Page 12 of Trick's Trap

Tahlia shuddered, the last traces of her crying jag wearing off. She bent to take off the broken heel.

Without tools, there was no salvaging it—not in a way that would last for more than a few steps.

Tahlia grimaced, trying to snap the remaining heel off, but unlike its partner, this one held fast.

Damn it.Huffing, she began to hammer the shoe against the concrete wall next to the dumpster.

Theseventh blow knocked the thin spike off the shoe.Once she was done, she had a very uncomfortable pair of flats—but to her eye, they appeared even. She was presentable.

You can do this.Tahlia fisted her hands, giving herself a stern pep talkbefore rounding the corner to try again. That bouncer wasn’t going to stop her this time. If he did, she would demand to see Chao personally.

She walked up to the staircase, her shoes scraping the pavement instead of tapping the way heels did. The quieter shoes saved her life. She was almost there when she realized her cousin Dante was less than ten feet away.

Tahlia reared back, diving around the corner.Shit. Had he seen her?

Cowering behind the dumpster, she waited for the sounds of pursuit, but nothing came.

Tahlia put her hand over her heart. They found the marker…but how did Dante know she would be there tonight? Or was one of them staking out the place every night?

The latter seemed more likely. It wasn’t as if either of her cousins had jobs—not unless being an asshole counted as a profession.

Oh, my God.If her heel hadn’t broken, she’d be inside now. It would have all been over.

What am I going to do now?Tahlia dug her nails into her palm, a trick she learned in childhood to jolt her brain into action. It worked.

You’re going to stop being an idiot.Chao’s was an institution, but it wasn’t the only underground gambling den in the world. Rooms like this opened and closed all the time. The other ones she knew in Boston were defunct, but one of her online poker forums kept a running tab. Most were listed in New York.

I should have gone there from the start.Staying in Boston had been stupid. In fear and apprehensions of the unknown, she’d clung to the familiar sites of her adopted city, the only one she’d ever been to outside of her hometown in Florida.

New York was intimidating to the average person, but for someone like her—with little to no experience of the outside world—it was a terrifying prospect. But Tahlia was at rock bottom. Any more bad luck and she’d be on the streets selling her body.

Wouldn’t that be the ultimate irony? After years spent under lock and key, she was contemplating prostitution as a viable option.

At least I won’t have to hitchhike to New York.The bus that ran from Chinatown to the city was cheap enough for her meager funds. She’d find a shelter and then the nearest underground game. Once she replenished her cash, she’d think about getting farther away—someplace warmer. Maybe Oregon. She liked trees. Or Mexico. Warm beaches had a lot of appeal to a native Floridian. Tahlia didn’t look it, but she was half-Cuban and knew a little Spanish. She would get by.

Just knowing Dante was inside Chao’s was enough to make her pick up her pace and get moving. It was almost as if her cousin could see her.

Enough. Tahlia was done living in fear. Her cousin survived their first confrontation, but if they met up again, someone would die. Tahlia strongly preferred that person be Dante or Cain, but if worse came to worst, she would escape again…permanently.

She wouldn’t let them take her alive.

Chapter 7

Trick was having a hard time concentrating on the plans in front of him. His eyes were blurring, and the fine letters were jumping around, but he couldn’t put this off again. He’d promised Liam these blueprints would be approved yesterday.

If only the tiny text on them wasn’t so small.I have to ask those architects to send over a blown-up version.

“Are you even listening to me?”

He lifted his head, staring blankly at his brother. When had Liam come into his office? And why was he wearing one of his charcoal Friday suits on a Wednesday?

“I’m sorry what?” he asked.

Liam clucked his tongue at him. “I’ve been talkingatyou for five minutes. I can’t even say talkingwithyou because all you’ve done since I walked into the room was grunt. Have you heard a single word I’ve said?”

“Err…”

Liam sighed heavily. “I was just telling you I looked those over yesterday and sent the approval in myself. It was the only way to keep the Sydney expansion on schedule.”

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