“Not at all.” I’m irritated by his proximity, and I shift to the right to get away from him. The only problem is I’m now closer to Birthday Boy.
Shit. Our plan is coming apart.
“Why you sound like a foreign gentleman,” Seth says, attracting my unwanted tablemate’s attention. “Where does one get an accent like that?”
“My accent is Monagascan, monsieur.”
“I’ll be damned. I didn’t know they spoke French in Madagascar!”
“No, monsieur, it’s Monagasco.”
Seth has the man’s complete attention as I slide all my winnings onto the black space. The dealer passes his hand over the table.
“No more bets!” he calls.
I dip my finger inside my gold cuff and press the tiny button hidden inside. The silver ball immediately drops, bounces, and then swerves into the tray labeled fifteen black.
“Holy shit! Ho-lee shit!” Seth hops off his stool and does a little jig. “I WON!”
“SO DID I!!!” Granny looks like she might have a heart attack. She’s holding her chest heaving hard, and I notice a security agent drifting to where we’re sitting.
We only have one more spin before we have to get the hell out of here. Odds against roulette players add up faster than any other game in the casino. Our winning streak can’t last long, or we’ll be detained and questioned.
“I feel as if I’m playing the wrong end of the table,” Frenchie says, sliding closer to me.
I’m trapped with nowhere to go. Another scoot to my right, and I’ll be in Mr. Twenty-One’s lap. Leaving my two hundred chips on black, I attempt to angle my body so it’s away from Frenchie’s line of sight.
Movement behind the dealer causes me to glance up. Security has his eyes on me. Now I’m really freaking.
Seth happily moves all his chips to the other end of the table. “Mr. Bourie says the odds build up fast on roulette.” I watch as he places two huge corner bets.
In a subtle movement, I pass all my chips over to red before quickly returning to my contorted state. I turn my body so I can get my finger inside my gold cuff without being seen.
“No more bets!” The dealer says.
Security’s eyes are fixed on me, and they narrow. They follow a burning line down my bare shoulder, along my arm, to my wrist, when all of a sudden a slim, olive hand appears on his lapel. His eyes leave me fast and then widen as Ava steps between us, her beautiful face lined with worry.
“Excuse me!” I can just hear her dewy purr. My little sister has perfected the art of innocent tease. “I’m so worried. I seem to have lost my handbag, and it has all my chips in it… my phone…”
Seth’s eyes are on me, his hillbilly pretense gone. Ava’s handled security, now I have to finish this job. The ball is slowing on the track, and I pray I haven’t missed my chance. My breath stills as I activate the device hidden in my bracelet. At once the ball drops, bounces up again, and hovers in air. It seems to wobble uncertainly. Sickness fills the pit of my stomach. A roaring noise is in my ears.
All this work, and we’re going to lose every last…
Thirty-two red.
“WE DID IT!” The old lady shrieks. “We WON! WE WON!!!!”
She’s jumping up and down, hugging Seth so hard his glasses bounce on his nose. He’s grinning, eyes sparkling.
“God Damn!” Seth slaps the table. “I’m hotter than a Billy goat’s ass in a pepper patch!”
I do my best not to burst out laughing as the silver ball rides around in a circle sitting on that red thirty-two. I’m just about to stand when something icy-cold and hard slips between my breasts.
“Oh!” I jump up, clutching my chest.
“Mon dieu! I’m so sorry!” The Frenchman steps back, facing me.
My eyes widen, and I hold my arms tight at the top of my ribcage. “What the HELL did you do?”