Page 54 of Betting Blind
Momma sighs. “If you keep givin’ that dog treats, we’re gonna have to rename him Roly-Poly.”
I gasp. “He is not a roly-poly! You’re my good, skinny boy.” I rub his floppy ears and he barks his appreciation. His nails clack on the tiled kitchen floor as he follows me for his treat.
“I’m going to bed, sweet pea,” Momma says from the living room, and I hear the scrape of her cane against the side table as she moves to get up.
“Do you want a hand?” I ask, reaching up on my tiptoes to retrieve Gordy’s treat jar from the top of the fridge.
“No, baby, I’m fine. I love you.” I can hear her shuffle off to her bedroom.
“Love you, too!” I grunt, swiping my hand at the glass jar. One day, I’ll learn to make things easier on myself and put things where I can reach them.
Right as I get my fingers around jar, a shadow passes by the kitchen window and I stumble, catching the container before it shatters against the ground. Clutching the treats to my chest, my pulse thunders as I step through the kitchen with Gordy at my heels toward the front door.
A tall, broad silhouette appears through the oval glass of our door, and a scream freezes in my throat. What appears to be a man’s figure knocks on the door three times, and Gordy loses his mind, barking at the stranger.
I hear Mom rustle around in her bedroom, probably wondering who would be knocking at this hour of night. “I got it, Momma!” I holler, hoping to alert the person to the fact that I’m not alone.
Immediately, I run through escape plans. Thank God, I’ve got Gordy here, whose hackles are raised high on the back of his neck. He would die trying to defend either one of us.
I hesitate a beat before opening the door.
“Jack!” I gasp, but I’m not greeted with the smiling, carefree Jack from our trip to Vegas.
“Who is it, honey?” Momma calls to me. Telling her it’s a friend of mine, I shoo Gordy toward her room, and step out onto the porch. The night air is muggy and warm, but I cross my arms over my chest, putting as much space as I can between us.
“I need to talk to you.” He looms over me, dark and serious, and I want nothing more than for him to wrap his arms around me and take me back to when we were snuggled up against each other, with no worries or mistruths between us.
I can’t keep the frustration from my voice. “What is going on, Jack?”
He shifts his feet, glancing around as if someone is going to pop straight out of the bushes. The only sound between us comes from the buzzing of the streetlights, and I grow impatient waiting for him to respond. His eyes read mine, and I know exactly what he sees there. He’s been lying to me about something, and I’ll be damned if I’m not getting to the bottom of it.
“Here, let me help. How about you start by telling me what’s going on between you and Bruce.”
“Cassidy, I—” He sighs, running a hand down his tired face. “The history between me and Bruce is exactly that,history. At least… it was supposed to be.”
I laugh sardonically. “What is that supposed to mean to me, Jack? You bolted from the diner today like you were scared for your life!”
He shakes his head. “Not my life.”
“Then whose?” I bite my cheek, attempting to keep my cool.
“Bruce isn’t who he’s led you to believe he is.”
It’s my turn to shake my head as I turn my eyes toward the street. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” I mutter, but those red flags from earlier are still waving.
“Listen to me, we don’t have long. Bruce is the owner of Royals, along with several other underground casinos in Mackville. Those two flunkies who have been intimidating us? They work for him, too. He’s a dangerous man with no qualms about doing what needs to be done to secure his businesses.”
I blink several times as my brain silently detonates. “Alright. If I’m to believe what you’re saying, how does that involve you, other than that you worked at his casino in the past?”
“They’re the ones who have Ben.” He pins me with his gaze, and I’m overwhelmed by the feeling that I’m caught in a web more intricate than I previously imagined.
“You’re saying that Bruce and those two guys are behind Ben’s disappearance.” He nods slowly, so I continue. “And you know this how?”
He clicks his tongue, stalling as he looks at the time on his phone before shoving the device back into his pocket. When he steps closer to me, I take a step back. His features harden but I’m not giving in. There will be no more intimacy between us until I know the truth.
“I know this because when Ben and I worked for Bruce, we were his enforcers.”
Chapter 25
