Page 159 of The Bluffing Game

“Actually, we’re going to be really productive tonight.” Lucia turns her nose up at me. “Izzy and I are going to help Sage and Rosie move in to their new place and clean and stuff.”

“You’re going to clean?” I ask my sister incredulously. “You don’t even know how to vacuum.”

“Yes, I do.” Lucia sticks out her tongue at me, and I’m taken back to our childhood and how stubborn she was.

“Okay, if you say so.” I shrug. “Not my house you’re cleaning, but Sage and Rosie should be aware that you may make it worse.”

“No, I won’t. Anyway, I’m trying to convince them to move in with Izzy and me. Apparently, they are moving into that dumpy apartment complex”—she gives me a look—“that Sal Antonio owns.”

“What?” I frown at Sage, who is practically glowering at me. “But that place is used as a …” I stop; I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news. “You only have three bedrooms though.”

“It would work for now.”

“We couldn’t possibly move in with you,” Sage protests and takes a sip of her drink.

She looks flustered and beautiful, and I can’t help but notice that she changed into a cute dark green top that exposes her midriff. She’s stunning and sexy, and I need to stop noticing it.

“Thanks though, Lucia, but we should really get going, since I rented a truck for a couple of hours from Home Depot so that we could pick up some free furniture I found on Facebook Marketplace.”

“Free?” Izzy raises an eyebrow. “But what if it has fleas?”

“We can get spray. It’ll be okay,” Sage says quickly. “Anyway, who are your friends, Dalton? I don’t think I’ve met them.” She looks over at Roman and Brett and smiles widely. “Hi, I’m Sage, and this is my sister, Rosie. We’re new to Santa Capinari, though I suppose that’s obvious.”

“Nice to meet you, Sage.” Roman shakes her hand. “I’m Dalton’s best friend, Roman. I help to keep him on the straight and narrow.” He chuckles as he taps me on the shoulder.

“I’m Brett.” Brett nods at everyone as he stands there, stiffly.

Brett is the most reserved man I know. I rarely see him smile or interact unless he has to. I suppose that’s his Navy training, but he’s always serious and on guard. That makes him dependable to do business with, but he’s not always the most fun.

“Hi, Brett. I’m Rosie,” Rosie pipes up, and if I’m not mistaken, she’s fluttering her eyelashes at him. “Are you guys going to join us? We have plenty of food to share.”

“Sure.” Roman slides into the booth next to Lucia and grins. “How’s it going, Skeletor?”

“Fine, Darth Vader.” She glares at him, and he shakes his head with a smile and grabs some fries off her plate.

They are constantly at each other’s throats, and I wonder if they will ever get on as adults.

“I have a truck.” I look back at Sage. “I can help you move your furniture, but I would also love to see your place before you decide to move in. If it’s the complex I’m thinking of, it’s not that safe.”

“It’s fine. Plus, we also signed a lease and put down a deposit and first month’s rent. Frankly, we can’t afford to lose that.”

“I know Sal. I can help with that.”

Sal hates my guts, but I’m not going to tell her that. I can turn in a favor. Plus, I’ve got Brett to help. He mostly does investigative work for me, but his work as a DEVGRU (SEAL Team Six) means that I can utilize him for many different types of work. He worked in Special Ops for years and can handle anything I put his way.

“You don’t have to⁠—”

“Maybe he should check it out,” Rosie blurts and looks at her sister with a pained expression on her face. “The apartment looks nothing like it did in the photos online. It’s a dump, with all the dead cockroaches”—she shivers—“and the rats or mice or whatever, and we don’t even have a man to look after us.” She looks over at Brett, but his expression doesn’t change at all. “Not that we need a man or anything,” she says quickly, and then she looks at me. “I just don’t want us living anywhere dangerous. We sure didn’t move here to be living in the⁠—”

“Rosie, really?” Sage glares at her, and I recognize the look as one I give to Lucia all the time. It’s hard, being the oldest sibling sometimes.

“I’m just saying.”

“If your sister doesn’t want to live there, then why would you expose her to the elements in the environment that might be dangerous and full of⁠—”

“Can I talk to you for a moment, please, Dalton?” Sage scoots out of the booth swiftly, grabs my arm roughly, and then seems to think about what she’s doing. “Sorry. Can we talk outside?”

“We can.” I grin at her. “Come with me.” I move toward the entrance and look back at her. “You don’t have to be sorry, by the way. I like it rough.”