Page 75 of Meet Me in Montreal

All at once, there was a change in the air, the slightest shift from warm and comfortable to tense. Above them, the sky had gone from electric blue to tinged with gold as the afternoon wound down. Yellow gold, like the sky of his sweet dream turning to fire.

“Maybe we shouldn’t go to the casino here tonight. We can go to the reserve. We could have a nice dinner and plan the next leg of our fabulous Canadian journey without Scott or a new girlfriend out of nowhere or Zoe, or anybody ready to act out. Fuck all those weirdos, right?” she asked, attempting a hopeful smile.

“Look, I’m not running from him,tesoro. Regardless of what his intentions are by coming out tonight, I’ve got to let him know he needs to stop fucking around here and now because I’m not tolerating any of his shit back home. It ends tonight, one way or another.”

So saying, he grabbed her hand, and with determination in every step, marched back to the hotel to get ready for the night ahead.

25

TOM SAWYER

VANESSA

The Jacques Cartier Bridge to Notre Dame Island, where the casino was located, was jam packed that evening. They should have known it might be, considering the town itself was full of out-of-towners for the festival. On the drive, she and Santino chit chatted about home and what his various siblings might be up to at that moment. Then they moved on to work, especially the fire station and updates on several of the guys she’d known for the short time they were married. But all the while, her heart was pumping as hard as beats in a club.

Santino, on the other hand, seemed wired, ready for battle. He had his playlist running through the truck’s speakers and was rocking out to Rush’s “Tom Sawyer.”

“Hey. Didn’t they play this at the beginning of Rob Zombie’s remake ofHalloween?” she asked.

“Huh. Did they? I don’t remember.” Santino continued, singing off pitch along with Geddy Lee’s vocals.

How fucking fitting. This felt vaguely like every scene in a horror movie where someone’s merrily and stupidly driving off to a mysterious, secluded place with a fucked up house as their destination but somehow only the audience seems aware that danger lies ahead. When the song ended, the next playlist started. It was totally different, and they went from 80s prog rock to modern hip hop. Specifically, Big Sean’s “Precision.” Another omen that wasn’t so great, considering the song featured gunshots.

When they were finally on the island and the complex came into view, Vanessa was awed at the size and scale, which momentarily took her mind off the knot in her stomach. Before Santino arrived, she hadn’t planned on coming here, and hadn’t done any research on the place.

“Damn. It looks like something out of Starfleet,” she murmured as she gazed up at the enormous white metal spires standing in a semi-circle around the art deco buildings. “Whoever built this must have been a hardcore Trekkie.”

“The website said it was part of some Expo back in the 1960s. This place isold.”

“Do not say that to your parents or my mother.”

The sun had set as they were crossing the bridge. When they pulled up to the circular roadway in front of the main entrance, Santino handed the keys to a valet. Bobby and Zoe had been texting back and forth on the drive, and pulled up moments later.

Santino pulled out his phone. As Bobby helped Zoe out of the passenger seat , her jaw dropped at Vanessa’s dress with her tall heels and big, billowing mane of puffy coils. Santino snapped a picture of Zoe’s face while Vanessa beamed.

He'd followed her instructions to a T. For once, she didn’t care about maintaining her cool or being the bigger person. If there were Ten Levels of Petty in Hell, she was going to press “B” forthe basement tonight. Same went for Scott if he actually showed up. Santino had agreed he wasn’t going to get physical with the man, but judging from the look on his face, he had some petty of his own planned should Scott show his face.

“Damn, Santino. How do you have my sister out here flashing the world?” Bobby asked with a mock scowl when he saw her dress. Then he eased into laughter. “I’m just playing. You look amazing.”

Bobby handed his keys to a second valet. Tonight, he was dapper in his sky-blue button-down dress shirt that complemented his dark skin, and dress pants with brown leather loafers.

“Thank you, thank you,” Vanessa said, doing exaggerated hair tosses over each shoulder, then laughing. “You both look great.”

Zoe was gorgeous, as always, Vanessa acknowledged with an internal grumble. She was clad in a bright poppy colored romper with her shoulder-length black hair loose and make up on point. Her chunky heels didn’t add a significant amount of height to her petite frame, but did make her bronzed legs look impossibly toned.

“Thank you,” Zoe said, turning around so they could get a good look at her ass in the romper and then shaking it at them. “I heard they have a club. I’m ready to dance to some good music tonight.” She cast a longer glance Santino’s way, who frowned.

Ignoring her, he said, “Virgil just texted. They’re already inside at one of the poker tables on Level A. Let’s get rollin’. I got money to make and money to take!” Santino walking into a gambling lair was like a prince returning home to his kingdom.

Bobby had already been informed via text that Virgil, Ling and a mysterious New Yorker would be joining them. Excitement showed clearly on his face and in his walk.

Did she feel a little like a conspirator knowing Bobby was probably going to be making eyes at the beautiful Ling while Zoe sat there?

Maaaayyybe.

Then, her gaze flicking to Zoe’s unsuspecting face, she felt a twinge of guilt. She knew if the situation was reversed, if it was Antoinette coming around and Santino was going to fawn over her, she wouldn’t like it if someone were popping popcorn to watch the mess unfold like it was a reality show.

Okay, so maybe she was too soft for the Basement Level of Petty. Perhaps Level 4 would make her feel like less of a jerk?

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