Chosen Fool (Forever Evermore #5)(97)

He winked, turning, and headed toward the back room.

I folded my hand absently when the call was raised, and bucked up. I peered to Elder Fergus and stated candidly, “I’ll tell her she’s all yours.”

His curls were a bit shorter, stopping just under his ears. The look was good on him, showing his combined rough and refined features more clearly. Or perhaps his face wasn’t as filled out as his older counterpart. Either way, he still looked remarkably the same. His words were quiet and shocked the hell out of me. “I believe I’d prefer someone else tonight.” Amber eyes met mine straight on. “A fire Elemental, I think.” As I stared unblinkingly at him, his lips curved on one side. “Perhaps you know of one who would be interested, Ms Farrow?”

It was too damn quiet. I jerked my gaze away from him. I was so not about to go there with this man in the past…my present…whatever. It wasn’t happening. I quickly stood, unable to recover from that offer to play any damn role. It was too much. I pointed at my chips, my eyes on the dealer. “I’m up a little over a hundred. Keep a marker under my name.”

When the dealer nodded, I turned from the table and sauntered at a decent clip through the room, only slowing my pace when I was outside. The line to enter the establishment was still long even though it was close to one o’clock in the morning. I hurried to my car two blocks away.

Breathless, I inhaled heavily when I stopped in front of it and reached for the doorhandle.

I froze.

In my haste to leave I had left my purse behind, my keys inside it.

“Shit!” I shouted in frustration. Frustration at the damn life I had been living. I banged my fists on the window, the sounds of city traffic loud around me. “Goddammit!”

I ran my hands through my hair and tugged at the strands, holding them there as I stared at my car door. My chest heaved. In defeat, I muttered, “Well, f*ck.”

There was nothing else I could do. My purse had cash in it and my ID. I had to go back for it. Dropping my arms, I jumped a few times in place and rolled my head on my shoulders, preparing, getting my game face on.

I turned to go back to the club.

And stopped dead in my tracks.

I stared, barely managing to keep a straight expression. “Been there long?”

All four Elders nodded once, their own expressions blank.

It was Elder Fergus—God f*cking help me—who stepped forward. “We followed you. The game was going to be much more boring without you there.” He lifted the small black clutch in his hand. “Plus, you forgot your purse.”

I cleared my throat, staring at his black silk shirt, the style somewhat similar to the clothing trend of my time. “Right.” I moved forward two steps, holding my hand out. “Thank you.”

He took two steps forward, his glide extremely careful as he countered my move slowly. “Actually, Ms Farrow…” His legs bent, and he tilted lower until his amber eyes were staring directly into mine, not letting me stare at his chest. “I was thinking,” he jiggled my clutch, “I would hold this for ransom.”

I blinked at him. “What?” I waggled my extended hand, staring into his eyes even as he began to straighten. “That’s mine. Give it back.”

He flipped my clutch casually into the air and caught it absently as he shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. It’s mine for the next,” a glance at his shiny, expensive watch, “two hours, at least.” My teeth gritted as amber eyes lifted back to my gaze, shimmering in the lamp lights around us. He flipped my clutch again. “Aren’t you going to ask what my demand is?”

I inhaled heavily through my nose. “What do you want from me for the next two hours?” My head tilted in the direction of the club. “You want me to go back in there and earn more money for you four? Even though you were doing just fine on your own, pulling the wool over Mr Stellar’s eyes?”

Green eyebrows rose. “Caught on to that, did you?”

I crossed my arms. “Yes.”

He tapped my purse against his other hand. “I don’t want you to go back to earn more money for us.” His head tilted. “And not just because you have your own game going and I would hate to intrude.” He pointed my clutch at my face “But be careful, he is a dangerous man.” He went back to tapping my purse on his other palm. “My main reason I don’t want you to go back is because for the next two hours I wish to enjoy your company while we eat.”

I blinked very slowly at hearing how he so sweetly interjected that he knew I was also playing Mr Stellar. “You want me to eat with you.” Another blink with slow words. “As ransom for my purse.”

“Yes.” He waved my purse down by his chest where my eyes had traveled, and slowly he dipped again. Amber eyes stared into my eyes, his lips curving up on one side. His smile invited me to join in with his humor. “I’d like to eat. With you.” A casual shrug of his shoulder as he unhurriedly began to straighten, my brows puckering as my gaze followed his. He shrugged his shoulders again. “It’s just a meal.” He tilted his head toward the silent Elders. “They’ll be there, too. We always go for pancakes after we stay out late gambling.”

Both sides of his lips curved. “And the person who won the least that night always has to pay.” Green brows bounced. “Which tonight would technically be you, since the four of us each earned over three hundred.”