Queen of Hearts (7 page)

She scowled. “The Maguire. He works for Flynn, the old man’s son.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. I still couldn’t believe my ears.

“Sure as shit. Look... I don’t know all the details, but that’s what I heard. I dropped a few girls off over there awhile back—at his request. I didn’t get to talk to him. You know how that goes.”

I did know. Vince always took every possible precaution. He kept the girls safe and inconspicuous at all times.

“Thanks, Tara. Is everything good? You okay?”

She gave me a weak smile. “As far as it goes, I guess. Don’t be a stranger, girl. Take care of yourself.”

I took that as my signal to get lost. No doubt Maguire was lurking in a corner somewhere, so I took her cue and left, but not before slipping her my phone number. She’d know what to do with it.

I made little to no progress, so I decided to grab some food and go back to the hotel to relax. Running around in circles was getting old, and honestly, I felt a little crazy. Everything seemed dreamlike and unreal. The lies, the scheming... it was filthy, and it was playing with my psyche. I couldn’t keep up with anything. Going around half-cocked would only get me in trouble.

The drive was short, and I’d managed to ignore my phone the entire time. I didn’t want to deal with anything else on an empty stomach or a restless mind. Something had to give.

~~***~~

W
alking into that casino again had every hair on my head standing on end. I had to see Vince. Plain and simple. There was an explanation for all the madness, and I needed to hear it from his lips, and his lips only. Not only that, I needed his help. He was living high on the damn hog while I slept on the lumpiest mattress on the planet. I was getting claustrophobic being closed up in those damn little hotel rooms. I missed my pretty house with the big sprawling deck and the giant fluffy mattress I used to sleep on. It was bullshit, and he was going to make things better for me.

I almost choked on the smoke as I strutted across the gaming floor. How those people sat there all day was beyond me.

As luck would have it, I found him easily, thankfully without his stupid sidekick in tow. I was going to confront Flynn, and sooner rather than later, but I wanted to have all the information before I did. I wasn’t walking in green on that conversation.

I moved quickly toward him, the anger so thick in my veins that it hauled me across the room like a tank ready for battle. I was pretty sure there was fire shooting from my ears. Betrayal coated me from head to toe.

The sound of my heels beating against the tiled floor caught his attention, and as he turned his head, I had to stifle a laugh. If the situation had been different, I would’ve laughed, but it was anything but funny.

“Were you in on this all along?” I snapped. “Was it all a setup?”

The strength in my voice was astonishing. It was shocking that I could even speak at all in that moment. At that point, nothing should’ve been surprising. My world had flipped over seventy-five times in a matter of a few days.

He stared at me, obviously taken back. “Answer me!”

Shaking his head, he took a few steps forward, as if to embrace me. Fuck that. He was out of his mind if he thought I was there to make chummy.

With a swift motion, I slapped him as hard as I could. The sound of skin on skin ricocheted off the walls of the hallway just beyond us, causing everyone within earshot to turn and stare.

I watched as his eyes went dark, then narrowed. Grabbing my arm, he dragged me into the hallway and then pushed us into a room, slamming the door behind us.

“What the hell is your problem?”

Towering over me, he was intimidating, but I was beyond fear. I was livid. “What the hell is my problem? You come and disrupt my life, disappear, and then I find you here, all buddy-buddy with Flynn Maguire of all people? I should ask
you
what your fucking problem is, Vince! What’s going on?”

“It’s not what you think. We need to talk, but not now. How did you find out I was working with Flynn anyway?”

I let out a disbelieving laugh. “You’re kidding me right now. You have
got
to be kidding. That’s what you’re worried about? How I found out? I saw you, Vince. Last night, I saw you.”

He turned away from me, cursing and running his hand through his cropped hair. I took a moment to get a better look at him, and frowned. Crisp, designer suit, freshly laundered white shirt, polished shoes, and clean-shaven face? Who the fuck was this guy?

“Look, there’s a lot to talk about. I get it—you’re pissed. I don’t need you running around like a crazy bitch, Jayne.”

“How dare you!” I yelled. “You ruined my life, Vince! I trusted you! You promised my father you’d protect me, and you threw me to the goddamned wolves! I hate you!”

