Page 94 of Double or Nothing
Jade laughs out loud at his description of himself, her laughter ringing through the truck. “I wouldn’t call you low-key, Kit, under any circumstances. Will the two of you get into trouble?”
“Oh, I’ll definitely get into trouble,” Seven replies, grinning at her. “It was worth it. Giovanni will probably chew my ass out and threaten me with something outrageous. I’ll say it was all a publicity stunt for my new show coming up on New Year’s Day. Kit was kind enough to lend me his reindeer, and that’s the only reason he was involved. I can sweet talk my way out of it, I’m sure.”
“The only person we’re worried about is you,” Kit tells her, his eyes filled with concern. His usually happy demeanor shifts into something more serious. “As long as you can’t be identified, we’re good.”
“Where are we headed now?” Jade asks.
“Home,” we all say at the same time.
Relief lights her face, and she leans back against the cold metal wall. “I was hoping you’d say that,” she says, then frowns when her burner phone buzzes. “Oh crap! I forgot to text Natasha and Eva. I bet they’re worried sick.”
“No, I got word to them that everything was fine,” Seven reassures her, reaching over to give her hand a gentle squeeze. His face is calm, but his eyes reveal a deep sense of protectiveness. “We’ve been in contact, and they know you’re safe. You can call them when we get home.”
“Thank God.” Her shoulders slump with relief. “As exciting as this has been, I’m relieved tonight is over.”
“Over?” I echo, reaching over to take her hand in mine, intertwining our fingers. “Oh baby, tonight isn’t over. The night is just beginning. Wait until we get you home.”
“Oh God, no,” Leroy moans, putting his hands over his ears. “Stop talking right this fucking minute. Please. I don’t want to hear any details about your freaky orgies. Can you drop me off at Mama’s place? It’s on the way. Hopefully, she saved me some leftovers because I’m starving.”
“How many of those brownies did you say you ate?” Jade asks, amusement dancing in her eyes.
“Enough to work up a big man’s appetite,” he replies, rubbing his stomach with a grin. “What time is it, anyway?”
“After midnight,” I say.
“Oh fuck! It’s already Christmas Day!” Leroy says. “Yeah, I definitely got to get home. Mama always fixes me a big breakfast on Christmas Day.”
“Hang tight and we’ll take you there,” I say.
I text the driver to make a short detour to let Leroy out. Soon, the truck slows down, and we approach Leroy’s drop-off point. When we stop, I reach down to help Leroy to his feet and out of the truck. He’s a little woozy on his feet.
“Take care, buddy, and Merry Christmas!” I tell him, slapping him on the shoulder.
“Merry Christmas, Leroy!” the others call out to him as we watch him stagger up the front path to his mom’s house.
She’d left the porch light on for him. Apparently, she was waiting up too, because she quickly swings open the screen door for him to stagger in. “Merry Christmas, guys!” she calls to us, waving from the open doorway. “Do you want to come inside for chocolate chip pancakes?”
“No, ma’am,” Seven yells back. “We’ll come by soon. Thank you for your help! We appreciate it!”
“Anytime, boys,” she yells back. “Merry Christmas.”
We wave at her until she shuts the door and turns off the porch light. I climb back up into the truck, and bang twice on the wall to let the driver know we’re ready to roll.
“Next stop is home,” I say.
41
SEVEN
The day after Christmas…
Flipping my phone over, I check the text.
Oh fuck!
A sudden pang of unease makes my heart race faster as I read the message. It’s from Giovanni, summoning me to his office with a text that drips with unspoken implications. I knew this moment was coming but had hoped to hold it off until after the New Year’s Day show. He’s certain to be furious with me for the stunt we pulled at the casino.
Not that I can blame him.
