Page 40 of Reckless Chance

“Will do, sir,” the driver says.

The glass rises, providing us with privacy from him and Max, who’s in the front passenger seat.

25

SEAN

Feeling Lowri shaking in my arms crushed me. She was vulnerable and scared. It was my fault. I didn’t protect her. That won’t happen again. I’ll take better care of her while she’s here.

Despite insisting we move on with the evening, Lowri’s body signals she’s still shaken, which is not surprising. She’s twisting and untwisting her neck chain tightly around her finger. If I don’t distract her, it’s going to break.

I’ll start by trying to ease the pain in her arm. We have ice. There has to be something that will serve as a makeshift ice pack. You’d think we’d have a plastic bag somewhere. Lacking a better solution, I pick the best option at my disposal.

“Lowri, I’m sorry we don’t have any plastic bags. Try holding this glass of ice on your bruise while I fix you a drink,” I say.

“You can pour something in this glass. I’ll alternate between sipping and icing my arm. Don’t waste another glass.”

Pouring my favorite Scotch for both of us, I say, “This should calm the nerves.”

I could use something calming as well. She’s not the only one who had visions of a much more disastrous outcome. At first, I thought someone was trying to take Lowri rather than her purse.I grabbed her left arm so tightly she probably has a bruise on it too.

Settling back onto the seat, I wrap one arm around her shoulder and pull her against me, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “It’s okay now.”

“Except that my phone, credit card, and ID were in my purse. They’re all gone. Until I can get a replacement credit card, I can’t buy a new phone or pay for anything. Without a phone, I don’t have a way to get a replacement credit card. I stored all my info in the damn phone. It’s a major mess to deal with.”

Her spunk is coming back. That’s a good sign.

“All that matters is that you’re okay. Everything else is replaceable.”

“The recordings of the interviews at the theater are gone too.”

“Are the interviews backed up in the cloud or on your laptop?”

“I’m not thinking straight. That didn’t occur to me. They should be. I synced my phone with my laptop while I typed up notes for the interviews.”

“No one would be thinking clearly after being mugged. The interviews are probably backed up. Regardless, you have your notes. I’ll help you figure out the credit card situation. We can look up the main number for your credit card company on my phone and give them a call now. I’m sure they can figure out your account based on all those dumb security questions they always ask.” I chuckle.

“You mean questions like ‘Who was your first boyfriend’s second favorite teacher?’”

“Exactly. Now, which credit card company do you use?”

“American Express.”

“Excellent. That’s even easier. We’ll call the service number for my Black card. That should expedite the process.”

She lets out a huge laugh. “You may be surprised to learn that not everyone has a Black Amex card. I’m a mere mortal. Mine is a plain green one.Yourspecial hotline won’t help me.”

“Sweetheart, have you already forgotten that you’re my wife? Of course they will help you.”

“I’m not used to being married. I should have known my temporary, billionaire husband has instant access to shortcuts around bureaucracy and red tape.”

Five minutes later, her replacement card was on its way to me. The woman even apologized as if it was her fault Lowri was mugged.

“There are perks to our marriage. Your Black card will arrive tomorrow morning,” he says, smiling.

“Black card? You mean my replacement green card, don’t you?”

“No. I upgraded it when you gave the phone back to me.”