Page 25 of The Gambler

“Did you receive any cards like this before?”

Why did he have to ask that question? “Um… yes.”

“You didn’t tell me.” His voice sounded low. “Why didn’t you tell me, Tess? What happened to your radical honesty?”

That was so unfair. Except, it kind of wasn’t. “I didn’t tell you the code to unlock my phone either. That doesn’t make me a liar, does it? I don’t have to tell you everything. I think our fake engagement is getting to your head.”

That’s right, T-girl. Deflection is an art form.

He stared into her eyes for a moment. She recognized his pose for what it was; a stare-down contest. Her heart started to pound, but she refused to look away.

“Where and how did you get the first playing card, Tess?”

Asking a direct question. The rat bastard was learning fast. Guess there was no way around it. Perhaps it was for the better anyway. He needed to know he was in danger.

“Right before Grace’s body dropped out of your pantry, I received a message on my phone. It was a picture of the Jack of Spades.”

“Cruz must know about you helping me out.” His eyes were scouring the room. “The Queen of Spades after the Jack of Spades with the body.”

Yep, he was connecting the dots. Except, it wasn’t Cruz who’d sent her the message. It was his evil overlord who had pulled the strings.

“Guess you’re not just looks and a big wallet after all. You actually do have a brain.”

He sent her a withering look. “One day, we’re going to discuss this radical honesty thing of yours and the ability to make a man’s balls shrink.”

“It’s not my fault that you can’t handle a few stones to your um… stones.” Then it happened. He actually smiled. Of course, he didn’t know what kind of pickle they were in yet. “It’s nice that you can still keep your humor despite the mess we’re in.”

“It’s nothing a cleaning crew can’t handle. I’ll have some people sent over.”

“Not that kind of a mess.” She walked over to her gear on the table. It was smashed into a thousand pieces. “They’ve ruined my gear. I need certain stuff to do certain searches. It’s not like in the movies, you know. A few taps, and whatever info you’re searching for pops up on your screen within lightning speeds. We’re talking about finding a guy who has done everything to disappear. He has the means to cover his tracks. Even if I had all the software I needed, it’s going to take a while before I’ve found his trace. I’m going to need to find a credit card to connect him with. Or him hitting a public camera so I can place him at a certain location. He might not leave his hiding place for weeks, and only use cash for the same amount of time.” She hoped she was painting him a clear picture.

“What you’re telling me is it could take anywhere between a day and, say, a month before you trace him.”

“Exactamundo.”

“Fine.” He looked around her place. “Pack a bag. You’re staying with me until you find him.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so. See, I’m kind of aneinzelgänger. That means a solitary person in German, and—”

“I know what it means. And I don’t care. As long as you’re working for me, you will be a duo instead of a solo. I’m not letting you out of sight. Besides, your place is trashed. Also, you’ll be safer with me.”

She highly doubted that. “Fine. But regardless of where I’m staying first, I need to get some new gear. Big gear, in tiny packages. Just like me.”

“Ah, I’ll get you a new computer.”

“Sure, let’s go to Target and get one.”

He nodded, looking serious. “Of course, let’s go.”

She snorted. “And they say I don’t always understand sarcasm. Look around, Luca. The stuff I use here, it’s not something you can buy in a regular store. Most of it I’ve had custom-made. Some I transformed myself. Digital warfare requires good gear, just like with regular warfare. The one with the better equipment usually wins. They’ve destroyed everything. This is a major setback, but nothing that can’t be fixed. I just need new stuff which, in the short term, I can only get with certain people. One person, to be exact.”

“Fine, let’s go to that person then.”

“Can’t. Not today. Alfie only goes outside on a Saturday, and I have no clue as to where he lives. He operates off the grid. Doesn’t own a cell phone or anything else the government can trace him with.”

“You have odd friends.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” He hadn’t even met her grandfather’s weird ass friends yet. And he never would. They were the kind of people who mostly lived in the shadows and were only seen when they wanted to be seen.

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