Two of Hearts

by Christina Lee

  “Look,” I said, sitting across from her so I could look her straight in the eyes. “I completely understand where you’re coming from. I’ve had similar thoughts. But you know as well as I do that would be giving in to them, Mom.”

  She nodded, and I worked past the lump in my throat.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” she said. “That your father is really gone and this is what’s left.” I stood up and came around to her chair, placing my hands on her shoulders. A sob broke from her lips as she mumbled, “That he would want any of this.”

  “I know what you mean,” I said, hugging her from behind. “But then I think about Dad and ask myself: If this was happening outside of his casino, what would he do?”

  “Oh, he would be beside himself, pacing, running his fingers through his hair,” she said, and a smile broke across her face at the mention of my father in action.

  A knowing grin lifted my cheeks at this memory of my dad that we shared. “He would be angry and disheartened. But he would have a plan.”

  My mother’s eyes became serious and she swung her chair to face me. “You’re so much like him, you know that?”

  “I don’t know, Mom,” I said honestly. “I don’t know if I can be as strong and smart as him.”

  “You already are, darling,” she said, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “And I’m going to guess you marched all the way up here with a strategy.”

  “Something like that,” I said, nodding. “I want to rally the staff and just lay it out there for them. Who we are, what we’re feeling, what we plan on doing.”

  “And what’s that?” she asked, biting her bottom lip as she considered my idea.

  “We’re going to stay strong, united,” I said. She blew out a breath of relief, as if she hoped I’d say that. “And if some don’t agree or have doubts, then they are welcome to leave without any hard feelings. We’ll deal with the fallout.”

  Her lips lifted at the corners. “What’s more fallout to deal with, right?”

  “It’s been hard walking through here, not knowing what anybody is thinking or what they’re hoping for,” I said. “It’s felt like pins and needles.”

  “Tell me about it,” she said, standing up, seeming to gather her strength. The fire was back in her eyes and the pressure in my chest eased a bit. “I like your idea. Being one on one with the staff. Seeing their faces.”

  “We’ll begin with this shift and then the next two until we’ve reached them all.” The problem with being open twenty-four-seven was that you couldn’t truly see everybody at once. That was probably how speculation began and rumors spread. So we’d step it up today. We couldn’t waste another moment.

  “Ik hou van jou.” My mother whispered an adoration in her native tongue, pulling me in for a hug. “You’ll do your father proud.”

  * * *

  I spoke to Stuart, who rounded up the staff as soon as the first shift had ended. Then Mom and I headed to the break room.

  We walked into virtual silence and a sea of worried and frustrated eyes. Stuart sat beside Sam. Meadow was on the other side of West. Shane stood at the door beside Grayson, ready to jump in at any moment if a crisis were to occur. Seeing him somehow brought me comfort. He was here, back in my life, in such a profound way.

  After the other night at his parents’ house, I felt closer to him than ever before.

  I turned to my mother and she nodded her assent.

  “My father was a great man,” I began, and there was a rumble of agreement. “And he and my mother instilled a set of values in me that I live by to this day. About respecting all life, all people, and upholding the values of our very unique and proud culture.”

  “Our family spoke of our plans, our hopes, and our dreams frequently,” my mother said, her voice suddenly alive in the room, reverberating against the walls. She was overcome with emotion, her voice quivering on the syllables. “We were here in this casino, working alongside one another, working alongside you. That was the way we liked it.”

  Some employees nodded, others just stared.

  “I’m not going anywhere, and neither is Dakota. I want to continue what my husband began. To help leave his legacy for the Native American reservation,” she said, clearing the emotion from her throat. “I want to be a part of this community, be part of the family we created in this casino. That hasn’t changed for me.”

  “What’s changed is out there,” I piped in. “The rumors, the ideas that we’d somehow taken a different course, that we wouldn’t do right by you and this community. None of that is true. We’re here to stay.”

  I took a deep breath and looked around the room and into the eyes of every employee seated there. In my peripheral view, I noticed my mother doing the same.

  “You need to ask yourself if you’re here to stay. Even if you trust us and believe what we’re telling you right now,” I said, “you still might be scared. For yourself, your family, for the future.”

  Some employees, like Sam, had confusion in their eyes. Others had tears or looked so uncomfortable that they could barely make eye contact with us. And that made my heart heavy. They had bought into the rumors, allowed their uncertainties to seep inside.

  “If you continue to doubt my mother and me, you can walk away,” I said. “In fact, you might need to walk away. Because I can’t work in an environment like this. I won’t work like this—with this . . . this tension in the air. With people questioning my Indian heritage and whether or not that makes me compassionate enough.”

  There were some audible gasps and I paced around the room now, my hands clasped in front of me. I had never been so sure of my words and convictions. “My mother is not an Indian. But she is the most compassionate person I know.”

  I accidentally made eye contact with Shane and it was nearly my undoing. His gaze was so soft, so understanding, so filled with affection. But I steeled my resolve yet again.

  “You didn’t doubt us a month ago. But for some reason, you do now,” I said. “So please do yourself a favor, do us a favor, and examine those reasons. And if you need to, walk away.”

