pick-ups in
a row."
"Light?" I felt completely lost by the
gambling and loan lingo he tossed around
so easily.
"He was short thousands of dollars
each time I sent my pick-up man around
for the payments," Hagen explained. "Add
in the interest and we're sitting at thirty
thousand owed."
"Thirty thousand," I echoed softly. I
couldn't even wrap my head around that
number. I lived on less than half that in an
entire year. How the hell had Ronnie
managed to piss that huge amount away in
just a few short weeks?
As if he could read my mind, Hagan
said, "Poker. Your brother had a hot
streak a few months back and then went
cold. He just keeps digging that hole
deeper and deeper. Frankly, you're lucky
he hasn't had his fingers broken for those
card counting tricks of his."
I sighed heavily. It wasn't the first time
he'd tried his stupid card tricks. Like me,
he had a mind for numbers. He simply
didn't use his gift wisely. It was always
about the next get-rich-quick scheme.
"So let me guess," Hagen said, a
patronizing smile on his face. "Ronnie
gave you some sad, weepy fucking story
about being down a couple grand, right?
You thought you'd come in here and shake
that tight little ass of yours to get me to
wipe the debt clean?"
"What? No!" I vehemently shook my
head. Reaching into my purse, I withdrew
the fat envelope of cash and placed it on
his desk. "I brought this."
He eyed the envelope. "Four thousand?"
Surprise rippled through me. "You can
tell just by looking at it?"
Hagen nodded. "When you've been in
this business as long as I have, you pick
up all sorts of useful tricks." He sat
forward and snatched up the envelope.
"That still leaves him twenty-six short."
I bit my lower lip. "I thought he owed
five grand. I brought what I could scrape
together and hoped you'd let me pay the
balance of one thousand over the next
month or two but twenty-six thousand? I—
I just—I can't."
He tossed the envelope back at me. I
barely caught it. "You shouldn't. He's a big
boy. Let him dig himself out of this mess.
Besides," he sat back in his chair and
lifted his hands behind his head, "I don't
do payment plans."
I shivered as his searing gaze roamed
my body. When he spoke again, his tone
had changed. "Although…I might be
willing to make an exception—just this
once. It's not every day a brilliant,
beautiful college girl walks through my
door."
I bristled with indignation and shot to
my feet. "I'm not a whore."
"I didn't say you were," he replied
calmly.
I dropped the envelope on his desk.
"Here's the four grand. You can take it or
leave it but that's all I've got."
Pivoting on my heel, I gripped the
handle of my purse, strode to the door and
jerked it open. Fuck you .
"Do you know if your brother has good
health insurance?"
Hagen's warning remark froze me in
place. My eyes closed and I tried to slow
my racing heart. His threat hit home. I
knew what happened to men who owed
Hagen money. They ended up in the
hospital with smashed faces and broken
ribs. Sometimes even worse than that.
Sure, Ronnie had gotten himself into
this mess but he'd never been the same
since the car accident that took our
parents. He'd been driving that night and
so proud of his new car, a graduation
present. Wet roads and a deer in the
middle of the highway had taken away the
two people we'd loved most. The guilt of
the accident had changed him forever.
Gambling seemed to be the escape from
reality he'd chosen.
Gulping down the painful ball of nerves
clogging my throat, I stepped back into the
office and closed the door. On shaky
limbs, I turned slowly and leaned back
against the wooden surface. I met Hagen's
triumphant gaze. Defeated, I asked, "What
do you want from me?"
He eyed me carefully. "You love your
brother this much?"
"He's all I have left."
Hagen studied me for a long moment.
Finally, he held out his hand. "Come
here."
I hesitated before complying with
a row."
"Light?" I felt completely lost by the
gambling and loan lingo he tossed around
so easily.
"He was short thousands of dollars
each time I sent my pick-up man around
for the payments," Hagen explained. "Add
in the interest and we're sitting at thirty
thousand owed."
"Thirty thousand," I echoed softly. I
couldn't even wrap my head around that
number. I lived on less than half that in an
entire year. How the hell had Ronnie
managed to piss that huge amount away in
just a few short weeks?
As if he could read my mind, Hagan
said, "Poker. Your brother had a hot
streak a few months back and then went
cold. He just keeps digging that hole
deeper and deeper. Frankly, you're lucky
he hasn't had his fingers broken for those
card counting tricks of his."
I sighed heavily. It wasn't the first time
he'd tried his stupid card tricks. Like me,
he had a mind for numbers. He simply
didn't use his gift wisely. It was always
about the next get-rich-quick scheme.
"So let me guess," Hagen said, a
patronizing smile on his face. "Ronnie
gave you some sad, weepy fucking story
about being down a couple grand, right?
You thought you'd come in here and shake
that tight little ass of yours to get me to
wipe the debt clean?"
"What? No!" I vehemently shook my
head. Reaching into my purse, I withdrew
the fat envelope of cash and placed it on
his desk. "I brought this."
He eyed the envelope. "Four thousand?"
Surprise rippled through me. "You can
tell just by looking at it?"
Hagen nodded. "When you've been in
this business as long as I have, you pick
up all sorts of useful tricks." He sat
forward and snatched up the envelope.
"That still leaves him twenty-six short."
I bit my lower lip. "I thought he owed
five grand. I brought what I could scrape
together and hoped you'd let me pay the
balance of one thousand over the next
month or two but twenty-six thousand? I—
I just—I can't."
He tossed the envelope back at me. I
barely caught it. "You shouldn't. He's a big
boy. Let him dig himself out of this mess.
Besides," he sat back in his chair and
lifted his hands behind his head, "I don't
do payment plans."
I shivered as his searing gaze roamed
my body. When he spoke again, his tone
had changed. "Although…I might be
willing to make an exception—just this
once. It's not every day a brilliant,
beautiful college girl walks through my
door."
I bristled with indignation and shot to
my feet. "I'm not a whore."
"I didn't say you were," he replied
calmly.
I dropped the envelope on his desk.
"Here's the four grand. You can take it or
leave it but that's all I've got."
Pivoting on my heel, I gripped the
handle of my purse, strode to the door and
jerked it open. Fuck you .
"Do you know if your brother has good
health insurance?"
Hagen's warning remark froze me in
place. My eyes closed and I tried to slow
my racing heart. His threat hit home. I
knew what happened to men who owed
Hagen money. They ended up in the
hospital with smashed faces and broken
ribs. Sometimes even worse than that.
Sure, Ronnie had gotten himself into
this mess but he'd never been the same
since the car accident that took our
parents. He'd been driving that night and
so proud of his new car, a graduation
present. Wet roads and a deer in the
middle of the highway had taken away the
two people we'd loved most. The guilt of
the accident had changed him forever.
Gambling seemed to be the escape from
reality he'd chosen.
Gulping down the painful ball of nerves
clogging my throat, I stepped back into the
office and closed the door. On shaky
limbs, I turned slowly and leaned back
against the wooden surface. I met Hagen's
triumphant gaze. Defeated, I asked, "What
do you want from me?"
He eyed me carefully. "You love your
brother this much?"
"He's all I have left."
Hagen studied me for a long moment.
Finally, he held out his hand. "Come
here."
I hesitated before complying with
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