“Iconnedhim.”
“Is that not the same thing as thieving?”
“Not to me.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t theft if it never belonged to him in the first place.”
“What didn’t? His own money?”
“Hismoney.Hisproperty.Hisland.” He scoffs. “But taken from how many people? From how many more?”
There’s an edge of something in his voice that I haven’t fully recognized until tonight. It’s the same as when he’d told those men in there to becarefulor when he’d said Maddock already had too many advantages. It’s not just anger. It’s deeper than that. Darker. And it feels as familiar to me as the kitchen table had.
“You know, he didn’t so much as hesitate when it came to wagering his men’s money,” Cypress continues. “When it came to wagering what he had already promised you. If I didn’t do something right then—”
“Hold on.” I raise a hand, stepping closer to him. “Are you saying you stopped losing just because he went back on our deal?”
He doesn’t respond, not immediately, which is precisely how Iknow I’m right.
“Why?” I ask, trying to wrap my head around it all. “I wouldn’t have told Maddock about the watch. Or that I thought you were playing him.”
“I know.”
“Then why? Why bribe me? Just because you wanted me as a partner? You could’ve—”
“Bribeyou?” he asks, stepping closer now, too, so that only a couple feet separate us. “Is thatstillwhat you think I was doing?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“What other fuckin’ reason could there be? Nothing else makes sense.”
He stares at me, appearing to be caught between laughing and tearing his hair out. “Aiden—”
“You knew who I was. You knew my reputation. That’s why you wanted—”
“Fuck, Aiden, I didn’t want your reputation,” he nearly shouts. “I wantedyou. I wanted you, and I thought maybe, justmaybe, if I could give you the things you deserved, then you might actually…”
“I might actuallywhat?” I ask him, my heart racing while I wait for him to tell me. While I watch his eyes search mine, only to switch to looking at the stars, as if he might find what he’s searching for there instead.
“I should…” he starts to say. “I should go back.”
“Go back?”
He sighs, his gaze returning to mine with his mask back in place. “Yes, I’ll…I’ll ride back with Dolly once the evening is over.”
Without another word, he turns, guiding Cerberus in the direction we came from, and the fact that Helios acts like he wants to follow him, too, feels like insult to injury.Traitor.
“Cypress,” I call after him when he’s a few paces away, and he immediately stops, pivoting to face me again. “You go back and you’ll stay away from that table? From those men?”
“You asked me not to lie to you, Aiden, so I won’t.”
“Damn it,why? Why can’t you—”
“Because someone has to.”