  “We are willing to give you a good referral for your next job, no questions asked,” Mom added in a soft, gentle voice.

  To my utter surprise, one of my employees stood up almost immediately. Leo was unsteady on his feet, but there was determination blazing in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry, I cannot stand by and act like I’m okay with this. No offense to you, Mrs. Nakos, you’ve always been kind. But you’ll always be an outsider as far as I’m concerned,” Leo said. I bit back my disappointment because he’d been here for about five years and had never shown any disrespect or discontent, for that matter. It was only recently that he’d been written up for tardiness and had been spotted outside on breaks talking with Herman and the other protesters. “I’d like that referral.”

  “Of course. You can meet me in my office before the end of the day,” I said and I stood my ground, watching as he walked out of the room.

  The room fell completely silent again but I felt strong, like I had taken back the reins. I could tell my mother did, too. She was standing taller, her shoulders squared—at least for today. Because though we couldn’t control what happened outside of this place, we had realized that we could control how we responded in our own establishment.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  SHANE

  I met Charlie in the surveillance van. A sandwich was lying beside her notes, and without even looking, I already knew it was turkey and Swiss, because no matter what city we were in, she sought out the nearest deli for her favorite lunch. I got it, because just like I required bacon and cheese omelets or my favorite beer, her sandwiches made time on the road feel more normal, more like home.

  Though nothing had felt more like home than being back here with my parents and Kai and Dakota. Always Dakota.

  “Where’s Alex?” I asked, looking around the space for evidence that he’d been there today.

  �
�Following up on a lead for the Jones case,” she said. Sometimes, depending on our location, we were asked to cross-track suspects’ locations. “Should be back soon.”

  I nodded. “Got it.”

  “So Flint Thornfall has been up to the usual—home and work mostly,” she said, crossing her ankle over her knee. They’d been tracking Flint the past few days, trying to get a handle on anything suspicious in his routine. “A couple of trips to other casinos, probably to help rally the troops, get them in his corner for that vote.”

  “Asshole,” I muttered, leaning back and straightening my legs.

  “Even some late-night trips to the strip clubs over on Prospect Avenue,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

  “Seriously?” I said, practically grimacing. “Well, shit. Guess that doesn’t totally surprise me.”

  “His bank statements all check out according to Alex,” she continued. “He’s got some investors in his casino business, but that’s nothing new.”

  “Debt?” I asked, rubbing my hand over my eyes from a sleepy streak. Dakota’s insomnia had almost become mine. She’d be up pacing, and I’d try to get her back in bed to talk it through or to fuck. Any way I could get her to fall asleep in my arms I considered a mission accomplished.

  “Some,” she said, wrapping up the rest of her sandwich in the white butcher paper. Knowing her, she’d pull it back out for a midnight snack. She ate smaller portions several times a day. We all did while on surveillance.

  “And Ridge?” Charlie had decided to tail Ridge for a couple of days in a row to see if it led to any clues about his father’s dealings.

  “Nonprofit, apartment, some nights at a local bar or restaurant,” Charlie said, after another gulp of her drink. “I’m going to guess he likes to drop some dough at those establishments, too. The man knows how to dress. He is fine.”

  I knew she was totally yanking my chain so I blinked at her, keeping my expression schooled. “Maybe you should hit that up, so that he leaves my girl alone.”

  “Hmmmm,” she said, her eyes alight with amusement. “Not a bad idea.”

  “Whatever,” I grumbled. I could see why women would find him attractive, but it seemed that, just like me, he was holding out for Dakota.

  My phone buzzed with a text from Grayson informing me that he had dropped Dakota and Mrs. Nakos safely home.

  “Cool,” I muttered mostly to myself, unable to keep my lips from tugging into a grin just thinking about her. I hadn’t felt this content in so fucking long. Problem was, I wasn’t without worries.

  A ball of anxiety sat heavy in my gut that my woman could be in danger. I wanted to catch the motherfucker who knifed her father so I could figure out the link that I was so sure about. So this family could be safe again. But we kept coming up short.

  “What’s cool?” Charlie said over her shoulder.

  I cleared my throat. “Uh, nothing, just Grayson telling me Dakota’s home safe and sound.”

  “And?” she asked, clicking around on her laptop.

  “And what?” I said, absently scrolling through my phone apps.

  She gave me a look that said she was going to kick my ass if I kept stalling.

  “Right,” I said. “She and I are getting to know each other again. It feels pretty easy, too. Like old times. Mostly.”

  “Getting to know each other, huh?” she said, tucking a smirk in the side of her cheek.

  “Thing is, we’ve known each other in every other way. We’ve been friends forever. We’ve had that part down pat.”

  “Except when it comes to communication.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

  “From what you told me, you broke up over a misunderstanding.”

  “It might’ve been more of a standstill,” I said, saying those words out loud for the first time. I’d been mulling it over for days now—how it all went down between us and why. “She didn’t want to hold me back and I didn’t know how to convince her she wasn’t. She retreated into her shell and I thought she didn’t care enough to ask me to stay.”

