Page 68 of The Bloke

“You’re going to be brilliant, love.” He smiled in an attempt to reassure himself more than me.

I knew I could handle what was about to happen out there, but buried beneath his calm demeanor, he was reluctant to let me go alone. Colby trusted me so much that it crushed me on the inside.

Nick would hold him back. Keep him safe while I handed Jameson over to his fate.

Before I lost mynerve, I picked up the empty service tray at the far end of the bar and made my way down the steps toward the row of poker tables. A few other waitresses were on the floor, and I was dressed similarly to them, leaving nothing to suspicion for the gambling guests.

To play the role more convincingly, I served two of the tables first, running back and forth between the bar and casino, my husband giving my ass a playful squeeze each time I strolled past him.

When I approached table twenty-four, I tried my hardest to avoid direct eye contact with Jameson.

“Can I get anyone here a drink?” I offered as I watched the dealer sweep all the cards off the table and slide them into the shuffler.

I internally rolled my eyes at myself for the weak-ass impression I gave. My nervousness affected my ability to appear flirty and approachable, the two traits I needed to attract Jameson's attention.

Taking the hint from the table’s silence, I turned to leave, concerned as to what the fuck to do now. I couldn’t lure him away from the table and casino floor if he weren’t even remotely interested in me.

I may need to reevaluate this situation with Colby…

Just as I had moved to step away from the table, a hand shot out and gripped my wrist tightly, jerking me backward.

“Excuse me!” I growled, inadvertently glaring at the man who had dared to touch me.There goes Miss Flirty and Approachable… Fuck.

“Interesting choice of jewelry—for a casino waitress,” Jameson smirked as he inspected my ring. “Tell me, is it common for women around here to wear obsidian?”

How did he know what kind of stone it was? I could barely tell when I first saw it. I jerked my wrist out of his hand, resisting the urge to glance at the bar, hoping my husband didn’t see Jameson grab me.

“That is none of your business, Sir. But if you must know, they were family heirlooms.” I snapped, attempting to play ignorant, hoping not to give him even more reason to press me with questions.

“It’s a very unique choice in stone. Why don’t you enlighten me with its family history?” He spoke, grabbing my wrist again and pulling me into his lap. I bit back a whimper, feeling even more uncomfortable than before.

Calm down, Sienna; maybe this is just his fucked up way of flirting… you have a test to complete; he’ll be dead soon enough.

I tensed as I felt his hand creep its way up my back, my jaw clenching at all of the unwanted contact.

“I need to get back to serving the other players on the floor.” I gritted out, glancing around my surroundings to see if anyone had taken notice of what he was doing to me.

“Four other waitresses are serving the tables here; you won’t be missed,” He assured me, and I felt as if I had stopped breathing. My lungs were tightening, closing in on themselves, and my throat was turning dry and numb.

How did he know how many waitresses were working? Had he been paying that close attention to his surroundings? What other observations had he made from me?

“When you work in a similar field to mine, you learn to keep your eyes open at all times.” He murmured, dragging his cold lips along my shoulder, a shiver trailing down my spine from his touch. “Don’t want anyone sneaking up on you, creating an unfair advantage now, do we?” He added, ignoring the game being played at the table with me in his lap as I tried my hardest not to glance over to the bar.

“Are we working alone, little dove?” He asked, wrapping an arm around my waist, taking my left hand in his, and rubbing my ring with his thumb. “How would your husband feel knowing his wife was sitting in the lap of one of his biggest threats?”

I swallowed a dry lump as I locked eyes with Jameson. My lips parted, but I found myself unable to speak.

“That’s what I thought.” He snarled before wrapping his arm around my chest and lifting me to stand with him. I dropped my tray to the floor, two glasses spilling and shattering on the rug.

He tightened his hold on me, my back pressed firmly up against his chest. I could feel the cold bite of a knife at my throat, my pulse racing as I struggled in his grasp.No, no, no, no… fuck… how did he know?

There were screams and shouting from startled guests as guns were drawn, and the casino floor was filled with dark green law enforcement uniforms.

“Let the woman go, Jameson.” A deep, authoritative voice called across the room, and his grip tightened on me further. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I wasn’t here.

“I don’t fucking think so.” Jameson hissed. “If you want to keep this woman alive, you will turn a blind eye and let me the fuck out of here, Officer Landon.”

Breathe, Sienna… Breathe…

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