Chasing Luck by Brinda Berry

Author:Brinda Berry [Berry, Brinda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780991632022
Publisher: Sweet Biscuit Publishing LLC
Published: 2014-04-30T04:00:00+00:00

16

Ace

“You love my body and my soul is jealous.” ~Jelly Bean Queen

I hate the look on Malerie’s face. If I could do something to stop the emotional bloodletting, I would. Fear pours from her, and I need to staunch the flow.

“Teddy, come on man. You don’t really want to scare Malerie, do you?” It’s a rhetorical question and Teddy should reassure her now, but he doesn’t. Instead, he sits there with a shit-just-hit-the-fan look on his face.

One grim corner of Teddy’s mouth lifts. “Sorry.”

“You’re not following my plan to keep Malerie calm.” I inhale through my nostrils and rake my hand down the back of my neck.

“Hey. It’s not his fault,” Malerie says. “I knew it was going to be bad. I was prepared for this.” She shrugs and places her hand on his arm.

It amazes me that she’s trying to reassure him when it should be the other way around.

Teddy covers her hand with his. “My dad knew things. But that doesn’t mean something bad will happen to you. What does the box say again?”

“Blaze,” Malerie answers.

“That’s not necessarily bad.” Teddy nods and looks from her to me. “Right?”

“Not the trend so far.” Malerie takes her hand from his arm and rubs her finger along the edge of her plate. The only sign of her distress appears when she bites her perfectly pink bottom lip. I have to force myself to stay where I am. My arms itch to pull her into me. I’d kiss that lip until she forgot all her worries.

I give myself a mental shake. “Come on, people. We have a head start on this. We have all the clues.”

“Yeah. This could be good, really.” Teddy stabs a piece of steak.

“That’s what I’m talking about. A little positive attitude here.” Thank God she looks relaxed. “We need some answers about the boxes. Can we figure out anything—a location, a secret meaning, a building?” I ask Teddy.

Teddy chews his steak and I patiently wait for the miraculous answer that will solve everything. “Nope. Can’t help with that.”

My hopes dash to the pit of my stomach. “Give us something. What about your mother? Maybe she can help us. Do you think your dad told her something?”

Teddy gives a consolatory funeral smile. “She passed on a couple of years ago.”

“Oh, Teddy. I’m so sorry.” Malerie frowns, her eyes soft and understanding.

If they don’t stop touching each other, I’m going to go apeshit ballistic, pull her to my side of the seat, put my arm around her to mark my territory. Are they best friends now after a couple of conversations? I’m bothered I even care.

I clear my throat to stop this ridiculously tender moment. “There’s got to be someone else we can ask. We have three days.”

“I need to look at the box again. May I see the photos again?” Teddy asks.

Malerie pulls her phone from a pocket and locates the photos. “Here. This is a shot of the largest box.” she says and hands it to him.

It’s like no one is breathing while he studies the screen.

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