Page 56 of Filthy Little Lies

Sometimes you can’t outrun your demons.

“I mean, there’s this one thing.” He scratches at his neck, looking over my shoulder at the door, then at the waitress who’s kept a wide berth since his arrival. “Nothing big.”

Cassie tenses beside me.

“What is it?” I focus on his face, trying not to let on that I know he’s going to ask for something we can’t give him.

“Like I said I got this place with some buddies, but it’s small, you know? Three guys in a one-bedroom gets cramped.” His expression hardens when he looks up at us. “I’m not asking for cash. I’m just letting you know, it’s a small place.”

“Okay, Tony.” Cassie nods, dropping her hands under the table and covering my hands with hers to keep me from digging in my skin.

“I have an idea how to get some money for a bigger place, but I need you two to help. There’s a big poker game at the Inferno Club every other Friday night. Usually they only let members in, but every now and then they have like an open house thing. High rollers can come play.”

Cassie squeezes my hand.

“Sav, you make some bank statements or whatever to get one of those payday loans, and then Cassie, you come with me to the tables and do your thing, we can clean up.”

“The Inferno Club is run by the Valenti Family,” Cassie says before I can register the club’s name. “You want to cheat the mafia?”

“I’m not saying we cheat them, I’m saying we put the odds in our favor.”

“By cheating.” I emphasize. It wasn’t on the list, but I’m pretty sure helping someone cheat at one of his clubs is on the list of things not to do while Gabriel’s away.

“Savvy’s already dealing with blowback from a bad forgery at a pawn shop with them; doing this would put her in even more danger.”

His eyes fly to me. “What?”

“Nothing.” I elbow Cassie. “A deal went bad; I’m in a little debt because of it. Nothing I can’t handle.”

My news only seems to put more wind in his sails. “You see, this is the sort of thing that would pay off big. You could pay back whatever you need to pay back. It’s one paystub, or bank statement, I don’t remember which one they need.”

He rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands.

“I think it’s paystubs, which you could easily get if you got a job.” Cassie pushes. He’s the oldest of the three of us, but Cassie’s the most responsible. Also the best at pulling a job like the one he’s describing.

His face scrunches, and he slams the side of his fist into the table. The dishes dance and clatter. Water spills from the untouched glass. From the corner of my eye I see Damien’s head snap up, he’s watching now.

“Stop it.” I reach over the table and grab his fist. “Look, I can’t even if I wanted to. And Cassie is getting ready to leave town anyway. You’ll have to find another way.”

He turns angry eyes on Cassie. “You’re ditching us again?”

“I’m not ditching anyone. I got a job in St. Louis. A good job, with a real paycheck.” She defends her decision even though there’s no need. As luxurious as it is pulling in a meager living working one step of the wrong side of the law, having stable income from a legitimate source with no risk of a gun being pulled or the mafia stealing you away is nothing to shy away from.

It would be comfortable. Safe. Secure. Something the three of us have never had, at least not for very long.

And Cassie’s not someone who can stay in the same place for too long. Once she aged out of the system and had the freedom to go anywhere, she spread her wings and has fluttered from city to city. Every now and then she comes back to Chicago for a stint, but too many bad memories here keep giving her the itch to get moving again.

“Well, when are you going? The game’s this Friday.” He scratches at his neck again, picking a scab.

“Tony. No. It’s too dangerous.” Cassie pushes the bowl of fruit I didn’t touch at him. “Will you eat something. You’re a walking skeleton.”

He shoves the bowl back. “I’m not fucking hungry!”

Damien tucks his phone away, still watching our table intensely. I’ve seen a similar look on Gabriel’s face. Danger is coming.

“Tony, you have to calm down.” I try to grab his hand again, but he yanks it back.

“You know, I don’t ask you two for much. Never, really.” Except for every time we talk, but I’m not going to argue with him while he’s swinging those wild eyes at us.