I sent him a grateful smile. “How did you know I was so worried?”
He smirked. “We’ve been through enough that I can tell when you’re freaked out. You have a nasty habit of chewing on your bottom lip. It’s downright disgusting.”
A spurt of laughter bubbled out of me. “It is not.”
He tipped his head. “Just don’t do it while you’re playing poker. It’s a dead give-away.”
“I never do that.” At his raised brows, I frowned. “I do? Really?”
His exaggerated nod let me know he was teasing me… mostly.
“I should have brought my sunglasses just for the heck of it. Remember when Carson did that in Orlando?”
“Oh yeah. When you beat him…” He shook his head and let out a big sigh. “It was an unforgettable moment. One of the best moments ever.”
“Yeah. It was. Too bad he was such a bad sport about it.”
“Don’t think about that part. Just remember that feeling, because it’s going to happen again.” Ramos sent me his sexy smile, and my heart melted a little. He was here by my side. He cared about me, and he had my back, so nothing was going to go wrong. And… even if it did, we’d get through it.
“Thanks Romeo.”
He barked out a laugh and opened the door to the limo. Ricky and Uncle Joey had been talking, and slid in beside us.
“Hey Shelby, Ramos.” Ricky nodded at us and turned to Uncle Joey. “Sonny has rooms for everyone at his hotel, so we’ll head there. I didn’t know how long you wanted to stay, or if you even planned on staying at his hotel overnight, but the rooms are available for as long as you want them.”
Uncle Joey nodded. “We’ll use them during the tournament, but if we end up staying the night, I’d rather go somewhere else. I’m hoping that after Shelby wins the tournament, we can fly straight back. It will probably be early morning before we get home, but I don’t want to spend more time here than we have to.”
That sounded good to me, and I couldn’t pick up anything about Uncle Joey wanting to kill Sonny, so that eased a lot of the tension in my chest. I glanced out the window to take in the sights of this famous desert town. Soon, we were driving down the Las Vegas Strip, with all the flashing lights and amazing landmark hotels and casinos.
Even this early in the day, the street teemed with people from all over the world. Our driver slowed before turning into the circular drive of the Mojavi Desert Hotel and Casino. Three tall towers included the large hotel, with the casino portion situated on the main level.
“Here we are,” Ricky said, opening his door. We had all packed lightly, so it only took a moment to get our bags and hurry inside out of the heat. Ricky led us to the concierge desk and got us checked in. Before we could head to our rooms, a beefy man in a dark suit approached Uncle Joey.
Ramos stepped to Uncle Joey’s side in a protective manner, and the man hesitated. “Mr. Manetto. I’m Grant Ellington, Mr. Dixon’s personal assistant. I’m here to offer you any assistance that you might require to make sure you have a pleasurable stay with us. May I take you to your suite of rooms? Mr. Dixon has reserved his best suite for you.” He glanced at the rest of us. “And your team as well.”
“Certainly.”
Grant snapped his fingers, and a hotel worker in a smart uniform hurried toward us with a luggage carrier. He took our bags and rolled the carrier toward the elevators. After depositing us on the fifth floor, he led us to the end of the long hallway with a set of dark wooden double-doors. Using Uncle Joey’s key card, the attendant briskly opened the doors, holding them as we stepped inside the suite.
Grant followed us inside, pointing out the amenities and the large space which featured a small kitchenette, living room area, entertainment center, and three bedrooms. The main room had floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Strip. One master bedroom took up the east end of the floor, with two smaller bedrooms on the west side, each with their own personal bathrooms and closets.
Before he left, Grant sent Uncle Joey a smooth smile. “Mr. Dixon would like to greet you before the tournament begins.” He checked his watch. “I’d be happy to escort you to his office.”
“Of course. Give me a minute, and I’ll be right out.” Uncle Joey motioned toward the door, and Grant nodded before stepping into the hall. After the door shut behind him, Uncle Joey turned toward me. “I imagine Sonny wants his entrance fee.”
