Lucky Girl (Lucky Alphas Book 2)
By: Mallory CroweHe brought the picture up again. The other players were some guys named West, Collar, and, of course, Maxium.
Well hell. She must’ve been good enough that Wade still called her a friend.
For a few moments, he stayed where he was, just staring at the picture. What had happened to that carefree smile?
Maybe if he found out, he’d pass Harper’s little test.
All right, he’d admit it. Harper was a hard target. But just because it wasn’t easy to find information on her didn’t mean that everyone around her was also impervious to internet searches. He opened up the white pages website for Birdsville and entered in Harper’s last name. Sloan was fairly common, but Birdsville was small enough that there were only five residents listed with that surname.
He started doing his legwork. The first person he called didn’t answer, and the second one he talked to was an elderly man who could barely understand what he was saying over the phone. However, on his third phone call, he got lucky.
After a brief hello, Lucas launched into his spiel. “Hello, Mr. Sloan, I’m calling from Birdsville public schools. I’m doing a quick survey of our local residents. Do you have a minute to answer some easy questions?” Before the other man could make up a reason not to, Lucas started in. “Do you now or have you ever had any children attend Birdsville Public High School?”
“I, umm....” The man seemed to debate answering. “Yeah, we had a daughter go there.”
Lucas straightened a little bit. “I’m happy to hear that, sir. How satisfied were you with her education overall?”
“Fine, I guess.”
Well, this guy was a fountain of information. “Was your daughter involved with any sports?”
“She, umm.... She played football.”
Boom. He’d found Harper’s parents.
“Who is that?” called someone. The voice was muffled due to the distance from the phone, but it sounded like a woman’s voice. Probably Harper’s mother.
“It’s the school district. They’re asking questions about Harper.”
“It’s just a general survey, sir. Nothing specific to your daughter,” he lied.
“She did good in school and we’re satisfied with the experience,” her dad said gruffly. “Is there anything else you need? We have to get going.”
“Before you go, did your daughter end up going to college, and do you mind telling me which one and the major?”
The man let out a little laugh. “Harper was never the school-loving type.”
“I understand that, sir. What is she doing for a living now? Generally speaking, of course.” No, not generally. Please be as specific as possible.
“Sir, I appreciate the work you’re doing, but my daughter enjoys her privacy. If you have any questions to ask her, you should call her yourself.”
If only it were that easy. “I understand. You’ve already helped me out a lot and I appreciate it. You have a great day.”
The man said his good-bye, and Lucas hung up. From the short phone call, her parents seemed normal enough. What ended up making her as angry as she was? His mind raced with possibilities. Maybe the woman he heard wasn’t actually her mother? Maybe her dad had an affair? Maybe her dad was a little bit too freewheeling with his fists? All those theories would take more than a phone call to prove or disprove.
So what did he know about Harper now? Besides the fact that she had an attitude problem, she was athletic in high school, and didn’t go to college. It was also interesting that Wade trusted her to help Lucas in this investigation. An investigation that could lead to him going to prison. So she probably wasn’t waitressing at the local truck stop. If there’s one thing he knew, it was where troubled youth, especially smarter ones, tended to go after high school.
Lucas scrolled through his contact list on his phone until he found the right guy for the job. After a few rings, a man picked up on the other end. “Lucas, I told you not to call me at this number anymore.”
“When have I ever done what you asked me, Nico?”
“When I punched you in the face.”
“And did you punch me in the face when you told me not to call you? No. You didn’t. So really, it’s on you for not expecting my call any day.”
