Chapter Thirty-Six
Queen of Hearts
Sometimes you have to withdraw.
Sometimes you have to sacrifice one of your pieces to win - preferably a knight rather than a king or queen.
—John Rhys-Davies
DAY 7—6:55PM
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay – Armani’s
ELENA
“Waiter… Waiter!” I call out to our server as he passes for a second time. “Another glass of white wine, please.”
He nods in response to my, frankly, rude interruption, and I uncross my legs for the seventh time underneath our table—taking a moment to steady their shaking before crossing them again, squeezing tightly.
Lukas and I sit at one end of the massive round tabletop, and a noticeably nervous Chris sits at the other, his hands folded across his menu, his eyes on anything but us. And Griff—the passionate man I’ve come to know—is any
