Page 92 of Why Cruise

“Ren.” It was Justice’s turn to hold me in check.

“Right,” her face on fire, “Daryl, Brock, this is Justice Twill, Theo Evergreen and Ren Delano,” she said with picture-perfect manners like she had gone to finishing school.

“Mr. Twill,” a beta had joined our little party. “Marshall De La Cruz. We met at the Port Haven Tech Summit last spring?”

Justice’s blank look softened into an easy smile. “Of course. How’s that expansion project coming along?”

“Genius. Your tip about Agile project management? Our scrum master has completely changed our company.”

Marshall was unperturbed by the raging alphas around the table.

“Gentlemen,” Marshall continued smoothly, “we’re here. A game?”

Mackenzie leaned forward, her eyes lighting up at the click of chips and shuffle of cards as the dealer got ready for us. That spark of wild joy I was starting to really enjoy.

“Justice Twill.” Brock’s voice carried that desperate edge of someone with something to prove. “I was just telling Daryl how Justice Twill isn’t quite the legend everyone makes him out to be.”

Daryl’s hand slid up Mackenzie’s back, making her suppress a shiver. Not the good kind. “Though maybe we should find something simpler for Kenzie. She gets confused by basic math.”

Kenzie? Ew.

The light died in her eyes. We all saw it.

“You know,” Justice said, his voice carrying that quiet danger that made him a legend in Port Haven’s tech sector, “I’ve found people who underestimate others usually end up losing everything.”

“Oh, I would love to prove you wrong,” Daryl started, but checked in with his pack lead to make sure he wasn’t overstepping bounds.

The chips rattled in my hand. Justice turned to Theo, his voice softening. “Ever played?”

“Only online,” Theo admitted. “Never in person.”

Justice pulled out the chair next to him. “I’ll stake you.” Justice pulled out a stack of $500 chips.

Without taking my eyes off Daryl, I pulled out my chair and held my hand out to Mackenzie. “I’ll be advising Ms. Perez here, if the house doesn’t object.” I tossed a hundred-dollar chip to the dealer, knowing damn well they should object. But money had a way of smoothing over rules.

The dealer palmed the chip with practiced ease. “Five-handed poker it is.”

Mackenzie’s eyes darted between my offered hand and Daryl’s on her back. Something shifted in her expression. That wildness came to the surface, just for a second. Justice and I shared a look. This wasn’t about poker anymore. This was about giving her a choice.

When she slipped her hand into mine, it felt like victory. I guided her into my chair, already planning how to help her take their money and their power, one hand at a time.

I pulled up a chair close behind Mackenzie’s left side, putting myself between her and the douchy alphas, settling in so my chest almost brushed her shoulder. The dealer pretended not to notice how much I was bending the rules. Daryl’s smirk said he thought this was all going his way with his pack lead having his back. He didn’t seem to care someone had just stolen his girl from him. Justice was the prize, now.

I rested one hand on her shoulder, letting the other drop beneath the table to her knee. Her silk dress was cool under my palm, but her skin burned hot. She stiffened for just a second before relaxing into my touch.

“Poker isn’t about the math, baby girl,” I murmured against her ear, pitching my voice low enough that only she could hear. “It’s about people. And those two? They think they’ve got you all figured out.”

Her pulse jumped under my fingers.

“So here’s what we’re going to do. When I tap your shoulder?” I demonstrated with the lightest brush of fingers. “You light uplike you’ve got the best hand anyone’s ever seen. When I tap your knee?” Another gentle touch that made her shiver. “You look disappointed. Like you’re trying to hide it, but can’t quite manage.”

“But the cards…” she whispered.

“Don’t matter half as much as they think. We’re not going to beat them with math.” I let my lips brush her ear. “We’re going to play them into the ground.”

She flashed a quick look at Daryl. When she came back to me, her smile was full of new possibilities.

The dealer’s hands moved with practiced grace, floating cards across green felt. When Mackenzie’s cards slid toward her, I tapped her shoulder before she could even peek at them.

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