by Emma Slate
She nodded. “Most of the time, I’m really glad we’re so close. Other times—”
“You hate that there’s someone who knows you so well that they can see through all your crap?”
“Exactly,” she said with a laugh.
I took a sip of wine and changed the subject. “So, Lacey’s new boyfriend…”
“Chase Youngston. Damn. Girl has good taste.”
“Yeah, he’s hot,” I agreed.
“You missed a lot of good stuff while you were talking to Sasha.”
“Oh, yeah?” I wondered. “Like what?”
“Well, Brad pretended that Chase wasn’t there and then couldn’t take his eyes off of Lacey.”
“This is better than a soap opera,” I said. “So how did Lacey act?”
“She blatantly ignored Brad. I don’t think they’re done with each other.”
“It’s painfully obvious they’re not,” I agreed.
“But why are they fighting it?”
“Because it didn’t work the first time around,” I said easily.
“So? Circumstances are different this time. They no longer work together.”
“But she’s enjoying her life—traveling and taking photos.”
“And hooking up with young hot surfers along the way,” Ash added. “Yeah, I can’t see her giving that up any time soon.”
“As long as she’s happy, I’m happy,” I said. “It will be interesting to see how that all plays out.”
“Hmm,” she said in agreement. “How did your talk with Sasha go?”
“It was fine,” I said. “We cleared the air.”
“And her? Did you make peace with her?”
“Ah, no. I wasn’t able to.”
“Why not?”
“Because Quinn left the night of the opening and Sasha chased after her. We never got to have dinner and start over.”
“Wow. What did you say to her?” she demanded.
“Nothing she didn’t deserve. I told her Sasha was family, and all I cared about was his happiness. I might’ve also said that alienating those that loved him wasn’t the best way to go about this.”
“Jeez. That’s blunt, even for you.”
“She started it.”
“You sound like a five-year-old.”
“Look, I can’t be responsible for everyone else’s feelings,” I said.
“Can you blame her?” Ash wondered.
“It’s not my fault that Sasha and I—”
“How do you think it makes Flynn feel?” she interjected, her own temper fraying. “Don’t you remember how difficult it was for him? Let’s assume this girl is falling for Sasha. She knows next to nothing about you except that you guys have a complicated history.”
“She’s got nothing to worry about,” I said.
Ash nodded. “You know that, Sasha knows that, Flynn knows that, but Quinn doesn’t.”
I leaned back and closed my eyes briefly. “I told him he could tell her as much as he wants about our shared history.”
“That will either push her away or pull her closer.”
“It’s all in the telling,” I said. “It’s for Sasha to explain to her.”
Ash sighed. “You just seem to forget—”
“I don’t,” I said. “But Sasha has finally moved past his feelings for me. Our relationship is now completely platonic—and deeper, if that’s even possible.”
Ash held up her hands in supplication. “I’ve said my peace. I’m done.”
“Okay,” I said with nod.
“I’m trying hard not to fall asleep on your couch, so I’m going to head to bed.” She stood up.
“Ash? Thanks for being straight with me.”
She grinned tiredly. “Always.”
I cleaned up, at least putting the dirty glasses in the sink. Exhaustion tugged at my eyelids and I headed for my own bed. The TV was still on, softly playing the movie, but Flynn was asleep. I reached for the remote and shut it off.
I took a moment to study him. True love was not being physically repulsed by your husband when he was covered in blisters. I put a hand to his forehead, relieved that his fever was down.
“Barrett?” he whispered, turning his head to me.
“Go back to sleep,” I said quietly, removing my hand from his face.
“Love you,” he murmured before his breath evened out.
I smiled into the dark. “Love you, too.”
My eyes widened when Duncan told me the news. “You can’t tell Flynn,” I stated.
“I have to,” Duncan said. “He’d want to know.”
“The moment you tell him, he’ll want to head to New York—and he’s not well enough yet.” I glanced at the closed bedroom door, sure that Flynn could hear us speaking even though our tones were low.
“That’s not the only thing. Ramsey called,” Duncan went on.
I threaded my fingers through my hair. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
He shook his head.
“Birmingham?”
“Aye.”
“White bird tattoo?”
“Aye.”
“I’ll tell Flynn. About everything,” I said.
“You sure?”
I nodded. “It’s better if it comes from me.”
“You mean you have ways of making him stay?” he asked with a slight smile.
“Exactly.”
He cleared his throat. “Thank you.”
“For what? Being the one that’s going to tell him?”
“No. Whatever you said to Ash last night.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh?”
“Don’t play dumb. I know you guys talked.”
“Does that mean you guys talked?”
“Not exactly. But she was acting like her old self. So whatever you said, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” I looked to the bedroom door again. “Might as well get this over with.”
“Good luck,” he said.
I waved to him as he headed out of the suite. Taking a deep breath, I went to the bedroom and quietly opened the door. Flynn was propped up in bed, reading a book. He smiled at me.
“Hi,” I greeted, closing the door. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” he said.
