Page 196 of Bound By Her

Kaydon put down three kings, his large hands encircling the pot of chips.

Seth said, “Whatever, it’s not real money, anyway.”

“Who says? I’m keeping a ledger,” Kaydon said. “I expect to be paid when we get home.”

“When is that going to be?” Bryson asked, shuffling the cards.

Kaydon sorted his winnings.

“Bryson’s right, it’s so far away, you’re old, you’ll forget,” Seth said.

“I think we should tell Adria,” Kaydon said.

Bryson dealt the next hand. “Tell her what?”

“About El, about why your dad knew about the land deal, all of it,” Kaydon said.

And Bryson stopped dealing. “Why would we do that?”

“Because I don’t want to lie to her,” Kaydon said.

Bryson shook his head. “It will be easier if she doesn’t know. Safer. I know you are sweet on her, but I don’t see the value in?—”

“Dammit, Bryce, there doesn’t need to be a strategic reason for it,” Kaydon said. “She deserves to know.”

Seth looked at the two cards he was dealt. “I agree with Kaydon.”

“Big surprise,” Bryson said.

Seth crossed his arms over his chest. “You would agree too if you would stop lying to yourself.”

Bryson eyed Seth. “If it’s truth time, are you going to tell us what happened that night the two of you went out?”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

Bryson sat back. “So, it’s fine for Seth to lie to me, but I can’t lie to Adria.”

“And it’s not even a lie,” Bryson continued, putting his hands in the air.

This was ridiculous. Adria had made it perfectly clear these past few months what the three of them meant to her.

“You don’t owe her anything,” Bryson said to Kaydon, who stared at him.

Bryson doubled down, “You don’t. She did her job and made her choice. We are paying her back for the protection, by getting high marks on the auction. The debt will be paid.”

“I want her to know it was us. That it is our fault the land was even on your father’s radar,” Kaydon said, his face somber.

“You meanmyfault,” Bryson said.

Kaydon said, “She put herself in harm’s way for me, for us.”

“You don’t know that. She could have done it for herself, in order to get us to her buyer,” Bryson responded.

Seth chimed in, “Why, what does she have to gain?”

Bryson stood up, suddenly unable to sit still. “Who knows, who cares. She is looking out for herself, and we’re paying our debt, full stop.”

Kaydon shook his head.

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