so annoying. This guy was hot, and I had no idea what he wanted. Besides, I was leaving in two days, but he was right, I did need a translator.

“Come on,” I said.

We heard the commotion before we ever got off the elevator. We raced down the hall and to my suite only to find someone standing in front of it like a door guard.

I ran for the room, but the cop guarding the door stopped me. I looked to Luke who spoke to the officer and then to me. “You can't go in.”

“I paid for the room.”

He said something to the officer again and then gave me a look that told me it would be bad news. “He actually wanted to arrest you. But I told him you were downstairs the whole time, and we came up when we saw the cops.”

“Wow. What happened?”

“In addition to everything I told you downstairs, a girl tried to steal a tip from a stripper, and he punched her.”

I shifted around until I could see inside the room. The redhead from earlier was bleeding. She must have been the tip thief. Kammy was in handcuffs, and I didn't think they belonged to the naked cop. A police officer came from outside the room, dragging my sister as the door guard went in. I was about to ask Luke why, when a stripper, wearing only chaps and a cowboy hat, hit a cop. In another corner of the room, a cop struggled to fight off two strippers. As he ducked to dodge a swing from one, the other hit him.

“Why are they taking Kammy?”

“I think she may have been the streaker.”

Oh, God. Now, I had to figure out how to get my sister out of a Mexican jail.

Kammy giggled and said, “Hi, Tiffy,” as they passed us. Only Kammy could think this was funny.

The fight in the room between the cops and the strippers grew more and more out of hand. “I have to help,” Luke said. “Go wait for me in the bar.”

“Gawd, I can't wait in the bar. I feel horrible dragging you into all this, and I have to find out where they took my sister. What's going to happen with the rooms, and are they arresting anyone else?”

“This is out of control. Staying here isn't going to help anyone, and you won't be able to find out any of that until things calm down. Go wait in the lobby, and I'll help you ask the questions you need.”

“Lucas...”

“I have to go. I'm obligated.” He sprung through the doorway and joined the madness. I never went downstairs. Instead, I stood across the hall and watched through the open door. I felt horrible not even trying to help. But I stood five foot even, and all those guys were so big. I really thought I'd only get in the way. Do more harm than good.

I watched Luke take out two strippers at a time. Once they were all handcuffed, I stepped into the room. “Luke?”

He turned to look at me, and I noticed a gash above his eyes. Fresh blood glazed it.
Oh, God.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” I said. “You really shouldn't have gotten involved with this.”

He shrugged. “I did what I wanted to.”

A police officer started leading the guys out by their chains. “This might be a bad time, but could you ask what's going to happen to the girls?”

“I know one is being arrested, but the manager mentioned several times he wants them all out.”

A moan escaped my lips. I wasn't into bachelorette parties, but Kammy was my sister and I was the maid of honor, so I was here anyhow when I had way more to do back home than any person should ever. I didn't want to come on this trip, but she guilt tripped me into it. She and her friends arranged for the strippers on their own. But I was hosting, which meant now I would have to find alternative accommodations for Kammy's friends while trying to figure out how to spring her from jail. And God knows what the damage to these rooms was going to come to.

Luke gave a soft chuckle. The kind you give out of sympathy, not because something's funny.

“Are you okay?”

“With that thing over your eye, I think I should be asking you that.”

“It'll be gone tomorrow. What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” I said.
I don't think I have enough money in my 401K to cover this.

His eyes studied me, and finally I said, “What do I do with the girls?”

“Why are they your responsibility?”

“I'm hosting.”

“They caused the problem. I'd say screw them.”

“I can't do that.”

Luke ignored me. He looked over my head and across the room where the hotel manager stood. They had a brief exchange that I didn't catch a word of, and then Luke said, “He says the hotel shuttle will take them to the airport.”

“Their plane doesn't leave until Sunday. It's only Friday night.”

“I don't think anyone's going to kick them out of the airport here, and they can check in tomorrow. You should tell them they have a ride to the airport, or they're welcome to find their own rooms.”

“Are any of them even sober enough to understand?”

“A few of them probably are. Miss, there is one more problem.”

“Another one?”

“You're part of this party. They want you out, too.”

I cast my eyes around the room taking in the broken lamps, shattered beer bottles, and empty containers. “Oh well, I couldn't have stayed here anyhow. I actually found strangers fornicating in my room.” I blushed as I said it. “That's how I ended up in the bar.”

