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Everything is gone for her.
As the men in the room begin to stand and gather their things, I nod curtly to Ginger to clear the room and she leads them out with a smile.
Grumbles fade down the hall as I watch Willow frozen in her seat, staring at the pile of money she came close to walking out of here with.
Shane and I sit still, watching our girl. Once our best friend and the first girl—who am I kidding, the only girl we ever had feelings for.
“Willow.” My voice is soft but it startles her and she flinches in her seat.
“Um. Sorry.” Her voice is almost a whisper, and the urge to hold her after all of this time surges through my arms. “Thank you for allowing me to join your game tonight.” She clears her throat. “Congratulations, Shane.”
We both stay still, taking her in.
Her eyes move around the table and I watch as she doesn’t make direct eye contact with either of us.
With all outside distractions gone, I take more of her in.
She looks paler than I remember, and her cheekbones look more prominent.
Has she lost weight?
Shane picks up one of the chips and squeezes it between his fingers. He’s as on edge as I am right now and he doesn’t know just how deep Willow is in debt with us yet.
She breaks the silence first.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” She looks up from the table and this time her glassy eyes make direct contact with both of us.
As she opens her mouth to continue, Ginger returns for further instructions and I cut Willow off.
“I know, Ms. Martens.” Then I stand, buttoning my suit jacket as I address Ginger. “Please escort our lovely guest to our office and get her a glass of wine. Have the cook make her a chicken club and bring it to her in there. On the house. Have Rocky stand by.”
Shane’s eyebrows furrow and he swivels in his seat to glare at me when I say my last sentence. That’s our code for ‘do not let this one leave the club’.
“Sure thing. Here, Sugar. Follow me.” Ginger smiles sweetly, and sings her words as she gently escorts Willow out of the room.
As the door closes behind them, Shane tosses the chip he was holding into the pile and tilts his head in confusion.
“Care to fill me in on what’s going on, Alex?”
I don’t know enough of the whole story but whatever it is she came to us.
No. She attempted to deceive us. In our own house.
Regardless of why my little Willow walked through those doors, she gambled herself over to us, and it turned out to be a game she didn’t win.
Now she has to answer to us.
The two men who’ve done more for her than she will ever know.
The two men who have always wanted all of her.
She willingly entered our house after all of this time.
And I know, now that I’ve got her, I won’t let her leave.
SHANE
The look on Willow’s face, when she realized I won the final hand, doesn’t sit right with me.
