by Angela Horn
“How much?”
“Forty dollars.”
Michael nodded and yanked a shirt on. “Okay, come with me.”
Michael led Gigi down the block to an arcade where she exchanged her bills for quarters. Once she had a grocery bag full of change, they returned to the office where Finn was exiting his truck. He stopped and frowned when he saw Gigi, but Michael pushed past him and headed inside.
“She’s playing poker with us. Don’t ruin it by licking her.”
Gigi stood outside, looking at Finn who was blinking a lot like he was nervous or thinking hard about something.
“I’m sorry I got scared,” Gigi said quietly.
“It’s my fault. I don’t usually act like that on a first date and I scared you.”
“I shouldn’t have thought you were going to eat me. That was stupid.”
Finn smiled tightly. “You’re still learning about the Circle. It’s not your fault.”
“You’re not mad?”
Finn shook his head, making his golden locks fall into his eyes. He shoved them behind his ears and shifted to another foot.
“Is it okay if I play poker with you?”
“Sure.”
Gigi stepped a bit closer to Finn as she remembered how soft and sweet his kisses had been on their date.
“If you’re not mad and I’m not as stupid anymore, then can we go on another date? I had a lot of fun before I had my brain fart.”
Finn swallowed hard and his expression darkened. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“Because of my brain fart?” Gigi asked, trying to be lighthearted.
She had assumed he would want a second date because he seemed happy until she freaked out.
“I really like you and you did nothing wrong. I just can’t date you.”
“Because of Declan?”
Finn shook his head. “There are people who have made threats and I couldn’t take the chance of you getting hurt.”
“What people?”
“I can’t say. It’s just safer if we don’t go out again.”
“But we’re going to play poker.”
“With Mike. It’s different.”
Gigi felt her eyes burning and Finn stepped closer, looking troubled.
“I really like you. I couldn’t bear if something bad happened to you because of me. This place is hard enough and I don’t want to add to your problems. I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” Gigi wiped a tear and sucked at her bottom lip. “I really like you.”
Looking terribly unhappy, Finn forced a smile. “You thought I was going to eat you. That’s pretty funny when you think about it. I’d just eaten a big dinner.”
Laughing, Gigi wiped the last tears from her eyes. “Yeah, I should have thought of that.”
“We can be friends. In fact I’ll make sure Mike doesn’t trick you into losing all your money tonight.”
“I’m not afraid of him. He really doesn’t like when I stare at him. Oh, and my nagging bugs him too.”
Finn smiled as he gestured for her to enter the building where Michael was waiting for them.
“My goal tonight is for me to win all your money,” Michael said to Gigi. “Your goal is to not cry when I win all your money. I really hate when chicks cry. Tell her Finn.”
“Yeah, he really hates it.”
“I personally hate it when anyone cries, but I rarely have to deal with males weeping in my presence. Begging for their lives, yeah, but crying, not so much. Anyway I’ll accept blubbering from old ladies and very small children, but grown chicks like you need to keep it zipped.”
Gigi stared at Michael until he frowned. Once she saw his irritation, she gave him a big smile.
“At least we know she’s got a good poker face,” Finn said with a grin.
Michael motioned for them to follow him upstairs to his apartment. Gigi thought it looked like a place someone just moved into, but she sensed Michael had lived here for a long time. Wondering about his decorating habits, she sat at the kitchen table while he retrieved a deck of cards.
Joining her, Finn stole little glances at Gigi while Michael shuffled the cards. Gigi tried to focus on what Michael told her about the rules, but he spoke too quickly and seemed to be leaving out important details.
Gigi decided if she agreed to play cards again, she was going to read up on poker so Michael couldn’t trick her. Even if Michael hadn’t skimmed over the rules, Gigi was seriously distracted by Finn sitting so close. She hadn’t seen him since their date and her mind kept replaying his kisses.
