Page 61 of Gambler’s Ruin (Calamity City Mafia #3)

SEVEN

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the sheer size of this mansion, even if it is feeling smaller as more and more people crowd into the ballroom for the party Caleb’s throwing.

Part of me feels like I should be panicking about being surrounded by all of these people.

But I recognize a lot of them from the hotel, even if I don’t know them by name.

It almost feels like the Roi de Pique with so many of the staff here.

“Seven? You with us, hon?” Charlotta asks, poking me in the side with one long, bright pink fingernail.

I smile at her, then nod. She and Della are decked out in their best drag, things that they usually save for the stage, and I stick close to them. “Just a lot going on,” I say.

But I sort of like the chaos.

“I wish my man would move me into a fancy mansion,” Della drawls with a smile. “Think of all the parties I could star in.”

“Do people usually star in parties?” I ask, tilting my head as I look up at her.

“Only delusional drag queens who think all the world’s their stage, et cetera,” Charlotta says.

The two of them start to bicker, and my gaze trails over the rest of the room. I see Caleb going from one person to the next, shaking hands and smiling, and I feel a familiar flutter in my stomach at the sight of him.

He catches my eyes and quirks a brow, and I lift a shoulder in a half-shrug before scanning the crowd for Vortex and Havoc. It’s not that I need them right this second, per se, but I still like knowing where they are.

I still like the reassurance that I’m safe .

“Hey! Della, Charlotta!” Connie cries out from behind me. She wraps an arm around my shoulder and gives me a hug.

I don’t even flinch when she does.

“And Seven!” Connie kisses my cheek, and I realize her cheeks are red. She must have had quite a few drinks. “How’s my favorite jailbait?”

I roll my eyes. I’d have taken offense at that at one point, but now, it’s just one of those things. I don’t have a quick retort for her, so I let her pull me into a hug.

It’s still strange, letting her show affection like this. It’s one thing to cling to Caleb, Havoc, and Vortex, but it’s another to let other people hug me.

I’m still not sure whether I like it.

“You’re enjoying yourself,” I observe.

“I’m having a feast on Caleb Spade’s dime!” Connie says. She raises the champagne glass she’s holding. “Whoo! Happy new year, eat the rich!”

It’s hard to be sure, but I think someone is approaching. I tense, only relaxing when I smell familiar cologne and an arm wraps around my waist.

“I think I might be a bit gamey,” Caleb says mildly.

Connie glares at him. “That just means I have to use lots of sauce. You’re with me, right, Seven?”

I think Havoc would make a dirty joke here.

“I sort of have an interest in him staying alive,” I say instead.

Charlotta smirks as she looks between us. “You’re so polite, Seven,” she remarks. “Because I would’ve said?—”

“Something very respectful of your boss, right?” Caleb interrupts with a smirk.

Della and Charlotta both laugh.

“Of course, boss.” Charlotta winks at me. “Very respectful, extremely demure.”

I laugh, proud of myself for understanding the very popular internet meme.

I’m still not “allowed” to use much social media, but I’ve been poking around on a few of the apps.

I should resent the restrictions, but I get it.

There have been times when I’ve felt myself on downward spirals when the content gets too overwhelming.

But then there are also cat videos, and it all evens out.

I relax even further when Vortex shows up, and Connie goes over to him to punch him lightly in the shoulder.

“Tell Caleb he sucks,” Connie says with a loud sniff. “I can’t convince Seven to donate to my org if he’s here.”

“What org?” I ask, taking a small step away from Caleb so I can snuggle against Vortex.

I should probably be more subtle in public, but I doubt that many people are oblivious to the boss’s boyfriend being cozy with two other men at this point.

“The environmental one?” I glance at Caleb. “Is it okay if I donate some?”

“Yes, the environmental one!” Connie flips Caleb off. “And you don’t need his permission, Seven. I know rich bastards like him don’t care about the environment, but?—”

“I already donate,” Caleb says with a small smirk. “In fact, I believe I’m one of your top private donors.” He gives me a small nod. “But if you want to set up a donation, too, we can do that.”

“Connie, you can’t bully everyone into donating,” Vortex responds.

“No, I want to,” I tell him, then I hesitate. “There was another one I wanted to donate to…” I trail off. It’s the one that had helped Sofía out when she’d left Marcus, a local domestic violence charity. “But we can talk about those later.”

Surprisingly, it doesn’t bring my mood down to think about it. Instead, I think about the fact that I can help people.

