The three girls in the corner stared at her through
flat, blank eyes.
The grunt didn’t consider them women. They were
property. Different thing entirely.
“Don’t get your dander up. I brought gifts.” Before
he could answer, Roxy held out the box and opened the
lid. Cuban cigars. She figured they wouldn’t resist.
“I said no—”
“It’s okay,” one of the other grunts interrupted. He
called himself Big Ralph even though he was lean and
hard, and he’d leeringly told her more than once that
he’d show her the reason for the nickname anytime she
asked.
She never asked.
“I seen her here before,” he continued, motioning her
over. “She likes to watch us play. Wants to learn the
game.”
He nodded at her and she forced her lips to shape a
smile. Asshole. She’d bought her way into his game
three times before and dropped thousands each time,
letting him win. Because he liked to chat between
hands. He was usually a fount of information.
All friendly and shit, she sauntered over. Even lit his
cigar for him.
Then she stood around, gritting her teeth while the
114
SINS OF THE HEART
rest of them lit up and puffed fat rings of smoke, reminding herself that gutting all four of them and
hauling the three girls out of here wasn’t playing nice.
It wouldn’t get her the information she needed, and it
