Down 'N' Derby Read online

  “But it wasn’t me! I’m sure I can prove it, I just need…. time,” I pleaded, my head spinning with every kind of crazy thought to get out of this.

  His hand went up to cup his chin in thoughtful silence for a while. His eyes roved over me again, taking in every piece of me as if to weigh it and decided whether to trust it or not. Finally, after several minutes of quiet, he said, “I’m a nice guy-”

  “You’re not a nice guy. You’re a scary guy,” I confessed honestly and probably a little frantically before I could think better of it.

  A burst of laughter fell out of his mouth before he could compose himself, “You don’t even know me!”

  “You’re right! I don’t even know your name,” I pointed out, suddenly realizing that should have probably been the first thing I found out.

  “Ah,” he stewed on that for a moment and then said, “Finely Hunter.”

  I gulped. “Finely Hunter?” Ok, the online gambling thing made sense now. Because Finely Hunter, the senior track star, rumored to go through girls like Kleenex’s during flu season and ditch more classes than he attended, was also rumored to run an online on campus gambling site the university had been trying to shut down for three years.

  “Fin,” he smiled at me. “You can call me Fin.”

  “You are a nice guy, “I drawled.

  His grin widened to wicked mischief. “So nice, I’m not going to make you give me my money tonight.”

  “You’re not?”

  “No, I have a solution that will help both of us get what we want,” he announced confidently.

  “You do?” I asked dryly with so much less confidence.

  “Just don’t forget, you promised you would help.” The hard, authoritative look returned to his eyes and a shiver of nerves climbed up my spine.

  I nodded because there was nothing left to do. I needed time to think this over, to hunt down Tara and strangle her until dollar bills popped out of her eyeballs.