“Thank you so much,” she breathed. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re the only one who looked twice at what that bastard was doing, let alone said anything to him.” Her lips twitched as she said, “Were you really going to … you know, break his ribs?”
“I would have, if he didn’t let go,” I said as I returned her smile. “I really hate bullies.”
“So do I.” The tense lines of her body relaxed, but her eyes didn’t leave mine. “Well. Since we’re friends, do I get to know your name?”
“It’s Joe.” I said, making sure to keep my charade up for now. “Glad to hear we’re friends. I was a little worried you might resent me for saying that.”
“Are you kidding? You were amazing,” she said and looked away suddenly as faint color stained her cheeks. “Thank you, Joe. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Ann.”
I had the immediate feeling she was lying about her name, but that wasn’t exactly a huge deal. I’d lied too. Hell, everyone here probably used a fake name, since this tournament wasn’t an official event.
“I’m glad to meet you, Ann,” I said. “And dealing with Mr. Granger there was my pleasure. If you don’t mind my asking, what did he want from you, anyway?”
Something in her face shut down, and she shivered. “Nothing I wanted to give him,” she whispered as she averted her gaze. “It was supposed to be about business, but I … I’m sorry. I just can’t talk about it right now.”
“That’s okay,” I said, even though I was extremely curious about what kind of business a woman like her would have with a man like that. “Hey, listen, do you want to join my friends and me? We still have a while before the tournament starts, and I’m sure they’d love to meet you.”
Her smile was incredibly sad. “I wish I could, but I’ve got more business to attend to before the games,” she said as she approached me slowly. “But first, I hope you don’t mind if I thank you properly.”
With that, she slipped her arms around me and pressed her body to mine. A powerful shockwave of pleasure slammed through me, and when she kissed me, it did things to my body I didn’t think it was possible to feel. It reminded me of the first time I met Agent Smith, only this feeling was a hell of a lot stronger.
“Damn, that was incredible,” I said breathlessly as she pulled back. “And you’re still very welcome. I hope that wasn’t goodbye?”
Ann gave a real smile. “Not at all. I’ll be here for the whole tournament, and I bet we’ll see each other at the finals table,” she said as her fingers trailed down my arm, leaving shivery lines of heat in her wake.
“You’re a player?” I said, unable to hide my surprise.
“Oh, yes. I happen to be very good at poker,” she said, standing on tiptoe as she leaned toward my ear and whispered, “That’s not the only thing I’m good at. Maybe sometime I can show you a few things I’m even better at than poker.”
I swallowed hard as her breath feathered my ear. “I’d like that.”
“I like you. A lot,” she said. “See you around … Joe.” She offered a little wave as she turned and melted into the crowds.
I stood there for a few seconds like a dumbass before I headed back to Gail and our new Texas friends. I could still feel the heat of her lips on mine, and the touch of her fingers through the suit jacket. And once again, I found myself thinking of Agent Smith, how I’d felt after one simple touch.
When I got back, Gail slipped an arm around my waist and hugged me. “You’re awesome, do you know that?” she said as she smiled and kissed my cheek. “Is she going to be okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. That asshole left her alone,” I said. “If he tries anything else, he’s going to regret it.”
Bella gave me another one of those beaming smiles. “Well, aren’t you just a perfect gentleman? Y’all would fit right in down South.”
“I woulda given you a hand with that animal, but it looked like you had things under control,” Beau said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Now, how about we all hit that fancy buffet spread up at the end of the room?”
I grinned. “Now that you mention it, I’m starving.”
I looked for Ann as we wound through the room, headed for the back, but didn’t see her anywhere. She must’ve been taking care of whatever business she had here besides playing poker. But I thought she was probably right that we’d see each other at the finals table. And I was already looking forward to that.
29
Tournament play was a simple two-round setup. Fifty players, five tables with ten players each for round one, and the winner at each table would advance to the five-player final round. I noticed Ann at the table to my right and was glad I didn’t have to play her this round. It’d be a lot more fun facing her in the finals.
