Page 82 of Russian Roulette
I let out a long sigh. “I realize that. I can’t help wondering, though, if there isn’t something to his crazy way of thinking. Bad things happen around him and others get hurt. Yet he always walks away with nothing more than a few broken bones.”
“Stop dwelling on it. Now you’re sounding as nuts as he is. Jade will be fine. He’ll bring her back safely.”
“You sound too sure,” I say. “I hope your confidence comes from something besides wishful thinking.”
“When they return, I’m taking her straight back to my place,” Seven says. “She’s safe there, and it’s the best place for her to stay until we figure out what’s happening with Giovanni.”
“Whoa! Hang on. What’s your plan? To have Leroy watch her every second you’re not there? Don’t you have a show tonight too? What’s Leroy supposed to do? Babysit Jade all the time? That wasn’t our plan, and it won’t work indefinitely. Jade will give him the slip the first chance she gets.”
“No, she won’t,” Seven says. “She won’t run again.”
“Why not?” I ask. “Did something happen to make her decide to hang around? Because she was running as fast as she could go two days ago.”
There’s something Seven isn’t telling me. He doesn’t have to. I should’ve picked up on the signs before now. He’s eaten up with jealousy over Vulcan being with Jade today instead of him.
“You fucked her, didn’t you? You might as well admit it.”
The question hangs between us. His eyes shoot to mine.
“What makes you say that?” he asks.
“Don’t bother denying it, if you were planning to,” I tell him. “We’ve never lied to each other. No need to start now.”
“I wasn’t going to deny it,” he replies, glancing away. “Just for the record.”
Even though I halfway expected it, the thought of another man touching Jade still stings. My hands unconsciously tighten into fists by my side.
“And you think a one-night stand is enough to keep Jade around?” I ask. “It must’ve been a helluva fuck. You’re a dumbass if you think she’s still not going to run. For a hustler, you trust too easily.”
“No, I guess I’m just hoping she won’t run while knowing she probably will.”
“Things are playing out exactly the way I was afraid of,” I say. “Now that you’ve slept with Jade, you’re trying to lay claim to her. You want her to stay at your place because you wantherperiod. Even if it’s not the best thing for her safety. Meanwhile, Vulcan and Jade are flying around out there in the wild, blue yonder doing no telling what.”
“You think he’s trying to fuck her?” Seven asks. “Where? In the helicopter?”
I laugh at his question. “Why wouldn’t he? He wants her, too. And helicopters can land almost anywhere. They could be at his RV in the desert right now, screwing each other’s brains out.”
I’m intentionally pushing Seven’s buttons hard because I understand Vulcan. He’s attracted to Jade too, and will go after her full force with nothing slowing him down. Vulcan never takes ‘no’ for an answer, and being with Jade won’t be any different. Seven needs to get a grip on his emotions. Otherwise, this situation will erupt into a problem between the two of them I can’t mediate.
“Jade wouldn’t do that,” he says, a touch of uncertainty creeping into his voice. “Would she?”
“Why not?” I ask. “What do you know about her? Not a damn thing. Only what she’s told us. We can’t even find out her real name. It can’t be Jade Stone. She could be playing us from the very beginning.”
“Hey guys, I might know something that could help,” Leroy mumbles sleepily from the front seat of the limo. He’s been so quiet I forgot he was in the limo with us. “I must’ve fallen asleep for a minute or two up here.” He sits up straighter in his seat, then turns around to look at us. “Your yapping was boring me into a coma.”
“What is it?” Seven asks. “Something concerning Jade?”
Leroy rubs his eyes to wipe the sleep away. “Yeah, I’m supposed to be helping her find someone. An old friend of hers. I told her I would make a few phone calls to help her out.”
Seven’s mouth drops open. “And you’re just now telling me this? Who are you searching for?”
“A Ukrainian girl that works in a strip club. Tall, blonde, blue-eyed, gorgeous. That’s all Jade gave me to go on. Since strip clubs are my specialty, I offered to check around for her.”
“What else did she say?” Seven asks.
“Only to keep it on the lowdown if I find her, since Jade wants to show up and surprise her,” Leroy replies. “Maybe they’re old school friends.”
“Jade told me she never had friends in school,” Seven says. “Did you make any calls yet to find the girl?”
