Chapter 10 #2
Heading downstairs, I’m greeted by a familiar sight. Candles are lit around the room, and a handsome man waits for me at the bottom of the steps.
This has to mean something. I need to either ask him what parts of this are real or just let it go.
“You look beautiful,” Grant says as he takes my hand in his.
“Thank you.”
Heading into the living room, I see it’s set up once more to rival the other night.
I look up at Grant and see a twinkle of something in his eyes that I’ve only caught on the rare occasion.
“Why are you doing all this?” I ask.
“Have a seat,” he says to avoid the question.
Just like before, I take a seat on the floor in front of the coffee table, and he does the same. I pick up the glass of red wine waiting for me.
It’s a similar routine that I want to become a tradition between us, but I can’t possibly tell the man.
“What are we starting with tonight?” I ask.
Taking a sip, I watch as Grant carefully studies my mouth. Putting on a bit of a playful show, I pull the glass away and lick my bottom lip as I set the glass down.
“Delicious choice,” I add.
Grant clears his throat and picks up the deck of cards.
“Blackjack.”
“Great.”
I straighten my shoulders as Grant starts setting up.
“Remember the rules?”
“How can I forget the rules of the game?”
His eyes snap to mine momentarily.
“Good.”
He takes a sip of his own drink and sets it back down on the table.
“Cordelia won’t expect you to know everything. We’ll make it clear that you and I met through the circles if needed, but you aren’t a card expert.”
“Right.”
“She will expect you to have a basic understanding of how counting cards works.”
“That’s not something everyone can do?”
Grant laughs lightly.
“No, love. That’s not something everyone can do and certainly not well.”
There’s that nickname again.
“As long as I’m not expected to know how to do it well in this time frame.”
“Someone like you will have no issue picking up this skill. Watch.”
My heart flutters from the compliment, but I don’t show any reaction. He’s right; someone in my line of work and at the caliber he and I operate should have no issue picking this up.
I shouldn’t be taking it as a compliment specific to me as a person. It’s my job to learn things like this quickly.
“Okay, ready to watch and learn.”
“You did really well. I’m just as impressed as I knew I would be,” he says.
We’re both sitting on the couch after hours of him running through counting cards, mucking cards at poker, and other tricks.
“Thank you,” I say with a sigh.
“Tired?”
“A bit. It was all good to know. It’s just…”
Grant lets his arm leaning at the top of the couch fall, and his fingers graze the tip of mine.
“It’s what?”
“I get that in our line of work, we deal with these types of people. It just seems like all of this is more work than becoming proficient at playing the different card games, that’s all.”
Grant pulls his arm back slightly.
“You’re not wrong about that.”
“But, I know this is the surefire way to win. And that’s all they’re thinking about.”
“Especially when you play in casinos like the ones Cordelia owns.”
“Right.”
I chew on my bottom lip.
“What’s wrong?”
“She’s an interesting one. I wouldn’t have assumed the person I was chasing all this time would be her. She just doesn’t fit the profile of the Kingpin I’ve been trying to find.”
Grant nods in understanding.
“Sometimes the profiles are wrong. That’s why it’s good we’re here in the field. When we go to her casino, we’ll get the confirmation we need.”
“And hopefully find out more about the operation.”
“All in due time.”
I pick up my wine glass and get comfortable on the couch once more.
“I know this takes time, but I’ve been tracking her for ages. I just want this win so badly.”
“You’ll get it. Once we’re in and part of the family, as they say, we’ll get more access than we could dream of right now.”
“We need to scope it out when we go.”
“We will. I promise.”
I know we should probably head to bed, but I want to keep chatting with Grant. I’m suddenly not feeling as courageous as I was at the start, but I still long to be around him. I don’t want to go back to my empty bedroom alone.
“Can I ask you a question?” he asks.
“Yeah, sure.”
He doesn’t want it to end either.
“Why the Kingpin of Charlotte? I’ve never been able to figure it out.”
“Are you telling me that I’ve stumped the great Grant Sinclair on something?” I tease.
“Maybe you have.”
I blush into my shoulder.
“It’s a long story.”
“We have time.”
“One of my best friends, Liam, has a sister, Harper. She’s now engaged to Grayson.”
“Brother’s best friend? How forbidden,” Grant says with a chuckle.
Not as forbidden as if I slept with my dad’s best friend like I want to, but I won’t bring that up.
“She’s younger than us by a few years and had a terrible ex-boyfriend. Anyhow, that ex-boyfriend was one of the Kingpin’s, I mean, Cordelia’s runners.”
Grant focuses on this news.
“Yeah. I thought it was a man for a long time, but until recently, I wasn’t positive. The profiles, as you know, can vary with new intel. Anyway, the ex-boyfriend really scared Harper. That’s why I got involved, and then, well, it was too good of a case to pass up.”
“You did this on your own.”
“Yeah, no one hired me to track down the Kingpin, really. It’s been a passion project of mine.”
“I can understand how that goes.”
“The Marlin.”
He sighs.
“Yeah, the Marlin.”
“The two of us are something else,” I say with a light laugh.
A yawn takes over, and I cover my mouth with the hand not holding my wine glass before shaking out of my tired state.
“Let’s get to bed. It’s been a long few days.”
“How did it go with Brad this morning? It totally slipped my mind.”
Grant grabs his wine glass and takes a sip. I take a drink, too, forgetting I hadn’t a few moments ago.
“Noelle was around, so he wouldn’t get into it.”
“Noelle knows something but not everything.”
“I’m not sure what her angle is. Was Brad acting as if she wasn’t a player this go around? Possibly. When we’re at the tournament, we’ll know for sure.”
“She was before?”
“Yes and no. She was but barely. It’s when she and Brad were just getting together. She was around but not fully in, from what I could tell.”
“Is that the angle we’re taking with me?”
Grant looks aghast at my question.
“You’re my wife, Cara. Not a piece of ass I’m getting to know.”
I rear my head back.
“I know that. But even with our fake profiles and takes, we have to be clear about my role.”
Grant hangs his head back and runs his hand down the length of his face.
“We’ve been putting it on the back burner until you had more time to talk to Brad. Doesn’t seem like Brad is being very helpful.”
“You’re my wife. We met in Las Vegas. Then it’s just your cover from there.”
“Right. A few break-ins and cons.”
“That’s right. You’re gorgeous, and it’s an easy sell.”
“Thank you. Hopefully it is.”
“I know it will be.”
I set my glass down.
“There’s another thing we haven’t discussed. Well, not exactly.”
“What’s that?”
Heat starts to rise in my cheeks, like a schoolgirl talking to a crush and not a security expert talking to her partner on a case.
“We haven’t talked about being intimate in public. We made it through the barbecue with only a quick kiss. It’s strange if we don’t do anything together while we’re around other people.”
“We’ll play it by ear.”
I sigh.
“That’s not very professional. We need to know each other’s boundaries.”
The tension between us is thick.
“What if I don’t want to be very professional with you?” He asks.
I gasp and fling a hand over my open mouth. Grant’s posture tightens as a tick in his jaw flexes.
“A joke, Collins.”
I lower my hand and place both of them in my lap.
“Didn’t seem like a joke to me.”
“It was.”
Grant looks down at his watch.
“It’s late. I think it’s time we call it a night this time,” he says.
“Grant…”
He sighs and then stands. With an outstretched hand to me, Grant grins.
“It was a joke, Collins. Don’t worry; I think you and I will be just fine on that front.”
“Okay,” I lie as I place my hand in his.
This song and dance will resume another night, but I don’t think I can let it continue forever.
I want Grant, only I need to know where he stands. And more importantly, I need to know about our pasts in order to attempt a future.