Trent’s brow lifted and his voice lowered, “You ran into her? Where?”
I knew I was going to get the rain of fury from my brothers. I respected the hell out of them, but in this instance, I was having a really hard time finding any fucks to give. Still, I tried to play it off like I wasn’t in deeper than I’d ever been. “A friend’s house.”
“What friend?” he pressed.
I sighed. “A client of mine. No one you would know.”
“Why was she there?”
“Not really sure.” At least it was some version of the truth because really, what the hell was that prick Jarek doing there? “A few acquaintances and I were having a friendly game of poker, and lo and behold, there she was.”
Nothing but a perfect dream wrapped in black silk.
My dick stirred again.
“Friendly?” Trent pushed.
“Just wagering on a little good fun.”
Jud groaned.
They didn’t exactly approve of my playing. I did my best to keep it on the sly most of the time, but there’d been instances when I couldn’t turn over a car as quickly as I’d like, and they’d get a whiff of what was going down.
“Shit,” Jud rumbled, scrubbing a meaty palm over his face. “Want to tell us what was on the table?”
“Things might have gotten a little dicey.” I eased in the confession.
“How so?” Jud asked, eyes narrowing as he lifted his beer to his mouth.
I paused, hesitated, then let the truth bleed out. “I might have won her.”
“The fuck?” Trent spat.
They stared me down like I’d lost my mind. Why I bothered pretending I hadn’t, I didn’t know because I knew I’d stepped into a world I’d do better to pretend I never knew existed.
We all three eased back when the server showed with my regular drink.
The second she was gone, Jud sat forward, his elbows propped on the table and his face in his hands. “This is a joke, right? Tell me it’s a fucking joke, Logan.”
His giant arms were bound in muscle that flexed and bunched. Like he was coming up on a battle that would require him to fight to the death.
I prayed to God it wouldn’t come to that.
Because it didn’t matter if I knew agreeing to her staying with me was the right thing to do, didn’t matter that I knew she needed help, her being here was going to come at a cost.
Problem was, I still didn’t know how steep that might prove to be.
Blowing out a sigh, I scratched at the back of my neck in discomfort. “Not a joke.”
Anxiety gusted around the table, quiet taking hold for a moment.
My throat worked, and I forced myself to lay it out because there was no use in trying to keep any of it from them.
We had each other’s back, whatever messes we found ourselves in. And when it came to us Lawson Brothers, we always seemed to find plenty of it.
I let myself feel it. The weight of what I’d done. The decision I’d made. How it might impact us all.
Aster’s face flashed through my mind. The way she’d begged me to let her stay. The way the pain in her eyes was greater than the fear of what standing up for herself might be.