Flustered before the first hand, Gigi felt overwhelmed by the time Finn folded and moved closer. He helped her play against Michael who was taking the game very seriously. The enforcer glared at Gigi, trying to intimidate her into making a move quickly. Finn told Michael to fuck off. Instead of getting mad, the older Were grinned.
Finn leaned over and whispered to Gigi what her hand could mean and her options. His breath on her skin made focusing on his advice impossible. When she felt his hair brush against her bare shoulder, Gigi just stopped thinking. Her eyes met Michael’s and he realized what was happening. His grin widened because he really wanted to win and Finn was distracting his opponent.
Gigi liked Michael even though he wasn’t nice to her. He also started the game by referring to Finn as a dipshit repeatedly. Michael was helping to find the missing waitresses though and Gigi also sensed the enforcer was very fond of Finn.
Gigi was also fond of Finn, but she really wanted to win. Ignoring Finn’s advice, she put in twice Michael’s bet. Next to her, Finn inhaled as if worried she had made a mistake. Michael frowned though, no longer liking how Finn was helping Gigi.
Even though Michael said there was a time limit to each player’s move, he took a long time to react. Gigi ignored him and turned to Finn who was sitting too close. His lips were right there, waiting to be kissed. Gigi wouldn’t kiss him in front of Michael, but she stared at his lips anyway.
“Screw it,” Michael said and folded. “Finn, you can’t help her anymore.”
Finn looked at Gigi and smiled. He learned closer and his warm breath made her flush with heat.
“Your hand sucked, but the idiot folded because he’s scared.”
The enforcer growled at the younger Were who was grinning at him.
“Stop touching the broad, Finn.”
Finn sat back in his chair, still grinning.
“Michael’s an only child and his parents spoiled him. It’s why he’s such a bad loser. He’s also a bad winner. I’m honestly not sure what he’s good at.”
Gigi smiled brightly and took each quarter slowly from the pot, taunting Michael who was growling deeply. The louder Michael growled, the more Finn laughed. Michael finally sighed.
“I’m taking every quarter she has and you’re not helping her anymore.”
Finn nodded with a grin. “You just wanted Gigi here because you can’t beat me. I’m starting to wonder if you can beat anyone, Mike?”
Growling again, Michael looked amused as he shuffled the cards. “I’m going to crush both of you.”
An hour later, Michael ended the card game by throwing a massive fit when he lost all his quarters. At first, Gigi was startled by his anger and worried she did something wrong by challenging him.
Finn though was laughing hysterically as Michael raged around the apartment, throwing pillows and yelling in some other language. When Gigi realized how Michael freaking out was normal, she laughed too. Once Michael stormed onto a balcony, Finn’s laughter faded even as his face remained amused.
“We play every Tuesday, if you want to join us again.”
“Can I?”
“Of course.”
“But Michael seems mad.”
“I tend to win so almost every Tuesday, he freaks out. Then he comes back in and orders pizza. It’s fine. You did really well.”
Gigi stared at Finn and sucked on her bottom lip, flustered because she wanted to touch him, but couldn’t. Ma
ybe he noticed her edginess because he sighed and his smile faded.
“I wish things were different,” Finn said.
“Me too.”
“I knew I scared you that night, but I didn’t know how to fix it.”
“How could you have known I thought you wanted to eat me?” she teased and Finn smiled.
“I just figured you thought I was a greedy pig.”
Gigi frowned, not understanding the pig reference because Finn was a dog. Sometimes the way people spoke gave her a headache. Finn must have noticed her confusion because his smile softened.
“Males, especially Were males, can expect too much from human women. Like they expect sex on the first date. I thought that’s what you thought I wanted.”
“You didn’t want sex?”
“I just wanted to be close to you.”
“Like a friend?”
Finn took a deep breath and glanced upward. “No, not like a friend, but I wasn’t expecting you to have sex with me on a first date. A lot of Were males might have expected sex, so I assumed that’s why you got upset.”
