Queen of Hearts

by Jami Denise

  With a kissy-kissy, I moved back and smiled wryly. “I did, a few years ago. I just came back.”

  “Business or pleasure?” He raised his eyebrow mischievously, and I could clearly see the interest in his eyes.

  It was tempting, almost like an instinctual reaction. Bile rose up in my throat as the ghosts of my past pointed and laughed at the disgusting way I’d led my life up to that point. I was vulnerable in that moment, but the painful words Flynn spat at me earlier slammed into me like a freight train.

  “Neither, actually. My father passed away, so I came back to handle his affairs, and well, this has always been home, I guess.”

  “I’m sorry about your father. I hadn’t heard.”

  That didn’t surprise me. He still hadn’t been declared dead since there was no body. The thought turned my stomach. I’d done a good job of avoiding the situation, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I got my answer. No one could ever prepare for that sort of thing. I just wasn’t ready.

  I shook my head. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  He stepped closer, and as he did, I noticed Flynn standing a few feet behind him, glaring.

  “Jayne, let me take you to dinner. Just to catch up. It’s been a very long time.”

  I hesitated. Was I giving him the wrong impression? I had no desire to follow through on anything, but I didn’t want to be alone.

  “Just dinner?”

  He laughed, shaking his head. “Just dinner. I’ll be on my best behavior. A perfect gentleman.”

  I didn’t believe that for a second. Alonzo had an insatiable sex drive and the stamina of a thoroughbred. I knew very well he’d do whatever he could to get into my pants.

  I looked past him toward Flynn again, the pull too strong to ignore, and the pure, unbidden anger rolled off him like thunder. I’d be damned if I was going to let him intimidate me.

  “That sounds perfect,” I said, smiling up at him. “A smart girl never turns down dinner with a handsome man.”

  Alonzo’s smile beamed. I took his arm, and he led me through the casino toward the elevator that led to the steakhouse on the top floor. I was impressed—he was going all out.

  Footsteps sounded from behind us, and then Flynn’s voice boomed through the corridor.

  “Jayne!”

  We both turned, and as he approached, Alonzo tightened his grip on me, obviously uneasy about the way Flynn was behaving.

  “What are you doing?” he snapped.

  I cleared my throat and looked him straight in the eye. “I’m busy. We said everything that needed to be said.”

  He chuckled humorlessly. “Alonzo, if you’ll excuse us, we have some things to clear up. Alone.”

  I looked back and forth between them. “You know him?” I asked Alonzo.

  He shifted nervously, never taking his eyes off Flynn. “I’m his attorney.”

  Shit.

  “I see,” I said. With a sigh, I turned back to face Flynn.

  “Flynn, I have nothing more to say. Alonzo is an old friend, and he’s offered to take me to dinner. I don’t want any trouble, and you’re causing a scene.”

  “It’s my damn casino! Fuck a scene!”

  “Maguire!” Alonzo snapped. He stepped forward, pushing me behind him. “You need to calm down. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I won’t allow you to treat her like that.”

  Flynn scoffed, flicking his hand at him dismissively. “Yeah, but you won’t think twice about having her suck your dick, will you?”

  I gasped. “You’re a bastard!”

  “And you’re the bitch breaking my heart. We’re even, sweetheart.”

  He turned to walk away, and then stopped and looked over his shoulder. “You don’t have to do this.”

  A lump formed in my throat. I wanted to call out to him, to stop him and assure him that I wasn’t doing what he assumed I was, but the look on his face told me he had little faith that I was anything but a whore. Combined with his earlier words, I sunk deeper into desolation.

  Once he was out of sight, Alonzo turned to me and rubbed his hands over my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  His eyes held both worry and pity. I didn’t want either. I was fine. At least, I would be. I didn’t want to think about it, and eating a meal with an old friend would help with that.

  “I’m fine,” I insisted.

  I could tell he wanted to ask more, but he let it drop, and I was grateful.

  “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  I managed to squeeze out a smile and answered. “I’m sure. Now feed me. I’m starving.”

