We continued to play.
Nila lingered in the background, and second by second, we all inched into the future. The setting was slightly different to what’d happened that fateful night—we weren’t in a local drinking hole and Nila wasn’t a tavern wench—but her role as waitress was the same.
Kes dealt the next hand.
He’d stopped smoking and slowed his pace on the cognac. His eyes were clear, hands steady. He’d fortified himself just enough with liquid courage but hadn’t slipped into drunk.
I’d been an arsehole to him the past few weeks, yet he’d forgiven me before I’d even apologised. He was a true friend. A steadfast ally.
But will you ever be able to look at him again without killing him after tonight?
That question gnawed at my heart until I was riddled with holes.
I honestly didn’t know. In order to save Nila, I might lose my brother.
But it was a chance I had to take.
Another round ensued.
The solidticksof the grandfather clock pierced my eardrums. All I could think about was the time.
I flopped. Kes raised the stakes. Cut won. Daniel continued to guzzle.
New round.
I was the dealer. I handed out cards, waited for bets, did my part, then delivered the river. My hand was shit. The worst all evening, but I couldn’t play this fucking farce any longer.
“All in.” I shoved my small chip pile into the centre and glanced at the clock.
12:55 a.m.
I sighed.
Shit.
Kes threw me a look, his back tensing. Our knees touched, agreeing that from now on, I was on my own.
Nila sucked in a breath, dragging my attention to her. Her eyes were wide, confusion painting her cheeks from our shared message. She shrank further into the borrowed clothes she wore.
The last few minutes ticked past. We kept playing as if we weren’t all exceedingly aware of what was about to happen.
“All in,” Kes mumbled, shoving his substantial pile into the centre.
Cut glanced at us, rubbing his chin. “You boys are playing with fire.” Backhanding his own chips, he spread them over our tidy towers and slapped his cards face up. “All in. Show me the final card.”
Daniel chuckled. “This will be interesting.” He leaned forward, pinched the deck, and slammed down the rest of the river.
The moment I saw who won, the clock chimed one.
Clang.
Kestrel.
He’d won.
Of course, he did.
Just like he’d won the girl.
