Free Game Of Risk (Risqué #3) by Scarlett Finn

answer his phone.’
    ‘He’ll answer,’ she said. ‘Or I’ll get on a train up to Jersey just to piss him off.’
    ‘Your revenge will be short-lived because you’ll be delivering yourself to the people who want you dead.’
    ‘I see that your repertoire doesn’t extend into optimism,’ she said, but as soon as she did, she was reminded of how dangerous optimism could be. ‘Fine, I’ll go back inside and sit with your family, but I won’t forget that you dumped me here.’
    ‘Course not, how else could you pass judgement on people if you so easily let things go? I know a grudge-holder when I see one.’
    ‘Others might find you funny, but I’m not on that list.’
    ‘I’m observant,’ he said. ‘And you, Legs, are a lady with a chip on your shoulder.’
    ‘Have you ever taken anything seriously in your life?’
    Bringing himself lower, he fixed his eyes to hers. ‘There’s only one thing I take seriously.’
    ‘Oh yeah, what’s that?’
    ‘In a place you’ll have my complete concentration,’ he said. Brushing his hand down her cheek, he pushed away from the wall and disappeared out of the gate which led to the driveway.
    Layla didn’t want to think too hard about what he was implying with the intensity he’d exuded from those eyes when they pinned themselves on her. Ruger was a joker, a guy who sailed through life without a worry because he didn’t care about anything enough to let it bother him. Except he’d said he loved his family, and didn’t mind when she teased him about it. There was something under his blithe surface, but it was something he would never let her see.

Chapter Five
     
     
    ‘So you just left her there?’
    Ruger had been at Risqué for almost half an hour and it was the first chance that Blaser had had to come and talk to him. The club was busy and while that was good for his brother, it meant Ruger had to wait for attention. Usually he would come to visit the club after he got back into town but he’d wait until the wee hours when Blaser was closing up shop.
    Waiting until later hadn’t been an option. If he had stayed at his parents’ house until Risqué was closing up, his mom would have stayed up with him probably quizzing him about the new woman in his life. He could have handled his mother’s interrogation. What he couldn’t handle anymore was being in close proximity to those legs which had teased him throughout their long drive home from Miami.
    ‘What else was I supposed to do?’ Ruger asked, swirling the beer left in the bottom of his bottle.
    This corner of the bar was reserved for family. The access to behind the bar was here, but it was beside a wall and kept dark, so that family could have some privacy from the patrons admiring the women doing their work.
    ‘Not leave her there,’ Blaser said, spreading his hands wide on the bar. ‘You left her with Mom, Lyssa, and Suzette. That’s like leaving a lamb to the slaughter.’
    ‘Not this chick,’ Ruger said, looking down the neck of his bottle. ‘She can handle it. She can handle anything.’
    ‘Why are you looking out for her then?’ Blaser asked. ‘If you think she can take on the world—‘
    ‘She’d sure try it. If these guys got a hold of her, they’d want to hurt her. They’d probably keep on torturing her until they got her brother to back off.’
    ‘And that matters to you?’
    ‘You know why it matters to me,’ he said, making eye contact. ‘Jansen saved Bri’s life.’
    A life that was only put in danger because he had refused to work for the criminals anymore. Ruger wanted to make amends, but no matter how many steps he took in that direction, he could never shake the guilt that curled itself around his shoulders and tightened around his chest.
    ‘Lyssa knows what happened with Bri. She knows what crap you're mixed up in. Once Colt knows about this deal you made with Jansen—‘
    ‘It wasn't a deal. I went to see him, just like I said I would. When I heard what he was