Page 5

Max

There's something seriously wrong with me. There I was, supposed to be assisting with the interview, and I was silent except for one-word responses. Fuck, did I even smile at her?

I obviously never shook her hand, and now she thinks I'm a germaphobe, thanks to Nick.

Or she's smart enough to piece together that it was a bullshit excuse made up on the fly.

I'm sure she's smart enough. Every answer she gave in that interview was witty.

.. but she lacked confidence. I'm sure that had to do with being stuck out in the rain and the last-minute nature of the interview.

"Thanks again, Savannah," Nick says as he puts a wad of cash in her hand. He's compensating her for letting a new hire stay with her, but I wish he hadn't done this right in front of Hailey .

Hailey looks away, her cheeks flushed. Probably embarrassed to be a charity case.

"No problem." Savannah smiles at Hailey. "I absolutely cannot handle working alone tonight, plus I don't mind having a roommate. I get so fucking bored."

"Just don't spend it all in one place," Nick says.

She punches him in the arm. We both know she's going to spend all of that cash by the end of the week.

Savannah has become entrenched in this way of life.

She can't make this much money anywhere else, and she's gotten too used to spending it on clothes, partying, and cognitive-behavioral therapy for her Pomeranian.

I scan Savannah's apartment for Teddy, wondering if those therapy sessions helped him; he used to bark at me until I left her apartment, but he must be napping in her room.

I don't know why she doesn't train him like a normal dog, but she loves that little guy and gives him a happy life, so who am I to judge?

I notice how behind she's gotten on cleaning. Not that I'm a neat-freak, but this is excessive. A tower of pizza boxes and empty bottles crowds the corner of the kitchen, and it looks like she hasn't touched the dishes since winter.

I wonder if Hailey will be bothered by the mess.

It's hard to tell—I find Hailey impossible to read.

Apart from a few fleeting signs of uncertainty, her expression remains stoic.

Her hair, drying from the rain, reveals a honey blonde shade that complements her striking blue eyes.

She crosses her arms, glancing around the apartment.

Her eyes meet mine for a split second, but I'm too fucking slow to smile, leaving me staring like a fool.

She bites her lip and looks away. The permanent scowl etched on my face since we killed Sam certainly doesn't help.

"Stop," Savannah laughs at Nick. I didn't catch what he said, but they're flirting. Those two have been casually hooking up for a long time. Although, an on-again, off-again relationship may be a better description. Either way, I'm worried their behavior is making Hailey feel even more awkward.

"Savannah," I interrupt, holding up my bitten hand. "Do you have anything for this? I'm worried it's gonna get infected."

She furrows her brow, frowning. "Maybe, look around my bathroom. Take anything you need."

As I pass Hailey, I lean in and whisper, "Wanna help me?"

She hesitates, likely weighing her options. But when Nick pulls Savannah close, whispering something in her ear that I'd rather die than be an audience to, she chooses to follow me.

"Thank you for not leaving me alone with them," she says as we enter Savannah's messy bathroom.

"No problem. They'll probably end up in her bedroom soon enough."

I dig under the sink, moving boxes and products aside to find something for my wound. The array of loose pill bottles, tampons, and cosmetics makes it hard to imagine how she stays organized. "I hope you don't mind the mess," I grumble.

"I don't mind," she says.

She must be pretending to be easy-going.

“Don’t feel obligated to help out or anything. You’ll find your own place soon enough.”

“Really?” She sifts through Savannah’s cosmetics. “How much can I expect to make in a night?”

“I dunno, a few thousand? It varies a lot, though. Tonight will be a good tipping night because we’re only hosting our really wealthy players. The table has no limit. But it varies from night to night.”

She goes quiet, and I glance up. “A few thousand?” she asks, incredulous.

“Yeah. Is that okay?”

She laughs, “More than okay. I’ve never made anything close to that in one day before.”

“What did you do before this?”

She doesn’t answer but instead holds up a first aid kit from the closet she was searching. “Hey, look what I found.”

Ignoring my question hasn't gone unnoticed, but I smile. “Good find.”

She opens it and looks adorable, squinting her eyes and biting her lip while reading the labels.

“Any chance you were a doctor before all of this?” I joke, hoping I don’t sound like a complete dick.

But she laughs.

