Gregor took a receding step to gather himself.
Vance nudged him and said, “He’s not better than you. He’s just a cocky fucker. I see assholes like him every day.” He snorted. “What a fucking punk. Just think about later, when he’s in your basement. You wanna visualize something? Picture that. Remi Bellerive, begging for your mercy while you sip a brandy and watch Hans do his thing. He won’t be such a prick then, will he? Keep that in your head while you’re playing.”
Gregor closed his eyes, imagining various scenes, each with Remi screaming for the pain to end. That made him smile.
“It will be glorious,” Gregor said with a sneer, seeing Remi in his mind, kneeling before him in ultimate submission.
He rejected his earlier apprehensions.
“There ya go,” Vance said.
As Gregor strode into the room, Vance bellowed from behind him, “The real poker king is here! TripleAce!”
“Oui!” the dealer said, gesturing to an empty chair. “Please take your seat, so we can begin.”
Remi flicked his eyes to Gregor and took a drink, effectively dismissing his presence.
“French fuck,” he muttered, as he took his seat. “You want to know who I am? My name is Gregor Gaines.”
“Hmm,” Remi replied, lifting the straw to his mouth
Rage seethed through Gregor’s veins, and he vowed that Remi would endure many horrors before he allowed him to die.
Chapter 36
“Gentlemen, let’s begin,” Paulette said. She pinned Remi with her eyes, telling him without saying a word that she had heard the way Gregor introduced himself. With a short nod back to her, he further masked his face to hide his deep inner turmoil. “The blind will begin at one million dollars and will increase as the game goes on. The match will end when one player has lost all of his chips or forfeits.”
Tossing specially made plastic disks onto the velvet, Remi said, “I’m gonna give you a warning before we begin, Gregor. I doubt I need to tell you something you’ve known and have experienced firsthand many times over, but in the spirit of gamesmanship—”
Behind him, Jim shouted, “Remi’s the best motherfucking poker player on the planet!”
Remi canted his head to the side, as his stomach rolled in pain from the scent on Gregor.
It was Sophie.
And though he wanted nothing more than to launch himself across the table and force Gregor to tell him where she was, he had to control himself. Otherwise, he was sure to face the wrath of The Directive, whom they had been told planned to attend but had not yet arrived.
“And there you go.”
Gregor set his chips down, and then Paulette dealt two cards to them and laid three face-up on the center of the table.
“The flop.”
“Monsieur Gaines, the move is yours.”
“Raise,” Gregor said, adding three more chips to his stack.
“Same,” Remi replied, placing five onto his.
Paulette laid out another card.
“The turn.”
Flicking his gaze to Gregor, Remi tsk’d and said, “I remember a similar hand between you and me. Do you?”
“You won, didn’t you, Remi?” Jim whispered.
“Oui, as I will this one.”
“Monsieur Gaines?”
“Give me a minute,” Gregor said.
Remi thought he could see the tiny wheels in Gregor’s head turning.
He rolled his neck and said, “Tick, tock…”
“Check.”
“Hmm. I raise.”
“The pot now stands at eight million,” Paulette said.
“What will you do, TP? That’s my new name for you. I thought of it just now. Care to know what it stands for?” A muscle started jumping in Gregor’s jaw, and Remi made a show of looking around at the spectators. “Any guesses?”
“Toilet paper?” said somebody towards the rear.
Remi guffawed, slapping his knee to cover an involuntary tremor in his legs.
“Non, but that’s a good one.”
“Tell us!”
“Eh, maybe I shouldn’t’ve said anything. I don’t want to offend Gregor with a little jest. He’s under so much stress already.”
“Say it,” Gregor snarled.
Remi smiled, as he glanced down at his cards.
“D’accord. Okay.” Leaning closer to Gregor, he said, “It stands for Triple Poser.” He straightened, as he looked at his cards. “As a player… as a strategist… as a winner…. I know, it’s an older word, but it fits. Don’t you think?” Jim chuckled, and then a few more joined him. “Ah, they get the joke. It’s funny, non?”
“Gentlemen, if we could please return to the game....”
“It’s his move, Paulette,” he said through gritted teeth. “We’re all waiting.”
Gregor growled, “Can you make him shut the fuck up?”
“Non,” Paulette replied, “the house rules do not address cross talk while in play.”
“Anyone have earplugs to lend to my opponent? He doesn’t appreciate my humor.”
Crushing the cards in his hands, Gregor dropped them onto the muck.
“Fold.”
“See? That wasn’t so hard.” Staring Gregor in the face, Remi lowered his voice to a rumble. “Walk away and retain what’s left of your dignity and pride.”
“Never.”
“C’est ca.” He shoved his finger in Gregor’s face. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Waving towards Paulette, he said, “Shuffle up and deal.”
“Perhaps a small break?” she said, opening a new deck. “For refreshments?”
“Oui,” Remi replied, thankful for the reprieve to get more blood and gather himself together.
