Vane laughs. "True yachts are invite-only, Lady Elodie. Perhaps if you tire of the Count... I could show you theGilded Cage."
Alaric stiffens. Just a fraction. "I'm afraid she’s high maintenance," Alaric says dryly. "Raise. Two million."
The game escalates. Hours pass. The other players fold, busted out by Alaric’s sudden aggression. It is just Vane and Alaric. Head to head. The pot is massive. Eighty million euros.
"This is it,"Alaric murmurs to me, not moving his lips."The Kill Hand."
The dealer deals. Alaric looks at his cards. He doesn't show emotion. Vane looks at his. He smiles. A greedy, triumphant smile. The flop comes.Ace of Spades. King of Hearts. Ten of Spades.
"Bet," Vane says. "Five million."
"Call," Alaric says.
The turn.Jack of Spades.
Vane’s hand twitches."He has the Royal Flush draw,"Kaiser says in my ear."Or he already has the straight. Careful."
"Ten million," Vane bets. He is confident.
Alaric looks at his stack. He looks at Vane. "I'm all in," Alaric says. He pushes his entire stack into the center. Forty million.
Vane pauses. He counts his chips. He covers the bet. "Call."
The river.Queen of Spades.
The board is dangerous. A possible Royal Flush on the board? No. Vane laughs. "I have you," he says. He turns over his cards.Nine of Spades. King of Spades.A Flush. High flush. King high.
"Read 'em and weep, Count." Vane reaches for the pot.
"Not so fast," Alaric says softly. He doesn't turn his cards over yet. "I think... the stakes are too low."
Vane stops. "The pot is a hundred million. What more do you want?"
"I don't want your money," Alaric says. He leans forward. "I want the necklace."
Vane’s hand flies to his chest. Under his shirt, a heavy chain rests. "This is a family heirloom. Not for sale."
"Everything is for sale," Alaric quotes Vane’s own words back to him. "I'll bet my entire stack. Plus..." He turns to me. He takes my hand. "Plus her."
The room stops. The dealer freezes. I look at Alaric. His eyes are hard. He is asking me to trust him. To be the chip. If he loses... I belong to Silas Vane. I belong to the Syndicate.
"You're betting your wife?" Vane asks, his voice thick with lust. He looks at me. At the red dress. At the promise of ruin.
"She is the Asset," Alaric says. "One night. If you win... she leaves with you. If I win... I get the key."
Vane looks at his Flush. It’s a monster hand. The only thing that beats it is a Full House or a Royal Flush. He calculates the odds. He looks at me. "One night?"
"Until dawn," Alaric agrees.
"Deal." Vane unclasps the chain. He throws it into the pot. A heavy platinum key hangs from it. Embossed with a serpent sigil. The Key to the Gilded Cage.
"Show them," Vane demands.
Alaric reaches for his cards. His hand—the healed hand—moves slowly. He flips the first card.Ace of Diamonds.He flips the second card.Ace of Clubs.
He has pocket Aces. With the Ace on the board... Three Aces. With the King on the board... and the King Vane holds... Wait. I look at the board again.Ace, King, Ten, Jack, Queen.It’s a straight. A broadway straight. But Vane has the flush.
My heart stops. Alaric lost. He lost. Vane has the flush. Alaric only has a set of Aces... or a lower straight.
