Page 51 of Lords of Misrule
“She is. She’s… fucking amazing honestly. Never met anyone like her before. Surprises me constantly. And she doesn’t care about the superficial shit like Soph did.”
“Good for you. Thinking of keeping her?”
“If she’ll have me. I imagine if I keep disappointing her, she’ll find some other lucky bastard to take my place.”
“Fuck. I’ll buy it.” Ed shrugs.
“What?”
“The painting. I’ll just gift it to the old man for a late Christmas present or an early birthday. Or fuck, if he stays pissed at me, I’ll just use it as a dartboard and send him photos.”
“Don’t tell her that last part.” I eye him warily.
“What does she care if she has the money?”
“She’s into art. Hurts her to part with it, but she needs the money more, you know? And again… I suck for not being able to help her out.”
“You will when you get that big hockey contract. I have every faith.” Ed gives me a genuine smile, and I smile in return, almost to the point of tears because it’s another reminder of a thing I couldn’t live up to. “In the meantime… Let’s get you in good with your girl, okay?”
“If you’re sure.”
“Of course. I know you’re headed back soon. Can I pick up the painting in the morning?”
“I’ll do you one better. If you can wire transfer the money tonight, I can drop it off in the morning on the way out of town.”
“Works for me.”
“Perfect.”
I can’t believe my luck, but I just try to stay calm while he does some magic on his phone. He talks some more shit about his grandfather and his life, asking me for my bank numbers and some other information while he texts with his accountant. I try to keep up with what he’s saying while I just watch what’s happening in disbelief. It doesn’t feel like this is real. That after everything, I might finally have a streak of the most unimaginably good luck.
A few minutes later, he looks up. “All right. Wire transfer should go through first thing in the morning. Now go tell your girl, so you can enjoy the rest of the night.”
“Thanks, man. You’re a fucking lifesaver. Honestly.” I grin at him, half thrilled and half feeling like an asshole for selling him a stolen painting. The dirty work I do for Rowan doesn’t usually involve directly fucking over someone I’ve known most of my life.
“Anytime.”
“I think I’m probably gonna do the rounds and head out, but I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you then.”
I make my way over to Charlotte a few minutes later, trying to seem calm and not like we’ve just hit the lottery. When she and her new friend finally stop talking, I turn to her, using my body to shield her from the crowd and make sure no one can hear what I’m about to say.
“We did it.”
“Did what?” she asks.
“Sold the painting.”
“What are you talking about? How much have you had to drink?”
“A lot but that’s not the point. It’s Ed… We were talking, and he was just like ‘I’ll buy it.’ Said he’d give it to his grandfather as a present or something. That easy.”
“Does he have the money?”
“He paid for this party, so yeah, I think he has the money. Plus, he already initiated the wire transfer to my bank account.”
“That’s… insane.” She looks up at me wide-eyed.