He took his drink to the bar for a refill. After they returned to the table, Remi, having emptied ten bags, went on to win the next five hands, taking Gregor’s chips with each turn of the cards.
“I need to send a message,” Gregor said, as he withdrew his phone from his pocket and began typing.
“Getting a loan? Contacting a friend for advice?” Remi asked.
Gregor flipped him off, as Remi fought against the intensifying gnawing in his body on which the effect of the blood was decreasing substantially.
Chapter 37
Clarence and Jana watched the monitor, as Gregor and Remi waged battle against each other.
“Remi’s really winding him up,” Clarence said, as he took a drink.
“And thankfully, Gregor has no clue that Remi knows who he is.”
“Remi’s hiding it well. We can only hope he continues to do so, until we hear back from the estate. Has Ethan checked in?”
“Not yet. I’m sure he will any moment.”
“Where can I get a drink around here?” a male voice asked.
Jana said, “Magno! You made it!”
She took a step back for him to join their group.
“And just in time, it appears,” he replied.
“Indeed,” Clarence said. “Glad you won’t miss out on what’s about to go down.”
Clarence’s phone rang, and he answered it.
“Ethan? Is it done? Were you able to get in?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Are you in a safe spot to speak?”
“Affirmative. I’m in the van.”
“Okay. Hold on, while we find somewhere I can put you on speakerphone.”
Henri walked by and nodded to the group, saying, “The quarters at the rear of the property are available and private.”
They waded through the crowd, to the backdoor, and went to where Henri had indicated. After going through the place to make sure no one else was there, they sat in the living room. Clarence set his phone on the coffee table and pressed a button.
“Ethan? Are you still there?”
“Yeah.”
“What did you find?”
“Bodies. About ten of them. Some with their heads ripped off and tossed in a corner. Looks to me like they were murdered la
st night. I called my team, and they’re on their way to round everyone up and take them in for questioning.”
“And Sophie?”
“I searched the entire place, from top to bottom.”
“Yes?”
“She isn’t there.”
“We haven’t seen her, either… or Hans.”
“He left with Gregor.”
“And Gregor hasn’t won a hand all night. What do you think’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but we need to get back inside the house and in the same room as Remi,” Jana said. “Whatever is going to happen will be right there.”
“Agreed,” Magno said.
Chapter 38
“And Monsieur Bellerive has won this hand. Congratulations, sir.”
“Merci.”
“The next blind will be fifteen million.”
Remi looked over his mountain of chips and said, “No problem for me, Paulette.”
“And you, sir?” she asked, as she directed her gaze to Gregor.
“Aahh!”
Remi clutched his stomach, doubling over in pain, falling from his chair to the floor. Luc rushed over to him, grabbed his tumbler, and thrust it to his mouth.
“Remi! Drink!”
“Is he sick?” Jim asked, jumping to his feet. “Should I get a doctor?”
“A physician can’t help him,” Paulette replied.
“Everyone, please vacate the premises,” Luc said to the onlookers. “The tournament has been paused for the night. You’ll be notified when it will resume at a later date. Everyone watching via the monitors, please also leave. Transmission is being cut.”
One by one, the spectators left, and Gregor stood.
“I guess the stress got to you instead, fucker. You’d better hold onto your ass. I was going easy on you.”
A large bald man entered the room, pushing a dark-haired woman in a stained white dress in front of him. She trudged ahead, her feet shuffling, until she was shoved down into a chair behind Gregor’s.
“Sophie!” Remi said, reaching out for her. “Give her to me! Now!”
“That’s her?” Paulette asked.
“Oui!”
Luc got up and approached Gregor.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but this has now crossed into serious territory and has to stop this instant.” He pointed to Sophie. “That woman is Remi’s fated bloodmate. You must hand her over to him.”
“I don’t have to do a single thing. She’s staying where she is and going home with me later. Haven’t quite decided what to do with her once we’re done tonight. I won’t really need her after I accomplish my goal.”
“Take the money!” Remi bellowed, struggling to get up. Luc grabbed him, holding him back. “Let me go, Luc! You win, Gregor! I forfeit!”
“No. You see, she is my lucky charm, and you’re never going to have her unless you win. Try anything, and Hans will slit her throat right here if I tell him to. Be warned, best motherfucking poker player on the planet, no one, including you, has ever beaten me when she’s been at my side.”
“This is insanity!” Luc yelled. “The tournament is over!”
“No, it isn’t!” Gregor shouted, slamming his fists onto the table, as the sound of cracking went through the room. “I’ve waited for this night, and that French fuck is going down!”
Hans placed a blade to Sophie’s neck and said to Remi, “Get in your seat, vampire. She’s mine to do with as I, or Gregor, see fit.” He then jerked her head to the side, and with his eyes locked to Remi’s, viciously rammed his fangs into her flesh.
“Stop! I’ll do it! I’ll play! Stop hurting her!”
“Hans?”
Without sealing the wounds he’d inflicted on her, the brute stood up, as Sophie’s blood continued to flow. The scent hit Remi’s nostrils, and his body began to shake violently.
