Gambling with Hearts (On Hold)

⚁ Chapter 2: Conceding a Hand

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He didn't see her for the rest of the week. Not even a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, but he did catch sight of the black briefcase in the upstairs office. Eager to talk again, he waited outside hoping she would come out.

She did not.

Luca Martinelli, however, did. His brawny frame stopped short when he saw Zach leaning against the wall. "What do you want?"

He straightened, hoping his height would give him an advantage. Luca dominated in muscle mass, but Zach was taller. "Is Riley here?"

Eyes black as coal bore into him. "Why do you want her?"

"Need to talk to her about something."

"About what?"

Hesitant, Zach jiggled his car keys. "It's personal."

Luca's biceps, which happened to be bigger than Zach's head, twitched. "How personal?"

"You know what? Never mind. It's not a big deal," he backtracked, survival instincts starting to kick in. "I'll catch her another time." Luca's lip thinned so he quickly added, "Or not. It's cool."

"Brewer."

"Yes?" Zach smiled uneasily. Images of Luca cutting off his balls and burying him in the backyard came to mind. Perhaps he shouldn't have used the word "personal" when talking about Luca's sister. Not that he needed to worry. His interest in Riley was purely out of curiosity.

"We need to talk about your account balance."

His mouth dropped into a frown. "What about it?"

"You're overdue."

"I told Dino I would have it to you by next week."

"That's for June. I'm talking about July. Are you going to have it ready for us?"

Irritation flashed in his eyes. "Of course."

"Make sure you do."

"I'm not a flake."

"Never said you were."

The passive aggressive behavior was beyond frustrating. Jutting out his chin, Zach said, "You have something to say then spit it out. I don't like people who beat around the bush."

Luca tilted his head, his expression neutral. "I think you talk big game."

"But I don't deliver. Is that what you mean?" Zach's fingers curled around the car keys. "I'm a guy of my word. When I say I'll do something, you can damn well be sure I'm going to do it."

"Then we understand each other." His eyes darkened as he gave Zach an assessing look. "Don't fuck up, boy. I'm not the forgiving type."

"I'm not a boy," he stated, his gaze locking with Luca's.

"You're not a man yet either."

Footsteps approached. "Everything okay here?"

Luca gave Zach one last look before nodding at his brother, Dino. "We're good. Do you need me?"

"Actually, I'm here for him," Dino responded, thrusting a thumb in Zach's direction. "The one with the crazy hair is looking for you. Said something about leaving."

Damn it. He kept forgetting about Gavin. He wasn't even going to bring him today, but Trace forced him to. Said they needed time to bond or some crap like that.

"Don't forget what I said," Luca warned.

"Hard to forget when you keep reminding me," Zach answered lightly. Apprehension trickled down his spine as Luca stilled. The harsh angles of his face cast a menacing shadow.