Page 37 of Creed

“Goodbye, dear. Call me tomorrow!”

I ended the call and tried not to let what she’d said get to me, but it did. Mainly because I knew she was right. About Brain, the new girlfriend, Chrissy, and Jameson. Especially Jameson.

I knew when I walked out all those years ago things were left unfinished between us, and I’d known it ever since.

It was time I got out of my damn head and did something about it.

9

CREED

Isat there long after she was gone.

The coffee in front of me had gone cold. I hadn’t touched it since the moment she stood up and walked out without saying yes or no to my dinner invitation. She just left like I hadn’t spent the last decade wondering if I’d ever crossed her mind.

There was no doubt about it.

The woman still had a hold on me.

I knew it the second I saw her walk out of that building. She still looked like the girl I remembered. Had the same fire in her eyes and the same quick wit that got to me in all the right ways. And that smile. Damn. It hit me right in the damn gut.

I didn’t want the moment to end. That’s why I’d asked her to dinner. I should’ve known better than to push. She’d made a new life with her kids and new job.

She had responsibilities and a reputation to protect. She didn’t need me meddling in her life, especially with the kind of life I led. But hell, if I didn’t still want to be the one she crawled into bed with every night, the one she held and kissed, and the one she leaned on when times got rough.

I was struggling to get my head right when the ring of my phone pulled me out of it. I grabbed it from my pocket, and when I saw it was Skid, I answered, “You got Creed.”

“Hey, brother. Where ya at?”

“Taking care of something. Why? What do you need?”

“Just checking to see if you’re gonna make it to your shift or we need to call in somebody else.”

“Shit.” I glanced down at my watch, and when I saw the time, I stood and started for the door. “I’m on my way.”

“You sure? It’s not a…”

“I said I’m on the way.”

“Alright. See ya when you get here.”

I ended the call and shoved the phone in my back pocket, muttering curses under my breath as I headed back to my truck. My head was still tangled up in Devin. Those eyes, that voice, and the way she saidJamesonlike no one else ever could. But I had to let that shit go, at least for the time being.

I had a job to do, and right now, it didn’t include dwelling on Devin the rest of the day.

By the time I pulled up to the casino, I’d managed to pull it together. At least somewhat. There were only a few cars in the lot. It was mostly regulars and a few of the high rollers who liked to show up early and drink before the lights dimmed. I pulled around back and parked, then took the side entrance that led through security.

As I expected, the main floor wasn’t busy. There was just a quiet hum of slot machines and the occasional clatter of chips, but the underlying energy was still there. It was always there, ready to be snatched by the next big winner. I continued towards the front, and it wasn’t long before I spotted Preacher, Tabitha, and Goose huddled up at one of the smaller bars, drinking a cup of coffee with Sergei and Nikolai.

Goose was talking with his hands, animated like always, and Tabitha was pressing her lips together, trying her best not to laugh. Preacher had that look on his face he got whenever he wanted to act irritated but secretly, he was entertained.

Hell, even Sergei and Nikolai were cracking grins, which was rare at best. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk, let alone jokes, but I pressed forward. I took a breath, squared my shoulders, and made my way over to them just in time to hear Goose say, “Might as well call him Ricky Bobby.”

“Ricky Bobby?”

“Talladega Nights.” Nikolai’s brows furrowed even more, and that sent Goose over the edge. “Oh, come on. It’s only one of the best car-racing movies around. Hell, it’s a classic.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” Preacher corrected.