“So,” he says mildly, swirling the amber liquid in his glass, “They all danced out?”
Mac lets out a quiet laugh.
I blink at him. “For the moment, they were talking about going across the road to the Encore.”
For a split second, Chace just stares at me.
Then he throws his head back and laughs.
Not a polite chuckle.
“One night on the town, and you are going to let him bet all his fortune, huh? Maybe you are not the good influence we thought you were?” He says, still laughing, serious demeanor gone.
Mac immediately swats him across the head.
“Sorry. Sorry. Jesus, Mac, you know I don’t mean it.”
“It’s not like he will be unsupervised.” Mac chirps.
“Sweethearts,” he says, his voice warm with amusement, “if you think those idiots can control anything Trey does…”
He exhales slowly, leaning back against the bar.
“Sometimes my best friend is a fucking idiot,” he continues, almost fondly. “Sometimes he lets me talk sense into him—just like I allow him to do the same to me.”
His eyes flick toward the roulette table again.
“But neither of us relinquish control… well, maybe to you Seraphina. But you don’t seem the type to tell him no if he gives you the puppy eyes.” I let out a little giggle and nod. “And how could you?” Chace laughs, Mac joining in.
“It’s a good thing he’s got all of us…”
He finishes the last of his drink in one smooth swallow before setting the glass down on the bar with a soft clink.
Then he pushes off the stool and straightens his jacket.
“Well,” he says, extending both arms toward us with effortless confidence, “come on then, ladies.”
Mac immediately hooks her arm through one of his.
I hesitate only a second before taking the other.
“Allow me to be your escort.”
Together, the three of us step away from the bar and move across the floor.
The noise grows louder as we approach them people cheering,
“Of course, the real problem soon becomes this,” he mutters. “If we’re watching out for him, then who’s watching out for us? Him?”
I consider that for a moment.
Then Trey spots us moving toward him—Chace between Mac and me—and his entire face lights up. He immediately shoves Logan and Sam to get their attention, while Logan is already locked onto Mac, one brow slightly raised.
“Welcome back, beautiful. You were gone too long,” Trey says, his eyes roving over me.
He is always watching out for me.
Chapter Twenty
