Chapter 42
Leon
Iwatch the game with rapt attention. Better said, I watch her with rapt attention.
She’s a nervous wreck as they start, but only a few hands in and her facial features are already relaxing.
The furrow of her brows disappears, and her poor bottom lip gets a break from her teeth.
After her first winning hand, her eyes are practically glowing, a hint of a smile adorning her beautiful face.
The rest of the players watch her as well.
I’d like to think it’s strategic, to find her tells, but I doubt they could call her bluff by staring at her delectable cleavage.
I inhale a deep breath to keep calm. This is for her.
My need to have her all to myself doesn’t matter right now.
All that matters is getting that hint of a smile blown up to full force.
Giving her a chance to do something she always wanted.
I know she wanted to be a professional player.
Who doesn’t want to be the best at something that they’re passionate about doing?
I also know she never let herself dream big enough to think that was an actual possibility.
I can’t tell her everything yet, but I can give her this.
A taste of something that will become an actual possibility, if I have any say in it.
“Damn, that was well-played,” one player comments after a monstrous hand she wins. Her face brightens as she mutters a ‘thank you’.
Pride blooms in my chest. I knew she was special, but knowing how much these words mean to her coming from someone who is a regular at a final table of any major tournament, makes me even prouder.
She soon comes into her own. Her apprehension disappears, and she plays the way I know her to play.
Ruthless. Hand after hand, her stack becomes bigger.
The other players shake their heads and rub their chins, wondering what the hell is happening.
The few hands she loses don’t make a dent in her massive stack.
I make sure she grabs a few appetizers during the hands she’s not invested in.
Dom sits on a stool next to me, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“She’s good, isn’t she?”
“She’s…” He clears his throat. “More than good.” My brows lift as I glance at him and notice his discomfort. He shifts his weight on the stool. “I kind of feel like a lot of this is my fault.”
“You think?”
He lets out a huff. “You know what I mean. I only wanted to protect you and the information didn’t work in her favor.”
“I know.” I lift my glass up to him, gesturing for him to pour his own.
He does, and we clink our glasses. My gaze lifts to his.
“You did what you thought you had to do and you did it to protect me. But don’t get me wrong, if I even catch a whiff of you being unpleasant to her or her feeling uncomfortable in your presence, if you ever try to imply something, anything about her, you’ll find yourself out of a job. Is that clear?”
“Crystal clear.” He nods and we both down our glasses.
After a few hours of play, and two players who got their stacks cleaned out, they decide it’s time to call it a night. Alex’s eyes are glowing as the dealer counts the chips in front of her.
“Where did you learn to play like that?” one player asks her, placing a hand on her shoulder. It’s a friendly gesture, but my fists still tighten, and my spine straightens.
“Online, mostly,” she responds politely. “And watching players like yourself.”
“You obviously have a lot of experience in live games, too.”
“I do, yeah. But only in smaller casino games.”
“That’s a shame. You should try out a tournament or two.”
She shoots him a warm smile, but her eyes drop. “Maybe.” I approach them, stepping to her side.
“Anyway, it was a pleasure to meet you and to play with you.”
“You too.” She shakes his hand.
“Leon, man. This was fun. You should organize this more often.” He shakes my hand, too.
“Maybe I will.”
He greets Dom and exits, along with the rest of them. The dealer returns with Alex’s cash, handing her the briefcase back.
She thanks him, and he leaves as well.
I run my tongue over my top teeth. “So, how much did you leave with?”
“Just a little over 300k.” Her cheeks tint a gorgeous red.
“That’s amazing.”
“I will give you your part back, of course.”
I let out a laugh, and head over to the circular table where the remaining food lies. “You won’t do such a thing.”
“But…” she starts.
“No buts.” I pop a deviled egg into my mouth.
“Leon…”
I turn back toward her. “Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“It was nothing.” I wave her off, uncomfortable with her thankfulness.
“Are you kidding me? This wasn’t nothing. It was incredibly thoughtful, well planned and massively expensive.”
“Does this mean you forgive me?”
“I don’t know. If not forgiving you means I get stuff like this regularly, I don’t think I should do that.”
A laugh bubbles out of my throat. “I don’t think you’re aware, but you can get pretty much anything from me.
” Her eyes narrow at me, as if she isn’t sure she should believe me.
“Besides, this still isn’t my apology.” I sit at the table and pat the chair next to me.
She listens and drops her gorgeous ass into it.
The server brings us another round of drinks. She was careful with the drinks while playing, but there’s no reason not to let loose now. Grabbing a shrimp tartlet, she stares at a single spot in the distance while chewing on it. She pats her mouth with a napkin when she finishes.
“You really don’t mind me playing poker?”
Just as she asks, we’re interrupted by the server placing our drinks in front of us. I thank him, and wait for him to leave before responding. “Why would I mind? You’re amazing at it.”
She shrugs, chewing on the inside of her cheek.
A chill travels down my spine. I think I know exactly where this story is going, and yet, there’s more I want to know. “Seriously, how did you get that good at poker?”
She lets out a sigh. “I started by watching Robbie. After the first time he showed me what he thought of my suggestions, I kept my mouth shut, but I still studied the game. I would get a massive adrenaline rush when my hunch was right. Since I wasn’t employed, I started using the time when Robbie was at work to play poker online.
I got hooked instantly.” She hesitates for a second before continuing.
“After the first few times he became violent with me, it was obvious I needed a plan B. I couldn’t allow myself to depend on him.