Beau and I got seated at the same first-round table, and I kind of felt bad about beating him, right up until I saw him play. He was actually really bad at poker and was the second player eliminated when he went all-in on a junk bluff. But he seemed to be having fun, at least, and he left the table laughing to go sit with the girls.
I guessed a million dollars really wasn’t that big a deal for him.
Of course, I didn’t exactly need the money either, but I wanted to win. And I was finding it embarrassingly easy. With my pen-enhanced poker skills, I not only knew which cards to hold or keep and exactly how and when to bet, but also when the other players had good or bad hands. All of their tells, every twitch and grimace and slight shift in body language, stood out to me like neon signs that announced everything in my hand is garbage or hot damn, I just built a straight flush.
My only real challenge was making myself lose just enough so it didn’t look like I was completely dominating the game.
In the end, my first-round table came down to me and a skinny French guy called Pyrro. Most of the other tables still had three or four players seated, despite my attempts to lose a few hands and keep the game going longer, so I strung Pyrro out for another six hands, playing it cautious and mostly folding on the turn or the river, or when my opponent raised too high, until I decided to make the last grab.
By the time I cleaned out Pyrro with four of a kind to his full house, one other table had wrapped up and the rest were down to two players each. Ann was still playing, but with a mountain of chips against her opponent’s three small stacks, so I figured she had it in the bag. I headed for the guest seats while the attendants cleared the area and transferred my chips to the final table.
“Well, sir, you played one hell of a game,” Beau said as I approached Gail and the couple from Texas. “I guess when you said you were gonna win the whole damned thing, you meant it! So now I gotta ask.” He grinned. “Why haven’t I seen you at any of our other little shindigs?”
“Honestly, I’m more of a Vegas man myself,” I said, sharing a smile with Gail. “So what happens now?”
Before anyone could answer, the unseen overhead speakers chimed once, and a man’s voice broadcast through the room. “Round one of our tournament has now concluded,” the announcer said. “The final players are numbers three, fifteen, nineteen, twenty-seven, and forty-nine. Please enjoy the refreshments at our buffet table during the break. The final round of the tournament will begin at precisely ten o’clock. Players, please ensure that you take your seats ten minutes before the final round begins. Thank you.” There was another chime, and the announcer started repeating everything in French.
“I guess that’s what happens now,” Gail said with a laugh. “Shall we eat, then?”
“Hold up. Would you ladies mind goin’ on ahead of us?” Beau said as he gave me a serious look. “There’s somethin’ I’d like to discuss with Joe here, real quick. We’ll be just behind you.”
Gail looked worried for a second, but I smiled and kissed her cheek. “Go on. Everything’s fine,” I said, thinking I knew what he wanted to talk about. I hoped I was right.
“Fine, y’all have your little boys’ talk,” Bella said with a smirk as she grabbed Gail�
��s arm and steered her away. “Come on, honey, let’s go grab all the good stuff before these slowpokes get to the table.”
Once they were gone, Beau jerked his head and wandered off toward the back of the seating area, where there was no one around. When I joined him, he looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to us, and then said, “I remembered where I heard the name Henry Aaron.”
I gave a silent cheer. That was exactly what I was hoping he’d say. “What do you know about him?” I asked.
“Nothin’ good, my man,” he said with a solemn shake of his head. “Tell the truth, if he really owes you money, I might be a little scared of you.”
“Don’t worry. I’m one of the good guys, I promise,” I said, trying to smile reassuringly.
Beau laughed with a nervous edge. “Okay, here’s the thing,” he said, glancing around again. “You get these underground tournaments, you also get a lot of illegal shit going around. Like drugs, but not your basic stuff. I mean, I’m not opposed to a little weed now and then, know what I mean? But around here it’s heavy, expensive, hardcore designer crap, things that’ll fuck you up for a week straight. And from what I hear, Henry Aaron is the major supplier.”