“Yes… I’m sure you’re right.” I’d picked it up from Grant’s mind, but I had to be careful with Ricky standing there, so I kept it vague.
Uncle Joey turned to Ricky. “Did you find out anything else since the last time we spoke?”
He shook his head. “No. But you’re the last participant to arrive. Most everyone else came last night or the day before.”
Uncle Joey nodded and glanced my way. He needed to change his clothes before the tournament, but he wanted to visit Sonny first. “Shelby… why don’t you take the master bedroom?” He motioned toward the room, and I opened my mouth to protest, but he shook his head, cutting me off.
“I insist. While you get ready, the rest of us will pay Sonny a visit. We shouldn’t be long.” At my nod, he motioned for Ramos and Ricky to follow him out into the hall, leaving me on my own.
I breathed out a sigh after they left and tried to relax. The huge suite enclosed this corner of the building, and I eagerly stepped into the master bedroom to see what wonders it held. A king-size bed, covered in a downy white quilt and several pillows, was centered between matching nightstands on one side of the room.
A large bathroom, with a separate shower, toilet, and bathtub, along with a bathroom vanity holding two sinks beneath a mirror, took up the space opposite the bed. An enormous walk-in closet was located on the other side of the bathroom.
The room was painted a deep turquoise with white casing along the doorframes and decorative crown molding at the ceiling. Luxurious, deeper turquoise carpeting covered the floors, and desert watercolor paintings, in shades of tan, brown, and blue, accented the walls. This room was amazing. I dropped down on the bed, sinking into the soft mattress.
Unable to resist, I put my feet up and laid my head on top of the fluffy pillows. Wow. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if we stayed here overnight. I closed my eyes for a moment and let the silence wash over me.
Knowing it was time to get ready, I put a quick call through to Chris. “Hey honey. I’m here at the hotel and getting ready to play. How’s it going at home?”
“Good. We’re here with Lance Hobbs and training Coco… or… I should say he’s training us.”
“Did Savannah go with you?”
“Yes, she jumped at the chance, but Josh made sure she knew this was his thing. He’s doing great, by the way.”
I smiled. “He’s really good with Coco.”
“Yeah. It’s fun to watch them.”
“Good. Well… I’ve got to go. I’m a little nervous.”
“You’ll do great, and we’re all rooting for you.”
“Thanks honey.” Hearing his voice helped calm me down. “The tournament will probably be over around two in the morning, and Uncle Joey wants to head straight back, so I’ll be home sometime in the early morning.”
Chris let out a breath. “That’s good to hear. I’ll leave a light on for you. Call me when you can.”
“I will.” We said our goodbyes and disconnected. Just knowing Chris and my kids would always be there grounded me in my crazy life, and I was so grateful to have them.
Now it was time to get down to business. Placing my bag on the bed, I unzipped it and pulled out my dresses. I’d start out wearing my black dress, and switch to my blue dress for the final round, since it was flashier, with sparkling rhinestones down the sleeves.
I hung the blue dress in the closet and took everything else into the bathroom to freshen up. Feeling a flutter in the pit of my stomach, I tamped it down and splashed water on my face. Pulling out my cosmetics bag, I spent some time on my makeup.
Satis
fied, I worked on my hair for a few minutes before slipping on my dress. Next, I added my diamond necklace and earrings.
Hearing low voices in the other room, I finished up, adding red lipstick and making made sure none of it was on my teeth. I examined my reflection in the mirror with a critical eye and nodded. Yeah… I looked pretty good. For the final touch, I spritzed on my favorite perfume. Now I was ready.
I stepped into the main room and found that Uncle Joey and Ramos had both changed into dressier clothing. Uncle Joey wore a dark suit and tie, while Ramos rocked a black dress shirt and slacks. His top button was undone, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up.
It surprised me that he didn’t wear a jacket so he could carry a gun, but I knew he had other weapons tucked away. Uncle Joey carried a knife as well, and I was sure Ricky had something like that too, although he wasn’t here in the room with us.
