Page 68 of Kings Against the World

We couldn’t risk wiring either one of us up. Not after Boone’s suspicions in Houston.

The hidden cameras in the lounge and private rooms are our best bet.

The next round kicks off and I’m sitting at table three this time, going by Boone’s rules and using the marked deck. The cards are subtly rigged to let me know what each card is even from the back. It basically gives me the cheat code during a game like poker, where I can glance at everybody’s cards and know what they have.

No real strategy or difficult game play involved.

It goes against how I prefer to play, but it’s the guarantee win Boone wants.

There’s six of us at the table. Some rich oil exec type with slicked-back hair and a Rolex that’s probably worth more than my bike. Linda Cao has survived the first few rounds, her features sharp as she stares back at me like she’s trying to figure out my tells.

The other three guys at the table I’ve seen before at past tournaments. They’re mid-tier players that are more filler than anything. They’ll likely eliminate themselves over the next round or two.

The marked cards tell me the one on the left has a killer hand. His nervous tic confirms it.

I’ve got a decent start—pair of tens. Nothing wild, but it’s a hand I can work with. I go casual, toss in the minimum, then lean back like I’m not sweating it.

It’s as I’m waiting on Linda to make a move that I notice a tall figure in all-black moving out the corner of my eye.

Boone’s wandering the floor just like I suggested. His posse follows him as he hangs by different tables and looks over the games firsthand.

My gaze flicks to the lounge. Zoe’s in there, slipping between tables with her tray, trying to look nondescript. She stops at a corner end table, reaches under it for just a second too long. That’s our spot. I know she’s planting the camera.

Time to really stall.

I scratch my jaw, suck in a breath, then say, loud enough for Boone to hear, “Damn… tough call. Real tough.” I survey my cards again, like I’m second-guessing myself. “What do you think, fellas? Go big or go home?”

Boone stops, zeroing in on the table. I can sense his immediate urge to interrupt and remind me of our deal, though he manages to resist. But I do have his undivided attention and Ihold it long enough for Zoe to disappear into the back where the private rooms are.

It’s only when she returns, briskly walking back toward the bar that I grin.

“You know what? Let’s go big!”

I place my bet. Heavy, but not enough to scare everyone off. The oil exec guy folds. So does two of the three mid-tier guys. Linda Cao tries to bluff… to no success. I quickly raise again, acting like I’m just riding the wave of adrenaline. In reality, I already know her cards.

The final reveal comes with no surprise for me. My pair holds for that hand. My so-called ‘luck’ continues for the rest of the round as I raise at all the right moments and fold when I’m certain I’ll lose.

Once the round is officially over, I stick around the lounge for another hour. Just long enough to seem like a team player (Boone praises my performance in front of his other cronies), and for Zoe to get off work.

We’re riding a high as we leave Boone’s underground club and take the elevator all the way up to the hotel. We walk like a couple embracing would, my arm slung over her shoulders and Zoe tucked into my side.

The second we’re safely back in our hotel room, we erupt.

Zoe releases an excited squeal I’ve never heard out of her and jumps triumphantly, whooping at the air with both arms. I laugh, amused but also glad to see her like this. It’s a good look for her, the bright smile on her face, lighting up her hazel eyes.

She looks gorgeous. A happy woman.

She steps toward me and gives me a kiss on the lips. Probably the first real time she’s initiated a kiss like this between us.

With no one else watching.

“We’ll have so much footage,” she gushes.

“Once we get back the hidden camera.”

“That’s the easy part! Planting it was the hard part,” she says, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “We need to celebrate! I’m running downstairs to that store in the lobby to grab us some champagne… or maybe some tequila.”

I laugh and stick my hands in my pockets. “I’ll come with you.”

---