God, she was like a wolf about to go for the throat. Yet again, I was glad I could call her a friend now instead of having her as an enemy.
Kervos stared at her, his eyes twitching in a way that definitely seemed sketchy. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I waggled my hand of cards at him. “I think you do. Whatever it is, just spit it out. Dad’s gone, and that means I’m the closest thing you’ve got to a boss now.”
Wheeler snorted at that comment, but I ignored him, totally focused on Kervos. The older man grimaced. “It could be nothing. It was just something that seemed strange to me. And it didn’t have anything to do with Colt or the Steel Knights, so I wouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“Well, I’m asking you to now,” I said. “What’ll it hurt to tell me? Maybe it could help.”
“All right, all right. It was just that a few months ago, before all this went down, Tyrell asked me to bring him a bunch of records and other info on how much money the side-business I’d been handling was taking in and from what sources. He wanted it laid out all organized and shit. I know he made similar requests to some of the other guys.”
Anthea chuckled. “And it seemed strange to you that he wanted proper accounting?”
Kervos glowered at her defensively. “Well, yeah. He said he wanted to be more on top of things so everything could be streamlined when the deal with the Steel Knights was fully settled, but that never totally made sense to me. It wasn’t how he normally operated, that’s all.”
“It’s true,” I said slowly. “That is kind of strange. Dad was never much of one for getting things written down.” He’d thought it’d be too easy for someone to find out things he didn’t want them to and take advantage of the information.
In my mind’s eye, I could see Dad tapping the side of his head with an almost manic gleam in his eyes. That’s why I’m the one on top. Because I can keep track of everything anyone needs to know in here. They all depend on me.
A sudden desire for concrete data didn’t point to any sort of betrayal, though. I mulled it over a little longer and set the knowledge aside in case it meant more to me later. “What about this Red Shark person who’s sending his guys into town now? Have you had any run-ins with them?”
Roy barked a laugh. “We’ve been avoiding running into anyone at all since the Steel Knights started gunning for us.”
Kervos took the card dealt to him and considered his hand before adding, “I’ve never heard of them before. Seems like they came out of nowhere. My best guess is they have some long-standing grudge against Xavier and whoever-all stands with him, and they tracked him down here. Fuck Colt Bryant for dragging us all into this mess.”
“You can say that again,” I muttered. Suddenly I wished I could stab my ex-fiancé another dozen times. “Well, thank you for telling me what you could, even if it wasn’t much.”
I accepted a card. My hand was still shit. I cocked my head, sitting up a little straighter, and tossed another handful of chips into the center of the table with a smug smirk.
The other men contemplated me. One folded. I met Kervos’s gaze. “How much of your winnings am I going to put in my pocket?”
He muttered a curse and threw his cards aside too. “I’m sure you’ve got a better hand than I do. Take what you’ve already gotten.”
I couldn’t help cackling as I spread out my cards on the table. I didn’t even have a pair.
The men all stared as I scooped up the chips. Then Roy started to chuckle. Kervos slapped the table with a loud guffaw. “Holy hell, Katz, you do have some balls on you. More than a lot of my men. I’ll give you that.”
“I think what you mean to say is that she has a sizable pair of ovaries,” Anthea said archly, but she was smiling too.
“Look,” I said in a more serious tone when I had my little heap in front of me. “I have a lot to thank you for. You stuck out your necks for me and the Nobles, and the people who matter won’t forget that. It’s getting crazy out there, and I don’t like what’s happening to the Bend. We’re going to take action… but we might not be able to tackle all of these pricks on our own. Can we count on you to stand with us if that’s what it takes to get these assholes gone?”
The men exchanged a glance. Wheeler winced, but Kervos squared his shoulders. “It’s hard to give a promise when we’re not fully sure what’s going on out there. All these powerful new groups in play…”
I held up my hands. “I’m not going to force you. Unlike some people, I don’t want loyalty that only comes under threat.”
“If anyone can set things back the way they should be, it’s her,” Roy piped up, looking a bit nervous. “You saw the way she took on the Steel Knights all on her own.”
“She did have a little backing,” Kervos said dryly, but his expression was warmer when he turned to me again. “I can see you’re not the type to back down easily. Maybe your father should have let you step up more while he was still alive. It’s impressive how much you’ve accomplished in just the past few weeks. If the time comes when we could turn the tide, call on us, and we’ll have your back. Just get our home back for us.”
I summoned all the conviction I had in me. “You’d better believe I will.”