Gigi smiled as she reached out and pushed hair behind his ear. Finn swallowed hard and she knew he wanted to kiss her. She wanted to kiss him too, but they just sat there, watching each other.
“We’ll be friends,” he said.
“Do you really want to be friends or are you just saying that to be nice because we can’t date?”
“Being around you makes me happy. While I think you’re beautiful, it’s not just attraction. I like talking to you too and watching you make Mike freak out.”
Gigi laughed. “He was so mad.”
Finn nodded with a smile. “He thought you would be easy prey, but you’re a quick learner.”
Gigi nodded, but she wished her learning curve was faster so she wouldn’t have ruined their date. Maybe they wouldn’t have had sex that night, but they could have kissed more. Now they were just friends and Gigi wasn’t sure sitting next to Finn all the time and being unable to touch him would be enough.
Chapter Seventeen
Finn waited in the expensive seafood restaurant for Anton to arrive. Their weekly dinner was a tradition going on nearly ten years now, ever since Anton took over a rival pack and became Declan’s enemy.
Clearly dodging someone, Anton entered through the back of the restaurant. Finn waited for his friend to explain, but he didn’t.
“Sorry,” Anton said, finally looking Finn in the eyes. “I heard about your date with Gigi.”
“Why would my date lead you to take a different path into the restaurant?”
Anton frowned a minute then grinned. “She thought you were going to eat her.” Laughing, Anton opened his menu. “Poor Finn.”
Rolling his eyes, Finn just smiled. “It went well until that moment though.”
“I’m sure it did.”
“You’re not going to tell me why you came through the back?”
Anton shook his head.
“Fine then we can’t talk about my date with Gigi. We both know you want to hear about it.”
“I already did from Ella. Everyone did. She sat on a pool table and used a microphone to share the story with the whole floor. Even the cooks got a kick out of the part where Ella punched you.”
Finn sighed, hoping he wasn’t turning beat red. Anton glanced up from the menu and smiled softer.
“Ella said someone threatened Gigi and you two aren’t going out again.”
Finn now wanted to change the subject. The men ordered and sat silently for nearly five minutes.
“My mom doesn’t like Gigi.”
“Your mom doesn’t like anyone.”
“She likes Ella. Says I should marry her. Well assuming Mom and Declan don’t use Ella as a way to steal your territory.”
“How would that work?”
“Ella seduces you and they steal your territory while you’re on your honeymoon.”
Anton laughed. “Savvy, but I don’t want to get married.”
“You’re lying.”
Anton’s smile faded. “I don’t want Ella then.”
“Since when?”
Anton’s gaze met Finn’s and he didn’t really need to say the words.
“Gigi says she helps out in your office.”
“Melanie conned her into doing her work.”
“Having Gigi around every day gives you a chance to make your move,” Finn said, resigned to the idea of Gigi with Anton.
“Dating Gigi, only to turn around and dump her doesn’t interest me. You know I can’t have a mate. While I do enjoy seeing her every day, it’s solely a ‘look, don’t touch’ situation.”
Finn thought to ask if Anton ever considered leaving the Circle and having the family he wanted. He had asked the question a few times over the years and Anton always looked at him like having a family was a pipedream.
Before he could say anything, Finn spotted the man Anton was avoiding. Playboy Moore was also one of the reasons Anton desired a family so much and would never enjoy one.
Playboy Moore didn’t live in the Circle anymore, but thirty years ago he was a common fixture. John and Rose Moore were a power couple, both children of Alphas. They were also one of those beautiful couples others envied. Playboy was a fun character and everyone in the Circle knew him. Everyone also knew how he got the name Playboy.
Everyone knew how thirty years ago, while being his playboy self, John shacked up with Olga Volkov, the Circle’s only female enforcer. Not only did he bed the powerful female, but he left Rose for her. His wife even put out a few hits on Olga in revenge. Finn always noticed how whenever everyone spoke of that time that they behaved as if the whole affair was a fun soap opera.
