Page 60 of Embers of You
“Nice deflection, but I don’t know anything solid, just rumor and speculation.” He pauses to swallow down the rest of his drink, then pours another. Chuckling when he goes to pour me another and realizes that I’m still nursing the first. “Fine. Seems your uncle has a little side job doing some work for that new development going up over at the old hospital site.”
I think back to my conversation with him recently when he asked me about inspecting some new building. He didn’t say a damn word about Titan Industries. I’m thinking there was a very good reason for that.
“Son of a fucking bitch. How the hell did he get in with them?”
“That I can’t tell you. But I can tell you that the word on the street is Carmichael is more than just the interior designer for Titan. Is it a coincidence that the year Titan announce their biggest profit, Carmichael makes his first billion?” He tilts his head in question. “I’m guessing you already know that Carmichael has himself a politician in his pocket, a senator no less?”
“Preston Thomas, yeah, I heard.” I look off to where Kenz is working a full table. As my eyes scan over the players, they land on a familiar face as he steps up to the table, which has me sitting up. I pull my phone from my pocket as Luke turns to look at what caught my attention.
Finding what I’m looking for, I look between the two men, the one on my screen and the one standing directly in front of Kenz. It’s him.
“Problem?” Luke asks, but I’m too focused on watching as Kenz looks up and sees the guy for the first time. Her reaction is instant and impossible to disguise.
“Yeah, for sure,” I say, slipping from my seat and making my way to Kenz. I never showed her the pictures Tripp sent me, so I’m guessing her recognition of Carmichael’s security guard comes from somewhere else. Wherever it is can’t be a good place.
I feel Luke on my heels as I approach the table. Thankfully, a guy closes out just as I get there, giving me the perfect opportunity to be close by. I don’t doubt for a second that Carmichael’s guy won’t know who I am, but at least I can watch without raising any flags. And I know that Luke will have my back.
I sit down, and a second later a waitress brings me a bottle of water and a pile of chips I sure as hell didn’t order.
Kenzie’s body language is tense, and I can see how on edge she is even with me there, along with Luke, who is now standing behind her silently observing.
I place my bet after Carmichael’s guy, then Kenz closes bets before spinning the wheel.
ChapterTwenty-Six
Idon’t talk in the car to work. What is there to say? Turns out my ex was only with me for the purpose of keeping an eye on me—at the very least. A two-year relationship that meant nothing, especially not to him. He cheated, he lied, he humiliated me, then tried to use me as a punch bag.
And now he’s strutting aroundmyhometown with Aria Thomas and trying to make me look like I’m losing my mind. My outburst didn’t feel nearly as good as I thought it would, and all it’s really done is reinforce the idea that I’m nothing but a troublemaker at the same time as playing into Owen’s hands. What’s worse is I’m bringing Asher down with me this time. That pains me more than anything Owen could do to me.
Everything is beginning to pile up, yet I’m not getting anywhere except buried further and further below a wall of corruption and lies with no end in sight. If there is an end, it’s not the one I was hoping for with Stu even locking me out.
Being at the casino feels like just what I need to keep my mind from splintering with all the revelations over the last few days. But even that is not so anonymous now because of Ash knowing Luke and Jason.
I left Ash with Luke and set up for the night at the roulette table. Not too taxing on the brain, but active enough to keep my mind busy.
I don’t look over, but I feel Ash’s eyes on me as Luke joins him in a corner booth, which almost seems purposely positioned for watching the floor out of sight.
The guy to my right is on a winning streak, and as he collects his winnings again, a new guy steps up taking the final spot at the table. I look up to greet him and all the air rushes from my lungs as recognition hits, my body tensing, but I quickly school my features.
“Evening,” I say, as confidently as I can, stepping anxiously from foot to foot.
He smiles. It’s not pleasant, far from it—it’s dark and sadistic. I recognize him as the security guard with the man that Stu met at the lake, and I know he knows exactly who I am too.
As the man with the winning streak gets up and leaves, Ash takes his place. I then feel someone else behind me, and a quick glance reveals Luke, relieving some of my tension and anxiety.
Penn drops a bottle of water and a few thousand dollars’ worth of chips off for Ash, as I say, “Place your bets, please.”
He quickly places his bet with Ash following then the rest of the table. I close the bets and spin the wheel. It seems to take an age for it to finally stop, and when it does, my heart does a little skip as it drops into Ash’s red twenty-six.
Ash winks at me as he collects his winnings. Luke steps up closer behind me, whispering in my ear, “You’re doing great. Just keep going.” I nod without taking my eyes from Ash, who is scowling at his friend. I let my amusement at his reaction to his friend so close to me show as I call out for new bets.
Ash wins the next two games, and I can see the guy getting madder and madder under the surface, but he remains calm outwardly. I get the feeling he came here to intimidate me, to scare me. I don’t think he was expecting me to have my own kind of protection.
When Ash wins the next game, the guy’s had enough. Snatching up his chips, he pushes up from his chair and heads to the cashier’s desk before leaving without so much as a backward glance.
Ash bows out too, and I watch as he steps away and makes a call. After my last two players leave fifteen minutes later, Luke sends me on my break.
Out the back, Ash makes me a cup of coffee, although I wouldn’t say no to something a little stronger. He also brings me a sandwich. I’ve no clue where he got it from, but it looks good, so I eat it.