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As the man’s face came into view, I recognized him as Simon’s younger cousin, Hal. This made no sense. From what Tyler relayed about Simon’s cousin, they hated each other on a good day. Simon hadn’t even introduced me to him or his Uncle Albert at the engagement party.
Something about him seemed off, as if he knew he wasn’t supposed to be anywhere in the vicinity. His gaze scanned the area constantly. That’s when I noticed the poker chip he twirled between his fingers, and my heartbeat accelerated.
It was one of the ones I used for the Silent Night events. It had the custom moon-and-stars emblem engraved in it, representing the ancient goddess of night.
We accounted for every chip at the end of an event. Covering our asses was a priority. And the only time a chip had gone missing since I started running my events at the age of eighteen was after the night David had played against the Middle Eastern royals I told him not to even consider approaching.
Now, Hal Drakos had possession of it. Which meant he wanted something from me.
Fuck.
Pulling out my cell, I sent a message to Stevie and informed her that I’d located the missing chip. Immediately, she responded.
STEVIE:Either tell your fiancé to handle it, or you need to come clean to your brothers. I’m sure they will take great pleasure in handling it their way.
ME:Getting them to fix my problems means I’m tied to their world.
STEVIE:When are you going to realize it’s your world too? It’s not something you can just decide to leave, no matter what you believe. Besides, what you do isn’t exactly toeing the line. If you really wanted a normal life, you’d have to become an actual flower shop owner, or maybe a college professor.
ME:Can we keep the lectures to a minimum at the moment? There are other priorities we need to focus on. Maybe I should meet with him and find out what the fuck he wants.
STEVIE:That’s a bad idea on an epic proportion.
I sighed. Not a second later, another message came in.
STEVIE:I’m sending Tony over. He’ll keep watch over your fake future in-law. Get your ass back in here.
Damn. Stevie was seriously bossy when in protector mode.
Less than thirty seconds later, Tony stood before me, completely blocking me from Hal or anyone’s view. The concern on his face had me pausing a smartass remark I was about to make.
“Nyx, you need to follow orders and get back inside. With the shit going on in Drakos’s house, the last thing we want to do is make you a target.”
I wanted to probe him for more information, but I was positive he wouldn’t give it to me. Especially if Tyler or Papa had told him not to say anything.
A lump settled in my gut.
This is how this would continue when I stepped away from everything. I’d remain part of the family but separate. Never again a member of the inner circle. Never again the one to give Papa or my brothers a perspective outside of the day-to-day operations of the organization.
Releasing a sigh, I pushed the melancholy down. I turned back toward the garden offices and made my way inside with Tony close behind me.
“You can always change your mind.” Tony’s gentle words caused an ached to bloom in my chest.
“I don’t know what I want anymore.”
“Is it because of Drakos or your family?”
“Drakos has nothing to do with it. We’re over.” Just saying that left a sour taste in my mouth.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
I glared at him over my shoulder. “I am. Can you arrange for a jet to take me home? I want to see my family.”
“So, you’re finally going to tell them? It may be for the best.”
“No.”
“Then tell Drakos about the chip.”
