Page 29 of Spades

Fear.

12

MADDOX

Alissa has zoned out.She didn’t even notice when Seven dropped our drink order off, but she’s been absentmindedly sipping her martini for the last several minutes, and it’s nearly empty now.

I clear my throat. She blinks a few times and redirects her gaze back to me.

“Sorry,” she says. “Just taking in the club again, I suppose.”

I wrinkle my forehead. I don’t think that was what she was freaked out about.

She’s had three drinks. Maybe they’re hitting her all at once. She’s got a very slender build. She could be a lightweight.

“Would you like me to get you a glass of water from the bar? Or an Irish coffee, hold the Irish?”

She swallows, shakes her head. “No, no. It’s not the booze. It’s…”

She presses her lips together, darts her eyes back and forth subtly.

“It’s what, Alissa?” I reach across the table and give her hand a light squeeze again.

“You’ll have to forgive me. I’ve got a lot on my mind,” she says. “Lots going on at the hospital.” She shakes her head, grabs her drink, takes a long sip. “But never mind that. What were we talking about?”

I smile. “Music. The symphony.”

“Right.” She runs her hands through her long blond hair. “You’ve never gone.”

“Right. But I’d love to take you to that performance we talked about next week.”

She cocks her head. “You really mean that? I’ve had dates offer to take me to the symphony before. It’s usually a line.”

I let go of her hand, trail my fingers up her arm a few inches—God, her skin is like the finest Mulberry silk—looking straight into her eyes. “It’s not with me, Alissa. You can take that to the bank.” I pull out my phone. “I can get us tickets right now.”

She widens her eyes. “Oh, that won’t be necessary. I’ll have to check my calendar first. And I left it at home.”

“You don’t keep your calendar on your phone?”

She chuckles lightly. “No. I’m a weirdo in that way. I’ve always needed to keep my schedule in a physical book. Not sure why. It’s a pain in the arse to have to constantly check it when I could just pull up an app on my phone and see.”

“I don’t think that’s weird, Alissa. I think it’s charming.” I laugh. “You’ve seen my shop. My car. I live for vintage. It’s nice to have a world that exists outside of a screen.”

She looks at me, really looks at me, as if I’m an ancient hieroglyph she’s trying to decipher.

“You’re something, Maddox.” She finishes her martini, looks around, and raises a hand in the air.

Immediately a server comes. This one is male, with shaggy dark hair and piercing brown eyes, his bare shoulders revealing him as the Four of Spades. He bows his head at Alissa.

“One more of those delicious gin and tonics, please.” She turns to me. “Maddox, would you like something?”

This is her fourth drink. That’s a lot, even for me. Good thing I’m driving her home. “I’ll just have a sparkling water, Four. Twist of lemon. Thank you.”

Four nods, whisking away silently.

It’s only our first date. It’s not my place to ask Alissa if she should stop drinking. I don’t know her that well yet—for all I know, she could have the tolerance of a forty-year-old lumberjack.

“You like those elderflower gin and tonics?” I ask.

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