“I don’t know how much.” I hate how my voice quivers. I hate how my heart breaks.
Instead of feeling like one of them, instead of feeling like I’m in their boat, I feel other. I feel like the bad guy.
“I’m so sorry, Evie. You might get half a mil, perhaps one million if we present a good enough argument and make their lives hell. But there’s no way they’re going to hand over the full amount that was promised. And whatever fight we do put up, it’ll take months to resolve.”
“But we’ve already given them ad space,” she argues on a pained murmur. “We’ve already fulfilled our side of the deal.”
“You need to pull all Monaco logos from your website and promotional material,” I croak past the emotion in my throat. “I’m so sorry.”
“The money has been promised to the fighters,” Iowa murmurs. “We’ve made plans with that money.”
“Uh, yeah!” Mac snaps. “I made plans. Now you’re saying too bad?”
“I kind of have a plan.” I meet Bobby’s eyes. Then Aiden’s. I meet every Kincaid’s eyes.
Some are distrusting glares, and some are just downright exhausted.
“I know you have no reason to trust me, but maybe I can try to make this better? I lost my job, but they can’t take my brain or experience. They can’t take my contacts, either. If you’d just… please, let me try?”
“How can you make it better?” Bry asks. I’d expect him to be mad at me, bitter and accusatory. But he’s none of those. “You have less than a month to raise four and a half million dollars.”
“And, shit,” Mac exclaims, “if you make that look easy, we’re gonna have to talk about my financial situation and how you might be able to help.”
“I just…” I hesitate. “Don’t tell the fighters yet. Give me time to make it better.”
“And if we get to fight night?” Evie pushes. “What if we get there, and these fighters have traveled across the country, only for us to tell them we were joking about the new purses?”
“I…” I draw in a long breath. “I’m going to do my best to make this right. I swear, I’m so truly sorry this happened. But I’m going to work myself to death to make it better.”
“I believe you,” a different voice assures me.
My eyes snap to Lucy’s.
She sits beside Mac, and smiles. “I trust that you didn’t do this on purpose, and I trust that you will try to make it better.” She nods. “I trust you.”
“Me too,” Ben murmurs. “If it all goes to shit, any Roller who fights and wins will forfeit our prize money to prop up the other winner purses.”
“Easy for you to say,” Mac groans. He drops his face into his hands and sighs. “I swear, it’s a curse. Every time shit is looking good for me, the universe smites.”
“Pfft,” Iowa scoffs. “You make it sound like you stood a chance of beating me.”
And that’s how I end up with food on my outfit for a second night in a row.
Maddi
Stacked Deck Gala Night
I hold Bry’s hand in mine, and drag him and Evie through the ballroom doorway to reveal a scene straight out of a James Bond movie. Silver drapes, white tablecloths, white napkins and plates. Waitstaff rush around in black, setting out silverware just an hour before guests are set to arrive, and Megan – a party planner Bryan introduced me to – bustles around like a drill sergeant readying to execute anyone who stops to breathe.
“Card games.” I lead Bry toward a felt table, and pick up a plastic chip. Pressing it to his palm, I take another and pass it to Evie. “It’s a bit like a night in Vegas, but also, ‘Stacked Deck,’ right? The theme matches.”
“Card games?” Evie turns the plastic over and frowns.
She’s already dressed, already in a gown that was made just for her. Her boobs are just right, her hair is big enough to create a halo around her head. Her makeup is perfect, and her mood tonight compared to a week ago, or hell, even this morning, is getting better.
Bry is in a suit, the same suit from last month, and I’m in a dress I scrounged from Bry’s sister’s closet. I’ve lost all of my gowns, my shoes, my entire connection to my old life.
The day after that dinner with the Kincaids, I tried to go to my office to collect whatever I might have left behind at my desk, but I guess security was under orders to not let me in. I didn’t get to say goodbye to my staff. I didn’t get to say goodbye to my assistant. I didn’t get to collect the candy bar I left in my top drawer, nor did I get to cast my eyes over the screensaver I left on my desktop monitor.
I’m just… out. Like I never existed. And no matter how cold my upbringing, no matter how unloved I already felt, I guess there was a whole new level of loneliness I could feel.
Fuck them.
“I’ve invited people who have deep pockets,” I tell Evie. “I put feelers out as soon as you guys gave me the go-ahead, plus the people I’d already contacted when it was simply a dinner to raise funds for the most spirited fighter award.”
“Goddddd,” Evie groans. “I forgot about that. So now we need the four and a half million for the purses, plus a little extra for the best fight of the night. This is impossible, Maddi!”
“It’s not impossible.” I lead Bry toward the stage where instruments are set up. “We have a band, we have food that was donated.”
Evie stops and frowns. “Donated food? Why the hell would anyone donate?”
I shrug. “The caterer mentioned she started her business in the ‘boom’ – her words – after Stacked Deck started in town. She said you created such demand in a week-long period that she was able to dive in and make her dreams come true – again, her words. You warned residents that all of these fighters were coming to town, and she went out on a limb and started cooking, and here we are today. She’s been in business for four years, and it’s all thanks to Stacked Deck. She’d like to thank you.”
“Well…” Evie’s brows come up. “Alright then.”
Bry chuckles.
“The band is donating their time, but you already know who they are. The waitstaff is being paid, but most of them threw themselves on me because of who’s here.”
Evie frowns. “Who’s here?”
“You, dummy. And Ben, Bean, Mac, Iowa. Then add the original Rollers – your dad, your uncles. I think you forget your family is somewhat famous.”
“Oh… okay. Yeah.” She totally forgets. “Okay.”
“That’s food, music, waiters.” I slow by the stage at the top of the room. “I’ll have a little presentation in an hour or two where we announce our auction, and then—”
“Our auction?” Evie’s eyes come back to mine. “We don’t have art to sell, Maddi. What are we auctioning that will raise millions of dollars?”
I smile. Taking Bry’s hand, I bring it up to my smiling lips, and try to hide my grin. “It will work better if you don’t know until it’s time.”