Page 29 of Carter's Battle

“No! I know just how stupid that would be.” And not just because of Bobby, but because of her uncle. Then it hit her. That’s why Carter had her stay here at the cabin last night. He knew then that she might look like the rat, and he wanted to protect her. Her knees wobbled, gave way, and she collapsed onto the dining table chair. Staring sightlessly out the window, she suddenly realized she was in much deeper than she thought. She was upside down under a crashing surf and there was no way out.

“If it wasn’t you, then you need to tell that to Bobby. He thinks it was you.”

Shit. Shit. Shit.If he went around town saying that, then Peter and, worse, her uncle would hear it and assume that, despite his reputation as a lying sack of shit, Bobby was right. She’d be blacklisted from gambling, not a bad thing, but they might decide to take her out completely. Would her uncle do that? She couldn’t imagine it. They weren’t close but they were still family. Would he have his only niece killed?

“Mia?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m just floored. I…I’m not sure what to do?”

Akela sighed. “I know what you mean.” Silence stretched out, a lifetime between them, and then Akela asked, “How much money have you made? For Bobby, I mean.”

“Sixty thousand.”

“Wow. That’s a lot. You must be really good.”

Mia rubbed her forehead. “Yeah, I am. But it’s not enough and now I have no way to make it for Bobby. Listen, I have to go. I’ll keep in touch.” She hung up without waiting for her friend to respond. She was kind of done with Akela today. Honestly, she wanted to blame the other woman for getting her into this mess, but at the same time, she knew she might have done the same thing if the situations were reversed. It was better to hang up before she said something she might regret.

Glancing at her watch yet again she made up her mind. It was only a little after five p.m. She could get out and go to Ohana’s. Emery would be there soon and maybe she could find out from her friend who snitched on the gambling hall. She wasn’t sure what she would do with the information, but a name in her back pocket would be a fantastic ace in the hole. She was starting to think she was going to have to go see her uncle and see if he could get her out of this mess.

Her mind briefly flicked to Carter. Although guilt rose up her spine, she couldn’t wait for him. She’d welcomed him into this mess, but this was next level. He hadn’t volunteered for this kind of danger. There was no way she wanted to risk his life. God, if anything happened to him because of her, the guilt would destroy her. She’d never recover.

Grabbing her purse, she made her way outside only to realize she didn’t have her car there. “Shit.” She pulled out her phone and booked a ride share. Then she hiked down to the gate and waited. Twenty minutes later, she climbed out of the rideshare in front of her house. She immediately got into her car and headed toward Ohana’s. It wasn’t until she was halfway there that it suddenly occurred to her that she hadn’t left a note or anything for Carter. She gave a mental shrug. He’d text her and she’d get back to him then.

She pulled into Ohana’s parking lot and looked around. The place was already filling up. It was almost six on a Friday night, so that was par for the course. Mia strolled inside and grabbed a stool at the scarred wooden bar.

“Hey, girl,” Dahlia called. “You’ve been scarce lately. How are you?”

“Been busy. How are things?” She purposely didn’t answer the other woman’s question.How was she? In a hell of a mess and trying not to fall apart.

“What can I get you?” Dahlia asked as she washed some glasses.

“I’ve gotta drive.”

Dahlia nodded. “A half glass of wine?”

“Sure. I could use a sip or two.” Mia rolled her shoulders and tried to relax. She was among friends here at least. “Is Moana singing tonight?”

Dahlia shook her head. “Not tonight. We have some cover band in. I can’t remember the name.” She went off to get someone a drink and then came back. “I hear you’ve been spending some time with that cute guy, Carter.”

Fire blew up her cheeks. “Yes.” Her simple answer was belied by the smile lighting her face.

Dahlia grinned back and placed the half-filled glass of wine in front of her friend. “I like the smile on your face. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it.”

“Yeah, it’s nice.” She took a sip of wine and willed the heat away. “Is Emery around?”

Dahlia laughed and shook a finger. “Trying to change the subject? Fine, I’ll let you get away with it this time but I want to hear details eventually.”

“Deal.” Mia let out a sigh of relief. She wasn’t ready to talk about Carter just yet.

“Emery won’t be in until much later. There was a big bust last night and she’s working late.”

Mia’s throat went dry. “What kind of bust?” she asked trying to be casual. She wanted another sip of wine, but her hands were sweaty, and she was afraid she’d drop the glass.

“Gambling ring. In one of the warehouses over in the industrial complex. Be right back.” Dahlia moved down the bar to pour more drinks.

Mia sat, breathing slowly as she tried for patience. She needed information but she wasn’t sure it was the best idea tosit and wait for her friend. Emery was a good cop and Mia would have to play this close to the vest. Mia wasn’t sure she could get the information she needed without showing her cards. She loved Emery but she still wasn’t positive that telling her friend the whole story was a good idea, although it was looking less and less like she had any options.

Dahlia came back. “What was I saying? Oh right. About the bust. I heard some bigwigs got taken down. People like that aren’t used to seeing their names in anything but the society columns.”

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