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“We can get more. We can figure it out together.”
He stared at me with thatplease don’t break up with meexpression written all over his face and body. I’d seen it a million times, but never had it broken my heart. And was that what this was? A breakup? I couldn’t think of anything else to do or say. I was going to have to take risks that I didn’t want Luc watching. Especially if something went wrong.
I slid the ring off my finger. Luc’s figure wavered. He frowned, wrinkles marring his brow above his nose. Then he was gone. It wasn’t the way I wanted to remember him. But it was what I had. In the distance, I heard his sad song for Rose for a long, slow moment before it faded to nothing.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
It took over an hour to walk to the one place I thought might be safe. Fair Grounds. Racing wouldn’t take place until a little later in the day, and honestly, I was merely hoping a race was scheduled. I hadn’t been here in a long time, but there were generally races throughout the summer months. The last time I came here, I won a lot of money, but I lost everything.
My uncle had been the one to get me started in gambling. I wasn’t actually sure he was an uncle related by blood, but I had been young. Uncle Sal knew what life was like. He understood hard truths that I didn’t think Luc could. Minimum wage didn’t pay the rent and keep you fed. Not in New Orleans. Maybe not anywhere. You worked multiple jobs to survive and had no life, even with roommates, because they often came up short. And if you were surviving, you weren’t living. But if you could make a ten-spot turn into a grand, you could write a different story.
But there was another side to that story. Darker. Bleak. Because if you lost. And lost. And lost…
Someone always wanted you to pay up. Uncle Sal had eventually had to pay up. And I should have learned. Should have walked away then. But I didn’t. It had already been too late.
Now I was back. The one place I thought I’d never go. But I never went to the Fair Grounds so I felt it would be safe. Jude wouldn’t look here. Wouldn’t expect it. Right?
Or maybe I could get in, get what I needed, and get out before he found out.
There was a niggling sensation in the back of my brain saying I was kidding myself if I actually thought this would work, but I also had no choice. I couldn’t see any other way.
I played my change in the slots, pacing myself, so I wouldn’t get kicked out before the first race. Loiterers weren’t tolerated, even in places like this. The lights, the noise, all so flashy in a dark room. I hated it. I’d never been fond of slots. I preferred cards, but I’d done it all.
Placing a better bet would be easier if I knew anything about the horses, trainers, the teams, but there wasn’t enough time to catch up. I’d won a bit from the slots to add to my five bucks and went in for the long shots. If I lost, I’d have a long fucking walk home. If I won, I’d have… Well, I’d have a start.
I thought of Luc’s face, his eyes, when I moved toward the window. You could bet online here, but they kept the windows to honor the tradition. That was a damn good thing for me. I could place the bet and collect without a phone, and the actual line was short. I got in the back of it.
“Austin. For fuck’s sake. Austin Broussard, what the fuck are you doing?”
Before I could figure out what was going on, the big goon grabbed the front of my shirt and yanked me out of the queue. “Jude? What the hell?”
“What the hell is right. You.” He poked me in the chest. “Are not welcome here. Or anywhere that has gambling. You know that.”
“I don’t have a choice.” I went into the song and dance about the rent, but he didn’t stop scowling.
“Get a job, man. The rest of the world works for money. What did you do before this gambling shit ruined your brain?”
I huffed. “Waited tables, and before you go on, it doesn’t pay enough. Never did.” Even I could hear the desperation in my voice. If I had another way, I would have taken it.
“You have to figure this out, man. If you keep this up, you’re going to end up dead.”
“Why the fuck do you care? Drag my scrawny ass back to the cemetery—”
“Shut up. That was to scare you. We scare people. They pay. That’s how it works.”
I held my hands out, palms up. “With what? I’ve got nothing.”
“Well. People with jobs who live in the real world and get in over their heads. Works with them, but I see that’s not the case with you. But I also know you’re smart. What you did with the boss and the, you know…” He leaned in and whispered, “Vampire.”
“Doesn’t help me now.”
Jude shook me. “I know you’re smart enough to get a grip on this.” He frog-marched me to the front doors. “I have two hundred bucks in my pocket, Austin. And I’m going to give it to you. And you are not going to gamble it.”
“I’m not?”
“No. You’re going to take it to your landlord and pay your rent. Then you’re going to think long and fucking hard about your next move. Get a job. Go back to school. Ask for help.”
Ask for help? No one helped other people for nothing. But Jude pulled the cash out and stuffed it in my hand. “I can’t take this.”
