Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 103

CHAPTER 64-2

Nothing and Hunter slapped the table.

“She read you again.” Hunter laughed.

“I hate this game.” Derek said.

“You’ve been playing for years.” Roman reminded him.

“And she’s been playing for twenty minutes.” Derek said as I laughed.

“Maybe I’m just good at spotting liars.” I said as Derek pointed at me.

“That sounded suspiciously personal.” Derek said but I shrugged.

“I grew up around Charlotte.” I said.

The table erupted and even Jace laughed hard enough that he had to look away as Hunter wiped

at his eyes.

“That explains everything.” Hunter said as Derek leaned back.

“Nobody told me we were dealing with a professional.” Derek said.

“I’m not.” I said.

“You’ve won almost every hand.” He said.

“I’ve been lucky.” I said.

“That’s what every dangerous poker player says.” He said and I smiled.

“Then you should probably stop betting against me.” I said as he narrowed his eyes.

“I refuse.” He said.

“Your choice.” I said.

The night continued with laughter, drinks, food, and increasingly dramatic accusations. At one

point Hunter accused me of counting cards and I stared at him.

“I don’t even know what cards I’m supposed to count.” I said.

“Exactly.” He said.

“That doesn’t make sense.” I said.

“I know.” He said and Roman laughed.

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CHAPTER 64 2

“He’s losing badly.” Roman said.

“I’m not losing.” Derek said.

“You’ve lost seven hands.” Roman said.

“I’m strategically sacrificing.” Derek said.

“For what?” Roman asked.

“Victory.” Derek said.

Nobody could explain that logic, including Hunter. Eventually Jack brought out a plate of food and everyone took a break while the cards were reshuffled.

I leaned back in my chair and looked around the table. I hadn’t expected to enjoy myself this much. There were no tense conversations. No suspicious phone calls. No family arguments. Nobody asked me about Charlotte and nobody asked me about Victor.

For one evening, I was simply Paige. The woman who worked on motorcycles. The woman who laughed too loudly and the woman who apparently possessed an irritating ability to recognize terrible bluffs.

Jace reached under the table and gently squeezed my hand so I looked at him and he smiled.

“Having fun?” He asked.

“Actually, yes.” I said.

“I told you.” He said.

“I still don’t trust Derek.” I said.

“Nobody does.” He said and Derek heard him.

“I can hear you.” Derek said.

“That wasn’t meant to be private.” Jace said and everyone laughed again.

The evening eventually began winding down and people slowly left their seats so Jace stood beside me while I collected my jacket.

“You ready?” He asked.

“Yes.” I said and we walked toward the entrance together.

Outside, the night air was cool and the parking lot was quieter than it had been earlier.

I didn’t notice the dark vehicle parked across the street. I didn’t notice the two men sitting inside. I

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AMPTER 64.2

didn’t notice the camera pointed toward the pub entrance.

The men had been there for almost an hour. They hadn’t ordered drinks but they hadn’t entered the

pub. They had simply watched and one man lowered the camera.

“That’s her.” He said as the other looked through the windshield.

“Paige Lawson?” The other one asked.

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