Page 30 of Reckless Pawn

Maybe.

I finished making the abandoned coffee and poured the first cup as soon as it brewed. Lifting the mug to my mouth, I sipped at the hot liquid until I felt it begin to take hold of me. I wanted to complete my morning ritual by sitting on my porch and looking out at the mountains in the distance. They always reminded me of Houston and the way he had described everything about this area to me. I wondered what he might have been like as a boy growing up near here.

Last night's dream remained more vivid than any of the others. It had seemed so real I swore I still felt his hands on me. I crossed to the window and looked over the meadow. I had asked him to kiss me and when he did I'd felt it clear to my toes and back again.

I pressed my forehead to the glass and blew out a hard breath. When would I get past him? I lived under my father's roof for almost twenty years and his betrayal meant nothing anymore. But Houston. Fuck. One stupid fling wasn't supposed to matter this much.

As I grappled with my hazy dreams, the door burst open and I turned to see Sasha rushing through it. "You're in the clear. According to what I could find, the drug should be out of your system by tonight and the worst of the effects should be over. You just need to be sure and hydrate." She held up her phone so I could look.

I wracked my brain trying to remember something about taking any pills and came up with no memory. The last thing I remembered was sitting in the employee lounge after freaking out over my customer getting handsy with me. Although even that didn't seem all that important now either.

"I still don't get how someone roofied me last night. I wasn't even drinking."

"It was Mandy. You were having some sort of anxiety attack and she gave you one of her pills. I didn't know at the time what it was. I thought it was a Xanax or something. She's a crazy high-strung bitch so at first I didn't find it all that surprising that she'd have something to control anxiety."

"Aren't roofie's illegal? Where did she get it?"

Sasha shrugged. "I don't know."

My mind reeled with the possibilities. "Are they from the club?"

"Fuck no. JD doesn't allow his people to do drugs. Well, except pot since that's legal and all. But anything harder than that and you get caught…you're out. No second chances. Of course that doesn't keep people from drinking like fishes." She waggled her eyebrows.

"So what happens now? I just forget that she drugged me and work goes on business as usual?" That didn't sound fair. Not that I had a lot of expectations about life being fair.

She shook her head. "Uhm…no. That's the best part. Mandy's room is right next to mine in the club bunkhouse and at about five a.m. this morning I woke up to her yelling. It seems JD fired her ass and sent one of the guys to eject her from club property. She's history. We won't have to waste another minute looking at her sourpuss face or listen to anymore of her bitching. So see? Silver lining. It sucks you were drugged and all, but the outcome is perfect. Tonight the casino is going to be like a breath of fresh air without that bitch breathing down our necks."

"Jeez, Sasha. Why don't you tell me how you really feel?"

Sasha giggled. "I can't help myself. I'm kind of known as the one without a filter. So try not to take it personally."

"So noted. If you still want coffee there's another cup on the counter."

"Perfect. I am so ready for caffeine." She grabbed the mug and joined me at the window. "Why do you look so sad? Are you looking for something out here or waiting for someone? Like maybe the hottie from last night?"

"I still don't know what hottie you're talking about. I can't remember shit from last night. It's time for you to fill in the blanks."

"I can't tell you much. He scooped you up and got you the hell out of there before any of us could say a word to stop him."

"But who ishim? Seriously, I can't remember anything."

She hesitated, taking another sip of coffee before saying anything else. "I don't know his name. He showed up here a couple months ago and seemed real tight with the club. Then a few weeks later he disappeared. Last night was the first time I've seen him since then."

A niggling memory began working its way through my mind. There was a mind numbing kiss… I pressed my fingers to my lips. The dream was vague and yet so real. It wasn't like the real memories I clung to from our time together in Seattle. The feelings from my dreams last night evoked a sense of safety and protectiveness. Hardly the kind of thoughts I should feel after being drugged by a bitch of a coworker.

"What did he look like?" I asked, trying not to get my hopes up that Houston had visited me.

"Uhm… tall, gorgeous and hunky."

I rolled my eyes. "That describes half the club. Can you be more specific?"

Sasha pursed her lips. "Brown hair, kind of light. Just long enough for you to slip your fingers through and grab hold while he fucks you blind. And God those eyes. Panty melting blue that seem to see right through you."

"Houston."

I grabbed onto the counter and tried to breathe as the room began to spin around me. It had to be him. The somewhat crude and sexual description she gave matched exactly how I felt when around him.

"So you do know him then? Girl, you are holding out so give it up. Now it's your turn to spill all the details. Who is he? Is he Wrath? I can't remember if he had a cut on last night. I was so pissed at Mandy and worried about you I didn't focus on much else than his face."

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