Page 142 of Deserter

I had ten and was going to have to make it last. On my best night, I’d never made anything close to the chips that were stacked in front of me and all I could focus on was the fact that I might lose it all.

The last two players placed their bets and we began. My instincts kicked in once the cards were dealt and I began tallying the numbers in my mind.

Thirteen had a queen.

I had an eight.

The man with tattoos on his throat and a metal bar through his lip had a three. The other two were dealt an eight and a ten. We each signaled to hit and Thirteen added another queen while I received a three. I added the other’s cards to my list but kept my attention on the man at the end of the table.

He was my competition.

The dealer showed a three and Thirteen stayed. Lip Ring busted, leaving me feeling lightheaded at the thought of the five grand he’d just thrown away.

“And you?” She watched me expectantly.

I added another chip to the circle. “Doubling down.”

Thirteen clicked his tongue against his teeth but remained silent.

“Doubling down for a thousand,” she repeated back, and I nodded, suddenly feeling like the dress Hawk had insisted I wear was too tight.

The others placed their bets and I held my breath as the dealer flipped over her card.

A queen.

Her next card was a ten and I exhaled.

She’d busted in the first round.

It put Thirteen in the lead, with me in second. He tipped an imaginary hat in my direction and I nodded abruptly before looking away.

My confidence threatened to slip, but I wouldn’t be distracted from my goal. There was too much at stake.

The hours passed like minutes; the minimum bet increasing with each hand, but I continued to play conservatively. Lip Ring went all in during the tenth hand, only to lose everything on a bust.

The cattle rancher from Oklahoma was knocked out soon after and then there were three: Thirteen, an Army Ranger from south Texas, and me.

With two hands left, they each placed the maximum bet while I studied my chips. I had a lead, but if I was going to make it to the final hand, I had to take a risk.

“Twenty thousand,” I stated confidently, sliding my chips into the circle. Thirteen studied them, his lips curving up into a smile.

“Wow… big spender.”

My pulse spiked as I ran the numbers in my head again and I forced myself to take slow breaths. If this failed, I’d still walk away with enough to keep us going until Jamie came home.

The trouble was, my competitive side had come out and now I didn’t want to walk away with anything less than everything.

The dealer laid down a five for Thirteen and a three for Army Ranger. I stared down in shock at the queen as it was placed in front of me, my mask slipping ever so slightly.

Thirteen hit and was dealt a four, bringing his total to nine. I looked up at him from under my lashes, only to find his eyes had never left mine.

Instead of shying away, I kept my eyes on his as I signaled to hit. Hawk had taught me early on to approach the game as the men did; never letting them intimidate me.

An ace joined my queen and the corner of my mouth turned up in a grin.

Blackjack.

The dealer showed a two and Thirteen doubled down, just as I’d expected he would. Army Ranger did the same on his eleven, but I stayed. She turned over her second card—an ace.

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