Page 31 of Eden's Joker

“I’m out,” I say and lay down my cards.

Tonight’s not my night for winning and I’ve learned a long time ago it’s best to get out while the getting’s good.

“Me too,” Edge says, tossing his cards down on the table dramatically. “It’s been a shit night for me all around.”

“Maybe it’s because of the full moon,” I say.

That gets me a lot of strange looks from everyone at the table. But that’s my way. Joker by name, Joker by nature. I play the part of the fool well. It makes people trust me where they shouldn’t, because I always get the last laugh.

“It’s not technically night anymore,” Fossil points out, nodding at the window where sunlight is coming through a crack between the boards covering it.

The last two cards get dealt and Fossil of all people wins the pot. He’s got the worst poker face, but the best luck in cards.

“Another hand?” Fossil asks, looking hopefully around the table.

“I’m done,” Edge announces. A look passes between him and Ruin, which I’m not sure how to read. Apparently the two of them are BFFs from way back so clearly, they can communicate silently. Me and Scorpio can do the same thing. Just not so much lately.

I shake my head. “I’ve had enough cards for tonight.”

The rest say more or less the same thing and then Edge, Bane, and Archer and some of the Forsaken split. That leaves Ruin, Karma, Fossil, and me at the table. I wish Edge had stayed, so I could get a better feel for him too.

I ask Karma a couple of questions about the war with the Devils, just to see Ruin’s reaction. She pretends not to know anything about it, which is the safest thing to do all around. Ruin gives nothing away.

“So rumor has it, Ice used to be like a father to you and Edge,” I say, eyeing Ruin.

Ruin gets a very constipated sort of look on his face and Fossil audibly gasps. This is more than a rumor. I heard it as fact from him, Archer, and Bane.

“Where’d you hear that?” Ruin snaps, finally showing me more of the killer he’s supposedto be.

Fossil downs another double shot then lays his head on the table. A second later, he’s snoring. Probably faking because he doesn’t want to be a part of this conversation.

“Around,” I say evasively.

Maybe I shouldn’t have gone down this lane. It’s not been a winning night for me and I guess this could just be more of that.

“We’ve grown apart,” Ruin says, his eyes flashing angrily. “Not that it has anything to do with you.”

Oh, but he’s wrong about that.

When I first heard he and Edge were like the sons Ice never had, I thought about adding their deaths to the mix of revenge my brothers and I are about to deal out. But from what the other three Devils tell me, I could be doing Ice a favor getting rid of them. He doesn’t like what they’ve become and on top of it, Edge is now fucking his other daughter Summer.

“It might,” I say before I actually know how to follow it up. But I do my best thinking on the spur of the moment, with no pre-planning, adlibbing like a true Joker.

“How’s that?” Ruin asks and I now suddenly have his and Karma’s undivided attention. As well as Scorpio’s. He’s sitting at the next table over with Grim, because he seems unable to not be close to Karma. I’ll have to talk to him about keeping more distance. Luckily no one seemed to notice that I suddenly havehis undivided attention. They’re still hanging on my every word. So why not give them a little surprise?

“I recently parted ways with my MC,” I say. “The Lost Sons MC, maybe you’ve heard of those bastards?”

For what it’s worth, Karma shows no sign that she had. She’s a great actress. Between that, her perfect poker face, and a smoking hot body, I’d bet good money she used to be a whore before she became this warrior woman sitting beside me now.

“They don’t think I measure up anymore,” I continue.

“Not blood in, blood out with you guys then?” Ruin asks.

“No, they’re a bunch of pussies in that and many other ways.”

Scorpio rolls his eyes at hearing that. He really needs to work on both his acting skills and his poker face.

“I was thinking of joining the Devils now that I’m a free agent,” I say. This time Scorpio nearly tumbles out of his chair and even Karma gasps in surprise.

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