  The Skyline Steakhouse was one of the more elegant of its kind on the strip. We were seated in a nice, quiet corner surrounded by candles and soft music. The ambience lifted a bit of the tension from my shoulders, at least. It was calm and mellow, and exactly what I needed.

  I ordered French onion soup, and it was divine. I hadn’t had it in ages, and it had always been my favorite. My mother used to make it with grilled cheese sandwiches on rainy days, so it was one of my go-to comfort foods. Besides, soup was pretty much all my stomach could stand at the moment.

  At least the company was good. Alonzo had always been a charmer, a genuine one, so I felt myself relax for the first time in over a week.

  “I had no idea you and Flynn had a thing,” he said.

  I’d been expecting the statement, and the casual way he’d dropped it into conversation almost made me laugh. He’d obviously been dying to ask. When I didn’t answer, he chuckled, shook his head, and wiped at his mouth with his napkin before setting it down in front of him. He steepled his fingers, propped his elbows on the edge of the table, and raised his eyebrow while he waited for my response.

  I sighed. Here we go.

  “He imagines things that aren’t there. You know I don’t have relationships.”

  He hummed, and I looked up to find his eyes curious and his mouth set grim and serious. He wasn’t going to let me off that easy. Of course.

  “I’ve known you a long time, Jayne. I think you know I can read right through that bullshit. What I witnessed earlier was beyond delusion.”

  I took a sip of wine, looking down at the table as I set it down. Was I really doing this? Confessing? Was I ready to admit to someone that I was in love with Flynn? I was seriously losing my mind.

  “At one time, there was a possibility of something,” I said quietly. “I fell in love with him, and he lied to me. There’s nothing else to say. I thought he was one person, and he turned out to be another. It happens,” I said with a shrug. “I learned my lesson.”

  Shaking his head, he sat back, folding his arms across his chest. “I don’t think you have. You’re still in love with him, and he’s clearly in love with you.”

  I sighed again, frustrated. “Does it matter?”

  “You know he’ll never stop pursuing you. I’ve known him a long time, longer than I’ve known you. Flynn is the most determined man I know, and I’ve never seen him look at anything the way he looked at you tonight. Ever.”

  I looked down, folding my hands in my lap. I was drained. Emotionally and mentally. My body hadn’t even had time to come down from the adrenaline high after my altercation with Flynn in his suite. Hashing out feelings and shit with an old John was just a little too much.

  “Unless you’re dabbling in relationship counseling on the side, I think I’d like to steer the conversation into another direction, if you don’t mind.”

  He chuckled. “Same old Jayne. Still up to her old tricks.”

  He smirked and shifted in his seat, situating himself so he was sitting to the side, and stared at me like he’d cracked some ancient mystery. He looked damned pleased with himself, and I just didn’t get what the thrill was.

  Men.

  “And those tricks would be?” I raised a defiant eyebrow and sat back.

  “Sweetheart, the trail of broken hearts you leave behind could pave the strip three times.”

  I laughed, rolling my ey
es at his nonsense. “Be quiet now. I wasn’t kidding when I said I was hungry. I haven’t had a decent meal in months. It was no trick getting you up here.”

  “They don’t feed you well out there in California?”

  I quirked my lips and shrugged. “I’ve been living in Oklahoma for almost a year,” I said wryly.

  He rolled his eyes. “Do I even want to know?”

  Shaking my head, I answered, “No, you really don’t.”

  Alonzo and I spent the rest of the evening together, talking and drinking and having a good time. Thankfully, he respected my boundaries and behaved himself. However, throughout the evening, I had the distinct feeling we were being watched, and I could tell he felt it too. After my admission, and what he’d seen earlier, I don’t think there was any way in hell he would put the moves on me again. We both knew who it was; it was obvious.

  Flynn wasn’t giving up, and part of my heart hoped he never would.

  FOURTEEN

  Three days later, I woke to a loud banging on my hotel room door. I still hadn’t moved out of the cheapo, but it was starting to grow on me.