Before, I’d have spent that money gambling it away, but it’s gotten easier to avoid the apps that had pulled me in. I don’t feel the same need to escape, not when life has gotten so much better.

“Then we’ll get it all figured out later,” Vortex promises me. He kisses the top of my head.

Connie punches Vortex’s arms a few times, alternating which fist she uses. “I can so bully people into donating. And I don’t believe Caleb Spade cares about the environment.” She glares at him. “You probably only want tax write-offs.”

“I love tax write-offs,” Caleb agrees. “But I also want to preserve our environment. I know I’ve heard you complaining about the paper straws the casino uses. That’s just one of many environmental initiatives I implemented.”

Connie sputters in disbelief. “That’s… That’s… whatever.”

I smile at her. “He’s really particular about it,” I say helpfully. “You should hear him on one of his spiels about why we don’t sell branded bottles of water in the gift shop.” I stop, then eye him. “Actually, you shouldn’t. Anyway.”

“Yes, anyway,” Vortex says before Caleb can start talking. “How are you enjoying the party?” He glances at Della and Charlotta. “The two of you look beautiful, by the way.”

Charlotta preens. “Yes, I know.”

“Speaking of, do you want to get ready for your performance?” Caleb asks. “The machines are set up, and there are a few volunteers who want to karaoke with you.”

Della lifts her hand to her mouth and laughs. “Of course they do. Who wouldn’t want to dance with us?”

She and Charlotta keep joking as they wander off to the makeshift stage.

“Making them work on their night off,” Connie huffs, but she’s stopped glaring at Caleb and is leaning against Vortex’s arm. “Sebby, go get me another drink.”

“I think you’ve had enough for now,” Vortex says, his voice mild but firm. “At least go eat something first.”

He reaches out to ruffle my hair, then leads Connie off to find more snacks.

“I need to mingle a bit more, too,” Caleb says, kissing my cheek. “Lori was looking for you. And I spotted Havoc with Sofía somewhere.”

I nod.

I haven’t seen Lori that often since… since . Every time, I get anxious that she’s going to treat me differently. She did at first, but enough time has passed to where I don’t expect it every time we talk.

I steel myself, taking a deep breath, and remind myself that she and I have both been working on it. I find her in the crowd and cross over to her, offering a smile to her. “Hey,” I say. “Caleb said you were looking for me. Are you having fun?”

Lori looks very cute, wearing a nice sweater and dark slacks. The other people her age at the party—children of casino employees or Caleb’s extended family—are dressed less conservatively than Lori.

“Yeah! I found out my cousin Ollie likes Martial Law too,” Lori says with a big smile. “But I wanted to tell you about this other anime I watched. It’s about spirit detectives! The main character is dead, but she solves crimes anyway, and there’s a spirit medium…”

I listen as she chatters about it, promising to watch it so we can talk about it later.

I spot Havoc and Sofía in the crowd, but I keep my attention on Lori as she changes the subject.

“It’s cool that you’re living in my great-grandpa’s place now,” Lori says. “Do you know about the secret room in the basement? I found it once when I was bored.”

I shake my head. “You’ll have to show me later,” I say. I’m both curious about the secret room and wondering if it would be a safe place to hide if I ever feel threatened. It would be better than a closet.

“Yeah. And…” Lori makes a face and shakes her head. “Go away, Dad! I’m busy!”

Trent rolls his eyes as he walks up to us. “Yes, yes. But we actually have to get going. We’ve got an early start if we’re getting to the mountains on time for skiing tomorrow.” Trent smiles at me. “Thanks for keeping her company. Nobody else cares about cartoons as much.”

Lori groans and pushes at Trent, but he laughs and doesn’t let himself be deterred. I wave to them as they walk off.

I know she isn’t too mad, because she’s soon chattering with him, and Alice joins them. Apparently Trent and Alice reconciled after everything.

More than a few good things came about from the heads of the Lockwood family being wiped out.

I don’t even think of them as my own, not anymore.

I have my own family now.

I scan the room, finding Havoc again before heading in his direction. I snuggle up next to him, and he smiles down at me. “Hey,” I say. “Hi, Sofía.”

“Hola, carino,” Sofía says to me with a small smile. “Feliz ano nuevo. Happy new year.”

“Feliz ano nuevo,” I echo. My accent isn’t great, but I’ve been trying in earnest to learn Spanish. I think Havoc is partially teaching me so we can annoy Vortex by speaking in front of him without him knowing what we’re saying, but mostly, it’s so I can share something good with Sofía.

