Page 64 of A Touch of Treachery
Henrika raised her gaze to mine.“Agreed.The list for the necklace.”
A few more soft gasps sounded, although that tense, expectant silence quickly dropped over the table again.Henrika nodded to the dealer, who wet her lips and placed the final card on the table—the queen of hearts.
Once again, everyone leaned forward, staring at the river card, then at Henrika and me, wondering which one of us had won—and lost.
A triumphant smile spread across Henrika’s face, and she flipped over her cards and tossed them forward.“King of diamonds, king of spades.”
The dealer pulled Henrika’s cards a little closer, then lifted the king of hearts, the queen of spades, and the queen of hearts out of the row of community cards.“Full house, kings and queens.”
More gasps rang out, along with a smattering of applause, although the sounds swiftly faded away.Henrika’s smile widened.She knew the odds as well as I did and just how hard it was to beat a king-high full house.
I dropped my head and studied my pocket cards again, as if I was hoping they were different from what they were.Then I raised my head, flipped my cards over, and tossed them forward.“The queen of diamonds and the queen of clubs.”
It took a few seconds for people to do the math, but another round of gasps rang out, and the smile cracked off Henrika’s face.
The dealer pulled my cards closer, then drew the queen of spades and the queen of hearts out of the row of community cards.“Four queens,” the dealer said in a soft, apologetic voice.“Four queens wins the hand.”
Once again, that tense, heavy silence dropped over the table, and everyone stared at Henrika, wondering how she would react to losing.
Magic flared in her green eyes, and my synesthesia surged in response, outlining her body in that familiar bloodred haze.Henrika dug her short dark red nails into the tabletop.A shower of golden sparks exploded around her fingers, and the green felt began to smoke, bubble, and burn.
My breath froze in my throat, even as my heart hammered in a quick, painful rhythm that matched the voice muttering in my mind.
Danger-danger-danger.
I knew that Henrika was a combusto, and I’d seen her use her magic at the Halstead Hotel a few months ago to melt a sheet of thick plastic like she was ripping through a paper towel.That had been a calm, controlled display, but right now Henrika was teetering on the edge of unleashing the full destructive force of her paramortal ability, and she was much more powerful than I’d realized.
Desmond slipped his silver watch out of his vest pocket and shifted closer to me.Niles, Steig, and Oriana sidled away from the table, as did the dealer, and even Bryce and the guards stepped back.Nobody wanted to get between Henrika and me if she decided to hurl her sparking combusto magic at me.
Several seconds ticked by.Down on the ballroom floor, the guests kept gambling, drinking, laughing, and talking, oblivious to the danger and drama playing out above their heads.
Henrika’s nostrils flared, and her nails sank even deeper into the oozing felt.I tensed, as did Desmond, whose fingers curled a little tighter around his watch.Henrika sucked in a breath, and I dug my toes into the carpet, ready to throw myself out of my chair to get out of her line of magical fire.
Henrika exhaled, released her death grip on the table, and sat back.Her magic vanished in a shower of golden sparks, and the red haze of my synesthesia slowly dimmed around her body.The green felt kept smoking, filling the air with an acrid stench, but right now it smelled like the sweetest perfume.Better the felt than my face.
I reached out, snagged the edge of the Grunglass Necklace, and slowly drew it over to my side of the table.I lifted the necklace up, and Desmond stepped forward, took the ends from me, and fastened them at the back of my neck.
The array of gold, emeralds, and diamonds settled against my skin like a cold, heavy anvil.I might have won the game and gotten to keep the necklace, but Henrika clearly wanted to murder me with just the force of her hot, furious gaze.
I pushed my chair back from the table and got to my feet.“I’ll come to your penthouse shortly.Make sure you have the list ready to hand over.”
Henrika kept glaring at me, but she couldn’t renege on our deal.At least, not in front of the other paramortals.She had started the game, and I’d just been lucky enough to win this round.
I looked at the pit boss and gestured at the red chips still strewn across the table.“I trust you will transfer my winnings into the appropriate account?”
The other woman looked at Henrika, who gave a barely perceptible nod.
“Yes, ma’am,” the pit boss replied.“It will be done within the hour.”
“Excellent.”I picked up several chips and handed a couple of them to the dealer, then distributed the others to the pit boss, the bartender, and the waitress.
Everyone was still looking at me, including Henrika.I plastered a smile on my face and picked up my purse so the other paramortals wouldn’t notice my trembling hands.
“Thank you forsucha lovely evening,” I drawled.“You’re right, Henrika.Luck does make the gamesomuch more exciting.”
Henrika’s eyes narrowed at my flippant tone, but I turned away and took Desmond’s arm.The two of us walked past the weapons maker and headed toward the stairs.
I didn’t glance back over my shoulder, but I could feel Henrika’s glower stabbing into my back like a red-hot knife, and my synesthesia kept muttering of danger.