“How’d it go?” I asked.
Both men turned to greet me, and Uncle Joey nodded appreciatively, happy to have such a beautiful niece. Ramos thought I looked amazing, and distracting enough to fluster the other players at my table. His slow smile sent a shiver of warmth over me, and I couldn’t keep the silly grin off my face.
“As expected,” Uncle Joey answered. “Sonny was cordial enough, but I’m interested to know what he’s planning.”
“He was happy enough to take the money,” Ramos added. “But he’s definitely got something up his sleeve. You should have seen the tournament rules.”
Alarm skittered over me. “What rules? He’s changing the game’s playing rules?”
“No.” Uncle Joey shook his head. “Not that. He’s added a few of his own tournament rules to the mix that I’ve never seen before. Besides the ‘no cheating’ part, he’s added that if anyone is late, sick, or otherwise unable to play at the specified time, they forfeit their spot and any claim to the jackpot.”
“That seems a little extreme,” I agreed. “So how are they running the tournament?”
“There are three rounds in the tournament,” Uncle Joey explained, “with twelve tables and ten players at each table. Only one of the ten will advance to the second round. Those twelve winners will be divided into two tables with six players each. The final round is between the winners of those two tables for the ten-million-dollar jackpot.”
“What about dinner and breaks?” I asked.
“Dinner will be served after the first round. I think they’re having a buffet in another room. There are also regular breaks during the rounds, so at least that’s positive. Are you ready? We certainly don’t want to be late.”
“Yeah… no kidding.” With anxiety twisting my stomach into a knot, I picked up my small, clutch purse holding my essentials, which included my key card, phone, lipstick, and tissues.
Ramos stopped me. “Sorry, but the rules state that you can’t take that. If you want, I can carry what you need in my pockets.”
“Why? They’re afraid I’ll cheat?”
“Yes.”
Frowning, I handed him my things, and they quickly disappeared into his pockets. Taking a deep breath to settle my nerves, I let it out and squared my shoulders. “All right. Let’s go.”
We took the elevator to the main floor and stepped toward a conference room with a sign near the door that read “First Annual Mojavi Desert Casino Poker Tournament.” Grant stood near the door and greeted us warmly before ushering us inside.
We were directed to a desk where a woman took my name and handed me my seat assignment. I counted twelve oblong poker tables spread throughout the room, with chairs for ten players and the dealer chair in the middle of one side. I found my table at the very front of the room with only two empty seats left.
I glanced Ramos’s way, and he nodded toward the seat beside the dealer, thinking that was a better spot because I’d be last to play the big blind, and the potential to deplete my chips right away wasn’t as high. That seemed the least of my worries, but I sent him a nod and straightened my shoulders.
“We’ll be sitting right over there,” Ramos said, motioning to the chairs closest to my table. “Don’t worry, Shelby. You can do this.”
“Thanks.” With my head held high, I quickly took the seat Ramos had indicated and glanced at the players surrounding the table. They were all men, which shouldn’t have surprised me, and I picked up their sudden interest that I was playing in the tournament.
One of the men wondered if Sonny had placed me at his table as a distraction since he liked beautiful women. Without thinking, I sent him a smile, piquing his interest even further. As the time drew closer to begin, the last player finally slipped into his seat right before the closing call.
He studied each of the players going clockwise around the table, assigning us letters of the alphabet. Because I was last, I became the letter J. Since he was thinking like that, I decided to follow along, knowing this would also help me keep the players straight in my mind.
This player stood out from the rest because he had a razor-sharp focus I’d never encountered before. I zeroed in on his thoughts and noticed that his thinking seemed more organized and less cluttered than most.
Sonny stood nearby, dressed in a black suit and tie with a red shirt. He studied my table with a critical eye, so I focused on his thoughts. He was thinking that Sebastian had better come through for him. As a physicist, with that big brain of his, the probability for him to win was much higher than the rest of us, and he was counting on it.