  At least that’s what I’d convinced myself, now that I’d been with her again. That she had feelings for me, but maybe didn’t understand them at that time in order to make a big enough commitment.

  Had she not shown up at my parents’ house the other night and revealed how much she really cared, I would’ve feared that we were heading in the same direction.

  “How are you going to convince her this time?”

  “That I mean business? That we could have a future?” I said. “I’m doing the best I can right now. Besides, Dakota is one of the most stubborn girls I know.”

  “I get that,” she said, shaking her head.

  “You would,” I said, grinning. “You might be cut from the same cloth.”

  “I’m a woman. I know how we think,” she said, scowling at my remark, which had hit close to home. “You might think you’re doing a decent job now, but as soon as this case is wrapped up, she’ll pull away again, preparing for you to leave.”

  I was already aware that might happen but hearing Charlie say it just confirmed it again. I needed to think long and hard about this. I wanted to be with Dakota and I needed to figure out how I was going to make it work. And then convince her, too.

  I sighed. “Do you think it’s possible—with our jobs and all—to have a strong relationship?”

  “You’re questioning this now?” she asked, her jaw hanging open. “Shouldn’t you have been asking yourself this question before trying to win her back?”

  “I have. Of course I have,” I said, scrubbing my fingers over my face. “It’s just that you, Alex, and the other guys in our field office haven’t had the best track record with relationships. And I haven’t, either.”

  “Yeah, but plenty do,” she said. “The thing you have to ask yourself is how you’re going to make this work long distance.”

  “That’s just it,” I said. “I don’t think it can be long distance.”

  I’d been lying awake at night thinking this through. How could I possibly walk away from her again? I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay and somehow make this work.

  Her eyebrows rose. “You’re gonna quit?”

  I shrugged. “I just know I haven’t been truly happy or satisfied in a long time. Why have this kind of job if you come home to an empty house? An empty bed?”

  “That’s a huge decision, Shane,” she said, with awe in her voice. “I know that Hank practically forced you to take time away after what you pulled with the Mendez case. But you’re good at your job. Think you’d miss it?”

  I shut my eyes tight. “Not as much as I’d miss her.”

  “I think you’re growing soft on me,” Charlie said, though there was a gleam in her eyes. I was glad Alex wasn’t around to give me even more shit about this conversation. The guys always liked to rib each other over just about anything.

  We were drawn away from our conversation by an alert signal on the computer.

  “Interesting,” Charlie said.

  “What is?” I asked, attempting to read the screen over her shoulder.

  “So Flint Thornfall’s been doing his thing, like I said.” Charlie was intently staring at the monitor. “But the other day he had a meeting at this building on Cravitz Street in Wayne County. It was with the Whitman Corporation.”

  “Whitman?” I said, trying to jog my brain. “Why does that sound familiar?”

  “That’s what I asked myself,” Charlie said, flipping the screen toward me. “So I did a search of tribal nation business in this area, and this finally came up.”

  I read a portion of the highlighted article. “So this was the corporation that was involved in trying to build a casino on sacred ground?”

  “They were going to own a controlling interest in the casino,” she said, “the same one that Mr. Nakos and his brother Elan placed an injunction against.”

  Charlie and I shared a long, knowing look—finally a concrete lead on Fl
int Thornfall.

  “What’s his angle?” I said, more to myself. I drifted off into my own space of thoughts until something came to me. “You got the bank statements that Alex ran?”

  She shuffled through a stack of paperwork, finally landing on the documents. “Here.”

  I read through the statements line by painstaking line until I came across the one name I already knew I’d find on there.

  “The Whitman Corporation is one of the investors in Thornfall’s casino.”

  “So maybe they’re funneling him money, giving him the extra incentive to take over the Golden Arrow?”

  I nodded. “For what purpose?”

  “Maybe they’re holding a grudge against the Nakos family,” she said, tipping back in her chair. “They halted progress on that new casino. Reservation land is scarce.”

  I followed her thought process through. “Why do they need to build a casino on reservation land if, by the looks of it, they aren’t even Native American?”

  Her eyes lit up at the same time mine did. “Sovereign land.”

  “I think it’s time we had a little talk with Uncle Elan.”

  “Hope he’s candid with us. Otherwise,” Charlie said, moving to the front of the truck to prepare for our night ahead, “we might have to put a tail on him as well.”

  If he was being as tight-lipped as his son, West, it might prove difficult.

  “Pretty sure we could appeal to the idea of his brother’s retribution.”

  “Hope so,” Charlie said. “Otherwise, given his history with his brother and his hatred of casinos I’m going to have a hard time believing he’s not trying to cash in on an opportunity.”

  My phone buzzed with a text from Dakota.

  Dakota: Home safe and sound, chief.

  I smiled despite myself. Grayson had already informed me that she had arrived safely, so it was comforting knowing she’d tell me on her own.

  Me: I might be late tonight, but I want to wake up with you.

  Dakota: I’d like that.

  My pants tightened painfully as an image of her naked in bed flashed through my mind.

  Me: My T-shirt. No underwear.