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“Not if I don’t have to, but you’ve been busy with other projects.” He glances over. “You’ve been coming in less and less. Spending more time out there.” He nods in the general direction of the desert. “I’ve been picking up your slack around these parts.”
I bristle at his tone, but I keep it cool, because he’s right. Ren’s been stepping up and I appreciate him for it.
“I’ve been making sure this plan comes together.”
“You’ve been lusting after your houseguest.”
“Easy,” I say, eyes narrowing.
“That’s what I mean.” He jabs a finger at me. “A comment like that never would’ve bothered you before.”
“Hellie’s different. Things are different.”
“Yeah? Why? Tell me what it is about this girl, and maybe I’ll understand why she’s worth putting yourself through all this shit.”
I open my mouth to tell him off but stop. Ren’s always had my back, and if he’s doing this now, it’s because he cares.
Why is Hellie different?
It’s a reasonable question from his perspective. I’ve been with plenty of women over the years, but I’ve never cared about one the way I care about Hellie.
Why is she worth it?
“She’s got something,” I say, straining to find words. I take another drink. I’ve never been good at expressing myself. I’m the quiet one in the family. Maybe that’s why I like her—Hellie oozes emotion, while I keep them locked down tight. “It’s her focus.”
“She can paint. I’ll give her that. But why her?”
“She’s beautiful. She’s clever. She likes to fight, which I appreciate. But it’s more than that. It’s the way she can get sucked into her own little world and make something better in ours. You know how many people can actually add instead of subtract? Everyone’s a taker. Everyone wants to get what they’re owed. There are so few people who give anything, and Hellie gives. In her art, she gives it all.”
Ren grunts. “Alright. You’re selling it.”
“I don’t need to convince you of shit, okay? I’m telling you what I’m thinking, that’s all.”
“Fine. I understand you.” He crosses his arms, but some of his combative attitude fades. “I heard from Frost’s people a couple hours ago. The sale’s done.”
My eyebrows raise. “And you didn’t tell me right away?”
“Like I said, you’ve been doing other shit. You didn’t get in until an hour ago, and you wanted to go for your little walk right away.”
He’s got a point, but fuck, he’s also doing this on purpose. “What did they say?”
“Everything went the way it should. No surprises, no problems.”
“The money?”
“Accounted for, allegedly. They say our split is coming shortly.”
“I don’t like that ‘shortly’ bullshit.”
“We’ll get it, don’t worry.” He stands up straight, dropping his arms, one hand going to his hip, right where he keeps a pistol tucked under his shirt. It’s like one second, he’s relaxed, at ease, and the next he’s a pitbull on alarm.
I follow his gaze. Across the casino, four men walk toward us, three of them big goons in black suits and sunglasses, all of them packing heat under those oversized jackets.
The man in the lead is Gallo.
“Great,” I say, throwing back my drink. As he gets closer, I move forward to greet him, which I can tell annoys Ren. He wants me to stay back, but that’s not the kind of leader I am. “Alberto. Nice of you to come say hello.”
“You motherfucker,” Gallo snarls at me, his wrinkled face bright pink. “You piece of fucking shit, howdareyou cut me out—”
