Page 93 of Dice & Dekes

I click my tongue and roll my eyes. “Stop making it weird. We already hung the freak show art. See you at the arena later?”

“Assuming you accept your standing invitation to the pre-game buffet, yes.”

“Oh, hey!” I spin to catch Viktor’s arm before he can leave. “I was looking for my jersey earlier, and I couldn’t find it. Any chance you know where it’s gone?”

A secretive smile plays across his lips. “Right, I forgot to tell you. It shrunk in the wash. I was being a dummy and messed up the settings. I ordered you a new one, though. It’s on the bed.”

“Thanks.” I tip my head to one side. “Did anything else get ruined in that load? As far as I know, the jersey’s the only thing I’m missing…”

“Nope, just the jersey.” Viktor’s smile widens. “I have to go, babe. See you at the arena.”

I brush a quick kiss across his lips. As soon as he’s gone, I head back to the bedroom to see my new shirt. I don’t believe for a minute that something happened to it; if nothing else, nobody in this house is running a load of laundry consisting of a single shirt.

The new jersey is waiting on the bed, already laid out for me. The front looks exactly like the old one, but when I flip it over, Viktor’s number is printed on the back. Instead of SAVAGE, it says WIFE.

My hands start to shake, making the material of the fabric ripple as I hold it up. There’s something scribbled on the inside tag. I lift it up and see his handwriting: For my savage girl. You were always it for me.

I sit down hard on the edge of the bed, pressing the jersey to my chest like I’m trying to soak the feeling into my skin. This will be an important game for this new version of the Venom. This is a statement. This is big.

I need to make a gesture of my own. A bigger one. And I already know who’s going to help me make that happen.

* * *

Dante’s receptionist looks up as I burst through the door from the hall. She opens her mouth to greet me, but when I keep walking in a straight line right past her, she half-rises from her chair.

“You can’t go in there—” she begins.

I yank his office door open. “Funny, looks like I can do exactly that.”

She opens and closes her mouth a few times. I feel a little bad for her. Then again, I’m pretty sure she’s not going to get in trouble—Hales have been barging into Dante’s personal space for years, and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop us.

Dante recoils at the sight of me. A few seconds too late, he tries to hide under his desk.

“Get back up here,” I bark. “I have an idea.”

Dante glowers at me from the floor of his office. “Jesus! Now what? You said you didn’t want the annulment. I have an envelope of confetti as proof!”

“I need your help with something.”

He struggled back into his chair; I can hear his joints pop from the far side of the room. “Fine. Just don’t punch me.”

“I’ll admit, the idea is tempting, but this is more important. And it even gets you some hype. This is the biggest home game of the season. The building is going to be packed, the cameras are going to be rolling, and everyone’s going to be watching. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it loud.”

“Really?” Dante perks up at that. Of course he does. He’d do anything for some media buzz, wouldn’t he?

“I want you to plaster our wedding photos all over the boards during the announcement for the starting lineup.”

Dante leans forward and steeples his fingers. “The photos from the original ceremony, you mean? Interesting.”

“You already paid for the event, and we’ve decided to stay together. Might as well get some mileage out of those images, right?”

“Indeed.” Dante nods, lost in thought.

“One thing, though.” I lean on the far side of the desk and narrow my eyes. “You screw this up and I will haunt your PR department until your dying breath. You’ll never have a clean headline again. I might even consider breach of contract. By using my Hale fists of fury.”

He scoffs. “I never make any mistakes.”

“Dante. You married the wrong twin.”

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