This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.
Davis was playing with fire, and if he wasn’t careful, he would get us all burned. I held my hands up and said, “Okay. Let’s think this thing through. Davis said he had a way to get his hands on a lot of money fast. How would some biker club have that kind of money?”
“I’m sure they do pretty well with the Vault.”
“Yeah, but notthatwell.” I walked over and grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge. “If they did, they’d all be driving fancy cars and living in luxury, not riding around on motorcycles.”
“Some of those motorcycles cost a pretty penny.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, but maybe Davis knows something we don’t.”
“Maybe.” I poured us both a glass of wine and offered her one as I said, “I just hate the thought of any of this falling back on Luke.”
“Surely Davis wouldn’t do anything to hurt him? I mean, Luke is his brother. That has to count for something.”
“It should, but this is Davis we’re talking about.” I sat down next to her. “You know better than anyone he’s not exactly trustworthy.”
“No, he’s not.” She took a sip of wine before suggesting, “I could go to the bank and try to borrow the money.”
“Like anyone would give you that kind of money.”
“They might. I could tell them it’s for school.”
“You might get a couple of thousand out of them, but nowhere near what you actually need.”
“Maybe Mom could cosign for me.”
“You’re grasping at straws, kid.”
“I know. I know, but I can’t help it.” She dropped her head into the palm of her hand. “I feel like I’m losing my mind over here.”
“You’re not the only one.”
“I’m really sorry I got us into this mess.”
“It’s okay. We’re going to get through it. We just have to be patient and hope that Davis will come through on his plan.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then, we’re screwed.”
7
GOOSE
“Hit me.”
The clink of chips carried across the floor, steady and sharp, along with the low muffle of the crowd. I wasn’t paying them any mind. My focus was on the blackjack table where Davis was playing yet another round.
It wasn’t going so well.
He was at Laken’s table, and I’d lost count of how many times he’d lost. Laken was Skid’s ol’ lady, and she was doing her best to keep a handle on things. She stood straight with a professional smile, and she kept her voice low and calm.
But I could see the tension in her shoulders. She was struggling, and Davis wasn’t making it easy on her. In fact, he was losing it, and with each hand, his temper was rising.
“Hit me,” he ordered.
