“Is that allowed?” I ask. Alvaro is the player they’re trying to beat. He’s the one who won Alex’s castle, and they need him to wager it again tonight. And then they need him to lose.
My heart speeds up.
The stranger looks back down at the skylight. I wonder if he’s been standing here for long, watching the game. “Everything is allowed at these parties,” he says. “That’s the only rule Viv lives by.”
I wet my lips. There’s something about his demeanor that sets me on edge. “Why would you sponsor a player who takes such huge risks?”
“Maybe I wanted them all here,” he says, and turns unreadable eyes back at me. Who is this man? “When Alvaro has a good hand, he gets nervous. Happens every time. He checks and rechecks his cards, plays with his chips, taps his fingers against the table. I’ve played with him enough to see it. He’s more comfortable with pretending to be strong than actually being it.”
“Why would you tell me this?” My mouth feels dry. “You must know I’ll tell Rafe.”
“Consider it a… gift. To the wife of an old friend.” He looks back down at the skylight, and there’s something predatory in his gaze. “This reunion has been a long time coming.”
I follow his gaze. The table downstairs is as still and focused as it was when I left. People mill about nearby. As we watch, two women walk into view. A familiar brunette and a redhead.
“Reunion?” I ask carefully.
But his eyes are suddenly locked on Nora and Amber below.
His hand around the railing tightens, his knuckles turning white. He won’t look away from them.
I take a careful step back. I should tell Rafe this. I should tell them all about this.
He tears his eyes away from the window. The slyness about him has evaporated. There’s only coldness in him as hewalks past me without a single word and disappears down the stairs.
I follow as quickly as I can.
He doesn’t head toward the poker table. He heads in the opposite direction, shouldering his way through the crowd toward the exit like he’s running from someone. I watch him disappear off the boat before I go to find the others.
CHAPTER 40
PAIGE
I find Nora and Amber chatting by the bar. They smile at me. “You didn’t come!” Amber says.
“I’m sorry. I got distracted.”
“They’re almost at break time.” Nora looks at her watch. It looks like a thin classic Artemis watch, one of the many that her and Rafe’s family company produces. “Just a few more minutes.”
“Damn. I was meant to distract the other players,” I say. The information I just learned is making my head spin. I have to tell Rafe as soon as I can.
“Did Rafe ask you to do that?”
“Yeah. Apparently I have a knack for making a spectacle of myself.”
Nora’s smile widens. “I have to see this. West asked me tonotdistract him, so I suppose I should stay away.”
“No, no, don’t do what your boyfriend says,” I tell her. “Bothering them is half the fun. Come. Let’s go.”
I head toward the back entrance of the parlor so people can see me when I walk in.Distract the others,Rafe had said, with such confidence too. And why wouldn’t he? He’s seenme do just that before. Drink too much. Swim in a fountain. Get up on stage.
But those were natural instances, and I don’t get stage fright when there’s no planning beforehand. There’s no time for it.
I hold my champagne glass by the stem and walk through the room. The game has gone on for two hours already. People are still watching, rapt, as if it’s Wimbledon.
There’s a tight silence, like a knot tied too tight. In the center of the table is a pile of various things. Chips, yes, but also notes and checks. A large envelope.
They’re playing for more than money.
