Page 5 of Trick or Trouble
“Ding, ding—give the man a prize,” she drawled back.“After your earlier mistake, I would never have pegged you to be so astute.”
Her arm was tingling where he held it, and her knees began to shake again.The scent of some heady male aftershave drifted lightly across her nostrils as he pulled her closer.Tangy and tantalizing, it made her want to cuddle up to his chest and let him take care of her.She cursed under her breath.Why did he have such an unsettling effect on her?Worse yet, why did she have to run into someone so perfect, only to find out he wasn’t?
His eyes flashed a definite warning once again as he hustled her towards his car.“Come on, you’re coming home with me and Holly.”
Darcy dug her heels in.“I most certainly amnot.I don’t even know you.”
He questioned her as he continued to drag her along despite her protests.“And just what are you planning to do then?You have no money, no ID, no wallet, which means no bank card or checks, and it’s almost 10:00 p.m.”
“Not your business.What does it matter to you, anyway?I’ll find a phone and call a friend.”
He stopped by his car and opened the door for her.“I can’t leave you out here by yourself, Darcy DeAngelo.I feel responsible for you since I mistook you for my niece.And now that I know you’re stranded, I won’t leave you on your own,” he insisted.Then his voice softened.“Be reasonable.At least come with us to Holly’s house.You can use my cell to call a friend for help and wait there for them to arrive.None of us needs to be hanging out in the streets this time of night.Please?”
If he had ordered her about one more time, Darcy would have slapped him with her bag and faced the consequences.But since he’d virtually begged, she decided to give in.Nah, who was she kidding?Her sense of self-preservation had kicked in again when she spotted two shadows lurking in the alleyway down the street behind him.She slid into the car and allowed him to close the door.“Is he always this bossy?”she shot to the girl in the back seat.
“No,” Holly replied, “usually he’s worse.He must be feeling guilty for making a mistake.Of course, I have to say I’m glad he did.”She grinned, her smile lighting up her impish features.
“Thanks a lot,” Darcy replied dryly.“You owe me one, kid.”
Chapter 2
Within 15 minutes,Logan drove the Camaro into the driveway of a typical ranch-style home with a two-car garage reminiscent of the 1990s.Variegated brick siding with a white door and white shutters on the windows, and one step up under the door overhang that would keep you out of the rain.Hedges grew along the front of the house, and a sidewalk led to the driveway.
When the garage door opened, the Camaro purred inside and came to a stop.A few moments later, the girls were escorted inside the house, past a laundry room, and into the spacious kitchen area, which was separated from the living area by a bar.Once inside, Logan flipped the lights on and scowled at Holly.“Care to explain yourself, young lady?”
“I already told you Denise invited me and Rachel to trick-or-treat over in her neighborhood.Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have gone, but I didn’t realize how bad that area has gotten, and I didn’t want to let her down,” she fumed.
Darcy could remember those teen years—back when high school life was like threading through a war zone every day.You never knew when a bomb might go off that would ruin your life.Pimples, not getting a date to the homecoming dance—the possibilities were endless, and reputation was everything.
Logan folded his arms and stared, his gaze softening.“All I have to say is you’re lucky I found Darcy first, young lady.That’s too dangerous a place to be hanging out after dark, especially if you don’t live there.Even on Halloween,” he added.
“Yeah—lucky me,” Darcy drawled.
Holly shrugged.“I’m sixteen, and I can take care of myself.”
Logan’s eyebrows rose.“Not in that neighborhood.It’s declined a lot in the last five years.”
