“I knew it the second ‘Sasha Carter’ appeared on the artist list,” I said with a snort. “Come now. Do you think I wouldn’t have verified all the artists coming to my grand opening? Do you think a name like that, with those initials, wouldn’t have caught my eye? Do you think I became who I am by ignoring gut intuitions like that?”
Sarah—finally, I didn’t have to pretend she was someone else—nodded. Strangely, she seemed less nervous than when she was pretending to be Sasha. Almost like dropping the veneer of who she was not made it far easier to be who she actually was.
“I figured there was a decent chance you’d uncover the truth,” Sarah said. “I just didn’t think you’d do it on seeing my name. Seeing my face, maybe. But just my name?”
I shrugged. As smart as I was, some things, I supposed, were just beyond description. And it was best to just let the silence fill Sarah’s best guesses.
“In any case, what… what are you going to do?” Sarah said. “If you recognized my name and wanted to punish me, I doubt you would have let me come here. Yet I’m here. My art is up. You could make a point of embarrassing me in public, but I think you’re smart enough what that will do to your reputation. Or, if you care more about it, the business ofAllureandRubyas a whole.”
Damn, she was good. I knew there was a reason I’d wanted to fuck her daily for several years.
“I think I laid it out pretty clearly,” I said. “I’ve been waiting years for the chance to serve justice for Virgil. I’ve watched you flee Vegas when, shall we say, less scrupulous individuals took hold. I’ve watched you build your career out of your father’s shadow. And now, I’ve watched you come here. I’m just waiting for the right platform.”
“Are you?” Sarah said. “That’s a hell of a long time to hold a grudge, Cassius. I understand you want justice for Virgil. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’ve suffered for it, too, though I understand you and your brothers have suffered far worse.”
Far, far, far worse, Sarah.
“But vengeance will only drive you up for so long before it comes crashing down,” she said. “Call me crazy, but why not just let it go? Let’s just both move on. You forgive me, I apologize. I’ll keep building my art career, you keep building your casino empire. Two tracks that once crossed over but henceforth run parallel. What do you say?”
I kept my gaze on Sarah, trying to stare her down, but my mind raced a thousand miles per hour. What an interesting concept. Forgiveness. The idea of truly letting go, of allowing our lives to go in separate paths. I forget her, she forgets me, and we find someone new.
That wasnevergoing to fucking happen. I would not let Sarah out of my grasp, most especially now that she was back in Las Vegas, even if only for a night or two.
But…
She had made me consider an angle I had not given much thought to before then. I’d been so fixated on taking her down so forcefully, so bluntly, that I never thought to consider how a slow burn would be so much more delightful. So slow a burn, in fact, that it might feel warm at first. Cozy, even.
Nowthatwould be punishment. Build her up, feign forgiveness, act like I was showing her that I had moved on fromVirgil’s death and could see the good in her… only to crush her later on. Everything else was just being mean. This was what unmistakable breaking would look like.
“You know, Sarah, it’s quite rare that someone can change my mind,” I said. I had to do this carefully. If I just came out and said have dinner with me, she’d read right through that. Like I said, Sarah was no fool. “I still intend to see you pay for what you did. But. You are surely not the same person who you were all those years ago.”
“No, I am not,” she said, curiosity filling her voice. It wasn’t overt, but I knew her well. I knew her little cues, like how her inflection on “I” indicated an emphasis on being open to something.
“Are you sorry for what you did to Virgil?”
“Yes.”
It was strange how even just hearing that made me feel better. But I was not content with leaving it at that, and I certainly wasn’t going to let Sarah see it.
“I want to hear you say it.”
Sarah folded her hands by her lap, fidgeted some more, and nodded.
“I am sorry for what happened to Virgil, Cassius. I am sorry for what I did to Virgil.”
Better.
Much better.
Now I could feign acceptance of that. Now I could move on to the next step. Now I could begin the gradual warming up before the fires ignited.
“Apology accepted, Sarah,” I said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
I pretended I wanted to change the subject quickly, breaking eye contact with her and looking at her art.
“Your work,” I said. “Have you had a breakthrough yet? Have you achieved the artistic glory that you deserve?”
Sarah shook her head. She seemed more at ease as well, although I still strongly sensed discomfort. Good. Like I said, too sharp a turn would raise suspicions. This needed to be done carefully, in such a manner that even someone like Dante might not see it coming.