“You lying?”
He shook his head. “Still tired, throat is still sore, and I itch like hell. But I don’t think I have a fever anymore.”
I went to him and pressed my lips to his forehead. “I think you’re right.”
“How are the boys?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Scabby. Finally.”
He chuckled and then cocked his head to the side. “What’s going on?”
“It seems Lord Birmingham has a white ink tattoo on his body. Exactly like the one found on Arlington.”
“Did Ramsey call you?”
“No. He called Duncan.”
“You need to give me my cell phone back,” he said. “I can’t be out of the loop like this.”
I grimaced. “There’s more.”
“Go on.”
“Brad called Duncan earlier this morning. There’s been a fire at The Rex Burlesque in New York.”
“What?” Flynn yelled.
“Calm down.”
Flynn threw off the comforter and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I need to call Brad. Now.”
“Get back into bed,” I commanded.
“Barrett, I’m fine,” he stated, even as he wobbled.
I went to him and gently put a hand to his chest, pushing him back. He fell over immediately, his face ashen. He was weaker than he’d thought.
“No one was hurt,” I said. “Now get back under the covers. I’ll give you back your cell phone, but you’re not flying out there. Not yet.”
“How did you know that’s what I’d want to do?” he grumbled.
“Because I know you.”
Chapter 13
After tucking Flynn back into bed, knowing he wouldn’t stay there, I went for a ru
n around The Rex property. I breathed in the fresh morning air as I passed the golf course, including the manmade lake. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been outdoors. The past week or so had been spent cooped up in the penthouse suite, surrounded by sick children and a sick husband. Thankfully, everyone was on the mend and dispositions were improving. So was my morale.
When I got back to the penthouse, I found Flynn on the couch. The phone was to his ear, and he shot me a smile when he saw me come in.
“No,” he said to someone on the other end of the phone. “Don’t release a statement yet. I’ll talk to the press when I’m there. Okay. Bye.”
“Brad?” I asked when he hung up.
“Aye. Just giving me an update about the club. The fire was worse than originally thought and it’s going to have to close for a few weeks for repairs.”
“That sucks,” I said, heading for the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of water.
“It does,” he agreed.
“So when are you leaving?” I asked.
“Tonight. I feel okay and all my pox are gone.”
I sighed. “I was hoping to get the boys home. I’m ready to get back to a routine.”
“I completely understand. I was thinking I’d take a commercial flight out tonight, spend about a week in New York, depending on how bad it is, and then come home.”
“That works.”
“You’re not mad at me?”
“Why would I be mad at you?”
He smiled, relieved. “No reason.”
“Need some help packing?” I asked.
Flynn stood up and walked over to me. His hand snaked out to grab my waist, pulling me towards him.
“Later,” he murmured.
“Later,” I agreed as his mouth covered mine.
Flynn was on his way to New York a few hours later. Though I was used to spending time apart, there always seemed to be an adjustment period. I hung out with the boys, tried to read Hawk a story, but he was back to his old antics of not sitting still. He was making up for lost time, clearly.
Ash poked her head in late that afternoon. “How ya doing?”
“Okay,” I said. “I miss Flynn even though he’s only been gone for a little while.”
“I figured. Let’s go out tonight. Just you and me.”
“Yeah?” I asked in excitement.
“Yeah. I can’t remember the last time it was just the two of us. No husband, no kids, no responsibilities.”
I tried to think of the last time when it had just been the two of us having fun. I was ashamed to admit I couldn’t remember.
“I’m in,” I said. “How about dinner here, but then we head to the strip? I haven’t even been this time around.”
“Perfect,” Ash agreed. “But before dinner, I say we hit the spa.”
As we got pampered in the spa, we sipped on mimosas. By the time we changed for dinner, we were more than a little tipsy. Ash’s face was pink and her smile was wide, and whatever had been weighing heavily on her seemed to have disappeared.
At dinner, we split a bottle of wine. When we climbed into a waiting car that would take us to the strip, I was feeling light and excited. Flynn called to let me know he landed in New York, but our conversation was brief. He told me to have fun and that he’d check in tomorrow. I hung up, vowing not to be tethered to my phone the rest of the evening. I just wanted to be myself, out of on the town with my oldest friend in the world.
“I think Jack is in love,” Ash said to me when the car was on the way towards the strip.
“Oh, yeah? What makes you say that?”
“Because I’ve never heard him sound so enraptured and so frustrated by a woman all in the same breath.”
“Who is she?”
“She works part time at his firm. Apparently she’s an art student.”
“What? No.”
Ash nodded. “She won’t go out with him. He’s tried everything. Flowers, chocolate, flirting, ignoring. Nothing is working.”
“Has he tried sincerity?”
Ash paused. “I don’t think so. He’s so used to getting his way because he’s a Rhodes.”
“And this girl isn’t impressed.”
“Not in the least.”
“Poor bastard,” I said with a winsome smile.
“Seriously. But I feel bad for her too. I mean, when Jack wants something, he goes after it.”
