“Just trying to understand him.”
I stared at the tight muscles in her back, myKteerrumbling in rage, trying to get control of myself.
She’s like that, trying to understand everyone. She’s not making excuses for him.
Except…what if she was? She sounded resigned to Hendricks’ cruelty, didn’t she? Tomorrow evening, she’d be back with him, and he’d be free to hurt her however he wanted. I wanted to ask herwhyshe insisted on going back to him,whyshe was doing his bidding…even trading her body for the bastard’s debt when she hadn’t wanted to.
But I knew why.
I’d seen the letter.
So I blurted, “Can I ask another personal question?”
Slowly, Stevie turned from the sink, reaching for the drying towel. She took her time wiping her hands as she propped her hip against the sink, her gaze wary. “Yeah, I guess so.”
I took a deep breath. “What happened in New Orleans? What does Hendricks have over you?”
When her gaze shuttered and she glanced away, I realized I’d gone too far. Here was one question she was going to say she couldn’t answer.
Which is why I was surprised when she took a deep breath and spoke, her gaze locked on the towel she was gripping with white knuckles.
“In New Orleans… The LeClair brothers run a bunch of not-so-legal businesses, yeah?” A flash of blue as she peeked at me, then away. “They’re not nice people, and they have a shit-ton of money.” One of her shoulders hitched in a half-shrug. “They play poker. Not as well as my—not as well as Hendricks. But they enjoy the game.”
I forced myself to loosen my grip on the broom, to pretend casual relaxation I didn’t feel. “I guess I should check to see if they’re playing in the game I was invited to in a few weeks.”
“Yeah.” Her gaze was serious when she finally met my eyes. “You should. It would be good to know ahead of time.”
The dullness of her tone, the wariness in her gaze… My stomach knotted in fear. No,reactingto the fear I felt from her. “What happened?” I murmured.
Stevie dropped her gaze back to the towel she was wringing. “Last year I helped…” She swallowed. “I helped Hendricks cheat the LeClair brothers. He won a lot of money.”
Hendricks’ letter, his threat, was beginning to make sense. “And now, if you don’t do what Hendricks tells you to do, he’ll tell the LeClair brothers what happened.”
“And they willnotbe happy.”
But I was shaking my head. “Stevie,Hendricksis the one who cheated them. You weren’t in the game, right?” From what I’d seen, she wasn’t a good enough player to be invited to the same games Hendricks and I played. “He’s the one the LeClair brothers would blame.”
She turned away, reaching for the pan she’d washed earlier, smoothing the towel over it. “But I’d still be dead,” she whispered.
The handle of the broom cracked beneath my grip, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to control my rage at the thought of my female being hurt. MyKteerhowled with bloodthirst, and I had to remind myself that Stevie wasn’t mine to protect.
Right?
She was Hendricks’, and tomorrow she’d be returning to the bastard.
I’d have to forget how good she tasted, how my cock reacted to her scent. I’d have to forget the way she made me smile, the way she teased me, the way her fascinating insights made me feel as if my dream was a good one.
She was Hendricks’, not mine.
I turned and stomped from the kitchen, desperate for a distraction.
It was only later, as I was vacuuming the living room, that I thought to wonderhowStevie had helped Hendricks cheat the LeClair brothers.
Chapter Seven
Stevie
As Saturday went on,my nerves became more and more…well, nervy.
