Nix. (Den of Mercenaries Book 3)(48)

Luna knew better than to react to the man’s dig, but she would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious about what he meant.

No, she knew what he meant—that was pretty obvious—but she was curious whether or not it was true.

It was possible—he had told her there had never been anyone special before—but the idea didn’t sit well with her. She remembered all too well what it meant to be ‘shared’ and the idea that Kit would do something like that … but that wasn’t who he was.

She didn’t believe he would force a girl to do something she wasn’t comfortable with.

He had shown her that.

“Are you playing the game, or not?” Kit asked with a nod of his head at the table in front of them, but whereas his tone had been indifferent before, there was an edge now.

“Of course, of course.”

But he didn’t move away, not immediately. Robert lingered instead and for the third time that night, he touched her shoulder.

“Is there anything else I can get you before I beat Nix, here?”

Still trying to play coy, Luna smiled but shook her head—she didn’t even want the damn drink.

Sitting his cards face down on the table, Kit turned back with a smile. He purposefully ignored Robert’s hand on her shoulder as maintained eye contact with her.

He cradled her face in his hand, his thumb sweeping over her cheek. “If he touches you again,” he said, that smile of his growing wider, “I’ll cut his f*cking hands off.”

Kit was smiling as he said it, as though he hadn’t just threatened the man—the words in Spanish for only her to understand.

Luna didn’t think she had been more surprised, or turned on, by the promise of violence.

And as though he knew exactly where her mind had gone, he gave an arrogant little half-smile that lit up his usually cold eyes. “I’ll take care of you later.”

She couldn’t wait.

“I raise,” Robert said as he returned to his chair, seeming a little miffed now, and tossed more chips into the pot.

“You really are celebrating,” Kit responded thoughtfully as he picked his cards back up. “Your bid usually stops well before now.”

The other man didn’t catch the hint—the knowledge that Kit knew what he had done.

“Worry about your own money,” Robert said as he peeked at the house’s cards.

Slowly, as the game went on, Kit’s chips had steadily decreased in number until he was down to four blue, seven green, and a handful of reds, but he didn’t seem bothered by his dwindling stacks.

Robert’s good fortune had gone to the man’s head, and he’d become practically insufferable.

The girl he had been sitting with all night was pushed to a corner, forgotten and ignored as he started to care more about the money he was raking in than her.

It also didn’t escape Luna’s notice that every other member had disappeared, leaving only six people in the room altogether.

But, with a glance in their direction, the bartender slipped out the door, and even the woman that Robert with had ventured off, probably in search of something more excited.

And now there were four.

“It seems you’re holding a shit pot over there, Nix,” Robert called out with a tilt of his chin. “You’ve always been bad, but this is new for you.”

“I can afford to lose it.”

And just that quickly, as they laid out their cards for another hand, Kit lost once more.

Robert laughed as he swept up the chips, his gaze falling back on Luna. “Try again next time, Nix.”

Kit laughed, laying a hand on Luna’s thigh. “I guess that’s game for me.”

“There’s still something of value you can bid, if you wanted—something more valuable.”

“You’re asking for Luna,” Kit said without any inflection to his words. “But there’s nothing of yours that’s worth half of her, so why would I agree to that ridiculous wager?”

“Then name your price,” Robert said gesturing to his chips. “I have a million dollars here, easy.”

“And what do you think, Luna?” Kit asked smiling at her. “Should I take that bet?”

“What are you asking her for?” Robert asked with frown, “her opinion on it doesn’t matter.”

“Do you trust me, Luna?” Kit asked her, ignoring Robert’s outburst.

“Of course.” Not just in this, but everything.

“Alright, Dick, I’ll see your offer.”

As the dealer shuffled, then passed them their cards, Kit turned in his seat to better face Robert. “How’s the construction business, Dick?”

“Really f*cking good,” he shot back with a laugh. “Or have you not been paying attention?”

“Curious that you can afford this game on your salary.”

This time the pointed remark penetrated. Robert had a beer bottle in hand, tipping it to his lips when he processed Kit’s words.

“Like I said, a lucky year.”

“Not too lucky, I don’t think. The firm is in the red this year, or didn’t you realize just how big of a hole you dug once you started embezzling.”

It was so quiet in the room, Luna could almost hear the stutter of Robert’s heart as he came out of the fog he was under. He was only now realizing how empty the room was.