Rosalie, however, played with confidence, just like I remembered. She won small pots, lost a few hands strategically, and bluffed in a way that confused everyone, even me.
Just as the dealer began to shuffle for a new hand, the door to the back room opened, and Mason walked in. His eyes scanned the room, landing on me.
“Mason,” Diego said sternly. “Join us.”
Fucking finally.
He hesitated for a moment and then made his way over to the table, pulling up a chair. The atmosphere shifted. “What’s the game?” he asked.
“Texas Hold’em,” Brandon replied. “Buy-in is five hundred.”
Mason pulled out a crumpled wad of bills, handing it to the dealer. “I’m in.”
The dealer resumed shuffling, and the game continued. I stood back again, my eyes never leaving Mason. Rosalie played her hand with the same confidence as she had before, her eyes lifting to Mason every now and then, reading him just as she did the others.
Brandon checked, as did Diego and Cade. Vito pushed forward a thousand.
The table fell silent, all eyes on him.
Rosalie matched his bet. “Call.”
All eyes turned to Mason. He swallowed hard, his hand shaking slightly as he pushed his chips into his pot. He didn’t have the money to be playing. “Call.”
The dealer motioned for them to reveal their cards. Brandon had a pair of kings; Diego had two pairs with kings and jacks; and Cade had folded. Vito revealed a straight.
Rosalie laid her cards down—a full house, queens over tens. The table cheered for her, shocked she’d been able to trick them, but my eyes were on Mason.
He revealed his hand slowly, his face pale. A pair of sevens. He had nothing.
Rosalie smiled sweetly. “Sorry, boys. Looks like I’m the real winner here. Good luck walking away with your pride,” she said with a wink, knowing how much money Brandon had put into the bet.
She reached for the pot, but Mason grabbed her wrist tightly.
I snapped. “You’ll be taking your hands off my wife if you want to walk away with anything at all.”
The room fell silent at my threat. Mason looked up from the table, his eyes wide and cautious. He released Rosalie’s wrist, his hand trembling slightly.
“Max, listen,” he started.
“Take the money. It won’t really matter in the next few minutes.”
Mikhail and Lev moved in. They grabbed Mason by the arms, hauling him to his feet. He struggled, but their grips were strong.
I reached for Rosalie’s hand, feeling her soft, warm skin as she grabbed mine, leaving the crumpled bills behind. The exit sign cast a red glow across her face before it was made blurry by the heavy smoke on the other side of the door. I gently pulled Rosalie to the side. Her eyes widened in surprise.
“What the hell was that about?”
“I need that key now,” I said, holding out my hand, my voice low and urgent.
Rosalie raised an eyebrow. “What key?”
I absolutely did not have the time for this. “The one in your bra,” I whispered, leaning in closer, my breath grazing her ear. “Don’t play coy with me right now, Rosalie.”
“You’re no fun.”
“I’m plenty of fun,” I replied. “But right now, I need you to go with Sean. He’ll take you home.”
Behind me, I could hear Mason’s voice rising in anger, yelling at one of my men. His words were sharp, and they only served to piss me off further. I turned my attention back to Rosalie, who was watching me curiously.