Her cheeks flush pink when she laughs, and an intrusive thought hits me: wondering if that’s the color of her face turns after coming on my cock. Fuck. I need to stop thinking about these types of things. It’s not a good idea to get involved with casino employees.

Hailey opens some sort of wipe. Not sure what it is, but it's better than nothing for my injury. I hold out my hand, and she takes it. The wipe stings, but I'm too distracted by her presence to care. Her hands are soft and delicate.

“Better?” she asks.

I smile. “Much.”

She returns my smile, pleased that I've redeemed myself since the interview.

I linger by the bathroom door, sensing she's ready to leave, but I need to ask a few questions. Despite finding her adorable, I can't risk endangering Savannah or the casino. Gently, I lift her chin, ensuring our eyes meet. “I get the idea you weren’t entirely truthful in the interview. It seems like you’re running from someone. And that worries me.”

Her eyes widen, and she steps back toward the tub with a stained ring. She shakes her head. “No, I mean... I am running from something, but it’s nothing that...”

Her breath quickens, panic setting in.

“I’m not mad, just curious what happened to you.”

Before she can respond, my phone rings—my dad’s calling. I curse under my breath. “Sorry, I gotta take this.”

She looks relieved that the conversation is over. Unfortunately, I'll need to smooth things over with her again .

“Yeah?” I answer the call. Teddy starts barking in the hallway, so I step out onto Savannah’s balcony for some quiet and privacy. The thick summer humidity hits me like a wall.

“Hey Maxy,” Dad greets, using the nickname my family still clings to. “So, you know we’ve been borrowing money from Alexei for a while, right?”

“Of course.” My grandfather, the boss of our organization, borrowed money from the Russians for an expensive import that ended up getting seized by customs—a total loss. We've been repaying it in installments ever since.

“Well,” Dad continues, “He’s getting impatient.”

“Fuck. And I’m assuming you’re telling me this because...”

“Your grandfather wants sixty million from all of us capos. I’m asking for ten from everyone under me.”

That includes me, Nick, and two others.

I rub my temple. I have it, but my savings will take a hit, and I’ll have to move a whole lot of shit around to free up that much cash.

“Are you fucking serious? How much have we borrowed from him?”

“I don’t know at this point, but he added interest. Lots of interest.”

Of course he did. That’s the same shit we pull with our gamblers.

“Are you with Nick? Can you tell him? I’ll call the others myself," Dad says.

“He’s with Savannah, but I’ll update him afterward. ”

“Thanks.”

I hear my mother’s voice in the background.

“Your mom wants to know if you can make it to the barbeque on Sunday.”

“Yep.”

Her voice again, likely about food.

Dad relays, “She says Bianca’s coming too and asks what you want for dessert.”

I’m glad Bianca will be there. She’s my youngest sister, lives near her college campus, while Sofia, my other sister, moved back home post-graduation.

“Anything’s fine. I don’t care.” Dessert is the least of my worries.

Mom asks another question, but Dad brushes it off, saying we’re discussing business.

“It’s going to be a busy night, Max. Hopefully, we can make enough to put a dent in what we owe Alexei.”

“God, I hope so.”

“How’d the interview go?”

“Good, we hired her. Cute girl. Blonde. Seems smart.”

We chat about business. I watch Hailey through the window—she's turned on the TV, likely trying to drown out Nick and Savannah. I try to wrap up the call, eager for more time with Hailey before they reappear. But Nick catches my eye through the window, sporting a sly smile.

That’ll vanish once I tell him the news about the money we owe .

Ending the call with Dad, I slide the door open and return inside.

“Nick? I need to talk to you, and we should probably head out.”

He nods.

Turning to Hailey, I ask, “All settled in?”

She shrugs. “I didn’t have much to unpack.”

Savannah interjects, “I can help her find something to wear tonight, too. I think we’re around the same size, but your tits are amazing. Are they real?”

I roll my eyes. Did she really just ask that?

Hailey smiles, though clearly embarrassed by her questioning even though Savannah doesn't mean any harm. “Thanks. They are.”

“Well, I’ll see you two tonight,” I say, leaving with Nick.

I waste no time informing Nick about the ten million he owes my father. He vents his frustration on a dumpster outside while I wait in his car. Despite today’s mess—killing Sam, losing ten million, and my aching hand—something about Hailey excites me, and I can't help but look forward to tonight.