Page 93 of Spinner's Luck

She smiled softly. “He had club business.”

“You like having him around?”

“He makes me feel so safe and cared for,” she said, looking wistful. “I don’t think I would have survived without him.” Her face shifted from wistful to fearful. “I’m so afraid Drago will find me and drag me back.”

I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “With that rabid dog in his way, I don’t think so.” I sat down on the edge of her bed, glancing at the book, determined to change the subject. “What are you reading?”

She held it up—some kind of romance novel with a shirtless guy on the cover.

I smirked. “Did Brenda sneak that in for you?”

“Maybe,” she said, her cheeks flushing. “It’s... distracting.”

“Distraction’s good,” I said, leaning back on my hands.

Zeynep studied me for a moment, her smile fading. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You’re still not okay,” she said, her eyes searching mine.

I forced a smile, shaking my head. “I’m fine.”

“You’re lying again,” she said quietly.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “You’ve been hanging out with Brenda too much. She’s rubbing off on you and making you pushy as hell.”

“Lucy,” Zeynep said, her tone soft but firm. “What’s going on?”

I hesitated, my gaze dropping to the floor. “It’s... complicated.”

“Spinner?”

I stiffened at the name, my jaw tightening. “I don’t want to talk about him.”

“But he wants to talk to you,” she said. “Brenda fills me in on all the gossip around here.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” I said, standing abruptly and pacing the small room. “He doesn’t trust me, Zeynep. And I can’t be around people who don’t trust me. Not when... not after everything.”

She was silent for a moment, her eyes following me as I moved. “He made a mistake,” she said finally. “But I think he regrets it.”

“That doesn’t change what happened,” I said, stopping and crossing my arms. “He doubted me when I needed him to believe in me. Slept with Ashlynn. And that’s not something I can or will forget.”

Zeynep’s gaze softened. She leaned forward, hands clasped in her lap. “I get it,” she said. “But I also know that people make mistakes. And sometimes, they deserve a chance to make things right. Mystic said he didn’t sleep with her.”

Her words hung in the air, heavy and uncomfortable. I wanted to argue, to tell her she didn’t understand, but the truth was, she did.

But I wasn’t so sure he hadn’t slept with her. These men tended to lie for each other.

I sat back down, my shoulders slumping. “It’s not that simple,” I said quietly.

“Nothing ever is,” she said, her voice gentle. “But maybe it’s worth figuring out. Since when do you give up?”

I didn’t respond, my mind swirling with thoughts I didn’t want to have. I missed Spinner so much, and being around him was making it hard to remember why I was mad at him. But had he not figured out he was wrong would I even be here?

Zeynep reached out, placing a hand on mine. “You don’t have to decide anything right now,” she said. “Just... don’t shut him out completely. At some point, Lucy, you have to think of yourself like you do everyone else.”

I looked at her, her bruised face still managing to hold a quiet strength that made me envious.

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