Page 54 of Queen of Spades

“You’re welcome—” Merrick starts, but I click the button to hang up on him.

Grady pastes on a shitty grin. “I’m pretty sure this is how guys become best friends. You saved my ass last night, but I covered yours tonight.”

I roll my eyes but bump his offered fist. “We work well together.”

“Fucking A, we do.” He laughs. “Let’s get back and save Anni Girl from the millionaire with a stick up his ass.”

I nod, but I’m still rattled as hell. It was chaos, and I didn’t have many choices when I ran out of ammo. I had to take the bastard down and finish him with my knife, like we did the ones in the yard. There’s still no excuse for missing an entire assailant.

He could have blown my head off at any time.

Grady strides over, wiping his blade off on the end of the fucking sofa. “She’s got a thing for Gramps. So, you might want to mentally prepare yourself for that too.”

“Ward?” I ask with my jaw hanging open.

“That’s the one,” he agrees. “I’m not sure if it’s subconscious, but she’s building herself a nice little army of psychos capable of taking on her brother when the time is right.”

“Ranger isn’t a threat to her.”

“Nope,” he says. “But he’s a threat to her happiness, and I don’t think she’ll stand for that a second time.”

Well, that’s a sobering thought.

I’m unsettled the entire ride back to Cassian’s ridiculous mansion. The feeling doesn’t magically disappear as I park in the same spot in the garage, nor when Grady and I head inside to shower.

This place may be luxurious, but it isn’t designed for criminals. Despite leaving our boots in the garage, I’m sure we both track a fair amount of biological evidence into the man’s house. He should have an outdoor shower. Hell, maybe there’s one by the ostentatious pool.

Grady jogs to the other half of the two rooms Cassian showed us to when we first arrived. He didn’t sleep there last night. I knew as soon as he gave the room a once-over that he was heading to find Sparrow.

I mean, Annika.

Fuck, it’s practically impossible to remember I’m supposed to call her by her new identity.

I take a quick shower and bag up my clothes. By the time I make it out, Grady is leaning against the opposite wall.

“It’s late, but apparently Canton Forbes is here for a visit,” he says, shoving off the wall. “Do you know the name?”

“No,” I say, shoving up the arm of my long-sleeve T-shirt.

“He’s dirty.” Grady takes off down the hallway. “Wealthy by way of the illegal business model.”

“I’m sure Cassian is too.”

“Yeah, but not quite as dirty, from what I heard when I asked around. He’s trying to step out of his father’s shadow and take a different path, but apparently, Daddy is holding half of his inheritance hostage until Cas can beat him at cards.” Grady hits the stairs and heads down.

“Lovely,” I snort. “Family values at its finest.”

Chapter Eighteen

Cassian

If I didn’t know any better, I’d believe Annika to be a plant from my father. The way she wiggles around my lap as she watches each flip makes it impossible to focus on a goddamn thing, outside of the way her luscious ass cheeks cup my cock.

Not to mention, she’s drinking all my whiskey.

Ward stands along the wall, watching everything with a bored look on his face. He started out as one of my father’s men, but he was assigned to my security detail when I was a teenager. I took him with me when I left the nest, and he’s more like a brother to me now than my two younger half brothers.

“You’re really good at this, Mr. Forbes,” Annika says, giggling as she rests her elbows on the table.

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