Bet on Me by Alisha Rai Read Free Book Online

phone? Though if his kid ran off on a regular basis, he’d glue a phone to her hand. A phone with GPS.
    She rubbed the screen with her thumb. “Maybe we should hang out a bit more before I call,” she said hopefully.
    “Are you scared?” Will they hurt you? If Sam Caine was her father, maybe he had graduated to using his fists. Maybe her words about how he was a happy, mild-mannered man were BS, a child’s wishes.
    His stomach knotted. Or maybe the mother was the monster.
    “Scared? No. Well, yes.”
    His muscles tensed. “Ellie…”
    “My dad might get sad, but my mom’s going to lecture me forever. And I’ll probably get grounded.”
    He let his shoulders relax. Lecturing and grounding sounded like appropriate parental responses. If she was telling the truth.
    Ellie pushed a button and held the phone to her ear. He could hear ringing and then a woman’s groggy voice. “Um, hi, Mom. It’s Ellie.”
    There was a burst of chatter. “No, I’m not at the hotel. I came to see… Mom, calm down. I’m fine. I came to see…” Ellie shot him a glance, “…Wyatt.”
    There was dead silence for a moment. Ellie nodded. “Yes, that Wyatt. I heard Daddy telling you… I know. I know.” A resigned expression crossed her face. “Yes, I know I shouldn’t have gone off on my own. That sounds fair. I’m okay. Yeah, I’m at his hotel. He’s been really nice. I… Okay.”
    She lowered the phone. “Is it okay if she talks to you?”
    His initial response was no. He did not want to talk to the woman who was allegedly married to his son-of-a-bitch father. Not today and not ever.
    But it was remarkably hard to convey that to a child. So he took the phone and held it to his ear. “Hello.”
    “Mr. Caine.” The woman’s voice was stilted and formal and carried a hint of a Southern accent. “My name is Carol. I am so sorry, and I apologize for my daughter.” In the background came the sound of clothes rustling. “I am on my way right now to get her.”
    Wyatt glanced at the girl. “It’s not a problem.”
    “She is okay, right? I can’t believe she just walked out in a strange city.” Her voice thickened.
    “She looks none the worse for her adventure.”
    “I didn’t think you knew about her.” The woman’s voice softened. “I’ve been lobbying for you to meet, but certainly not like this.”
    “It’s fine.” His father’s new wife. He was speaking to his father’s wife. His mother had been dead for so long he could barely remember her. But this woman had taken her place. If Ellie was to be believed at all, she had made his father…happy.
    A bead of perspiration slid down his forehead. He was distantly annoyed at the small evidence of his lack of control.
    “Perhaps when I get there, we could have breakfast…”
    He angled his body away from the girl, lest the sight of her crack the icy barrier that had solidified around his heart. “I am rather busy. I’m afraid I don’t have time for that today.”
    “Of course.” The woman was silent. “My husband…your father, he…”
    “We will see you shortly, then.”
    The woman hesitated. “Yes. Yes, of course.”
    “Do you need directions?”
    “No, we were sightseeing, and I’m aware of where your casino is. I’m not far. We’re at the Holiday Inn Express. I’m getting in my car right now.”
    “When you arrive, come around to the back entrance. Ellie will be waiting there.” He gave her rough directions. “You can avoid the traffic in front.” And gossipmongers wouldn’t see the child.
    “Okay. Thank you for looking out for her.”
    That sounded far too familial, and he didn’t know how he felt about that. “It was what anyone would have done.”
    “Of course. Thank you. I’ll be right there.”
    He hung up without saying anything further and handed the phone back to Ellie.
    The two of them stared at each other for a brief moment.
    “I’m grounded for at least two weeks, Mom said. No TV too,” Ellie announced