He spun around, grabbed my arm, pulled me against him, and leered down at me. “Listen up, little girl. I am
not
doing this with you. I’ll pick you up and throw you the fuck out of here if I have to. I’m asking you to calm down and be patient. Go back to wherever it is you’re staying and fucking
stay put
. I
will
take care of you. I always fucking have, and I always will. When you turn into a spoiled brat, you make me want to strangle you!”

I pulled out of his grasp, a little shaken and a lot pissed. Straightening my blouse, I turned for the door. “I have my old phone. You can get ahold of me that way. Make sure you do, asshole.”

Slamming the door behind me, I took off, stalking my way toward the exit. I was on the verge of tears, and that pissed me off. No one liked being treated like a child, and that went double for me. Vince didn’t usually operate that way, but he’d done it enough. His explosion in that empty room took the cake.

Again,
how dare he?

With a renewed passion, I went to the elevator, the one I’d taken the very first time I stepped foot in the Maguire. If Vince didn’t want to talk, well, I knew someone that would. I wasn’t beyond using my wiles on Flynn to get the answers I needed, either.

“Ma’am, you can’t use that elevator.”

I didn’t bother slowing down. At that moment I was ready to take someone to the ground if they tried to stop me.

“Ma’am!”

I huffed, turned on my heels, and spun around to face whoever it wasting my time.

I was a woman on a mission, damn it.

“Look, I need to go upstairs. I’m going upstairs, you understand?”

“But ma’am, no one is allowed entrance without being on the list.”

I chuckled and softened my posture. The little boy was about to learn a lesson he’d never forget.

“Sweetheart, I’m a very dear friend of Mr. Maguire’s.” I moved toward him, shifting my hips and ran a finger down his cheek. “I’d like to surprise him, if you know what I mean. I’m his favorite girl. You can ask Marcy. She knows me.”

His eyes bugged out and his cheeks turned bright red. I had him. Hook. Line. Sinker.

“I’ll need to ask... ask her,” he stuttered.

“You do that, sugar. I’ll just wait right over there,” I said. I pointed at the elevator and batted my eyes.

He nodded and took off toward the concierge. I shifted, popping my hip. I didn’t have time for bullshit, and I really didn’t want Marcy alerting Flynn of my arrival. The element of surprise would be fantastic—that was if Vince hadn’t already spoiled it.

A few moments later, the boy, with Marcy in tow, came into view. She looked pissed—until she recognized me.

“Miss King, I wasn’t made aware of your visit.”

Walking to meet them, I smiled and turned on my Jayne charm. I needed plenty of luck to get inside. I had a feeling I could count on Marcy.

“This is an unexpected visit, Marcy. I was hoping to pop in and see Flynn. I think he’d be pleased to see me, don’t you think?”

She looked conflicted, but with a little work, I would get my way.

“I’m not sure. I should call him...”

“No!” I insisted. “Really, sweetheart, I would rather surprise him. He doesn’t know I’m in town, and I’d like to make this a visit to remember. He’ll be happy to see me. You know how he favors me.”

She chewed on her lip and looked around—at what, I had no idea. Everyone was so paranoid all of a sudden. It wasn’t helping my panic button a bit.

“Let’s do this; if he’s angry about the abrupt visit, I’ll take the brunt of it. I promise I’ll make sure he knows I coerced you into allowing me access. I won’t let this come back on you. I swear.”

She sighed. “Okay. I’m still not sure, but I know that you have history, so I trust you.”

“You’re a doll.” I leaned forward, kissed her on the cheek, and winked at the bellboy. “Do me a favor—don’t call up ahead of me. I really want to see the look on his face when he opens the door.”

She nodded and ordered the boy to take me upstairs. It really went better than I thought it would, and for that, I was relieved.

Just as I’d done the first time in the elevator, I touched up my lipstick, adjusted my skirt and blouse, and made sure my hair wasn’t flying around everywhere. If anything else, I wanted to make sure I looked perfect. Flynn was a pig—the first thing he’d notice was my outfit, or lack thereof. I purposely avoided red because... fuck him.

The elevator dinged, and I smiled to myself.

It was showtime.