I think she’s still adjusting to the idea that her son not only has a boyfriend, but that said boyfriend is also dating two other men. She’s never treated me less than kindly for it, but I wonder sometimes what she thinks.

All I can do is be , though, and hope that she thinks of me as the same person I was before.

“We’re celebrating double tonight,” Havoc tells me, raising his champagne glass. “The divorce is finalized. Good fucking riddance.”

Relief washes over me. I’m so glad Sofía is officially free of Marcus. She deserves so much better than him. “Good riddance,” I say, nodding. I hug Sofía. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you,” she says.

I can tell from the look in her eyes that she’s still unsure. I know she doubts sometimes. She hasn’t said as much, but I understand. I’d love to say I don’t, that I’ve never thought about what would’ve happened if I hadn’t pulled the trigger, but I do.

It doesn’t make me want to change the outcome.

We chat for a bit longer, but Sofía begs off soon after, saying she’s too tired to party with all us young folk.

“She’s doing so much better,” I say to Havoc.

He nods with a bright smile. “Night and day, right? She never would have even come to a party like this while Marcus was around. He would have whined and cajoled and pretended to be sick so she couldn’t do anything fun.”

I nod. “I really am glad,” I say. “Estoy muy feliz.” I pick up Havoc’s arm and wrap it around me again. There really are a lot of people around, and it’s easier to handle with one of them close to me. “You’re doing better, too.”

He hasn’t been as quick to anger, and he’s dealt with a few stressful situations without lashing out. I’m proud of him.

I’m proud of both of us.

“It’s almost midnight,” Havoc says. “You want to find the others?”

“Yeah,” I say. I let him lead me across the room to where Caleb and Vortex are talking, his hand warm in mine.

They both smile when they see me.

“Which of us are you going to kiss first?” Caleb asks me. “Midnight only lasts for one second.”

“None of you,” I say promptly. “I’m going to find someone else to kiss.”

Vortex eyes me. “You’d better mean a kiss on the cheek for Della or something,” he tells me.

“I’ll fight you for the first kiss,” Havoc says to Vortex.

“And while you’re fighting, I’ll steal it,” Caleb responds.

I laugh. “I guess you’re going to have to rock-paper-scissors it. Or kiss each other. That would be a good show for everyone here.”

Vortex rolls his eyes. “I think I’m going to have to pass on that.”

On the stage, Della clears her throat. “You all ready? It’s time for the countdown! Grab your champagne, find the closest lips, and pucker up! Ten!”

The others in the room join in. “Nine! Eight!”

“Seven,” Caleb says, poking me in the side. I look over to him, and before I can react, he kisses me.

Startled, I kiss him back, only to be tugged away by Vortex for another kiss.

In the end, it’s Havoc who kisses me when the countdown ends.

“Happy New Year, Seven,” Havoc says when he pulls away.

I claim kisses from both Vortex and Caleb, wanting to start the new year off with all three of them freshly-kissed.

I think there are better words to say than Happy New Year.

I look between the three of them, still feeling the warmth of their lips on mine.

Everything is new and bright, and I think that it’s finally time to say something else I haven’t been able to say.

I take a deep breath, and I make eye contact with each of them before saying, “I love you. I…” I lick my lips, suddenly nervous even though they’ve all showered me with those three little words over and over again. “I love you so much. I’m sorry I couldn’t say it before?—”

Vortex opens his mouth like he’s going to say something, but I shake my head.

“I am . I wanted to say it, but I wasn’t ready. Now I am. And I love you, and I mean it.” I look earnestly between them. “You’ve given me so much.”

They’ve given me everything.

“And I love you. I do. So much, more than anything, more than everything, I love you.”

Havoc is the first to pull me into his arms, and he tells me, “I love you too, Seven.”

I smile at him. “I love you, Havoc,” I say again, the words feeling so very right .

“I love you too, beautiful,” Vortex rumbles, and he nudges Havoc. As soon as Havoc releases me, Vortex is right there to squeeze me tight.

“I love you, Daddy,” I repeat. The words make my heart full, and I tug free of Vortex so I can turn to Caleb.

Caleb, who started it all. Caleb, who, I think, loved me first. “I love you, pet,” Caleb says, and he pulls me into his arms.

I rest my head against his shoulder. “And I love you , Master,” I say. I pull back enough to be able to look at all three of them.

Finally, I say, “Happy New Year.”

I think it’s going to be a good one.