Page 80 of Blind Luck

“Again?”

She sighed. “This isn’t the first time I’ve had an issue at work. I was designing a pool complex for a home in the Hamptons, and the client’s son acted inappropriate every time we were alone. I reported it to my manager and got pulled from the project, but when it came to my appraisal, I lost out on a raise because I ‘didn’t have the skills to deal with difficult clients.’”

Rusty looked pissed. “They passed you over for a raise because you stood up for yourself?”

“I know what you’re thinking—that I should have quit. But the manager left, and the firm always lands great projects, the kind I want to work on. And I’ve heard worse stories about other companies, so what if I jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire? Please don’t tell Silas about this, okay? He didn’t want me to come in the first place, and if he finds out what Jace did, the Raiders can saygoodbye to their first-pairing in defence because Silas will be busy fighting a murder charge.”

It was a big secret to keep, but if I were in the same situation with Zach and he had an important contest coming up, would I tell him? Probably not. Maybe later, when my past wasn’t at risk of ruining his future. Plus if Kelsey told Silas, and Silas lost his shit and sacrificed his career, then Jace would still have won.

“We’ll keep it quiet,” I promised. “Rusty tried calling him last night, but he didn’t pick up, and Rusty didn’t leave a voicemail. Rusty, if Silas calls back, can you spin a hockey story?”

“I guess.”

Kelsey managed a small smile. “Thank you.”

“What will you do, fly home to New York?” I asked.

“No, I’ll tell Jace I passed out at Rusty and Erin’s place and I can’t remember a thing.”

“You can’t be serious?”

“As I said, I want this promotion. And if you’re right and the golf course doesn’t progress, the project will get cancelled and I won’t look like a fool who can’t handle a pencil-dicked asshole like Jace Fuller.”

I liked Kelsey. I wasn’t sure going back to work at the Neptune was the smartest plan, but I’d have been bloody-minded enough to do it myself if I were in her position. After all, when Haven’s father had not only failed to pay child support but also refused to acknowledge the existence of his daughter, I’d done the legwork to get him convicted of fraud. Unfortunately, the prison sentence hadn’t ruined his life the way I hoped—he’d just taken the lying to a whole new level and gone into politics.

“I get where you’re coming from.”

“The cops wouldn’t do anything anyway. It would be my word against Jace’s and he’s a ‘well-respected businessman.’” She used little finger quotes around thewords. “He’ll say someone else put the GHB in my drink when neither of us was looking.”

Erin picked up where she left off. “It was busy that night in the Funhouse. He’ll claim he was acting like a gentleman and trying to get you safely home.”

“When we challenged him, he said Kelsey was his girlfriend,” Rusty pointed out.

True, but it wasn’t enough. “Hey, we all know Jace is lying, but it’s proving it in court that’s the problem.”

Dusk took a sip of her drink. She’d added whipped cream and piled it high with marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles. I had no idea where they’d come from—I couldn’t imagine Maverick Johansen drinking froufrou coffee.

“So we skip the court part.”

Kelsey stared at her. “What do you mean?”

“I’m just saying that we might not be able to send Jace to prison for what he did to you, but we can hit him where it hurts—right in the golf balls. Make sure he never gets to build his course and maybe have a little fun with him personally too.”

“Fun? Like ‘replacing his windshield washer fluid with syrup’ fun?”

“Rodrigo’s wife?” I asked.

Kelsey nodded. “You have to admire the woman.”

There it was again—that maniacal gleam in Dusk’s eyes, just for a heartbeat and then it was gone.

“Sure, we can do something like that.”

“I’m in, as long as he doesn’t find out it was me. And we can’t do anything that might hurt his wife—she seems really sweet, and she in no way deserves to be married to a slimeball like Jace.”

“You’ve met his wife?” I asked.

“They live in a penthouse at the Neptune, and we often have meetings there. He prefers in-person. And he said theregular conference rooms are booked up at this time of year. At first, I was worried he might try something when she wasn’t there, but she’s always there. I get the impression she isn’t allowed out much.”

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