Page 97 of Forgotten Deeds

“Nah, I’ve got it from here.”

“Alright. I’m gonna head back to Newark. Text me when your restaurant opens, and I’ll bring my family.” At some point, Lily’s gotta forgive me. “Just don’t tell me you’re using any of Sergio’s recipes.”

“That fucker couldn’t cook for shit.” Fabio makes a face. “I’ll save a table for your family. Thanks, again.” He fist-bumps me.

“Any time you need a hand. Unless it’s to help you oil up for a photo shoot. You’re on your own with that.”

“Your jokes are nearly as bad as Sam’s,” he calls after me.

Hopping in my car, I notice a small drop of blood on my shirt, and so I drive over to Kat’s place. Letting myself inside with the spare key, I shower and change into clean clothes before wiping everything down with bleach.

The sound of a key jiggling in the lock has me hustling to the front.

“Darius, what the hell?” Kat exclaims, closing the door behind her. “You’re seriously trying to give me a heart attack!”

“I needed to use your bathroom.”

“You smell like bleach.” She wrinkles her nose. “Again.”

I shrug. “What’s going on with the poker room?”

“Don’t know,” she tells me. “No one’s approached me about dealing.”

“Be more approachable,” I advise her.

Kat narrows her eyes. “Trust me, I’m trying. I can assure you I don’t want your terrifying boss and his goon breathing down my neck.”

“Explain to me again how you found yourself in that basement,” I say, taking a seat on the couch.

“My friend, Taylor, told me about an opportunity at a private party—”

“And you didn’t think to ask whose party?” I interject.

“When you put it that way, it was really dumb on my part. But no, I didn’t ask. I’ve been a dealer at parties in private settings before; I didn’t think anything about it.”

“Walk me through it. How did you know where to go?” I ask.

“I rode with Taylor,” she answers, taking a seat across from me in a chair.

“How did Taylor know where to go?”

“She got the details about the party from Russell, the guy who runs Aces Wild Boxing Club,” Kat answers. “She’s the one who recommended I start working out there. I hope the family isn’t terrorizing her; she doesn’t have a clue about this world.”

Not my problem. “So you rode with Taylor to Ace’s Wild. Then what happened?”

“Russell introduced himself. He seemed like a nice guy,” she adds. Yeah, real nice asshole who shot me. “Taylor and I stashed our bags in the locker room before Russell escorted us to the basement. I set up my blackjack table, and soon the party started. I dealt for a few hours, and the party wrapped up.”

“Then what?” I press.

“Then that’s it. Russell paid us, and we left. I swear to you, no one mentioned anything about John Davis,” she implores.

I could show her John Davis’ photo from the motel—see if she recognizes him—but I decide to hold that card. Whether she meant for it to happen or not, Kat’s now a player in this game; the stakes life or death.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Lily

My lawyer and I pass through security, stepping inside the courtroom. I take a seat beside her, trying not to fidget.

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