“Damn,” I said flatly. Well, at least that explained a few things, like why he had so many guys working for him, and how he could afford to get his hands on advanced equipment like those drilling machines. As a pen holder with a pen that erased things instead of creating them, there wasn’t much opportunity to make money, so he was financing his little war for Nevada with a designer drug operation. “So, he doesn’t actually come to the tournaments, he just deals drugs to the high rollers?”
“Exactly. This asshole’s got operations in Monte Carlo, Vegas, Atlantic City, hell, even London and the Bahamas,” Beau said as his expression twisted. “Whenever there’s a meet-up like this, he’ll dispatch a couple of honeys to circulate among the players, make arrangements with the regulars, and hit up the playboys to find out who’s got money and who’s looking to party. Had one of ’em approach me a few years back, but you know me. I only have eyes for my Bella.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” I said, immediately thinking of Ann and the ‘business’ she had to take care of between games. “Is the girl who approached you here tonight? It’s not that woman in the red dress, is it?”
“Nah, it wasn’t her. I definitely would’ve remembered that,” Beau said with a grin. “I’m married, not dead. But I haven’t seen the girl I talked to around this time.” His expression went solemn again. “Last time I saw her a few tournaments back, she was plastering the makeup on pretty heavy, if you catch my drift,” he said darkly. “Rumor has it this Henry bastard’s got a vicious temper, and he likes to take it out on the ladies.”
I already had plenty of reasons to hate Henry Aaron, but now I knew for sure that I had to end him.
“You don’t happen to know where I could find this guy, do you?” I said as I tried to remain calm despite the anger burning through me.
“All I know is he operates somewhere near Vegas,” Beau said, giving me a strange look. “You’re really going to go after this guy, aren’t you? Because you’re crazy if you do.” He shook his head. “How much money does he owe you, anyway?”
“More than he can afford to pay,” I said through clenched teeth, and then forced myself to relax and smile. “Thank you, Beau. This really helps me out a lot,” I said. “Now, why don’t we go join our ladies, before they decide to go shopping or something?”
Beau laughed and clapped me on the back. “Good call, friend. And I’m glad I could help … but I still think you’re crazy.”
Maybe I was, but there was no way I’d let Henry Aaron get away with the ever-growing laundry list of crimes he was committing. And he was probably into even more shit I didn’t know about. It was way past time someone took him out of the equation, and if the FBI couldn’t handle it, then I would.
As we headed toward the back of the room, Beau said, “So, are you gonna let me in on your secret?”
My heart missed a beat. “What secret?” I said cautiously, wondering if he somehow knew about the pens. I’d actually be disappointed if this was all a ploy to get close to me, because I genuinely liked the guy.
“How the hell you play poker like that,” he said with a laugh. “You probably noticed I’m not exactly a master poker strategist.”
I grinned. “Yeah, I did kinda notice that. Why do you even come to these games, if you’re ... you know, not so great at this?”
“You can say it. I suck,” he said, smiling as he shook his head. “Thing is, I always wanted Manny there to sell me his baseball team, but the only way he’ll do it is if I beat him.” He spread his hands. “You see how well that’s going.”
I looked around. “Who’s Manny?”
“That rat in a suit, over in the corner sucking down all the champagne,” he said, nodding at a man with an angular face and overly large teeth. “He’s in the final round. Always makes it at least that far, and sometimes the bastard wins.”
“Tell you what,” I said. “I’ll beat him for you and make him sell you his team. Deal?”
A wide grin spread on Beau’s face. “You kidding me? Hell yeah, it’s a deal! My man,” he said, thrusting a hand at me. When I took it, he pumped it hard three times. “I’m glad we met, Joe.”
“Same here,” I said, hardly believing I was officially buddies with a billionaire.
