Page 71 of Dangerous Pursuit

“Goddammit. And you can’t find a connection, I assume? Does it have anything to do with her dad?”

“Couldn’t tell you, and these aren’t the kind of guys who are open to a question-and-answer session. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”

“Fuck… Okay. Thanks for letting me know. Keep a closer eye on her from here on out. I don’t want her unprotected. I’ll let you know if I find out anything. It might be time to pry some answers from her.”

“Good luck. We’ll talk soon.”

“Okay. Bye, Sam.”

After hanging up, I stand silently by the minibar and run through my options. Either I come clean to Mia and tell her I’ve been having her watched or maybe bring up poker again and try to coax it out of her. I just want to help the woman I’m in love with, for fuck’s sake.

“Jackson?” I hear Mia call from the bedroom. She sounds upset.

What the fuck?“Mia, why are you packing?”

“I need to go home. Something’s come up, and I need to get back.” She’s frantic, throwing clothes in her bag haphazardly.

I go over and grab her shoulders, turning her to face me. “Slow down, sweetheart. Breathe. Tell me what happened and what I can do to help.”

“Nothing, I just really need to get home. I forgot I had something scheduled tonight, and I can’t cancel it. I’ll pay the change fee to switch my ticket and Uber to the airport.” She tries returning to her bag, but I wrap my arms around her in a hug.

“Mia, please tell me what’s going on. Let me help you. I’m not letting you leave without me. I’ll go with.”

“Jackson, no. You can’t cut your visit short with Cici. I’ll be fine.”

I pull back and give her a stern look. “If you use that goddamn word one more time, I’m going to lose my shit. I know something bigger is going on and has been since I saw those bruises. Don’t shut me out, Mia. Let me help. You can trust me.”

“I do trust you. That’s not the issue. It’s just… you can’t help me. No one can. I don’t want to get you involved. Please just let it be.”

“That’s not going to happen, and the sooner you come to terms with that, the sooner we can work toward finding a solution. Now spit it out, Mia. What the fuck is going on?” I see her warring with herself, deliberating whether to come clean, and I know she’s close to cracking.

“Sweetheart, look at me.” I tip her chin up to see tears pooling in her eyes.Fuck.“Whatever it is, we’ll handle it together. You’re not alone anymore, Mia. I’ve got you.” I see the moment she caves, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

“My dad… he ran away with a lot of money that he borrowed from some really bad people, and they came to get their money back, so I’ve been playing poker to work off the debt.”

“Why the fuck are they coming to you instead of your dad?”

“They can’t find him, and he mentioned at some point that his daughter was a card shark, so they figured they could use me to get the money back by having me play tournaments.”

“So what am I missing? Why is it so important that you go back tonight?”

“Because they dictate when and what games I play in. They texted me about one tonight, and even though I told them I was out of town, they didn’t care. They’ve been threatening to hurt my mom or worse if I don’t do what they say or find out I told anyone. That’s why I couldn’t tell you. Why I shouldn’t be telling you. Jackson, you can’t say a word to anyone.” She’s bawling at this point, and all I can do is hold her tight while she lets herself go.

Dammit, this is bad, and I don’t know what the fuck to do. I’m at a loss and feel like my hands are tied. What I do know is that there’s no possible way I’m letting her out of my sight or handle this shit alone anymore.

“You’re not going to that game without me. Tell me where it is, and I’ll have Eli get me in. I’m not risking what happened last time.”

“Jackson, first of all, you’re here to visit Cici, not babysit me. Second, I can’t risk them finding out that I told someone. If you show up again, they might figure out that you know.”

“It’s not called babysitting—it’s called taking care of someone I love. As for going with you tonight, it’s non-negotiable. The only thing they’ll figure out is that you have a protective boyfriend. It doesn’t point to you telling me anything other than where you’re going.”

“I don’t want Cici mad at me for shortening your visit. And besides, they don’t give me the address until an hour before the game.”

“She won’t be. I’ll take care of it. Tell me the buy-in amount and what time the game is so Eli can track it down. If that doesn’t work, we’ll figure something out.”

“It’s at seven tonight, and it’s another big one—three thousand this time. That’s why they wouldn’t let me miss it.” She looks down in shame, but I lift her chin gently.

“Hey, I’m all in, remember? You’re not alone anymore, sweetheart. I’ll go pack my things and switch our flights. Don’t worry, everything will work out. I love you.” I lean in to kiss her forehead, and she releases a shuddering exhale.

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