That’s why he’d placed Sebastian at my table for the first round. Eliminating me would send a message to Manetto and everyone there who’d heard the rumors about me and my ‘psychic ability.’ With Sebastian using his physicist brain and skills, he should have the upper hand.
Sonny didn’t quite understand how Sebastian used those skills, but he’d seen him in action, and he was a force to be reckoned with, so it was worth a million or two… as long as he came through. If he didn’t, he still had a couple of other players to take me on, but the odds weren’t quite as high. Besides them, he had other options as well, so one way or another, he would win the tournament.
Wow… talk about stacking the odds. I studied Sebastian, hoping to figure him out. He must have felt me staring, because he quickly focused his attention on me, thinking about Sonny’s warning. According to Sonny, I was his main competition because I was a psychic—whatever the hell that meant—and he planned to keep a close eye on me.
He wondered if my mind worked more like his. Did I model other players’ behavior through their styles and tells like he did? It gave him more information and a definite advantage, so maybe that was it? However I did it, he looked forward to the challenge. He’d never met his match yet, and he didn’t plan on losing now.
Holy hell! Could my mind-reading skills outweigh his big brain? I wasn’t even sure I understood what he meant when he used the term ‘modeling other players’ behavior,’ but I guessed I was about to find out.
Maybe by listening to his observations, I could use his expertise to be an even better poker player? It was worth a shot. Still, I couldn’t help the extra layer of unease he brought to the table. By the time this tournament was over, I might not be able to think straight for weeks.
I hardly noticed Sonny giving his welcome speech, instead concentrating on all the observations Sebastian had begun to make about everyone at the table. After the dealer took his seat, Sonny announced that it was time for the games to begin.
The first few games hardly counted, as everyone took the measure of everyone else. I picked up Sebastian’s thoughts that poker wasn’t about the cards as much as the card players, since the probabilities of card combinations were too high to count.
He calculated that there were about one-hundred-thirty-three million combinations, and I had to admit that was a lot. I eagerly listened to his thoughts and did my best to keep up and learn. I realized I had it easier, because I knew right off the bat when a player was bluffing.
Still, after a while, his o
bservations came pretty close to what I knew, and I could see how his brain created a model for each player that helped him determine how to place his bets.
He couldn’t quite figure me out though, thinking that it didn’t seem like I ever bluffed, but he couldn’t tell for sure. Soon, it became quite clear to him that I really did have a sixth sense about things, and he began to sweat. I was good—no—better than anyone he’d ever played. What was my secret?
He noticed me rub my nose and watched me closely to determine what it meant. Was I finally bluffing? I couldn’t help smiling since it only meant that my nose itched. I did chew on my bottom lip once, but as soon as he noticed it, I stopped.
So far, no one at my table had gone broke and left the tournament, but a couple of players’ chips were getting low. I’d remained steady, and had begun to gain more chips, but so had Sebastian. After forty-five minutes, our first break was announced, and I sat back with relief.
That was intense, and I could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. Still, my confidence had grown that I could hold my own against someone who was so mentally gifted.
I stood, needing to visit the restroom and ready for a Diet Coke. Glancing around, it surprised me that the room was so crowded. Where had all these people come from? Ramos came to my side and motioned toward the door.
“You’re doing great,” he said, tucking my arm into his. “But there’s something you need to know.”
He led me to the side of the room, away from the crush of people. “Ricky overheard a couple of the workers talking about you. He said it sounded like they had orders to watch you closely, and if Sonny gave the command, they were supposed to hinder your return to the tournament using whatever means necessary.”
At my widened eyes, he continued. “That means you can’t go anywhere without me.”
“But… what if I have to use the restroom? Are you going to come in with me?” I was mostly teasing, but what did I know?
“I’ll escort you there and back.”
“Okay then, let’s go. Hey… we could go to our room instead, if you think that’s safer.”
High Stakes Crime: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Shelby Nichols Adventure Book 15) Page 13