So I started playing live games whenever I could and stashed money at home.
I wanted to earn enough so that I could be on my own. So I could leave him.”
My heart squeezes in my chest. I reach my hand out to wrap around hers, fully expecting her to push it away. but she doesn’t. She lets my hand envelop hers, drawing soothing circles over her wrist.
“I was happy living in my own secret world. It made me realize how unhappy I was with him; how miserable he made me. Then he found the stash.” She swallows, and my stomach clenches with rage.
“First, he accused me of whoring myself out for the money. I tried to explain I earned it by playing poker, but it only made him angrier. He told me a stupid little bitch like me could never earn that kind of money with her brain, and it was probably the fact that everyone was staring at my tits. I let out a sob and then he hit me.” Her voice grows shakier by the word, her eyes now glistening with tears.
“He hadn’t stopped hitting me, not until I was on the floor, barely alive.
Then he said, ‘Look what you made me do,’ and left our house.
I tried to escape, but I was too hurt. My lungs could barely expand enough to catch a breath, and a bone was sticking out of my arm, telling me something was very wrong.
I took the money strewn around the floor and got a taxi to the hospital on the other side of town.
I hoped, prayed that it was far enough from the reach of the influential Robert Welding. But it wasn’t.”
Mind-numbing rage courses my bloodstream, lighting a fire in its wake. I’m so tense I feel like I’ll chip a tooth, but she doesn’t need that now. She doesn’t need my anger. She needs peace.
“Look at me, Alex,” I say, lifting her chin with my finger.
“I want you to know something. Whatever happens between us, whether you forgive me and give me a chance or you send me packing, you will never have to be afraid again. I swear on my life that I will protect you for as long as I live and breathe and pay people to protect you afterwards.” She lets out a sob, breaking my cold, dark heart.
“I will murder every motherfucker who dares to hurt you in any way possible, including Deputy Chief Robert Welding.”
She scoffs. “Good luck. But if you ever catch him, I hope I’ll have a go at him first.”
You will, baby. Goddamn it, you will. “Don’t underestimate me, sweetheart. You might know a part of what I do, but you have no idea the lengths I’m willing to go to protect someone I love.” A gasp breaks free from her lips. “And fuck, do I love you.”
Our faces are so close together that we’re inhaling the same air, and it doesn’t take much for her to close the distance between us, pressing her lips to mine.
I breathe her in, not wanting to take another without her.
She tastes like heaven, her soft lips moving over mine.
I taste the salt of her tears and make it my mission to wipe them away with this kiss. This one, and all the kisses to come.
We had sex over the last few days, but it was nothing like this.
Nothing that ever happened between us was ever like this, not as vulnerable or as meaningful.
She shared her story with me, and I shared my heart with her.
The heart I held so close to my chest is now on my sleeve, exposed for her to either put me together or break me.
Both of our chests heave with racing breaths when she whispers, “Can we go home now?”
Home. Fuck, it sounds good coming from her lips. “Of course. Come on.” I take her hand and help her up. The sight of her in that dress hits me once again, but I stifle the desire. Tonight is more than sex. I want her to trust me again.
We enter the apartment, and Persephone greets us with more joy than she ever showed before.
The typically stoic dog became a full-on teddy bear since meeting Alex, and I can’t deny I love it.
Both of us lower to give her well-deserved cuddles when a phone call breaks the moment.
I decline the call, placing the phone back in my pocket, but it starts again almost immediately.
It’s Ivan. He’s hardly the ‘call twice to chitchat’ type, so this must be important.
I think of the last conversation we had. “Shit, I have to take this,” I murmur.
“Sure,” she responds, paying me no attention.
“Yeah,” I say into the phone, stepping into the closest room.
“I thought you wanted to know Luka is back.”
“Luka is back?” A breath catches in my throat. “Where is he?”
“He’s at his place. He didn’t want to make a scene by coming here.”
“I’m going over there.” He clears his throat pointedly, so I add, “Thank you for letting me know.” My heart cracks as I step back into the main room, and realize I need to leave Alex just as we made some progress, if only for a night.
“Something came up.” I scratch the back of my neck. “I need to go check it out.”
She glances up at me, her head drawing back. “You need to go?”
Fuck, I’m an asshole. I promised her the world, and I can’t even give her a peaceful night in, five minutes after the promise. But my brother returned after disappearing for months. “Luka came back.”
Her jaw drops. “Your brother came back? What about Sophie?”
“Erm, I don’t actually know. But I will probably find out after I meet him.”
She jumps to her feet, brushing the dog hair off her dress. “I’m coming with you.”
“I… This is complicated, Alex. He left me to think he was kidnapped, for months. I need to deal with this. I promise I will arrange for you to see Sophie tomorrow if she’s there.”
Alex rolls her eyes. “I can’t believe this.
You think I’ll sit here and wait for you?
That’s your brother who just came back, and Sophie is my best friend.
There’s no way I’m staying behind. You’re mad at him?
Drive a fist into his face and then hug him; he’s your fucking brother.
” She grabs the first jacket on the coat hanger next to the door.
It’s one of mine, and it swallows her whole. She looks adorable. And pissed.
Besides, she’s kind of right. “Fine. You’re coming with me. But change your shoes. I don’t want you to break an ankle.”
“Fine,” she repeats the word back to me, and I shake my head, a smile pulling at my lips.
This girl will be the death of me. But it will be so worth it.