“He’s seizing, Luc!”
“Bring more blood packs!” he told Paulette, as he helped Remi into his seat. Then he said to Gregor, “If you want him to play to the level you’re expecting, her injuries must be healed.”
Gregor waved his hand absently at Sophie, and Hans leaned down, licking up what was spilled and then over the punctures.
“There. Everyone happy?”
Remi groaned, and Gregor reached over and slapped him across the face. Remi’s fangs dropped, and he hissed in menace.
“Watch it! Sophie’s on the table now. Bring your best game, or it’s the end of her life.”
Chapter 39
Sophie’s gaze was downcast, her breathing coming in slow inhales and exhales, while Hans drank from her. Just as he had told her—that she wouldn’t be able to see much—everything around her was in a haze. She had been ordered to sit still and remain silent unless told to speak by either him or Gregor.
Her hearing was off, too, but she could feel pain, as the crack of her vertebrae and the agony when Hans sank his fangs into her attested to.
She just wanted to sleep... and dream.
Sophie.
It was his voice in her head. Afraid that she’d anger Hans if she’d fallen asleep, she straightened in her chair and faced forward.
Look at me, Sophie.
That time, she knew she was awake.
Remi?
Oui, chér.
How are you talking to me?
We are mated, you and I.
I thought you were only a beautiful vision, an escape that my mind had created, something to keep me stable! Swear to me you’re real!
I am.
Where are you?
In the same room with you. Can’t you see me?
No. Hans told me everything would be fuzzy and I wouldn’t be able to focus.
He influenced you.
Yeah.
Lift your head.
As she gazed out, a flicker of flame illuminated.
Can you see anything?
Yes, fire.
Oui, that’s me. My eyes. I made them glow. I’m going to save you, chér.
They’ll kill you if you try!
Non. I need you to turn it off, Sophie. Whatever’s inside you that is giving Gregor power, shut it down.
I don’t know how!
Think about how badly you want to be away from him.
The things Hans did to me, Remi....
Show me.
I’m so ashamed.
It’s not your fault, chér. Let me see. Open your mind to me.
You’re going to hate me.
Impossible.
I’m a broken shell of who I was.
And I’ll help put you back together.
What if you can’t?
No more fear, chér. We’re meant for each other. We will be together and happy. I promise you.
As Sophie sat, a force began gently pushing into her psyche.
Is that you, Remi?
Oui. Don’t fight. It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.
Then she felt a soft touch, trailing down her face. She held back the tears that were threatening to fall, which would’ve alerted Gregor and Hans that something was amiss with her.
My beautiful Sophie.
In her heart, the power that Hans wielded over her began to crack into pieces until it shattered, lying in shards, and then dissolved to nothing.
Chapter 40
“I need more.”
With his bloodmate so close, being prevented from touching her, Remi groaned at the effort it took to maintain control.
“I’ll get it!” Paulette said, flashing to the bar.
She brought back all of the unused packs. Sinking his fangs into one of them, Remi focused on penetrating through the shields Sophie had put up to protect herself. After a moment, he felt a release and was able to gain entry.
As he filtered through the memories in Sophie’s mind, the reel of what she’d suffered, bile rose in his throat, threatening to make him vomit the blood he so desperately needed to keep down.
Sophie at first hurling curses at Hans.
Sophie then screaming for him to stop.
Sophie later begging for his mercy.
Sophie lastly kneeling, quiet and broken, at his feet.
Remi’s eyes flashed with fire, at what the man standing with a dagger to her neck had done to her in an attempt to subjugate and destroy the strong woman she had been.
He didn’t win, chér. You’re still here.
You saw it? All of it?
Oui. From start to finish.
I tried to fight. I couldn’t.
There’s no way you could have. You had to stay alive by any means necessary. You did the right thing.
Promise?
I’m gonna kill him. You’re going home with me, not him.
Remi… did you do something? Inside my head?
Non. Why?
I feel lighter, like some of it left me.
It must be because we are one. I felt a shift in my soul, too—a weight was placed on me. Sophie, I’m sharing your burden. You’re not alone in your pain, and you never will be. Work on breaking the link.
I am.
“Are we playing, or what?”
“Oui.” Remi dropped an empty bag onto the floor and grabbed another. “Shuffle up and deal, Paulette.”
“But!”
“Do it!”
“As I said earlier, fifteen million is the blind.”
“Non, Sophie is on the table for Gregor, and I am for me.”
“Remi!” Luc shouted, as Clarence, Jana, and Magno came into the room. Hans lowered his blade. “Clarence! You must do something! This has descended into madness! My brother is going insane with bloodlust, and his mate is being threatened.”
“We agreed to the game, and we will play! I’m going to win every single dime that asshole has. It will be public humiliation. My reckoning on him will be fierce!” Gregor thundered, banging his fist on the table. “The Directive cannot interfere in this!”
“Can’t?” Magno said, his voice a subtle warning. “We will involve ourselves in whatever we wish to.”
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