“So now we have to wait and see who’s more stubborn? This is going to be fun.”
Our car pulled to a stop outside the MGM. Ash looked out the window and smiled. “Are we going to walk the yellow brick road?”
I grinned. “I’m game if you are.”
“I suck at this game!” Ash wailed when she busted yet again.
“You’re not thoughtful enough,” I told her. “You go all in and you don’t think before you ask for a hit.”
“Well, you’re too conservative,” she shot back.
“Too conservative?” I scoffed. I pushed all of my chips forward, causing the other players to gasp.
“How much is in there?” one woman asked, her eyes nervous for me.
“About ten grand,” I said. I blamed the alcohol for my boldness, or stupidity, depending on how this turned out.
When all the bets were in, the dealer dealt the first round of cards face down. I took a peek and then waited for the dealer to deal the second round of cards face up. My face up card was an ace but my shielded card was a six. I had a seven or a seventeen—neither would secure me a win. When the dealer stopped at me, I tapped the table signaling that I wanted another card. He flipped over a five. Now I had a twelve. I tapped the table again. The dealer flipped a card to reveal a nine.
I made it to twenty one.
“I’ll stay,” I murmured.
The dealer moved on and then when he got back to his cards, he stayed. He flipped over his under card, revealing a ten. His top card was a jack. Twenty was hard to beat. Two of the people at our table busted and one lost with a sixteen. Ash had twenty, so she got to keep her chips.
With a little flare, I flipped over each card slowly to reveal that I’d won. Everyone at the table erupted into cheers.
“That’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen,” a voice said.
I turned to see Alessandro Filippi standing behind me. Something about his smile made me pause.
“You saw that?” I asked.
“If you ladies aren’t going to bet, you need to leave the table,” the dealer said, pulling my attention.
“There’s nowhere to go but down,” I said to Ash. “Let’s cash out.”
She nodded in agreement, her eyes darting from me to Filippi. Ash and I gathered up our chips and stepped away from the table. I tipped the dealer, giving him a thousand dollar chip. He thanked me generously and tucked it into his pocket.
Filippi followed us to the cashier window.
“Have you guys met?” I asked.
“Don’t think so,” Ash said, holding out her hand.
“Mr. Filippi was at The Rex opening,” I explained.
Ash stepped up to the window, and I turned my attention back to Filippi. “What are you doing here?”
He grinned. “I imagine the same thing you are.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, I meant, what are you still doing in Las Vegas? The hotel opening was days ago. Or do you live here?”
“No, I live in New York,” Filippi said. “But I have a business deal going through, so I stayed.”
“Oh,” I said. “Good luck with that.” Ash stepped away from the window and it was my turn to cash out.
“It was good to see you again, Barrett. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
He nodded at Ash and then turned to walk away. I watched him depart, a frown marring my face. “Was it me, or was he kind of…”
“Familiar?” Ash supplied.
I nodded. “Yeah, familiar.”
Of all the casinos in Las Vegas, Alessandro Filippi had been at the MGM at the same time as
me. And he’d watched me win big. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t coincidence.
After I cashed out, Ash and I found a bar lounge. The sounds of the casino were muted; instead we were treated to the gentle murmurs of low conversations. We found an empty table and sat down. Seeing Filippi had jarred me sober. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something I was missing.
Ash ordered an apple martini, and I decided to go for a scotch.
“So, that was interesting,” Ash remarked, sipping on her newly delivered cocktail.
“Me winning all that money? Yeah, that was strange.”
She shook her head. “No, I mean meeting that guy—Alessandro Filippi. He seemed really familiar to me, but I don’t know why.”
“Well, he is from New York. Maybe he ran in your circle.”
“Maybe,” she said with a shake of her head. “This is going to bug me.”
“You’ll probably put the pieces together when you’re sober,” I teased.
She laughed. “You’re totally right.”
Chapter 14
The night wore on and Ash continued to drink. I stopped after two glasses of scotch, but she kept downing apple martinis like they were water. I hadn’t seen her drink like this since we were in college. I thought it was nothing except her letting loose, but when her smile turned brittle and her eyes became glassy, I knew something was up.
“Ash? What is it?”
She stared into the green liquid of her cocktail and took a shaky breath. “It’s too horrible to admit.”
I reached out across the table to grasp her hand. “I highly doubt that.”
Ash didn’t even smile at my teasing tone.
“It’s just you and me here,” I said quietly.
She nodded, finally lifting her eyes to meet mine. “I was pregnant,” she whispered. “I found out when you were on your honeymoon in Italy.” She fell silent, gathering her thoughts.
“I wasn’t happy about it, Barrett,” she said. “I wasn’t ready for another baby. I don’t even know if I want another one.”
“Did you…”
“No. I didn’t have an abortion.”
“Then what—”
“I had a miscarriage.”
“Oh, sweetie, that’s not your fault,” I said.
“I know that.” Her eyes met mine. “But I was relieved.”
