Page 35 of Southpaw Slots
“You’re that motherfucker from the garage, aren’t you? The one who shot at us.” Wyatt says nothing, just stands there as I glance around. Maybe I could go for a swim. It is nice out today. My hands work to shove my hair into perfect place and my eyes scan the water’s crystal surface.
Arianna stands up and puts her body between Wyatt and Dave, pressing her back to her boyfriend’s chest. I don’t like it. She’s standing up for him. “Get the fuck out of my house.”
“This ain’t your house,empress. This isourhouse. Tell her, Ace,” Hoss yells, his voice rattling even my bones.
“I’m Mrs. Donovan. This place belongs toAsa.Not you. Asa, call security and have them escorted off our property.”
Fuck.
Six heads slowly swivel to meet me as I dip a toe in the pool and steady my gaze at the mid-day sun. Maybe there’s something salvageable in the penthouse. It can’t bethatbad. I could move there. Like right now.
“Ace,” Cass interrupts my thoughts as they all stare me down, waiting. Like I hold the final answer.
I can’t look at her. If I do, I’ll fucking crumble. Meeting Cass’s dark eyes, I say, “Let’s just go. I gotta get outta here anyway. Going fucking stir crazy.” The guys give Wyatt another look, then head toward the house as I follow.
“Asa,” she pleads at my back. Hustling faster, I catch up with Hoss as he holds the door for me. But she follows me inside.
“I gotta throw on some clothes. I’ll be right back. Just—just wait in the car,” I tell the crew, then head up the stairs, taking as many at a time as I can. The little devil follows me, her breaths huffing through her nose.
“Asa.” Ignoring her, I head into the room I’ve been squatting in and straight to the closet, but I don’t have much time to fix my hair. That bothers me. “Asa.”
That hole is back, the one I need to fillwith something. I hate that we were so close last night, but this is just how things go with women. People leave me. She wants him so much, she can have him. May as well quit trying now because it’s only going to hurt worse later. When she tells me I’m a disappointment. Once she understands how much of a fuckup I am.
“Hmm?” I mutter, tugging on some jeans, then finding a T-shirt I quickly toss over my head.
“Asa.”
Finally, I snap my face to hers. Goddamn, she’s gorgeous. “Fuck! What?”
“You didn’t stick up for me and now you’re leaving with them?”
“Maybe yourboyfriendshould have done that. I gotta get out of here. They’re my friends. I haven’t seen them in a week, almost.” Brushing past her, I hear her little voice ring out, which makes me pause.
“I’m your family.”
My jaw tightens as the ire I felt before rises up my throat. Ithurtsto hear. Spitting venom, I say, “I don’thavea family.”
As soon as I’m bolting outside, I regret it. Pain leeches at my eyes as I jump into the passenger side of Cass’s SUV, and we head off.
“Everything cool?” he asks, but I just nod and focus outside the window.
Why’d I say that? If I wanted to create something with her, I should have stayed. I should have just toldher she was mine. That I’m desperate for a long future with her.
But she stuck up for him, like he was more important. Trying to put me in the middle and make itokaywith me that he’s in her life.
Tapping Cass on the arm, I tell him, “Hey, stop by Trixie’s.”
Cass raises a black eyebrow at me. “You sure about that, boss?”
“Yeah.” She said I could have others if I wasn’t going to get her pregnant. I’ll just have to wear a condom with her. Or just sweet talk my way in like always so I don’t have to feel so constricted. The oldI’m allergic to latexline or some shit. “And no one has any coke?” I ask the guys in the back. They all seem to loosen up when I ask.
Jinx yells from the third row, “Nah, man. We haven’t been able to get any since you’ve been locked up.”
Turning back to my window, I mutter to myself, “Do I have to do everything around here?” It was months ago Kline told every dealer in the casino not to let me play. Even if I could score just a measly hundred, no one would hand me a card. Not unless we went out of town. “Dave, you got any money?”
The air in the car gets ice cold when I ask. “Uh, no, man. I got, like, five. Sorry.”
“Jinxy, buddy? Money?”