“So sure you are going to win?” Milo looks to Kai. “But then your competition is nothing but a weak whore, so I guess you should be cocky.”
I watch as Kai’s fists ball, the veins in her arms pop, and her eyes shoot daggers. He just ignited every drop of strength in her body. I have no doubt if we were to redo either of the last two games, she would win.
I try to get Kai’s attention, so I can get her to calm down. Remind her that me winning is for the best. But she doesn’t look at me. She’s still in a stare-down with Milo.
“What is the final game?” I repeat.
“Strategy, bluffing, and a little bit of luck. You will play one hand of poker; the winner wins the third game,” he says.
Fuck. One hand of poker is more about luck than anything else. It involves very little strategy or bluffing.
Milo snaps his fingers, and one of his men come out carrying a deck of cards. We all take a seat around the table, and Milo starts shuffling. He knew the games all along. And even though it feels like just the three of us out here, his men are watching.
I smirk. It’s not just his men who are watching.
Milo starts dealing and Kai still won’t look at me. She’s too focused on winning, on begging the cards to give her a winning hand.
I look down at my hand—three aces, a nine, and a six.
It’s a strong hand.
I indicate I want to keep my cards.
Kai glances up at me, looking at me for the first time, and she knows my hand is strong. It’s almost like Milo purposefully dealt me a strong hand. She’s about to lose.
She returns all of her cards for five new ones.
There is no reason to bet, you either win it all or lose it all. There is no strategy, no bluffing. It’s all luck of the cards.
I win with my three of a kind. I know it.
I flop my five cards over, delivering the blow to Kai quickly.
When she sees the cards, she exhales all the oxygen in her lungs.
And then she sadly turns her cards over. A flush. She wins.
Fuck.
I stare at Milo, trying to determine if he helped her win or not. But he just shakes her head not believing it either.
He had planned for me to win three rounds straight. It would hurt her worse to know she was never even a real option for Milo. He likes playing with his food before killing his prey.
Her eyes light up a little bit when she realizes Milo doesn’t have another game planned. She threw him for a loop, and that means she has a chance because he doesn’t have time to think through his next two games.
“What’s next? Squats to test leg strength? Shooting? Stealing? Who can suck your dick better? What?” Kai asks.
And I know he’s going to fall for it. She threw in one game she is actually better at along with a bunch of ridiculous games. And his brain isn’t working fast enough.
“Thievery. The next game is to see who is better at stealing. The first person to return with a wallet without alerting the person or security to what you are doing wins. And don’t even think about trying to leave. My team has the building surrounded,” Milo says.
Kai tries to hide the delight in her eyes, but I see it. She could win this game in her sleep.
She starts running down the stairs to the club, and I follow after her.
“That’s cheating,” I hiss in her ear.
“Oh, really? And I thought this game would be fought fairly what with all the ridiculous strength games. It’s clear Milo has no clue the types of games we actually compete in to win Black. You aren’t a guaranteed winner just because you are stronger. And if Milo takes you in order to use you to get the Black empire, I will fight harder than I’ve ever fought before. I won’t let him take everything generations of our families have worked to win.”