Page 123 of Luck of the Draw

“As women, they have the luxury of expecting to be provided for by me until their husbands could do it. As a man, Brennan doesn’t have that luxury.”

“This entire family has that luxury because your great-great grandfather was a magnificent businessman, and we’re all riding his coattails,” Constance retorted. “You’re prone to punishing and manipulating Brennan because you have unfair expectations of him as our only son. It sounds like over the past couple of months, he’s been working harder than you ever have in your life.”

Orson gave a good-natured chuckle. “I suppose that’s true.” He gestured at Skye as if she were merely art on display in the room. “But look at what it’s done for him. I couldn’t be more pleased.”

The front door opened and closed, and a few moments later, Brennan returned to the dining room. “My apologies,” he said to everyone as he sat back down.

“Not at all, Brennan,” Orson said with a bemused smile. “Skye was just giving us a few more details about how things have been going. I have to be honest, I was not expecting such a positive update. But perhaps you have the ability to surprise me after all.”

“Pleasantly surprised, I hope,” Brennan said.

“Of course, of course.” Orson sipped his coffee. “I suppose you’ve learned your lesson about throwing money away on vice. I’m going to rescind our temporary financial restriction, but just because I do that, it’s not a license to revert to the way you were. If I get another massive bill from Harrah’s, we’re going back to square one.”

Brennan cleared his throat and pushed his plate away. He rested one forearm on the table and reached under the table to squeeze Skye’s hand, as if needing a last second reassurance. She squeezed his hand back.

“I sincerely appreciate that, Dad,” he began, “however, along those lines, I need to make you aware of a situation.”

The casual smile on Orson’s face faded to a neutral expression. “I’m all ears.”

“I want to preface this with the fact that I got myself into this situation a while back before…” He paused and looked at Skye and then back at his dad. “Just before all of this. Unfortunately, what I did was really stupid, and I’m going to deal with it on my own, however, for the purpose of transparency and honesty, I wanted to make you aware of what’s going on.”

“Well, let’s hear it, son.” Orson was visibly displeased, and Skye’s stomach turned.

The muscle in Brennan’s jaw flexed and released. “The past few years I’ve been gambling in an establishment that’s…uhm…less than reputable.”

Orson leaned forward and set his mouth, the look in his eyes indicating he already knew what Brennan was about to say. “How much less than reputable?”

“It’s an underground circuit. It’s run by a mobster. I owe him a lot of money. He’s ready to come after me. And the other day he threatened us in a way that makes it clear he’s going to do some damage if I don’t pay up.” Brennan squeezed his palm into a fist on the table. “However, I recognize that just paying them isn’t going to make them go away forever. The kind of relationship I’ve had with them over the past couple of years is one that they’d attempt to coerce me to maintain even if I paid them. It’s very complicated, and I’ve decided I just need to—”

Orson slammed his fist on the table, causing Skye and Constance to jump. He shoved his chair back, stood, and began pacing in circles. “My God, Brennan. How goddamn stupid are you?”

Brennan lifted his palms. “Really friggin’ stupid, but I—”

“And I suppose you expect us to pay off this crook, don’t you? That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

“I just said I have no intention of paying them. I’m in over my head, and my plan is to—”

“You’re damn right you’re in over your head!” Orson marched across the dining room. He grabbed Brennan’s lapels, dragged him to stand from the chair, and shook him as aggressively as he could being outweighed by his adult son. Brennan merely lifted his palms neutrally, just like when Skye had slapped him. “What in the hell is the matter with you? How in the hell could you do something like this? Marring our family name with your playboy antics for a decade was bad enough. Now you’ve connected us with organized crime? I could skin you alive! I should hand-deliver you to this cretin and let him have his way with you!”

Orson shoved Brennan again, pushing him farther away from the table and releasing him, but Brennan kept his hands lifted. “Dad, I’m really sorry. I know I screwed up, but I’m not here asking you to bail me out because I’m planning to—”

Orson hauled his fist back and slammed it into Brennan’s face. Brennan tumbled to the floor. Constance gasped, and Skye immediately darted from her chair to where he lay dabbing his bleeding nose with the back of his hand.

Constance and Orson began shouting at each other, her berating Orson for such a reaction, and Orson cursing up a storm while seemingly deaf to his wife’s tirade. Skye knelt next to Brennan, holding his face between her palms, and he didn’t meet her gaze.

His dad punched him, and he didn’t punch him back.

Skye slapped him, and he didn’t slap her back.

He just stood there and took it. Just like Liza said.

And now he was on the floor with a shattered, shaken look in his eyes.

There was something egregious and disturbing about the idea of anyone, herself included, raising a hand to a person like Brennan. All these days later, Skye was still sick over the fact that she’d done that. It was wrong to hurt anyone, but it was really wrong to hurt a person like him. He was too kind, too selfless, too good; too good for this world and too good for her, honestly.

“Brennan, look at me,” she said quietly.

He blinked a couple of times at the continued commotion from his parents, and then turned his eyes toward her.

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