He noticed. His jaw ticced, but he nodded for another card. When he lifted the corner, his eyes pressed shut. Josephine didn’t need to see his hand. He’d gone over.
“I’m out.” He wiped his face and Josephine couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for taking all his money. She’d never set out to deliberately ruin someone before. A quick count confirmed she’d likely just swindled him out of more than he would be getting paid for his job. It explained how much he was sweating.
“No, you’re not.”
He scowled. “I assure you, I’ve nothing left.”
“Sure you do.” She let her smile build slowly. “Your job”
His eyes widened. “Hell no.”
She shrugged, then pushed all her winnings to the center and nodded at the table. “There are enough cards for one more hand. You and me. All or nothing.”
The flame from the nearest lantern glistened in his eyes and he swallowed. The amount there had to be five times what he’d lost. He counted it. Counted again. Shook his head. “I can’t”
“Suit yourself.” She slowly wrapped her hands around the stacks of coins and pulled them her way. A look of anguish crossed his face as she let one stack topple, the tinkling of coins rising over the tavern noise.
“Wait.”
She grinned. Greed always won.
The man dealing pulled her coins back to the center and gave the boy an expectant look. “What can you put down as collateral for your unconventional bet?”
He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and smoothed it out. Neat handwriting scrawled across it.Cabin Boy. USS Tempest.
Josephine’s pulse picked up. The remaining cards posed a risk. But it was one she had to take. He would not be staying for another game.
The dealer pushed a card her way and she lifted the corner. A face. She forced her expression to remain unreadable as she considered the unplayed cards. A ten, nine, eight, four and three. From the boy’s narrowed eyes, she’d wager he’d gotten one of the lower ones.
The dealer slid another card over, his eyes gleaming in the firelight. An eight.
Eighteen.
She tapped the table, holding.
Her opponent signaled for another. Too quickly. If he held the four and three, nothing left could carry him past her. His lips pressed together as he looked at his card and held. At the dealer’s nod, they showed their hands.
She was right,
He turned over the four, three, and ten. She’d beat him by one.
She stood and took the coins and paper. “We can go over details outside.”
His lips pulled into a snarl. “If you mean to rob me, I’ve nothing left.”
A snort left her before she could stop it. “Do I truly look like I could overtake you?”
He crossed his arms. “I can tell you all you need to know in here.”
“No offense, but do you trust these men to speak freely about a US Navy mission in front of them?” She let her gaze roam over each of the men sitting at the table.
He harrumphed but stood and started toward the door. “Not like I know anything.” She followed him outside and once they got several paces away, he turned. “What do you want to know?”
Her heart raced. What indeed? She had no inkling of what a cabin boy’s duties would be. “Well, I’ll need any information given to you about the job.”
“I’m to be a cabin boy. On theUSS Tempest. It leaves at dawn.”
She swallowed at the flippant offer of common knowledge. She needed more than that. “How do you board? Surely this paper isn’t the only thing I need? You must have signed some orders.”
