No Way Out, Fern Michaels [korean ebook reader TXT] 📗

having his ungrateful, lazy son embarrass him. He was furious when he discovered she had wired him $10,000 without discussing it with him. But that was the point. She knew that if she had brought it up, he would have uttered a resounding “over my dead body.” She loved Richard and knew he was right. Enough was enough. Tough love. Rick needed to figure it out on his own, and that would never happen if people kept bailing him out.

Rick scrolled through his contacts list again. There had to be somebody who was still speaking to him. Someone who had some spare cash. He thought about Christian’s offer to send a check via FedEx. The question was where to have it sent without making it easy for anyone to find him. The airport routine had worked for his mother. People just assumed he was traveling. He could be going anywhere. But that meant he would have to pick it up at a FedEx location at an airport. He had to think. And think fast. The opportunity to get someone to find her was not going to last forever.

He thought about the casinos in Atlantic City. He could still probably get comped for a hotel there, but sending money to the Atlantic City airport would be too obvious. There is nothing else to do there but gamble. No, it had to be an airport that was in a large hub but was also close to a casino.

He pulled out his phone and hit the app for casinos. There were several in Black Hawk, about forty minutes from Denver. Perfect. If his luck held, he could probably get a free room at the Ameristar. He had walked away from their tables with almost twelve grand. They might want him back to see if they could recoup. It was worth a try. If he got the room, he’d give Christian the address of the FedEx at the Denver airport.

Rick was feeling pretty positive about his chances of completing his search and locating her. Several things had to happen. First, he had to get himself to Denver. Second, he needed to get the cash. Third, he had to get the money to the person who would do the job. Fourth, he needed to secure a hotel room. He thought about it. A lot of “ifs,” to be sure, but he had gotten himself out of bad situations several times before when he thought there was no way out. Yet he always landed on his feet. The last two years had been challenging, but he had managed. He had been casino-hopping all over the country. He didn’t make a killing at any of them. Just enough for them to want him back, but not enough to call too much attention to himself. In spite of his winnings, he still didn’t have an extra $5,000 for the job he needed done.

He checked the time. Should he call Christian or Sheena? Still too early. He decided to go to the bar and kill some time.

Rick walked through the lobby of the small hotel and headed down the street to a local bar. He slapped a twenty on the counter. “Milagro Silver.” It was a moderately priced tequila. He’d save up for the good stuff once he accomplished his plan. He just didn’t know when or how long it would take.

Chapter Twenty-eight

If it hadn’t been for the change in the foliage, with all the new blossoms, it would have been hard to tell what day it was. Most of hers blurred from one to the next, except for Sundays, when she would make her weekly calls. Even Jackson’s visits were regular, except for the previous Saturday, when he had spent the day with his father and grandmother. She suspected it would be like that every Saturday—for the time being, at least until the custody hearing. She had no idea what the outcome of that would be. If Mitchel stayed on his downward spiral, he surely wouldn’t get joint custody. Colleen hadn’t spoken to him directly, so she didn’t know what kind of frame of mind he was in. Ellie felt for her. It’s one thing to know when things are horrible. You can figure out a way to cope. She knew about that all too well. That’s how she had gotten to where she was. But not knowing what is going to happen from one day to the next is terribly unsettling.

Her ruminating was interrupted by the ding-dong of the back gate opening. Ellie could see from the CCTV that it was Hector. First footsteps, then the back-porch door, then the doorbell.

Ellie stood straight and calmly approached the laundry room. From there, she swiftly opened the back door. It was like a Band-Aid. Rip it off fast.

“Hello, Hector.” She gave him a warm smile. She hesitated about a hug, so she put out her hand.

“Hello.” Hector had a shy look on his face. “I am honored to be invited into your home.”

“It’s a pleasure. Truly.” Ellie stepped aside to let him pass. “Do come in.”

“Is now a good time for coffee?” Hector shuffled his feet.

“Yes, of course.”

“I suppose I should have left you a note this morning, but I was running late for school.”

“It’s fine, Hector. I am so glad we can sit and talk. Please come in.” Ellie guided him over to the dining-room table overlooking the porch and the yard beyond.

He tried not to seem nosy, but he looked around to see how she had decorated the room. Hector had worked with the electrician and helped get the place ready, but he had never been inside after Ellie moved in.

“You’ve done a beautiful job.” Hector appreciated the minimalist look, which Ellie had warmed up with large plants, several throws on the sofa, and a few large, framed photos of trees and flowers. One photo was an enlarged pink peony, another an iris. Others were close-ups of different-shaped leaves. They were not exactly like the paintings