“Afternoon, Mrs. Reed. How’s your game going today?”
Annie smiled and shrugged. “Too early to tell.”
“Don’t let yourself get distracted by thoughts of that handsome husband of yours. You two seem to be enjoying this second honeymoon of sorts, but it can mess with your game. It’s no coincidence that every time I won the championship, I was between marriages.”
She opened her bag of chips and let a smile curl her lips. The Captain always seemed to be between marriages. She’d lost count at six. Her one marriage was too much for her to handle. “I’ll try. I’m worried about Gordon Barker, though. I’ve heard rumors he doesn’t play a fair game. I’d hate to get bumped out because he’s dirty.”
The Captain shook his head and took a bite of his sandwich. “You don’t need to worry about Gordon. He’s been clean for years. Had a brush with the law that was a little too close for comfort a while back and he straightened right out.”
“Oh,” Annie said. Well, at least the conversation was getting her somewhere and Gabe couldn’t accuse her of not doing her job. She was hoping to string Gordon along as an option for a while longer, but now she could focus on the rest of her game instead of him. “That’s a relief.”
“You’ll want to watch out for Eddie Walker, though.”
Annie stopped, her bottle of water hovering in midair. She hadn’t expected this at all, but she should’ve known the Captain would want to look out for her. He’d been the closest thing she’d had to a father over the years. “He’s not at my table today.”
“Well, the problem with Eddie is that he works with a circle of players and dealers. It’s actually better if he’s at your table because he always keeps his own game clean. He’s a tricky bastard. I wish to God someone would catch him so we wouldn’t have to deal with the scrutiny. It messes with my game to know how many security people are circling around and watching my every play.”
She immediately felt guilty for talking with him while wearing a wire. “I’m surprised no one has caught him yet, given how many people know about it.”
“He’s careful. And smart. There’s one main player they try to push through to the final table and a good ten or more in the tournament just to help them along. You never know who’s in on it. I heard he’s got a new partner working with him this year. I haven’t seen her myself,” he continued. “But I heard she’s—”
She? Annie sucked a sip of her bottled water into her lungs accidentally, launching into a mad coughing fit. The Captain immediately stopped talking and patted her on the back, watching with concern as she wheezed and viciously hacked.
“Are you okay?” he asked when several minutes had passed and the bright red faded from her face.
“Yes, I’m sorry.” She nodded. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll run to the ladies’ room.”
“Of course.”
At that, Annie dashed away to the safety of the restroom and hoped Gabe’s security goons had the good sense to stop listening in.
* * *
With the way the tournament play fell, Annie was scheduled Saturday so she had Sunday off. They had a record number of registrations, so the breakup allowed everyone to participate. The numbers dwindled exponentially after that point, so the top players from Saturday and Sunday would then combine to continue on Monday.
In theory, Nate should’ve been down on the casino floor making sure everything was going as planned, but he just couldn’t make himself do it. Saturday had been agony. He’d watched Annie play from a distance all afternoon, unable to touch her the way he ached to. His fists had been curled tight in his pockets for hours, a fake smile plastered onto his face.
When she finished for the day, victorious, he’d whisked Annie away to the suite. She’d barely been able to bask in the glory of her poker domination before she was naked and writhing under him again. They’d spent the entire evening holed up in the suite, ordering room service and making love on every piece of furniture he owned.
As the sunlight began pouring in the windows Sunday morning, Nate rolled onto his side and stared down at her. She looked as though he had thoroughly exhausted her. The long strands of her dark hair were messy and sprawled across the pillow, her eyes dancing under her lids with dreaming.
Throwing back the covers, he disappeared silently down the hallway. By the time he reached his desk, he could hear the chattering music of his smartphone. It was Gabe’s ringtone. He hadn’t spoken to him since the end of tournament play yesterday. He was certain his head of security had been anticipating a daily debrief with Annie, but Nate hadn’t felt like sharing her last night.