Page 51 of Bratva Claim

“Grands…”

“I haven’t won in three weeks.”

“Because you’ve been too busy giving me the latest gossip and not listening to the numbers.”

“There’s been a lot going on here, Sienna. I’d explode if I didn’t tell you everything.”

Suddenly, something heavy hits the tile floor, and I nearly jump out of my seat.

I survey the room, looking forhim.

“You okay, sweet girl?”

I’m with Grands. I’m fine. Nothing is happening.

“Scared me,” I mumble. “What was that?’

“Ava’s walker.”

“Bingo!” someone calls from the next table over, causing me to jump again.

It’s just Doris, wearing a smug visor and elbowing her bestie, Cynthia.

“Rigged,” Grandma mumbles, obviously annoyed. “She plays that same card every week.”

“It’s good to have a strategy.” I place a palm over my heart to calm it down.

“Doris cheats.”

“I love how serious you are about this.”

“It’s serious around here, darling. I’ve been trying to tell you.”

I shake my head. “I think you live a more glamorous life than me. I think I should move in.”

“There are no men here under the age of seventy-three. Unless you’re lookin’ to pull an Anna Nicole Smith.”

I tsk. “Hardly.”

“So, tell me what’s going on,” my grandmother says without looking at me. “You’re playing Bingo like you’re waiting for someone to come busting through that front door.”

“I am not.”

“You are.” I feel her eyes on me. “Something wrong?”

Nothing like a grandmother’s intuition.

There’s no way I’m going to tell my grandmother what happened between me and a mob boss. Nor what Dad did, and how he sold me off.

I just… can’t.

“Just exhausted.” I force the most genuine smile I can manage. “I’ve been looking forward to today all week. I just want to listen to you trash-talk your neighbors, win a gift card, and relax.”

“Don’t joke like that. You disappear, your hair’s frizzy, and now you’re acting like someone microwaved your brain.”

I huff a laugh. “You’re so dramatic.”

“And you’re hiding something.”