Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 670

Inside, Charles and Clara plopped down next to Max and Buddy.

Charles shuffled the deck and tossed out two cards. “Three of a kind!”

The dogs had their own cards in front of them. He’d always played like this—just him and the dogs. But now Clara was here, and the rules had changed a bit. Max and Buddy kept up, though. No surprise—they were his dogs, after all. Smart as could be.

Clara sat cross-legged, eyebrows knit together as she thought hard. Then, when she thought no one was looking, she snuck a peek at Max’s cards.

Charles caught her in the act right away. “Hey! No peeking! We said no cheating, remember?”

All the dogs’ cards were face up on the floor, so really, it was a game of trust more than anything.

Clara pulled her gaze back, voice calm. “I’m on the opposite team from Max. You’re my partner.”

When the four of them played, teams changed every round. Whoever called the suit first picked the team—whoever had that suit became your partner for that hand.

Charles grinned and leaned in, dropping his voice. “Is that so? If we’re teammates, we can swap cards. They’re just dogs, after all.”

No sooner had he said it than Max and Buddy started barking, even baring their teeth a little.

Charles retreated, hands up. “Alright, alright, no swapping. Chill out, you two.”

The four of them played cards all night. By the time they were done, the sun was coming up.

Clara couldn’t keep her eyes open. She slumped over onto Max and fell asleep right there.

This blanket is way too comfy, she thought as she drifted off.

Charles had powered through the night, but he was barely hanging on. He grabbed a fresh blanket, draped it over Clara, and then crashed against the couch himself.

When the doctor came in the next morning, he found two people and two dogs sprawled everywhere, sound asleep.

It was afternoon by the time Charles finally woke up. The room was empty.

He hurried downstairs and saw a plate of food waiting for him on the table. Clara had left it for him. Outside, she was playing with Max and Buddy.

He was about to join them when his stomach growled—loudly. He wolfed down a few bites, then pushed open the glass door to head out.

His phone rang. It was Richard.

“Did you find her yet?”

One line, and Charles was yanked right back to reality.

He didn’t answer, so Richard pressed, “Are you actually reliable or not? Weren’t your dogs supposed to be able to find anything?”

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