Leo shook hands all the way around and left the table. Art sent Vienna a little grin. “I think I’m becoming superstitious about this river card and you, Vienna.”
She laughed as she sipped at her water. “I thought Daniel had me. I was becoming a little paranoid. I nearly folded. I don’t know why I stayed in.”
Surprisingly, it was Art to go six hands later. Vienna folded before the flop. She didn’t have anything worth bragging about. Jameson won two small hands, Art one large one and Daniel the largest of all. Vienna just couldn’t seem to get any cards. She wasn’t going to play lousy cards just for the sake of playing with the “big” boys, no matter how much Daniel subtly taunted her.
She detested seeing Art go. If there was one person she thought of as a friend, it was Art. The one thing his leaving the table did do for her was change the way her luck seemed to be running when the cards were dealt. She found herself with a pair of kings, both red. Daniel and Jameson both stayed in. Daniel had two jacks, both black. Jameson had two tens, one heart and one club.
Daniel started the betting fairly controlled for him, a quarter of a million dollars. Vienna and Jameson stayed. The dealer turned over the three cards to reveal the king of spades, the jack of diamonds and the ten of spades.
Daniel pushed the betting to a half-million dollars. Vienna stayed in. Jameson did as well. The turn revealed a jack of hearts. That gave Jameson a full house with his concealed tens. Vienna had a full house with her concealed kings and Daniel four of a kind with his concealed jacks.
At once, Daniel began to use his voice to push Jameson into a huge bet. There was no ceiling on what they could bet, and Jameson made a five-million-dollar bet. Daniel met the bet and raised it another five million. At once, he began to use his voice on Vienna. She met the bet and raised it another five million. Jameson made the pot right and so did Daniel.
The river card was turned over. The king of clubs. Once more, the bet went to Jameson, who followed Daniel’s hypnotic suggestion. Daniel raised, and before he could tell Vienna what to do or not to do, she raised again by another ten million.
Daniel sat back in his chair, his gaze on her face then dropping to the last card the dealer had placed faceup. “Son of a bitch. Art was right about that river card.”
She didn’t change expression. She looked at him coolly. If he wanted to know for sure, he would have to put his money up. As far as she was concerned, the play was between the two of them.
Jameson pushed his chips in. Daniel sat contemplating for a long while, as if he couldn’t quite believe the predicament he was in. Finally, he called her. Vienna turned the two kings over. Daniel had four jacks and Jameson his full house. Jameson stood and shook their hands. Daniel took his hand almost absently while he stared directly at Vienna.
“The cards favor you.”
She gave him her most mysterious smile, the one she knew drove everyone crazy because it gave nothing away—mostly to the men she occasionally went out on very bad dates with. “Sometimes, but all gamblers go through periods of time when cards come to them and other times when they don’t. You have to be smart enough to be patient and wait for the right cards.”
“You could make a fortune at this.”
She laughed. “I often do. I’m a nurse first. I like my life, Daniel. I don’t have any wish to change it.”
He lowered his voice and leaned toward her. “Not even for the right relationship?”
She was very aware that the audio on most microphones was very sensitive. If he was trying to trap her, he wasn’t going to succeed. “A man in the right relationship wouldn’t ask me to change my life if I love it. In any case, I tend to steer clear of relationships. I like my freedom.” She shrugged, unapologetic. “I do search and rescue, I hike and climb, and I love every aspect of what I do. Fitting a full-time relationship into my life would be very difficult. Moving, after finding the perfect place to live, is out of the question.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “You’re very decisive.”
“I suppose if a man said the same thing, you wouldn’t question it.”
“I suppose you’re right. I’m old-fashioned, but then, I’m getting old. I always think the woman will be the one to move to where the man lives and works.”
“Ah, I see, she should follow him blindly and give up her dreams and everything she’s worked for?”
Daniel scowled. “Put like that, I suppose it sounds quite selfish.”
She sent him another smile that said nothing and everything. “I’m sure there are plenty of people who would think I’m selfish for not wanting to risk going into a relationship for those very reasons.”
The dealer sat, and once more Vienna felt the rush of energy flowing through her, making her sharply aware of everything and everyone in the room. Every breath Daniel and the dealer drew into their lungs. The flick or tap of fingers, the way Daniel began to tune his voice when he spoke to the media in a little display of supposed graciousness.
Vienna knew she was going to have to play very carefully. It wouldn’t matter how many chips she had in front of her, Daniel would always have the chip advantage. This was his hotel. His table. His ego wouldn’t allow him to lose to her. It wasn’t the money, although like for any gambler sitting at a table, that was a big incentive. Daniel was known for never having lost when it came to the big hands. He wouldn’t want to do so in his hotel, and not to her—an unknown.
She was dealt the queen and ten of hearts. She knew Daniel had two kings in the hole, the king of diamonds and the king of spades. Daniel immediately set the bet at two million. She answered him. The dealer burned a card and turned over the king of clubs, the jack of hearts and the ten of diamonds. Daniel doubled the bet and began joking with her about the cards being all over the place. What were they betting on? Surely, she wasn’t thinking of raising him?
Vienna did raise him, her fingers sliding over the chips easily and pushing them toward the line. The turn revealed the king of hearts. That gave Daniel exactly what he wanted. Four kings. He was certain he could end the game right there, in one hand, pushing the bet to force her to go all in. He bet ten million chips and mournfully cautioned her not to be zealous, not to try to outbid him for the sake of fame and cameras. She should fold, not raise.
Vienna met his bet and raised. Daniel shook his head, chiding a new student. The river card was the nine of hearts. Daniel eyed her stack of chips and then went all in. There was a gasp of horror from the camera crew. She pushed her chips all in, calling him.
“Very brave, but maybe a little foolhardy of you,” Daniel said. “The hubris of the young.” He disclosed the pair of kings he had in the hole.
“Perhaps,” Vienna said, “I could occasionally be guilty of that, but not this time.” She turned over her queen and ten of hearts, revealing she had a straight flush.
Daniel stared down at the cards for a good forty seconds before the knowledge hit that she’d defeated him. Adrenaline poured into his body and he leapt up, knocking over his chair, revealing he still had the moves of the athlete he’d been reputed to be. He paced around behind the table while she took a slow sip of water, watching him carefully.
He returned to the table, picking up the chair and placing it very close to her. Daniel indicated that he wanted privacy. He removed the microphone on his lapel and the one on hers and then signaled for security to remove the media. He also indicated for the dealer to leave the room.
Vienna felt very vulnerable as most of the others filed out and she was left with Daniel and his security team, none of whom she trusted. The security team moved to the back of the room. That didn’t make her feel much better. She judged the distance to the door. She was much faster than most people gave her credit for. She ran every day and was in excellent shape. Still, he had a team in the room. There was only one of her.
She turned her attention to Daniel, even though a part of her mind worked on how best to survive if she should be attacked.