Page 92 of The Price of Love

“Shit. That came out wrong. I hate that Dimples was struggling, but I just got back from her room. She’s doing better, and it lit a fire under my ass. Fucking Frost isn’t going to destroy everything I’ve worked for—everything that’s important to me.”

“That’s the spirit.” Shadow’s silence fills the space, but something tells me she has more to say. “Um, I’ve been thinking a lot about Saturday.”

Uh-oh. This can’t be good. “What about it?”

I brace myself for her answer.

“It rattled me,” she says.

I roll out of bed and pace across my room. This is my biggest fear come true. What was I thinking? A Steel Grace could never be comfortable in my world.

I hear her breathing on the other end of the line. I need to respond, but how?

“Are you still there?” she asks.

“Uh, yeah.” I’m scared and feel myself wanting to withdraw, but I told Dimples earlier it was time for me to be courageous and not back down. But this will take more courage than dealing with Frost. “I’m not sure what to say. I’m scared.”

“You are?” There’s surprise in her voice.

“Yeah. I’m afraid that you’re going to decide this is too much. That I’m too much. And I don’t know how to stop it.”

“You’re really afraid?”

“Geesh, it was hard enough saying it the first two times. Ya want me to say it again?”

She chuckles, which is what I hoped for.

“I suppose twice was enough.” Her tone is much less guarded. “You just surprised me.”

“Why?” I’m still pacing my room, but I slow, feeling a slight sense of hope.

“The you I’m getting to know. The you who admitted being scared doesn’t match what I saw Saturday night.”

“You saw a bad night. That’s not who I am.” I flop onto my bed, tiring of walking in a circle. “I’ve spent the last few days hating myself.” And hating Frost. “If only I’d said no and not taken you that night. I—”

“Stop beating yourself up. I’ve done a lot of thinking—soul searching—and I keep coming back to the same thing.”

“Which is?” I’m both nervous and hopeful as I await her answer.

“I like you. You make me feel safe and protected. You make me laugh. And I look forward to talking to you every night when I get home. It wasn’t like you went out searching for trouble. The night was fun. The gamblers were great. I can’t hold it against you what one loose cannon does.”

“Thank you.” I finally feel like I can breathe.

“You said earlier that you had a fire lit under your ass. Well, I’ve had something lit inside me, too. I want to see where this leads.”

“Me too. More than you may ever understand.”

“Trust me, I’m pretty sure I do.”

CHAPTER 36

DIMPLES

I dab blush on my cheeks, hoping to give myself a little more color. I never wear much makeup, but occasionally, I need a little extra to boost my confidence. This week is one of those weeks. I even used eyeliner to make my eyes pop. I glance in the mirror, and it’s done the trick.

Even though I’m still shaky, something with Storm has changed. I felt the shift the night we talked in my room. I thought maybe she was putting on a show, trying to draw me out of my funk, but two days later, she’s still got her fire. With church tomorrow night, she’s gonna need every ounce.

Frost has laid low, but I don’t believe for a second that she’s crawled back into her hole. The vibe around the clubhouse is simmering with tension. Some haveta know what she’s up to, but they aren’t talking. Most want to stay out of it, but some favor Frost. The question is, how many? If too many flip, it’ll cripple operations. Our skeleton crew for Casino Night made it work, but long term, once Moonlight Races start up next month, we won’t have enough hands to go around.