  I grudgingly got out of bed, swung my robe over my shoulders, and headed to the door. The only person that knew I was there was Pam, but I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Vince standing outside my door.

  Looking quite pissed.

  I hesitated, not really interested in talking to him after getting yelled at the other night. But, he’d just bust the door down if I didn’t let him in, so I slipped the chain out of the groove, unlocked the door, and opened it up for him to come inside.

  “Don’t bother yelling at me. It’s only nine in the morning, and I haven’t had my coffee or donut yet.”

  He let himself in and stood in the middle of the room, taking it all in. “Since when do you eat donuts?”

  “Since a while. I eat them every day. Is this your way of saying I’m fat? You can leave.”

  He turned to face me, smiling. “You’re not fat, kid. I’m just wondering.”

  I wanted to bypass the whole insignificant conversation about my diet and get right to it. “Why are you here?”

  He chuckled and pulled out a chair from the small dinette, spinning it around and sitting down backward. “Can’t a guy stop in and check up on his friend? We’re family, Jayne. I need a reason now?”

  “Ha!” I barked out. I charged toward him, shoving my finger in his face. “Family? That’s a stretch, isn’t it? You’re a damn liar!”

  He grabbed my hand and pushed my finger out of his face. “I don’t think I like this little hostile, pissed off kitty cat act you’ve acquired. You need to chill the fuck out.”

  “You chill the fuck out! You manhandle me, talk in a bunch of riddles, and want me to sit on my tuffet and act sweet? Kiss my ass. I’m not that girl—never have been, buddy.”

  He sighed and looked down, shaking his head. “Look, I didn’t come to fight. That’s why I waited to come over. I wanted you to calm down before I saw you again.”

  “Well, I’m not calm. I’m mad as hell.”

  His foot tapped nervously, and suddenly, I could see that he was uncomfortable. He didn’t like fighting with me, either. It wasn’t like us. We didn’t fight that way.

  “Talk to me, Vince. Please. You can’t honestly think keeping me in this constant state of confusion is okay. My entire life has been flipped over, and I need to know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. For my sanity, please, talk to me.”

  I kneeled down in front of him, laying my head against his jean-covered knee. I wanted to cry, feeling very much like a little girl. I was scared. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was terrified. The fear never left, even while I hid away. It crept in when I was all alone, and it was too close to the way I felt growing up. I never knew what end was up. It’s what ultimately caused me to take a left turn when I should’ve made a right. I craved control in my life because I never wanted to wonder what the fuck was going to happen to me.

  I was back to square one. I hated it.

  His hand cupped the top of my head, and I could feel the tension. He was hurting too. I only wished he would open up and bring me back in the loop. I missed the partnership.

  So I told him so.

  “When did I stop being your right-hand man? Why are you dealing with Flynn?”

  He cleared his throat. “Baby, listen. You have to know every decision I make is with you in mind. I’m sorry about the way things went down with Sam, but Janie, he had it coming a long time, and you know if it hadn’t been Doyle, it would’ve been someone else. He was getting too deep for too long. He was fucking people over left and right. I couldn’t protect him anymore.”

  “Why didn’t you try to stop him?” I asked. It was a question that had been eating at me for a long time.

  “He wouldn’t listen. Believe me, I tried. It’s like he was going out of his way to make bad decisions.”

  That definitely didn’t sound like my dad. Reckless, yes. But suicidal? Never.

  Another question had been eating at me, and ultimately, I’d been avoiding it and everything that came with it.

  “What happened to him, Vince? Where is his body?”

  “I don’t know, Janie.”

  The lump in my throat threatened to choke me. I had a feeling. I mean, I think I knew all along that I’d never get the chance to really put my father to rest. It wasn’t the way things worked in situations like that. But it hurt, nonetheless.

  “Am I still in danger? Are you?”

  His fingers weaved their way through my sleep-ruffled hair, and I leaned harder against his leg as I relied on his strength.

  “I’ll keep you safe. As long as you stop being so damn stubborn and listen to me, nothing will happen to you ever again.”