Luke laughed.

“Ca
n you ask where my sister is?”

“I know where they would have taken her. It's a little bit of a drive from here.”

Great, now I need cab fair in addition to bail.
I dug in my purse for a pen and my address book. “Could you write the address down, so I can get a cab?”

The cops had gone already with the strippers behind them in cuffs. But the manager now spoke over me in Spanish.

Luke looked at me. “He says you all have to get out of here, now. If they want to take the shuttle, it's waiting outside.”

I looked around at former cheerleaders and current sorority girls. None of them had a clue. “We have to go,” I said loudly and started for the door.

Luke must not have found my announcement acceptable. “There is a shuttle waiting outside to take you to the airport. You can change your tickets to leave early, sleep in the airport, or find yourself alternative lodging at your own expense. You're all banned from the premises.”

After his announcement, they did start to move. They shuffled toward the door in clusters of three. Sometimes one or two girls would pull along a girl too drunk to walk. In the elevator, I thought everyone was there.

Chapter 4

I stood on the sidewalk and watched them board the bus. When they realized I wasn't going to the airport with them, a couple of them started calling me names.

I hated my sister right now. I didn't like that she was marrying Emmett, but I never said anything. I didn't want to come to Cancun, and that I did say. I didn't like that she had volunteered me to pay for it, but I didn't complain. I had told her it would be her wedding present. But the mess she made here was too much.

For the moment, all I could do was stand there on that sidewalk and hope Luke came outside. He could tell me where to get my sister, and I'd have to find a way there. And probably sell some belongings to post bail.
Belongings.
My suitcase was still upstairs. I was too upset to think to               bring it down with me.

Finally, Luke came out of the glass doors. I hated to bother him again after he had to help clean up my sister's mess, but I needed to get the address to where they took Kammy and hoped he could call me a cab. My Spanish didn't seem nearly extensive enough to provide the address on my own.

I rushed toward him, “Luke.”

“Ahh,
chica
, there you are.”

“I—”

“It's not fair, you know.”

I looked down at the sidewalk. “I know. I'm sorry.”

“You know my name, but I don't know yours. If you don't tell me soon, I'm probably going to have to call you
anjel
.”

I couldn't help but look up and smile. I felt the heat in my face again, but I didn't even care. My Spanish might be limited, but I did grow up in Texas. I thought I knew
anjel
. “
Anjel
?”

“Angel. Any girl who can care so much for a sister like Kammy has to be an angel, and you look like one.”

“Thank you,” I said, as the heat in my cheeks grew warmer.  I stood there for a minute looking dumb, then realized I had to get past flirting with this guy, as much as I liked it, because I had to find Kammy. “Hey, I'm really sorry to bother you again, but do you think you can give me the address to where they took my sister?”

“Only if you let me buy you dinner.”

Three thoughts mingled in my mind at once. First, I didn't know this guy, and I shouldn't get in the car with a stranger. Second, why on earth would a guy who'd seen my sister's disaster tonight and had taken a gash to the eye trying to end it want to go out with me? Finally, he was so cute. Too cute. The kind of guy I usually wouldn't date, because I would assume he was some jerk. But this guy had been so nice all night. It didn't make sense.

“Dinner after I find my sister?”

“Uhh—I think it is totally appropriate to make her wait.”

I felt guilty leaving Kammy in some jail where she didn't even know the language and couldn't communicate with anyone. But this was her fault. She ruined my weekend, my financial quarter, and God only knew how much money she’d cost me, so I decided Luke was right. Let her wait. Have fun. Put Tiffany first. If the situation were reversed, that was what Kammy would do.

“You're right,” I said.

“My car is with the valet.” He took my hand, and my heart fluttered. I hadn't been on a date in a year, and the last guy I dated was no Luke. Of course, I didn't know much about this guy. He could still turn out to be a total loser—and guys that went for me usually were. But it didn't seem like it. I wanted to relish every second of this, and I wanted to turn and run.

But I had to leave the country in a couple of days. And after everything Kammy did, maybe sooner. Since I already knew this could only end in disappointment, I couldn't be hurt too badly. I knew one other comforting fact. It wouldn't end as badly as my last relationship. I'd never be betrayed like that again.