Page 67 of Trick's Trap

She screwed her nose up, unsure if she wanted to know.

“Apparently, the whole family is up in arms about a series of financial reversals. It’s nothing too major. They’re not broke—unfortunately. Not yet. But all these little things cropping up should keep them busy for a while. My friend at the FCC thinks there’s something fishy going on with them judging from their investment patterns. He’s optimistic he can get something on them. In the meantime, my buddy Mason from Interpol is checking some of their overseas operations. Your family has a long reach, but we’re going to find something on them. I don’t want you to worry. Your family’s bad luck is our good fortune.”

Something about that last phrase made her skin crawl. “Yeah,” she said, twisting her engagement ring absently.

“Don’t tell Trick I said that by the way. He swears like a sailor anytime anyone uses that word.”

“What word?”

“Luck. Or more specifically, he loses his shit when someone calls you lucky. But this is good news,” he insisted.

That didn’t make her feel any better, but she tried to appear more confident. “I know. Thank you.”

Ethan grinned, his tone a little too deliberately upbeat. “That rock weighing you down? You should have Trick get you a normal-sized one that you don’t have to drag behind you.”

She lifted her left hand into a fist. “It would make a good weapon, don’t you think?”

“Yeah… So you said you had lunch with Peyton. She’s in today?”

Tahlia nodded, her lip twitching. She’d had lunch with Peyton and Maggie, but Ethan had a one-track mind.

“Peyton should be at her desk downstairs. I actually forgot to give her something at lunch.” She stood and went for one of the many boxes littering the dining room table.

She fished the wedding invitation with her friend’s name on it out and handed it to Ethan. “If you’re headed down there, can you do me a favor and give this to her? I’m not done addressing them all so the W’s aren’t done yet, but I can do yours really quick if you can wait.”

Ethan tried not to beam at her. He snatched the invitation from her hand and was at the door before she could blink.

“Don’t worry about it,” he called behind her. “It’s not like I don’t know where it’s going to be!”

He waved goodbye, rushing out without further delay.

She couldn’t help but laugh. Ethan was shameless. She only prayed her friend would wake up and see what a great guy he was.

Tahlia remembered Peyton’s face when she saw Liam with his girlfriend on the security feeds. Maybe that was too much to ask. Ethan had an uphill battle ahead of him. Things could get ugly.

However, there was nothing she could say or do that would help anyone involved. Resolving to not interfere, she went back to her wedding invitations before settling down in front of the computer for a little online poker.

A few hours later, her screen was filled with giant letters.

WINNER.

Tahlia gasped, watching the numbers in her pot jump an entire order of magnitude.

“Patrick!”

Damn it.He wasn’t here. Tahlia rushed out the door to find him in his office, but he was out.

Oh, right.He was meeting with some vendors in the kitchens this afternoon. Tahlia hurried out, catching sight of Liam arguing with Peyton by the elevators.

She was too far to hear what they were saying, but it was obvious Liam was reading Peyton the riot act.

Concerned, Tahlia shuffled her feet, debating going forward to casually interrupt. Liam was a very private person. He’d probably stop picking on Peyton as soon as he saw she was there, witnessing it all.

Tahlia needn’t have worried. Her friend was having none of it. The elevator doors opened behind them and Peyton stalked inside, flipping off Liam as she went.

Grumbling, he spun on his heel, checking himself mid-step when he saw her standing there.

“Hi,” she said, wishing Peyton had waited for her.

---