LITMIR.BIZ

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he said, looking directly into Ike’s dark eyes.

      Good call. Ike quickly looked away, knowing his revealing eyes were telling on him again.

      The woman continued to look him over with obvious curiosity. “Where did you meet Roxie?”

      “I work security at the Desert Rose Casino. She was playing one of our poker tables and I introduced myself.”

      The woman and man exchanged strange looks. “The Desert Rose?” She elbowed her husband. “Did you hear that, Theo, they met at the Desert Rose.”

      Ike watched the byplay and wondered what it meant.

      Now the old man was looking at him with narrowed eyes and even more suspicion than before, if that were possible. “Yes, I heard him.”

      Ike would figure out what all this meant later, but now, his main concern was finding Roxie. “Do you know where I can find her?”

      “If she didn’t tell you, why should we?” Theo flared up again.

      “Theo!” Tessa pushed back on Theo, but he stood steady as a rock, still staring at Ike with clear distrust. “Stop being so rude to our guest.”

      In truth, Ike didn’t blame Theo one bit. If in the future, some strange man showed up on his doorstep looking for his daughter under similar circumstances, the guy would probably leave with a busted lip.

      His eyes shifted to the cane dangling loosely from Theo’s hand. Maybe we have more in common than you think, old man.

      “Move out of the way, Theo.” Tessa pushed again, and this time the older man allowed himself to be moved. “Please, come in,” she said, gesturing to the small sitting room.

      Ike scanned the room, looking for signs of Roxie and they were everywhere. His eyes took in the walls lined with pictures that showed her growth and achievements from about the age of ten. He wondered only briefly about the years preceding as he took a seat on the sofa. Ike took in the couple once again, and pondered the origins of this unique family.

      “So, tell me, Ike. How did you end up here?” The woman flopped down beside him, studying his face with the same avid curiosity she’d shown in the doorway.

      Good question. “Well…” Ike hedged, trying to buy some time. “At the Desert Rose we have a policy of taking the license plate numbers of the patrons’ cars in the event we have to contact them. She left the casino before I could get her phone number, and like I said, we really hit it off, so I used the plate information to get her address and here I am.”

      “How sweet.” She tilted her head to the side and gave him a dreamy expression.

      You bought that? Ike smiled, and tried to hide his shock.

      “That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!” Theo huffed. “And if it is true, it would make you a stalker!”

      Turning his back slightly on the man, Ike focused all his considerable charm on the woman, knowing she was his best bet for information. He smiled in the way he knew women liked, and Tessa returned the smile just as he expected. “We really hit it off the other night. I was hoping I could maybe talk her into having dinner with me.”

      Tessa frowned. “She is probably at the lab. She almost lives in that lab.”

      “Teresa!” The old man, who’d taken up a post by the window, snapped at his wife. “Usted no sabe a este hombre!” he growled in warning.

      “He’s Roxie’s friend.” She titled her head in secret meaning that was no secret at all, Ike thought. She had apparently determined that he was a potential love interest.

      Ike took a deep breath. This was taking a lot longer than he’d planned. If he still wanted to find Roxie tonight, he knew he’d have to get going. “Can you give me directions to her lab?”

      Tessa opened her mouth to speak, but Theo quickly spoke over her. “No!” He barked more than said the one-word answer. “But we’ll tell her you stopped by.”

      “Theo, stop being so rude.”

      “Funny, I don’t remember her saying anything about working in a lab. But then again, I was so distracted by her face, I’m sure I missed more than that.”

      “Our Roxie is a beauty.” Tessa waved her finger in reprimand. “But she’s a lot more than a pretty face, and don’t you forget it.”

      “No, ma’am,” he answered obediently. “I could sense her intelligence right away.” He did his best to force his face into a love-struck expression. “She really is a special woman.”

      Tessa patted his hand gently. “She just works too hard. Doesn’t take any time for the pleasures in life.”

      Ike nodded sympathetically. “Well, I’ll see what I can do to change that.”

      “You seem like such a nice young man.” She bounced up off the sofa with the agility of a young woman. “Why don’t you surprise her at work.” She rummaged around in her purse. “I know I have some Sizzler coupons in here somewhere.”

      Ike’s eyebrows shot up. “Uh, that’s really all right. I already had a restaurant in mind.”

      “Are you sure?” She peered at him over the rim of her glasses. “I know they’re in here.”

      “Really, if you could just give me the address, I’ll take care of the rest.”

      Ike watched her cross the room and write something on a notepad before ripping off the page and handing it to him.

      He glanced at the address, but hid his surprise. “Thank you,” he said with a smile, studiously ignoring the old man, who still stood glaring at his side.

      “You make sure you take her somewhere nice, like the Sizzler.”

      “I will.” He let himself out of the small house. As he drove away, Ike was slightly confused. How could a pro hustler like Roxie Sanchez have been raised by such gullible parents?

      As the big, white SUV pulled away from the curb, Theo came up beside his waving wife. “Just what was that all about? That man was not Roxie’s friend or anything else for that matter and you well know it! He’s a cop—or at least, a former cop.”

      Tessa gave her husband a sly glance. “Former cop, I’d say.”

      “So why did you tell him where to find Roxie? Who knows why he’s looking for her.”

      Tessa turned and placed her hand gently against her husband’s shirt. “You’ve always told me I had excellent instincts.” She looked up at his weathered face with love.

      “You do,” he mumbled. “And it’s saved us on more than one occasion, but what has that to do with this?”

      “Trust my instincts, Theodoro. I have a feeling about Mr. Ike Bancroft.”

      Theo looked in the direction of the long gone truck. “I hope you know what you are doing.”

      Tessa reached up to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. “I do.”

      Roxie stood and stretched before taking off her reading glasses to rest her eyes. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and glanced up at the clock on the wall. Ten-thirty! How could that be?

      Standing on her tiptoes, she peeked just over the top of her cubicle and found herself completely alone. At some point during the evening all the members of her staff had quietly crept out, and she’d been none the wiser. The room was completely silent and abandoned. The lights were dimmed, the lab tables and instruments sat clean and still, waiting for another day of use.

      She slumped back down in her chair, wondering why she was surprised. It wasn’t as if this were the first time she’d found herself all alone in the lab at some late hour.

      There was a time when her staff would’ve tried to persuade her to leave with them, but they had long since

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