S
tanding outside the suite, my nerves took over. I wanted to be brave, but I knew seeing him face to face was going to be rough. It had to be done, though. I had to be strong, so I squared my shoulders, rolled my neck, and beat on the door before I chickened out.

The door flew open, and I realized he wasn’t alone. My heart thundered under my ribcage, and I almost passed out.

“Can I help you?”

I blinked away the confusion and focused on the bimbo in front of me. Again, I wasn’t surprised there was a woman in his room. Typical. But the look on her face and the tone of her voice brought me back to the present and the reason I was there. I wasn’t a jealous ex-girlfriend; I was the dark angel of his demise. That bitch was nothing to me.

“No, you can’t.”

I pushed past her, walking into the room like I owned it. I wasn’t letting anyone in that room stop me.

I spotted him right away, sitting across the room in the midst of a poker game. A trashy brunette sat perched on his knee, while another stood behind him, rubbing his shoulders. He made me sick. He looked up, and it was as if he’d been hit with the brunt of a gun against his temple. Pure and utter shock.

He was a caricature of the man I’d fallen in love with. Still beautiful, but something black had seeped through. You could sense it immediately. The eyes that smoldered dark with lust were shadowed and sullen on his face like tiny ghosts watching the world turn while they battled the pain behind them.

A visceral ache shot through me. If only things had been different. Had he been the man I thought he was, everything could’ve been beautiful. But, those things happened. Those lies were weaved and the betrayal was real. He hurt me, cracking every bone inside of me, and left wounds that would never heal. I’d always be broken. Always a little crooked. I’d never trust in anything completely again.

He stood, swatting away the brunette, and gripped the arms of the chair to steady his unsure legs. I could feel the eyes of every person in the room, but I couldn’t look away from him. It was surreal, after all that time, how much he affected me. Still.

“Janie,” he choked out.

His lips let my name escape, but I could see that he couldn’t believe I was standing there, that I’d barged into his room like a phantom, a deep, dark secret from his past.

That past wasn’t far enough behind us for him to be so surprised, especially since I was sure he was well aware of the visit I’d received from Vince.

Had he really believed I was gone for good? He was obviously as stupid as I was to have bought into the lies. I was just as big of a liar as he was. A better one, if I was honest. I broke promises and laid idle threats on a daily basis. It was unbelievable, the meshing of the people we were.

I could almost sympathize with the bastard.

“Don’t get up,” I ordered. “Sit back down and listen. You owe me that much.”

I walked over to the bar and slammed my clutch on the hard surface. Grabbing a glass, I reached over and grabbed the crystal decanter of amber fluid, not really giving a shit what was inside. I needed to calm the fuck down. A stiff drink was a start.

I threw it back quickly, wiping the moisture from my lips afterward with the back of my arm before turning to face him again. He was still sitting there, staring, with his gaggle of monkeys watching on. If he wanted an audience, well, that was his problem.

I fisted my hands at my side and started pacing.

“I came back for my money. I earned it, and you stole it. I want it back.”

I bit out every word with as much venom as possible. I was boiling over with pure rage, ready to set that whole damn suite up in flames.

I stopped pacing and turned to face him, waiting on an answer. When our eyes met again, it was as if something finally clicked.

Welcome to the party, motherfucker.

He stood, knocking the chair out from underneath him and sending it backward to the floor.

“Get out!” he roared. “Everyone get the fuck out of my house!”

He threw the contents of the card table to the floor and flipped it on its side as he charged toward me. Everyone scampered, grabbing coats and purses and flying out of the suite like their asses were on fire. I didn’t blame them. If I were in their shoes, I would have hightailed it out as well.

Shit was about to get really messy.

Once the room was empty, the only sounds left were his heavy breathing and the beating of my heart as we stared each other down. I couldn’t lose my nerve, so I turned away from him and continued to pace the room.

“I thought I could walk away and start over, but it turns out it’s not that easy when you’re broke. Then I remembered you, sitting over here on your tuft of cash, high and mighty in your castle, and you know what?” I turned to face him and pointed my finger in his direction. “Fuck. That. I paid to get my father out alive, and he’s dead. Dead! And now you take Vince away from me, too! I find out you two were in cahoots all along! Your father reneged on his part of the bargain, so I want what’s mine. I earned it!”