Page 73 of Gambler's Conceit
Madeline looks like she’s about to speak, but one sharp look from Grant has her shutting her mouth again.
“Fine,” I say. “But guess what? I’m gonna tattle to my boyfriend about all of this.”
Vortex groans, rubbing his temples. “Okay. Let’s just… C’mon, Seven. Let’s go upstairs. Grant can talk to Caleb like we’re all adults, and you can chill out with some TV or something.”
I don’t want to go upstairs and watch TV alone with my thoughts. Under my shirt, my scratches are itchy, and the urge to claw at them again is nearly impossible to ignore.
Vortex puts his hand on the small of my back and leads me towards the hotel. I bite my lip so I don’t say anything stupid.
“Hey! Seven! Wait up!” Madeline’s voice calls out.
Vortex stops and lets Madeline catch up to us. She smiles at us.
“I wanted to say thank you for standing up for me,” Madeline says. She glances at Vortex. “Why don’t we all grab drinks in the hotel private lounge?”
Vortex’s brows furrow, and at first, I think he’s going to say no. But he glances at me, then nods. “Yeah. I think that would be a good idea.”
It’s good to know that his promise to get me around more people wasn’t an empty one. He probably has a lot to do, but then, I don’t know what he’s expected to do when it comes to wranglingme.
Like Havoc, he probably has free rein to slack a little in his other duties to… take care of me.
I touch the scarf around my throat, thinking about how it had felt to be pushed under the water. It had been nice at first, until…
Until I’d thought Havoc was never going to let me up.
Then it had felt like familiar despair.
I realize Vortex and Madeline are waiting for me, and I nod. “I’d like that.”
The three of us head up to the lounge, and I’m startled when Madeline leads us straight to a large patio door. I gasp when we walk out to a large balcony space, with fresh air hitting my skin.
We’re five floors up, and I can see all the way down the main street from here. It’s still early afternoon, so none of the lights are on yet, but the signs and building make it clear what the place would look like all lit up at night.
“It’s nice up here,” I say.
Vortex releases me, and I go straight to the edge of the balcony.
I wonder what it would be like to fall from this height. Less terrifying than Caleb’s balcony, maybe, because I wouldn’t have to fall as far.
The thought makes me shiver, and I turn around to face Vortex and Madeline. He looks worried, whereas she just looks thoughtful. “Sorry,” I say. “I just had to see the view. I bet it looks amazing at night.”
“You haven’t seen it at night yet?” Madeline asks, unable to hide her curiosity.
I shake my head. “Not from up close. Looking out Caleb’s window just isn’t the same.”
“Caleb has a private table. Over there,” she points at a corner of the balcony that’s cordoned off.
I look at Vortex, then grin. “Well, if it’s Caleb’s table, it’s basically my table too, right? Let’s go sit there.”
Vortex shrugs. I wonder if he’d seen something in the look on my face, because he wraps an arm around my waist and escorts me over without seeming to give a fuck who can see.
Maybe I’d have welcomed the casual touch the night of the date, but now? I just don’t know what to think of it.
I let him help me into a chair.
“What do you want?” he asks, glancing between Madeline and me.
“Rum and coke?” I say hopefully.