Page 310 of Double or Nothing

My voice hardens.

Squirrelling. Finances. Like he knows anything about my situation at all after my divorce. He doesn’t even know my fucking salary.

“The point is that you don’t get to decide when I burn my career to the ground,” I tell him.

Jack’s expression hardens.

“I haven’t decided anything for you. You already made your decisions, you’re just too scared to act on them.”

My insides tighten.

“You marked me as disloyal in front of the man who employs me. That’s pretty decisive.”

Jack’s smirk is nothing more than a sneer.

“Bill Parker doesn’t own you!”

“No,” I say. “He pays me.”

“And as I said.” Jack leans in. “I can pay you. No big deal.”

Alice closes her eyes. Broken. I stare at Jack. Angry.

“That’s your answer to everything, isn’t it?” I say “Money. If something becomes uncomfortable, you throw big bucks at it until everyone else has to move. Your way or the highway.”

“That’s complete bullshit,” Jack says. “So melodramatic.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

“What do you actually do with your life, hey?” My eyes are burning into his. “What do you care about when there aren’t any observers watching? When there’s nothing to win and no one to provoke? Because I don’t know.” I gesture to both me and Alice. “We don’t know.”

Jack’s face changes. Toughens.

I keep going, too angry to stop.

“What about your past, Jack? Who are you? What’s happening at the casino, since you haven’t been there once since I met you? Are you a silent partner? Do you want to be?” I pause. “What do you want to be? Who do you want to be? Because it’s very easy to play the joker with other people’s lives, rather than focus on sorting out your own.”

My words land hard.

Jack becomes completely still.

Alice looks at me.

“Bryce…” she says, but I barely hear her.

“Tonight was reckless,” I continue. “Irresponsible. You went half a million beyond the limit we agreed, then deliberately antagonised Bill because you wanted him to know you weren’t afraid.”

“I’m not.”

“No. But we are.”

Silence.

I gesture again between Alice and myself.

“We’re the ones who have to go back with him. We’re the ones whose lives are connected to his. You get to stand here, say whatever you like, and walk away with a smug grin on your joker face.”