Sucker Bet (Vegas Vampires #4)(41)
Author: Erin McCarthy

She didn’t suppose she would have appreciated seeing Roberto with another woman either. Oh, wait. She had. A dozen times or more while they were still married.

Sympathy disappeared. As did her patience and her politeness. "You know what, actually, I’ve changed my mind, Roberto. I’m not in the mood to talk to you. And Nate and I have plans and we really need to get going. So unless you have something earth-shattering and vital to either of our existences, you can wait. In fact, why don’t you send me an e-mail? That would be best all round for everyone."

She turned and gave Brittany a kiss on the cheek. "I’ll stop by at a better time."

"Okay. Good to see you." Brittany reached to take Ava from Nate.

Corbin touched Gwenna’s sleeve. "Your brother stopped by last night after the… event. Perhaps you should speak to him about ze future."

Gwenna stared at Corbin. What the hell did that mean? "Alright, then. If you think there’s something to be discussed."

"Yes, I do." He was giving her all kinds of meaningful looks, so she tuned in to his internal thoughts, knowing he was giving her permission.

Chechikov is mortal now, and in hiding, you know zis, yes? Well, beware of his wife. There is something I do not like about her, and Ethan said she was at the ball last night with Ringo. That makes me suspicious of her.

"Okay." It occurred to Gwenna that maybe Corbin would be a good person to discuss the slayers’ loop murders with. He knew all the parties involved, and he would focus in on the important facts, not harass her with safety tips. "Let’s talk later." She was forced to say it out loud since Corbin was no longer vampire and couldn’t hear her thoughts in return. He had used a vaccine he had created on himself, returning to a mortal state, and he had done the same to Chechikov as punishment for kidnapping Brittany.

Corbin nodded. "I’m looking forward to it."

"I heard that, by the way," Roberto said. "If you let in one, you let in all of us. But in this case, I agree with Atelier. I’m suspicious, too. Though I don’t think it’s any concern of Gwenna’s."

Wonderful. Leave it to Roberto to get the last word in.

"Heard what?" Nate asked. "What are you talking about?"

Roberto raised an eyebrow. "Mind your own f**king business."

"Hey!" Brittany shot him a dirty look, and turned her daughter away from Donatelli. "Watch your mouth in front of the baby."

"She’s an infant," Roberto protested.

"Precisely," Brittany snapped at him. "We had a deal. I said you could visit Ava if you were on your best behavior and didn’t do anything to corrupt her."

Roberto looked so confused Gwenna felt the urge to laugh. In his world of wheeling, dealing, drugs, and stealing, using off-color language was hardly the worst offense he could make.

"Using a swear word in front of a three-day-old baby is going to corrupt her? I find it hard to believe your mother didn’t swear in front of you and you turned out just fine."

"Leave my mother out of this." Brittany’s cheeks turned pink.

"Donatelli, watch what you say to my wife." Corbin was off the couch and over to Brittany.

"What? I just said—"

Gwenna interrupted him, enjoying that particular novelty. "Roberto, why don’t you head out with Nate and I? I think we’re all finished being a dysfunctional family for the moment, and I suspect Brittany could use a rest."

"You go ahead," Roberto said. "I want to speak to my daughter."

Brittany rolled her eyes.

Gwenna sighed. He just couldn’t keep quiet. Now she was going to have to lie to Nate yet again. Better to do it in private, though. So she just waved to Brittany and Corbin and took Nate’s hand—sure to inspire murderous thoughts in Roberto’s mind—and went out the front door.

"Daughter? Who the hell is his daughter?" Nate glanced back at the house as he pulled his keys out of his pocket.

Gwenna jumped in the passenger side as soon as he clicked the door unlocked. She decided to go with the truth, as close there to it as she could. "Brittany’s his daughter. Ava is his granddaughter."

"What? How is that possible? He can’t be any more than forty. Which makes him too young to be Brittany’s father, and too old to be your ex-husband."

There was possibly truth to that. Roberto was fourteen years older than her, and he hadn’t aged well. He looked a decade older than his mortal age at death. He had been the adult when she had met him, in his thirties, and he had taken advantage of her naivety. No question about it.

"He’s a bit older than forty." A lot older. "And he had a misguided youth. Brittany’s mother was an exotic dancer he had no business having an affair with at his age." Let Nate interpret that however he chose. "But he did, and there you have it. Brittany is the result. It’s only been a few months since DNA testing proved his paternity. Neither of them knew he was her father."

"Wow. That’s a little awkward, huh?"

"Very awkward. But Brittany is a generous person and she’s willing to give him a chance to be in her life. Hopefully for both their sakes, he won’t screw it up." She clicked her seat belt. "I’m sorry about that. I had no idea he would be there."

"Not your fault. And hell, he doesn’t bother me. Just another prick who thinks he’s right—I deal with them every day." Nate put his hands on the steering wheel, the car already running. "So where are we going now?"

Gwenna ran her hand through her hair, flipping it back over her shoulder. She was anxious, restless, irritated, and not sure why. Maybe it was the obvious—that she needed to let go of Nate. It was very selfish on her part to drag him into vampire politics and the personal squabblings of their inner circle. She felt guilty that she was lying to him repeatedly, giving him only bits and pieces of information. Granted, it wasn’t like it was possible to be totally honest with him, but it was still troublesome.

A small part of her also realized that Nate was still a man. And she was supposed to be entering a new, totally independent phase of her life, and how much could she really do that if she was involved with a man like Nate, who was confident and protective, saw the world entirely in black and white, and was maybe even just a bit controlling?

Those things were all true, and Gwenna knew that she couldn’t continue to see Nate. It wasn’t practical. Smart. Or good for her mental health.

Yet they still had now. Today. She wanted that. Wanted him.

"Let’s go to the casino," she said. "I feel like gambling."