  “I just want my life back. Nothing's okay. Nothing's the same. I don't even know what the hell is going on anymore."

  I could feel the tears as they ran down my face, and felt so vulnerable, so lost in that moment. How had things gotten to that point? The person closest to me, the only person I truly had left was virtually a stranger. I had never felt so insignificant. Being out of the loop, especially in relation to my own life, was maddening.

  He took a deep breath and then stood, circled the chair, and came to stand in front of me. I tried to stand up, but my feet had gone numb from sitting on them, so I laughed and shook them a little.

  "That was a quick visit. You're leaving me already?"

  He smiled, but I could tell he wasn't up to it. "One more thing, Janie. Kick back with Flynn."

  That pissed me off. What was that supposed to mean? "I don't want anything to do with him."

  He reached into his jacket and threw down a stack of bills. "Oh yeah? You want to tell me why he asked me to bring you that money?"

  I looked over at it from the corner of my eye and tried to hold the smile in. Rat bastard. I should've figured he would involve Vince in some way.

  "He owes me money. I'm broke, so I went to collect."

  He cleared his throat and lifted my chin with his finger and thumb so I was looking at him as he peered down into my face. "Is that right?"

  I gulped and nodded. "I'm not letting him take advantage of me. He owes me that money, and you know it."

  Closing his eyes, he shook his head at me, obviously frustrated. "He didn't take your money, Jayne. Doyle took that money. Flynn had nothing to do with it. Damn it... this is what I'm talking about. You can't run around all hot-headed and crazy. I get in—the dude pissed you off. Just to be on the same page with things, you're not exactly his favorite person right now either, so just lay low, would ya?"

  Well, that sort of hurt. Again. Not that I could blame Flynn, and not that I really cared, but just hearing that he was mad at me kind of stung. Yes, I was vain and self-absorbed enough about the situation to want him to hurt and miss me and, on some level, still love me. Which, no matter what, I had a feeling he did in his own convoluted crazy way.

  "We've been
working together since the day you walked into his room, Jayne. Before that. Believe me when I say he didn’t do you wrong at all. He went about things wrong—we both did—but we had good intentions, so be pissed at me too.”

  I glared at him. “I am. Don’t worry about that. I’m fucking furious with you.”

  “Too bad. You’re stuck with me unless you want me to ship you back to the boondocks—and I will if you keep this shit up. Let me handle this, and the next time you need money, come to me—not Flynn. Feel me?”

  I couldn't hold in the smile that time. It was a self-satisfied, triumphant smile. Good. I hope the bastard did cry. He made my eyes leak, so back at ya.

  "Will do. Can I ask you for a favor though?"

  "Anything," he said.

  "Help me find a car. I hate that piece of shit rental."

  He chuckled. "Yeah, I can do that. Anything else?"

  I smirked and batted my eyelashes. "Yeah. Pay for it?"

  FIFTEEN

  Vince made good on his word and got me a new car. He promised to help me with a place to stay, somewhere other than another hotel room, so at least things were starting to go back to normal—until I received a note from Vince asking me to meet him at the Scarlet Lounge.

  I had a feeling it was time to talk to him and Flynn together to get the entire story. He'd been pushing and pushing for it, and I put it off as long as I could. I was a jumbled up mess, and I didn't want to deal with Flynn.

  Truthfully, I was being a coward. I was barely over the hurt he laid on me in his room a week before. Not that I'd been an angel. I'd been a total bitch, but that was beside the point. Vince didn't give me a chance to make a decision—I had to go.

  I took my time with my outfit. I'd spent quite a bit of time shopping since I didn't have anything else to do, and I was ready to watch Flynn drool a little bit. He could hate me all he wanted, but I knew he couldn't resist me. It was mutual, but again—beside the point.

  I walked through the entrance after giving the doorman my name and scoped out the room. It was even better close up, and if the circumstances had been better, I would've been looking at a good time. The crowd was lively and young, the music was great, and the ambience was fantastic. There was a good vibe, and it helped me relax as I made my way through the club in search of my party.