Page 69

I grimace and push it back.

Kain swaps it with a can of Respawn Glacial Blue. Exactly what I wanted.

“You should try a game with real money.” Ash spins his cup of coffee between his palms. “Poker, maybe. Or blackjack.”

Rowan snorts into his whiskey. “He’s banned from three online poker rooms and the Rockford floating casino.”

“One time.” I hold up a finger. “I counted cards one time.”

“You counted cards for six hours and cleared the high-stakes table twice.” Rowan’s broad shoulders shift as he leans back. “The pit boss asked you to leave, and you argued with him about the house edge for twenty minutes.”

“It was sound math.”

“It shouldn’t matter anymore.” I take another drink of Glacial Blue. “Saint married a Rockford. We’re family now.”

None of us expected Saint to give in to the younger Rockford’s relentless pursuit, let alone marry him. But billionaire husband or not, Saint is still Saint. Down to earth, impossible to impress, and willing to bloody his knuckles if one of us needs him.

Rowan’s mouth twitches. “Our guy married the wrong Rockford if you wanted your casino ban lifted.”

I frown. He has a point. Gabe might have the Rockford name, but his connection to the casino is practically nonexistent. “Poor planning on Saint’s part.”

Rowan chuckles. “Be sure to mention that the next time Saint drops by.”

I give him a firm thumbs down.

“Reef is planning a full Dusk Protocol playthrough when the DLC drops,” Lev interjects, changing the topic. “He announced it on stream today.”

I perk up, all thoughts of gambling vanishing in a rush of excitement. “I didn’t realize how many of my viewers were fans. It’s going to be epic. We need to go big.”

Lev straightens, his fingers steepling as his brain races six steps ahead. “The DLC is exciting for old-school gamers, but it’s not well known to younger players. BunnyGlitch has a massive following, though. I bet we could partner with Lantern Key for cross-promotion. We could do exclusive drops, behind-the-scenes footage, maybe even a charity run⁠—”

“Hold on.” I lift a hand. “I didn’t say anything about⁠—”

“Three streams minimum.” Lev already has his phone back out and is typing notes. “One for the base game, one for the DLC, one for the expanded ending.”

“I don’t want to⁠—”

“Viewer engagement will be insane. The nostalgia factor alone⁠—”

“My stream. My structure.”

“You don’t have a structure, Reef. You have vibes.”

“I have a very structured approach to⁠—”

Ghost materializes at the open end of the booth with a tray of fresh drinks. He sets the tray down and distributes the glasses. Last, he places a small bowl of maraschino cherries in front of Kain.

I grab the fork he places on a napkin and dart the tines toward the bowl.

Kain catches my wrist before my fingers reach the bowl. “Mine.”

I wiggle the fork. “I just want one.”

“Get your own.”

“I don’t want a whole bowl. I want one cherry.”

“Then order one.”