CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR #2
“You’d better take a big sip and simmer down, pretty boy.
” She watches me deliberate my next move and decides to back off because even in a high-stakes game, Sylvie is compassionate.
“They said so many wonderful things about you, and Zara was right. It was the best thing they could’ve done.
If I’d heard those stories elsewhere, I would’ve been overwhelmed, but they framed it all in a way that was less intimidating.
We both have pasts. It’s not like I didn’t know that.
And they admitted that the only thing they knew firsthand was how you’d been about me. ”
She pauses, so I play the queen I just drew off her set and gesture for her to keep going.
“They said the cabaret girl was known to be unhinged and clingy, that she was the only employee you ever dated, and that she moved away.”
Since she seems to be putting a decent spin on it, I tip my glass. “That’s true.”
“That eased some concerns for me.” She draws and sighs because it isn’t what she wants, and at this point, the game is won or lost in the discard.
“They told me you don’t hit on many women because they tend to come to you.
That you never go after anyone married or in a relationship.
And that despite the mix-up with the one local who misunderstood a second run-in as girlfriend territory, you were never interested in anything more than a fleeting moment with women.
” Another breath before she adds, “Not until me.”
The glaring issue of living in a fishbowl irks me. My sisters-in-law know those things from rumors that are fairly accurate, not from my brothers. But that’s not what bothers me most.
“Why wasn’t it enough for me to tell you that you were all I wanted?”
“It was, but … you told me that you might say the wrong thing and piss me off. That you didn’t know a lot about relationships.
Well, all I know about relationships has been lousy.
” She stares at her cards like they represent just that, still unsure what to let go of.
“And on top of that, I feel the weight of this job sitting on my chest. It’s been a cloud of dread I can’t escape, which makes everything else harder.
So, I might say the wrong thing, and I might piss you off, but there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I’m just doing the best I can.”
Full fucking circle. I think I’m in love with this woman.
I don’t have any idea what it’s supposed to feel like, but I’m guessing the tightness in my chest and the sensation that my internal organs are only capable of being fed by her presence are it.
Addictive agony. I can’t imagine anything better.
She’s it. The magic. The jackpot. The breath of fresh air after a lifetime of choking on smoke.
“That’s all I need, baby girl.”
Since she mentioned this job looming over her, I pause our card playing to address that, but of course, that’s when the door bursts open, and Bernard steps inside.
My time is up. Axel sent him as a reinforcement.
I would wonder how the hell he figured out where we were, but he covertly flicks his attention to Sylvie’s bracelet.
He used my scheme against me. I should have seen that coming.
“I think the old guy wants to catch up with you, Sylv. So, maybe I will take this.”
“You should.” She lays her cards face down in front of her as she rises to greet Bernard. “Axel seems to think something is urgent.”
As she saunters away, I check out her luscious ass, clad in jeans today, and return the call. “What?”
“Don’t be pissy,” Axel barks. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I did not want to text this. Were you expecting a certain professional athlete to book a visit?”
“No.” I cast a sidelong glance at Sylvie, who is laughing at something Bernard is telling her, and decide it’s doubtful she’s expecting her ex to show up. “I’m happy to accommodate though. Escort him to counting room two upon arrival.”
Casinos only need one room to count money. But you can’t very well yell interrogation room or torture chamber in a crowded place, so counting room two it is.
“No. That’s not how we’re playing this. He’s a member, and—”
“Really?” I scoff because that wouldn’t matter if it were Zara we were talking about. “Let’s remedy that.”
He sighs, and the man sounds weary. “I get the appeal. Under different circumstances, I’d be in there with you. But there’s a bigger picture to deal with.”
Sylvie’s mother said as much. And it makes sense that if Danny pointed a finger in Sylvie’s direction when the Stanley Cup was stolen, him turning up dead would drape her in suspicion. So, I suppose I can give Axel that one. For now.
“Do you think he’s coming for her?” he asks.
I consider what she told me happened between them and the fact that his social media claims he’s getting married this fall. “He has other endeavors now, so if that’s the case, it’s not for rekindling.”
“That’s what I thought.” That is mumbled under his breath, which is enough to have my hackles rising.
I don’t want to start demanding that he tell me what’s going on because that will only heighten Sylvie’s tension and curiosity. Instead, I get there in a roundabout way. “When is he arriving?”
“In two days.”
“Then why call me incessantly about it now?” I hiss.