Page 2 of Trick's Trap

“I’m afraid not, Mr. Scott.”

Trick sighed and inclined his head. He thanked his host and went in search of his mystery girl.

All was not lost. Only the most elite players received credit at Chao’s. And judging from the ass-whooping he’d just received, this girl was elite with a capital E. Which begged the question—how had he gone this long without meeting her?

Trick knew every underground card room worth visiting on the East Coast. The dealers in Atlantic City knew him by name. He was also known by reputation at a fair number of Indian casinos, too. Without conceit, he was considered one of the best poker players in the world. That rare circle was a small community. Anyone capable of beating him should have been on his radar long ago.

And yet, here he was. He’d been blindsided tonight, in more ways than one.

Trick ordered a glass of Moutai from the bar, sipping and wondering where his mystery woman learned her craft. Some might attribute her win to luck, but Trick had played cards at a professional level for years. He knew skill when he saw it. Not that luck hadn’t played a part. But even though she’d been the victor, Trick was inclined to think it had been on both their sides tonight.

Where was she?

Even his sister Maggie didn’t take that long in the bathroom. He scanned the room, spotting her in the back. His mystery woman was headed in the direction of the count room.

Not good. Chao and the others didn’t appreciate it when his patrons tried to go back there. Trick rose from his barstool, intending to go over and nudge her in another direction. Preferably to the Caislean, the hotel he owned with his siblings, for a late steak dinner and drinks.

She was gone. Trick blinked. One minute she was there, and the next she disappeared when two German businessmen blocked his path.

“Did you see a beautiful girl in a blue dress?” he asked one of the guards blocking the corridor to the count room. He gestured to a point past his shoulders. “She has long brown hair, blue eyes.”

“Over there,” the man said, gesturing to a little-used side staircase. It was the one used to bring dim sum and other hot dishes from the restaurant downstairs. And the only exit down that way led into a back alley, one even he would hesitate to walk alone.

She probably doesn’t know.His mind went to Maggie, his sister. He wouldn’t want her walking down that way on her own. Trick quickened his steps, hurrying down the stairs.

The kitchen was in the process of shutting down for the night. He nodded at two of the line cooks before making a beeline for the back door. A busboy came in just as he reached it.

The kid nodded and smiled, getting out of his way. Trick shot past him only to hear the distinctive sound of chain-link fence rattling. He was outside in the alley in a fenced-in box that protected the dumpster. She was on the other side, her luscious lips parting as he skidded to a stop on the wet pavement.

The door between them was padlocked. Had the busboy let her out?Crap.

“So…how about dinner?” he asked from the other side of the fence, as if no time had passed.

The girl shook her head in disbelief, a smile playing on her lips. “You don’t give up, do you?”

“Never been known to before.” Trick grinned, drinking in her eyes. “My name is Patrick by the way.”

“Hi, Patrick.” She tried not to smile and failed. He grinned at her like an idiot.

Trick knew plenty of beautiful women. Models, socialites, actresses…Over the years, many of them had graced his bed, but those were lighthearted and no fuss affairs, at least on his part. His feelings had never been deeply engaged. Staring into this girl’s light blue eyes, he knew she could be different.

“Why do you want to go out with me?” she asked, suspicion clouding her expression.

He laughed. “Aside from the obvious, I don’t think anyone’s kicked my ass so hard at cards since I was in high school.”

Her head drew back. “So you’re a glutton for punishment?”

“Something like that. What do you say? The cook at the Caislean makes an amazing tenderloin filet.”

She was thinking about it. He could tell. “It’s after midnight. The kitchen will be long closed by now.”

“They’ll open it for me,” he assured her, deciding not to mention he was one of the hotel owners.

C’mon.Let the gods smile on him one more time.

A distant noise made her turn around. Her face shuttered, all expression wiping clean, as she stared down the mouth of the alley. He couldn’t say why, but he sensed something had changed.

“Sorry.” She glanced back at him almost apologetically.

---