"Flush beats straight," Vane gloats, reaching for the pot. "Come here, darling." He stands up, reaching for me.
"Sit down," Alaric says. His voice is a whip crack.
"You lost!" Vane shouts.
"Look closer," Alaric says.
I look at the board.Ace of Spades.King of Hearts.Ten of Spades.Jack of Spades.Queen of Spades.
Wait. Alaric has theAce of Diamondsand theAce of Clubs. But the board... There is an Ace of Spades on the board. Alaric doesn't need his hole cards. TheBoardis a Royal Flush? No. King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Ace... Wait. Vane has the Nine and King of Spades. That gives him a King-High Flush.
But Alaric... Alaric flips a third card? No. He creates a distraction.
"You're cheating!" Vane yells. "The deck is marked!"
"I don't need to cheat," Alaric says quietly. "I just need you to look at the river card again."
Vane looks. It’s theQueen of Spades. But Alaric reaches out with his finger. He taps the card. "That," he says, "is not a Queen."
He flips the card over. It’s a Joker. Wait. What? The dealer gasps. "Monsieur, this card... it was a Queen."
"Ilusion," Alaric says. "Sleight of hand." In his palm, he reveals therealriver card. He palmed it. He swapped it. With his "injured" hand. He slams the real card onto the table.Ace of Hearts.
"Three Aces," Alaric says. "Plus the pair of Kings on the board. Full House. Aces full of Kings."
"Full House beats Flush," the dealer whispers, terrified.
Vane turns purple. "You switched the card! I saw you!"
"Prove it," Alaric says, standing up. He grabs the key from the pile. "The house cameras will show you staring at my wife's tits, Silas. Not at my hands."
Vane pulls a gun. A small derringer from his sleeve. "You're dead!"
Click.I have the ceramic knife at his throat before he can level the gun. I moved so fast I surprised myself. I press the blade into his fat neck. A drop of blood beads on the white blade. "Drop it," I whisper. "Or I carve you like a turkey."
Vane drops the gun. He looks at me. He sees the killer in my eyes. "Who are you?"
"I'm the distraction," I say.
Alaric grabs the key. He pockets the chip. "Thank you for the game, Silas. We'll be seeing ourselves out."
"You can't leave!" Vane sputters. "The Syndicate... they will hunt you!"
"Let them," Alaric says. He takes my arm. "We have a boat to catch."
We back out of the room. The guards at the door are confused. They see Vane bleeding, but they see the knife in my hand. "Anyone moves, he dies!" I yell.
We exit theSalle Médecin. We walk fast through the casino floor. "Run," Alaric says.
We sprint. Out the front doors. Into the cool night air. The valet has the Rolls Royce waiting. We jump in. "Drive!" Alaric orders the confused valet. "Go!"
As we peel away, leaving the lights of the casino behind, Alaric pulls the key from his pocket. He holds it up. It glints in the streetlights. "We have it," he says.
I look at him. I am shaking. The adrenaline dump is massive. "You cheated," I accuse, laughing hysterically. "You actually cheated."
"I told you," Alaric smirks, grabbing my leg, his hand sliding up the slit of the red dress. "I am a villain, Elodie. Villains don't play fair."
He pulls me close. "Next stop... theGilded Cage."