Except John eventually left Olga. Or she shoved him out the door. Everyone had a different story. Romantics figured John missed his precious Rose. Cynics figured Olga liked John better as a lover than a man who was always at her house, telling her what to do. Whatever the reason their relationship ended, John returned to Rose. Then the Circle pretended as if the paternity of the kid born months later was a big mystery.
No one mentioned John Moore’s relation to Anton, not even Anton. He avoided any discussion of it and apparently avoided the man himself. Ainsley always said she figured once Anton became Alpha, his absentee father would show up to take credit. Having left the Circle decades earlier, John and Rose hoped to protect their children as the pack wars heated up. When Olga died, there was never any thought to having Anton live with his father.
Rose wouldn’t have allowed it. She accepted her husband’s wandering eye, but refused to acknowledge the offspring he created with other women. If the pregnant female couldn’t be bullied into an abortion, she was just ignored. Olga was too powerful to be ignored, but she didn’t want John and she never made any effort to connect father and son.
Denying the biological tie was difficult when Anton looked so much like his handsome father. The dark eyes and thick lashes that females swooned over with Anton were the same qualities females loved about his father.
Anton didn’t notice his father enter the restaurant and Finn wasn’t sure if he should warn his friend. Before he could decide, Anton heard John’s voice and glanced up from his phone. Some kind of emotion flooded Anton’s eyes then was gone. Returning to his phone, Anton sighed.
“Silas said he and Declan both looked into Gigi’s past,” Anton said, setting his phone aside. “Declan hired a PI from outside the Circle while Silas called a guy from the Corners where he once lived. They searched for missing person reports, going all the way back to when Gigi would have been a baby. They found nothing. Wherever Gigi came from, whoever her family was, they’re not looking for her.”
“Maybe she was taken in a way that made the police think she was dead?”
“Silas thought about that and they couldn’t find anything that could be tied back to Gigi. They even looked overseas because of Gigi’s accent. One of the cooks, Damon, I think, told Silas that Gigi’s accent wasn�
��t foreign, but southern.”
“I guess it’s nice that Silas cares enough to check for her.”
Anton frowned. “He’s freaked out about his missing waitresses, Finn. He thought it was weird how Katia disappeared and Gigi showed up in the Circle right afterwards.”
“He doesn’t think she’s involved.”
“Of course not, but he figured maybe the person who took Katia, left Gigi in her place. You know how witches and sorcerers like to experiment with humans. Test their reactions to certain changes.”
“Another girl disappeared?”
“Yes. And another new waitress showed up from out of town. Silas checked into Violet’s history and turns out he couldn’t really track her background clearly either. Like he checked her references and people said she worked there or lived there, but it was always vague. This waitress fessed up though that she used a different name because she’s hiding from an Alpha from the West Coast.
“Said the asshole killed her sister and covered it up. Even said the bastard hurt his kid. Violet is living in Gigi’s apartment building with the kid. You know Silas. He got all uber protective once he checked out her story. He said some of it was hard to track down, but some of it sounded real. It’s all weird though. Two missing waitresses, two new girls to town. Violet has a back story though. Gigi is a mystery. Not only because she has no real memories, but because she doesn’t smell of magic.”
“She’s human though.”
“She’s worked at The Moon Rises for a week now. She should smell of magic, but I saw her today and she smelled like her. Not a hint of magic. It’s weird, but if she’s been tampered with then I guess it makes sense. Everyone’s just nervous though. Roger left town, girls go missing, and new girls arrive with weird back stories.”
“Gigi didn’t say anything about someone new living in her apartment and Gigi tends to attach herself to people.”
“Violet’s probably keeping her head down. I’ve seen guys go homicidal on their mates. He’ll want his kid back, just to dominate her the way he dominated his mate. If that sick bastard shows up here though, I figure we’ll quietly disappear him.”
Finn smiled softly, but he was trying very hard not to look at John Moore who was the making rounds of the restaurant.