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“Yuri wants his money,” Ben mumbled past split and swollen lips.

“But you have two more weeks until it’s due.” Viv placed her hands on Ben’s cheeks and twisted his head from side to side to inspect the bruising that was already turning from red to purple.

Ben knew his sister well enough to let her fuss, and Jay was glad, because when Vivian tried to be kind, she got angry if her efforts were rejected.

“Yuri didn’t like that we were at our gambling-addiction meeting,” Jay said, shutting the door behind Wade, who sidled along the wall and tried to look invisible.

Vivian dropped her hands and spun on Jay with angry eyes.

Jay wondered if she held him responsible for Ben’s big mouth—even bigger now that he got punched a few times.

Spinning on her heels, Vivian stormed toward the kitchenette. “Did they hit anyone besides Ben? Are the rest of you hurt?” she asked, pulling the freezer door open.

“Only me,” Ben said, collapsing onto the couch.

“Yuri was outside the church, waiting for us,” Wade explained from the shadow. “He thinks the gamblers’ addiction support meetings are a waste of time and effort.”

“That’s right,” Jay said, dropping into the recliner. He was so damned tired. And scared. Terrified. Tonight had been a shit show, but it was over. It could have gone worse. “Yuri thinks that instead, we should be putting all our time and effort into paying back our debts.”

“He offered us good odds on the game tonight.” Wade moved to sit at the end of the couch opposite Ben. “If we won, we’d be clear and could go on about our lives. One bet and the stress is gone.” He snapped his fingers.

Vivian—ice tray in hand, the freezer still open—rounded on Wade, visibly and unmistakably simmering with rage. “You didn’t.” It was a snarl that Jay knew came from a place of deep fear.

He felt it, too.

All of them were panicked over what came next.

“We didn’t,” Jay soothed. “Babe, I swore to you that was over. I swore I’d get Ben and Wade out of it. I’ve lived up to my oath.” He looked over at Ben and took a stab at lightening things a bit. “I’d like your brother off our couch as soon as possible. And if Wade kept on, he’d be sleeping in our recliner. We only have one bathroom.” He couldn’t pull it off as a joke. Those were the facts.

“So Yuri said that?” Vivian shut the freezer with her shoulder and cracked the ice tray, dumping the cubes onto the kitchen towel with a spaghetti stain from last night’s dinner.

Jay kept his mouth shut about that.

“He said one win, and you pay everything off?” Viv asked. “And what happened next?”

“Ben told him to go to hell, that we’d have all the money in time.” Wade pulled the throw pillow from behind his back and hugged it to his chest. “Yuri didn’t like being told where to go.” He waved toward Ben’s face.

“You won’t, though.” Vivian focused on tying the cloth, forming a make-do ice bag. “There’s no way to get that kind of money even if we sold everything we own—our cars—emptied our retirement accounts. There isn’t that kind of money.”

Vivian walked over to the couch and handed her brother the ice.

Ben took it, focused on the chunk of sauce, then stuck it on his mouth anyway.

“Yeah, I was thinking about that the whole drive home,” Jay said. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about it since this morning’s security meeting at Alabaster.” He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, pressing the pads of his fingers together. “I came up with a plan that I think we could pull off. I’ve been working on the idea all day.” He turned to look each person in the eye, landing on Viv. “My idea is kind of out there.”

“How far out there are we talking about?” Wade asked.

Jay hadn’t taken his gaze from Vivian. “Viv is going to hate this.”

“How much am I going to hate this?” She crossed her arms under her boobs and leaned against the door jamb. “Hate this more than the three of you being tortured to death and my never getting your bodies back for burial? Because I’m pretty open to any and all possibilities to save you from this shit show you got yourselves into. I’d shoot Yuri myself, but he’s just one cockroach in the nest.”

Jay heard the pain in her voice. And the accusations.

“Gambling was never about a high for me,” Jay said quietly. “It was only about pulling myself out of this goddamned debt. I fight for my country and come back with limited marketable skills. I have nothing in my bank account. Nothing. My credit cards are maxed. They’re going to repossess my car. It’s not like we live extravagantly.” He spread his arms wide to take in the modest apartment stuffed to overflowing with the furniture that they hadn’t culled when they moved in together. “I have an honest job. I work regular hours. Overtime. I can’t keep up.” He held out his hand toward Ben. “Ben with his grad school loans. The money runs dry on his wild animals study grant, and who’s going to hire him? Who needs a guy who can dope up a bear and record its vitals?”

Vivian was seething. Jay imagined heat waves rippling from her head. If Ben and Wade weren’t there, she’d be taking his head off.

“Or you,” Jay said quietly and only somewhat regretted bringing her into the fold of their shitshow.