Page 14 of Dice & Dekes

“So majestic,” the guy agrees.

I glance at the clock on the controls. I only have to put up with these people for twenty more minutes. Thank God.

“Brittney, babe, I just want you to know you’re so special to me.” The guy reaches for her hand and pulls it to his chest. He places his palm over her heart and stares into her eyes. Neither of them are looking out the window, and he’s still manspreading. Why is he trying to have a heart-to-heart up here, where he has to shout to be heard over the rotor? A helicopter isn’t a great place to have a deep conversation.

Unless… Oh, no. Spare me. Don’t let it be what I think it is.

“Tim?” Brittney leans closer. “You know you’re, like,soooospecial to me, too, right?”

“I know. That’s why I want to ask you—”

I’m focusing on keeping the chopper in the air, so my eyes are on the controls when Tim makes his move. Brittney’s answering squeal is so high-pitched that at first, I think we’ve blown a seal in the fuselage. There’s a flash of movement on my internal mirrors when she vaults into Tim’s lap and starts kissing him. “Yes, yes, yes! I will, like,totally marry you, babe!”

The helicopter jolts, giving away my distraction. Fortunately, neither of my passengers seems to notice since they’re fully preoccupied with their sloppy make-out session.

I want to tell them not to bother. Love sucks, and weddings are a scam. My gaze flicks to my finger where, just for a few hours, I wore a ring that told the world I belonged with someone. WithViktor.

Yeah, right. There’s no way that would last, even if I wanted it to. Viktor’s number one priority is Viktor. Always has been and always will be. Whoever he’s with will always be a distant second.

Actually, no, a distantthird. Because hockey will always be second.

I know, because we tried dating once already back in the day, and look how that turned out. The worst part wasn’t the dress or the whispers—it was how easy it was for him to betray me.

The happy couple is still crawling all over each other by the time we touch down. I let the ground crew deal with them while I go through my usual post-flight checks. I assume they’ll be gone by the time I’m done, but when I step out onto the tarmac, Brittney’s waiting for me. I don’t know where her boy toy ran off to.

“Did you leave something on the chopper?” I ask, hooking my thumb back toward the helicopter.

“No, I just…” Brittney does a little awkward shuffle-hop, like maybe she has to pee or something. The next thing I know, she’s lurching toward me, arms spread wide as she pulls me into a hug. “Thank you so much. Tim’s, like, seriously the best. He was there for me when my daddy died last year, and heknewthis would be totally special because he was in the Air Force… Daddy, not Tim.” She pulls away and dabs at her eyes, sniffling a little as she does so. “He can’t be here to see me get married, but getting engaged up there makes it feel like he got to be there for this part, you know? This was just really special.”

“Oh, uh.” I shift from foot to foot, not sure how to deal with a stranger’s big emotions. Half the time, I’m not sure what to do with my own feelings. “You’re welcome. And, um, congratulations. On your engagement. I’m glad we could make it special.”

She smiles through her sniffles. “Like,soooospecial.” With that, she hurries off to find her fiancé.

Well, crap. Now I feel like a little bit of a dick for being judgmental earlier. She hugged me because she was grieving. I judged her because I was bitter. That’s not the same thing. I place my hand over my chest, feeling the weight of the dog tags dangling beneath my shirt. I know a thing or two about losing someone you thought would be around for a long, long time.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, interrupting the train of thought that, if left unchecked, could get pretty dark pretty fast. I slip it out of my pocket and check the screen. It’s Dante.

Of course, it’s Dante. Of course, there’s a catch. If this man ever offered me a coffee, I’d check it for roofies and plot twists.

I don’t waste time on a greeting and get right to the point. “Please tell me it’s handled.”

“Hello, Knova. How are you? I’m great, thank you for asking. I’mworkingon the annulment, but it’s taking longer than anticipated.”

I grit my teeth as I stalk off the tarmac. “What’s the holdup?”

“You know how it is with lawyers,” Dante says.

“Not really.” I push through the Staff Entrance door and beeline it toward the kitchen. I have at least one more flight scheduled today, but I’m not waiting in the Vegas heat. I need air conditioning and a cold drink.

“Just relax, Knova, I’m taking care of it.”

“Relax?” I repeat. “Next you’ll be telling me to calm down and quit being hysterical.”

“Ah, no.” Dante clucks his tongue. “Do you know how long I’ve been married? Longer than you. I know better than to say those things.”

Longer than me.As if I got married and not bamboozled.

“When I tell you to relax, I’m not just being metaphorical. I’m making you an offer. You’re coming to the Venom game tomorrow, right?”

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