Page 92 of Sergei
Today and always.
EPILOGUE
Three Years Later
“We’ve got a situation.”
“Okay.” I didn’t like the sound of his voice and almost dreaded asking, “What’s going on?”
“We’ve got a VIP in the high-limit lounge shouting that we cheated him out of a hundred grand.”
I leaned back in my chair and stared out the window overlooking the lake. “Who?”
“Name’s Carter Briggs. Oil money out of Texas,” Hugh answered with annoyance. He was the general manager of the Black Crown in West Memphis, and like me, he didn’t like to deal with bullshit. “He’s been here three times this month alone, and there’s never been an issue until now.”
“So, what’s the deal?”
“He claims the dealer palmed chips, but there’s nothing on the cameras.”
“Then, he’s full of shit.”
“That he is, but his people are getting loud. Security is containing it for now, but you know how this kind of thing can go.”
“They think if they bark loud enough, they’ll get their way. They’re wrong.” I got up and started to pace. “Pull the footage from every angle of that table and send it to me and Jenson. If the dealer fucked up, I’ll handle it. But if this prick is lying…”
“He is,” Hugh cut in. “I’ll send you the footage, but I’ve already checked the pit logs twice. Dude lost fair and square.”
“Then tell security to escort him and his fucking ego off the floor. Time to remind this asshole he isn’t in Texas anymore. He’s in my house. If he wants to accuse me of cheating, he can do it from the goddamn parking lot with a couple of bruised ribs and a fractured jaw.”
“So, you don’t want me to try to comp this thing away?”
“Fuck no. If you want to give this guy something, give him directions to the nearest fucking ATM.”
There was a beat of silence before Hugh chuckled, “Understood.”
I ended the call and slipped the phone back in my pocket. I was still pacing, hoping to settle my temper when I heard voices coming from the living room. The softness of it put me at ease in a way nothing else could.
It was the sound ofmy family.
Those were words I thought would never belong to me.
When I found out that Alina was pregnant, I was a little apprehensive. I’d always known it was a possibility, but I’d never given it much thought. I just assumed it was always going to be just us, and I was good with that. But with each doctor’s visit and ultrasound, I became more and more enamored by the idea of having a family with her.
But when I imagined raising our firstborn, I had always envisioned a son. Never considered the chances of us having agirl. Not even when the ultrasound showed we were having one. It didn’t truly set in until the day Evie was born, and that was when my whole world was turned inside out.
She was everything good in the world wrapped up into one beautiful, perfect package. She had her mother’s eyes, big and bright enough to make a man forget his own name. But she had my strong will, God help us all. She was just over two, and she walked around the apartment like she owned the deed to the building.
Her hair curled at the ends like Alina’s, and every time I looked at her, I thought maybe the universe didn’t hate me as much as I thought. Let’s just say, the kid had me wrapped around her little finger, and she used it to her advantage.
I was sitting at the table, going through some emails, when I heard the shuffle of little feet come up behind me. She marched up to me with no hesitation. No fear or doubt. Just pure determination jammed into twenty-five pounds of pure joy and utter chaos.
She gave my pants leg a tug and demanded, “Ice keem.”
“Ice cream?” I don’t even try to fight the smile as I scooped her up. “Vanilla or chocolate?”
“Yes!” she answered, beaming.
“You got it, pretty girl.”
