Page 108 of Barristers & Bones

Ivan raised his eyebrow at Alexa. “What was that, Peaches?”

Alexa blushed and glared at him. “Don’t call me that,cabrón.”

Roman leaned forward and interrupted their budding argument. “If she gives that information to her mother, Luna loses her own leverage, and chances are her fatherwillcome after her again.”

“Then don’t give it to her,” Fenn answered. “She’s a bitch who deserves to rot.”

“But what if we use her to flush him out?” I asked.

“What’re you thinking?” Ivan asked me.

I leaned forward. “We pit them against each other and take them both down.”

Over the holidays, we celebrated with a few Spade family dinners and a poker brunch party at the mortuary. All the partners showed up, and even Xander came for a little while, but he didn’t stay to play poker.

Ivan beat Alexa in a stunning upset. In a tense final hand, she laid down three queens, and I thought she’d easily beat him. But she looked a little sick when he stroked his beard, leaned forward, and laid down three aces.

I suddenly suspected those two were playing for more than just the large pile of chips in the center of the table, and I knew in my bones Ivan had somehow cheated.

He stared at her like she was his first meal after a long fast as he laid his cards down. “Three aces beats three queens, Peaches.”

Alexa’s eyes flared, and she pushed her chair back and stood. Ivan leaned back and stretched his arms behind his head, his posture deceptively casual as he watched her with predatory hunger. She glared at him silently, then turned and strode out.

“See you tomorrow,” he called, grinning as she held up her middle finger in response.

Sylvie turned to me and asked quietly, “What was the final bet?”

I shook my head. “More than just money I suspect. There’s definitely something going on with those two.”

She nodded and stared, unseeing, at the door. “Those three are sneaky fuckers. Ivan hides it better than Roman and Drakos, but he’s got that same possessive, sadistic streak in him. You’re right, something’s happening between them.”

I snickered. “You’re a damn hypocrite, and not as sly as you’d like to think. What’s with you and Drakos?”

She scowled and stood. “What? Nothing. I don’t hate him, but if he were on fire and I had water, I’d drink it.”

“You know what’s interesting?”

She looked at me suspiciously. “What?”

“I never asked you if you hated him. Your answer gives you away.”

“Oh, shut up.” She turned and started clearing off the tables, obviously wanting to end the conversation. My two best friends were involved with two of the partners. I had no idea how I felt about that.

Roman and I exchanged gifts in bed. He gave me a trip to Bali, and I bought him a Cherry Box subscription for a monthly sex toy box. I also told him that within reason, I’d try out the merchandise with him. I started to worry when, later that morning, I saw him peruse their website with a cheerful gleam in his eyes.

We took a few days off during the holiday break, but I was anxious to start interning with Arthur, and Roman had work piling up, so we went into the office together every day before my last semester started.

Gideon had hired a temp agency to fill the receptionist spot until they could find a permanent receptionist. The search hadn’t been going well. The first receptionist was a young man who asked me to lunch on his first day. Roman found out, and the man didn’t come back the next day.

When I asked Roman about it, he shrugged. “Your wedding ring and collar are prominent enough that he’s either clueless or just didn’t care. Neither trait is desirable in an employee.”

The receptionist today looked like Miss Trunchbull fromMatilda, complete with the mean scowl and hairy mole.

Wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt, I raised my hand and smiled when we walked into the reception area. “Good morning. I’m Luna–”

She turned her office chair to face Roman and talked right over me. “You have three messages and a Fed Ex package. I emailed you regarding the messages and set the package on your chair.” Then she turned back to her computer and started typing. She was gone before lunch.

Alexa, Sylvie, and I met for dinner at Luigi’s at the end of our holiday break. We ordered, got our drinks, and settled in.

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