Page 143 of In Spades

Bridget popped the top on a brown glass bottle and handed it to Luca, who handed it to me. He didn’t spit in it, so that was good.

I took a long pull from the bottle, then hunched forward on my elbows. “Elena Callaway is the representative for Allegiant Holdings—the company that bought the Taylor Creek Inn.” I looked at Steve and Erica. “Which I own, amongst other things.”

“And by representative, he means horrendous bitch beast from the pits of hell,” Hannah Jane provided.

I shrugged. “Fair.”

“So, you were engaged to her and she still works for you?” Mel asked. “Seems pretty stupid, Einstein.”

“Well, it wasn’t at the time,” I said, cutting my eyes at her. “Firing her after we broke up carried a lot of legal risk. Opening myself up to an expensive lawsuit seemed pretty stupid, too. Besides, she was good at her job and I don’t have a lot to do with the company I own.”

“Understatement,” Luca scoffed.

Steve glared at Luca. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean, DeRossi?”

Luca sighed. “Will also happens to be one of my investors for DeRossi Hospitality. A big investor.”

Steve clenched his fist, knuckles paling at the strain. “So, what—you knew from the get-go, too?”

Luca shrugged and looked at me. “We had never actually met in person until the night Kris brought him to poker for the first time.” He turned to Isaac and narrowed his eyes. “But you knew everything from the start and still kept it from all of us. Even your girlfriend.”

“Because I signed a fucking nondisclosure agreement!” Isaac shouted, slamming his glass on the bar. “Solomon would’ve fucking sued me if I told Hannah!”

“I don’t care what shit you signed,” Chase said, inserting himself into the shouting match. “Kristin has every fucking right to be pissed at y’all, because this—” he motioned between all of us “—is family business. And you don’t keep secrets from family.”

Mel shot Bridget a searing glare, which Bridget returned in equal measure.

Maddie scowled at Chase. “You knew, too. You and Bridget both did. And Bee told Mel. Any of y’all could’ve told Kris.”

“It’s on me,” I bellowed. “I’m the one who should have told her what I was doing there.”

“And what exactly were you doing?” Bridget asked with a sneer. “Prowling around, looking to pick up a vulnerable woman? Need someone to stroke your ego?”

“Goddammit!” I bellowed and slammed my beer bottle against the table, leaving a ridged dent in the wood. “I didn’t… Fuck—” My voice cracked on the last syllable. “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

Bridget’s demeanor was ice cold. “You don’t get a ‘get out of jail free card’ just because you didn’t mean to hurt her. You did the shit; you pay the fucking price. The poker club doesn’t lie to each other.”

“That’s rich,” Chase snorted.

Flames blazed in Bridget’s eyes as she slowly—terrifyingly—turned her head to Chase. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Get off your high horse, Bee,” Chase barked. “You fucking lied to all of us when you got engaged to that jackass you’re pretending to be in love with. And you weren’t gonna say a damn thing about it until he came traipsing in here like he owned the goddamn place!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Bridget shouted, her words laced with sarcasm. “Forgive me for not parading my relationship around like you and your one-night-stand turned whatever she is!”

All hell broke loose as the poker club unraveled. All nine of them shouted accusations at each other. Friends going at each other over little things they’d swept under the rug for years. Some of the drama—like Chase and Bridget—I was privy to. Other allegations were news to me.

I was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

What the fuck was I supposed to say? I pulled the small velvet box out of my pocket and opened it up, staring at the diamond intended for Kristin’s hand. I’d been carrying it around since the Christmas party. I kept hoping that maybe—just maybe—she’d open the line of communication.

But every call and text had gone unanswered.

I wanted to go to her house and sit outside until she let me in. She would’ve had me arrested for stalking, though. I was sure of it.

“Holy shit!” Erica shouted over the ruckus. “That diamond is the size of a fucking walnut!”

That got everyone’s attention.

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