Page 60 of Blind Luck

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

“I wasn’t sure Sin would keep sleeping here. A big part of the other investigation moved online.”

“Online? You mean there’s a cyber scammer?”

“Not a scammer. Uh, some poker-loving nutjob is hiring thugs on the dark web and sending them after people who work at the Galaxy.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yup, unfortunately.”

Rusty raked a hand through his hair. He should have been happy that she trusted him enough to spill the details, but Erin was staying at the fucking Galaxy.

“We’ll drive over and get your stuff. I don’t want you anywhere near that place.”

“What? I’ll be fine.”

“And what if some whack job shows up and opens fire, huh?”

“I only go from the lobby to my room, and I’m not even eating in the restaurant because I’m eating with you.”

“Lobbies aren’t safe. I’ve been mauled in a hotel lobby before.”

“Mauled by what? A bear?”

“Thirty-seven rabid women. They tore off my fucking shirt.”

“Thirty-seven? That’s a very precise number.”

“My agent made them line up so I could sign autographs.”

Worse, one of them wanted him to sign her ass, and the resulting photo had led to an uncomfortable conversation with Florence. Signing body parts wasn’t something Rusty made a habit of, but he’d figured it was the fastest way to make the girl go away.

“Yikes. Well, I doubt thirty-seven women will ask for my autograph, so I’ll be peachy.”

“Erin…”

“What? Ari’s there. I’m not leaving her on her own.”

“Then she can stay here too.”

“What if she doesn’t want to? And why do you even care?”

“Because…because…” Whydidhe care? Why did he hate the thought of Erin getting hurt so much that he was ready to kidnap her from the Galaxy? The answer was unexpected. He liked her. She was cute and clever and fun, and if he hadn’t been so hung up on Florence and Erin hadn’t been so hung up on her past, maybe he’d have asked her out on a date. “Because you’ve already made one trip to the hospital, and I don’t like the idea of you making another.”

“You can’t tell me what to do.”

“No, I can’t. But…”

“But what?”

Before he managed to think things through, Rusty took her hand in both of his and pulled her a step closer.

“But I really, really hate the idea of you getting hurt, okay? I hate it.”

Their gazes locked, and Erin swallowed hard, but she didn’t snatch her hand away. A long moment passed before she nodded.

“Okay.” The word came out croaky, and she tried again. “Okay, we’ll get my stuff. I’ll talk to Ari.”

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