We finally reached the ladies and grabbed a few plates of food. While we waited for the final round to start, I tried to catch Ann so I could ask her if she knew Henry Aaron. Or if she worked for him. Though I wanted to, I couldn’t quite dismiss the possibility, since the guy who’d been molesting her had mentioned a delivery and sure as hell seemed like for some reason, he thought he had the right to take liberties with her. He could just be an asshole, but I still wanted to rule Ann out as a possible connection to Presley.
Unfortunately, every time I saw her she was either talking to someone else or hurrying somewhere with a purpose. I’d try to catch her at the table in the ten minutes before the final round started, and if that didn’t work out, I’d just hang around after the game ended.
When it was time to get started, Gail kissed me for luck and I left her with Bella and Beau to make my way to the finals table. I was the first one to get there. Each of the five seats with chip trays in front of them had labels with player numbers, and my forty-nine was at the far left next to player number three. I had no idea what number Ann had, but I smiled when I saw her approach the table and take the seat next to me.
“Hey, there. Good to see you again,” I said. “You must’ve signed up for this thing pretty early to get the number three spot.”
The smile she returned to me was a little tired. “I’m always early. I like to be prepared,” she said as she smoothed her dress and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “By the way, I hear you’re going to give me quite the challenge. They’re already calling you the best poker player since Bat Carson.”
I had no idea who that was, but I played it off with a modest shrug. “I guess I’m not bad,” I said. “Hey, listen. Before we get started, can I ask you something that’s going to sound totally out of left field?”
A look of alarm flitted across her face, but she tucked it away behind a blank expression. “Sure, go ahead.”
I took a slow, deep breath. “Do you know a guy named—”
“Excuse me, madam,” an unfamiliar, accented male voice said directly behind me, cutting me off. “Apologies for the interruption, but you have an emergency phone call.”
Ann and I both glanced at the attendant, who was standing there nervously and ramrod-straight. “What kind of emergency?” she half-whispered as the color drained from her face. “Do you know who’s calling?”
“I’m afraid I do not, madam,” the attendant said. “We’ve only been informed that it’s quite urgent. You can take the call on our courtesy phone, just outside the Perrault
Room.”
Ann swallowed with an audible click. One hand flew to her throat, and she stared at me with dull eyes as she pushed her chair back slowly and stood. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “J-Joe, I … it was an absolute pleasure meeting you. Please believe me.”
With that, she whirled and fled toward the exit.
Surprised murmurs and whispers erupted around the room as Ann rushed away from the table. I stared after her for a minute, thinking about the way she’d reacted and what she said when she left. It seemed like she already knew not only who was calling and why, but that whatever the call was about, she wouldn’t be coming back to the game. That much was obvious.
What I couldn’t understand was why she’d begged me to believe it was a pleasure meeting me. I hadn’t gotten the impression that our meeting bothered her. In fact, it was definitely the opposite.
I had a sinking feeling that she was somehow involved with Henry Aaron. But if that were true, she seemed less than thrilled about it. I couldn’t blame her after what I’d heard from Beau.
Five minutes later, the nervous attendant who’d told Ann about the phone call came back to the table and whispered something in the dealer’s ear. When he finished, the dealer nodded and stood.
“Regrettably, player number three is unable to participate in the final round,” he said as he nodded to someone off to the side. “Her chips will be divided among the remaining four players, and the game will continue.”
As the dealer started to repeat what he’d said in French, one of the other dealers came to the table next to me and started stacking Ann’s chips on the table. I almost wanted to leave the game myself and go after her, try to catch her and find out what was going on, but she’d be long gone by now.
Instead I decided to focus on winning this poker game.
While the attendant passed out the extra chips, I used my pen to give myself everything I needed to know about the players at the table. Manny, the guy with the sports team who was now to my right instead of Ann, had a bit of a sore spot because he’d been too cheap to give his previous pitcher, Ray Waldon, a raise. So Waldon had left the second his contract was up. His replacement, Johnny Esteban, sucked rocks … and Manny knew it, but he was still pissed that Waldon had the gall to ask for more money in exchange for playing his ass off and getting the team to the Series three times.
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