Page 19 of Playing with Trouble

Chase chuckled, not denying my claim.“I’m just saying, if Violet, of all people, is stuck in your head, then maybe you need to stop dodging your sisters’ blind date offers and let them set you up with a nice, sweet girl who isn’t going to drive you insane just for the sport of it.”

I loved my sisters, but they’d been trying to set me up with someone for the past few years since my return from the military, which drove me nuts.“Yeah, I’ll pass on that.”Besides, maybe I liked being driven insane just for the sport of it…especially if it meant one brat in particular.“I’d prefer to meet someone naturally and see how I feel about them without my sister’s input.A blind date is just all this undue pressure on both people, in my opinion.”Not to mention trying to find a woman whose sexual preferences aligned with mine, which wasn’t an easy feat outside of The Players Club.

“I guess I’m just saying that maybe Violet is a reminder that you’re not as content with hookups as you thought…even if she’s not ‘the one’.”

That hit harder than I wanted to acknowledge.Chase wasn’t wrong, but owning up to it meant facing the truth—I wanted something that Violet wasn’t offering.

The problem was, shefitme.Not in the easy, polished way a “nice girl” might, but in a messy, chaotic way that got under my skin and made me feel like I’d met my match.She was stubborn, rebellious, impossible to corral, and as much as those traits frustrated me, they excited me just as much.I’d never connected with anyone like that, ever.

But she’d drawn her line in the sand and if I had any sense I’d put her out of my head, go back to the club, and find someone else who wanted what I had to give.

Only problem?Every time I thought about moving on, all I could picture was Violet’s green eyes flashing fire at me…and the way she looked when she finally let go and gave in to my demands.One night with her, and I was in too fucking deep with no way out.

Chase and I parted ways that evening, and the following Monday Sutton called me into his office with a new assignment, one that dropped Violet right back into my lap.

Just my luck.My biggest distraction was about to become my most tempting challenge.

CHAPTER8

Violet

Walking back into work felt surreal.The bruises had faded, the stiffness mostly gone, but the nerves lingered.Every time I slid behind the wheel—currently a rental car—I found myself checking my mirrors too often and scanning the road for that dark sedan.I was so hypervigilant it felt like I was back to being sixteen years old, when I’d first learned how to drive.

It didn’t help that my mother had died in a car crash, and my accident had roused those memories, in both myself and Christopher.But hers hadn’t been anything suspicious, just her running a red light, driving erratically and emotionally after yet another man had treated her like shit.

She’d spent her entire adult life chasing a fairytale, wanting to be the one who tamed the bad boy, who made him soften, respect her, and turn good.Except I’d watch each relationship play out, each and every time leaving her with nothing but heartache, including my own father who’d cheated on Andrea’s mom with my mother.All she’d gotten out of that relationship had been me, born out of wedlock.

But that hadn’t stopped her from moving on to the next man, another user and abuser.What my mother could never bring herself to learn was if a man cheatedwithyou, he’d cheatonyou.If he hit you once, he’d hit you again.

It was a lesson she refused to acknowledge no matter how many times it happened, but it taught me that love was rarely worth the gamble.Not when it meant handing over control and putting your trust in someone who could crush you on a whim.It was easier, and less messy, to keep men at arm’s length, enjoy sex for a night, and walk away with my pride intact.No messy attachments or begging for scraps of loyalty that would never come, as my mother had.

I shook off those thoughts as I parked my car and headed into the casino for my shift, glad to be back to work.I’d already called a few days ago and told my boss what had happened, and the possibility of the driver being the customer who’d threatened me.To their credit, they’d taken me seriously and had written up a report noting my concerns.

I headed back to the employee area and put my things into a locker.I was already wearing my black slacks and white button up shirt with the casino logo on it, so I was ready to get to work.All I wanted to do was deal cards and banter with customers and pretend my life wasn’t veering into some mob-movie subplot.

I turned around just as my boss, Jerry, walked into the room, concern furrowing his brows.

I flashed him a grin, because the last thing I wanted was him to worry about me.“Hey, Jerry, what’s shaking?”I said, keeping my tone light and teasing.

“Not much,” he said too seriously.“Though we do need to talk.”

My stomach clenched.I didn’t like the way that sounded, and so of course I opted for humor.“Oh, God, I knew it.”I pressed a hand to my chest in mock horror.“You found out I’m the one stealing everyone’s snacks from the break room.”

Used to my wisecracks, Jerry just rolled his eyes.“Yes, very funny Violet.Come with me.”

I followed him toward the back offices, which was never a good sign.That’s where all the serious conversations happened.“Is everything okay?”I asked, hoping like hell the higher-ups didn’t suddenly see me as an issue and decided to sideline me until things blew over.

“We’ve spoken with the head of security, and given what you told us about your suspicions, we’re not chalking this up to coincidence.The threats.The crash.It all lines up too neatly.”

It did seem likely, yet I couldn’t stop myself from questioning the theory.“Do you really think some drunk, pissed-off whale has enough nerve to follow through on a threat like that?”

“This is Vegas, Violet,” Jerry said, his tone grim as we continued down the hallway.“People with too much money and too little self-control do stupid things every day.And considering how much this guy lost, and the threats he made, we’re not taking it lightly.Until the police finish their inquiries, you’re going to have a personal bodyguard, on and off the floor.”

I blinked at him, his words sinking in and going against every independent grain in my body.“Wait…at workandwhen I’m off the clock?”

He nodded.“Better safe than sorry.”

My shoulders stiffened.“Don’t you think that’s a little overkill?”The last thing I wanted was some stranger keeping his eyes on me at all times.At the casino while I was working, fine.But I didn’t need him following me home and invading my personal space.