Page 1 of Gambler's Fallacy

ONE

SEVEN

I wantto say I’m getting better at blackjack, but I haven’t been keeping track of my wins and losses. I stare at the cards in front of me, which add up to seventeen.

I should stop here. The chances of staying under twenty-one are slim. I know Havoc would be on my case to stop playing it risky.

The dealer—a young black woman with her curly hair pulled back into a ponytail—makes a noise. “What will it be, Sir?”

She’s new, and I guess nobody warned her about me yet. The other three people at the table look disgruntled.

I’m not going to beat the dealer win with a seventeen. It’s better if I get another card, because while the chances of getting a four or less aren’t very high, it’s better than staying.

“Hit me,” I finally say, remembering to scratch my table to signal for another card.

As usual, the universe is against me, and a seven is dealt.

My lips curl into a sneer.Lucky number seven,my ass.

One of the others beats the dealer, of course, and I look sullenly at him as he celebrates his nineteen to the dealer’s eighteen.

The dealer hands the winner his earnings and congratulates him. She flirts with him to get him to play again, then turns to me. “What about you, sugar? Your luck must be turning around soon.”

She definitely has my number, and she’s not like Madeline, who discourages me whenever she can. I gnaw on my bottom lip. “Yeah, it has to,” I tell her, which is true not only of cards but also oflife.

We got rid of Raymond—wekilledhim—and Caleb assured me that we’d do the same to any other enforcers the family sent my way. At some point, they’ll give up. At some point, I’ll be free of them.

I can’t let myself think otherwise because the panic bubbles up within me every time I do.

“Deal me in,” I say.

I spot Havoc walking my way, and I sit up straighter. I’m not going to feel guilty about how I pass the time.

“Hey,” Havoc says, placing his arm around my shoulder. “Weren’t we going to meet for lunch?”

He’s wearing his usual leather jacket, t-shirt, and jeans combination, and his short black hair is disheveled. I press against him, taking comfort in his warm, muscular body.

The dealer hesitates before dealing out the next round of cards.

“That isn’t until one, though,” I say, blinking up at him. It can’t possibly be one o’clock yet. I came down here at nine, and there’s no way four hours have passed with me flitting between the tables and the stupid slot machines.

Havoc holds his phone out to me. It reads 1:38 pm.

Fuck.

The dealer clears her throat, and I cast an annoyed glance at her for interrupting.

I know I’m not supposed to inconvenience any guests — and besides, I have to win this round after losing the last three. “Just a second,” I tell Havoc. “Let me finish this round.”

Havoc sighs. “Seven…” He looks at the spread on the table and shakes his head. “I know it’s basically Monopoly money to you, but it looks like you’ve lost close to six thousand already.”

Monopolyis a board game. The four of us had played, and it had gone on for hours because Caleb insisted nobody was allowed to quit until one person owned all the properties. I don’t think I like the game at all, but at least Caleb had gone easy on me so I didn’t come in dead last.

Six thousand, though. Has it really been so much money? I should care, but it’s not like six k is that much to Caleb, right? It’s technically going into his pockets. I sigh, though. “Okay. Just this last round. I’ve lost so much that I have to win this time.”

The dealer is eyeing me impatiently, and I finally look at my card. It’s an ace, which can either be one or eleven, and I rush through having her add cards as I get closer to twenty-one. I’m at fifteen when I need to make my final decision.

“What do you think?” I ask Havoc. He’s not supposed to gamble here, but that doesn’t mean I can’t ask for advice — and this dealer obviously thinks I’m some random loser who’s here to line Caleb’s pockets.

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