16

I’m still staring at Cabressa when the door of the bedroom opens and one of the bookend security guys appears. Seven guys – JT plus six others I’ve not seen before – file out of the bedroom and back towards the foyer. I catch JT’s eye. He looks worried, but I can’t do anything to find out why without attracting attention.

JT and the rest of the guys exit into the foyer behind the security guard. As the door closes behind them the second bookend security guy appears from the bedroom. He makes his way to the door, then stops and turns towards us.

Carmella looks at him and raises her eyebrow.

The atmosphere suddenly feels all kinds of tense. Something’s up. Every player is watching Carmella. I turn towards her as well and wonder what the hell’s going on.

The security guy gives Carmella a nod.

There’s an audible exhalation from the players around me. Otis Valha’s shoulders drop as he relaxes. Johnny Keto slaps Mikey Fitzgerald on the back.

Carmella smiles and raises her glass. ‘Our administration is complete and everything is in order, so let’s play.’

It’s like a stampede at a rodeo as the men rush to find their seats, racing each other to their favourite spots. I hang back, watching. It’s my first time at this kind of rodeo and I need to learn the way things work.

I take a seat at the table opposite Carmella and between Carl Reynolds, the banker, and Otis Valha, the boxer. Cabressa has taken the seat at the head of the table – to my left, along past Carl. I notice how Carl and the man sitting on the other side of Cabressa – Johnny Keto, the ball player – slide their chairs a little further from him. Their expressions don’t give anything away, so I can’t tell whether the movement is motivated out of respect, and they’re giving the city’s premier mobster more space, or whether it’s part of the game. At the opposite end of the table from Cabressa is the guy from the mayor’s office, Mikey Fitzgerald. I watch as he takes a pair of shades from the inside pocket of his suit and puts them on. Carmella catches my eye and raises an eyebrow, then looks away and removes the packaging from a fresh deck of cards before loading them into the Shuffle Master. On her right, Johnny Keto, the ball player, is watching her movements like a hawk. To her left, sitting between her and Mikey, Anton Peck, who I learn from the chit-chat around the table is a realtor, switches his cell onto silent before putting it back into the pocket of his pants.

I glance towards the door to the lobby. The heavy-set security guy is standing with his back to it. There’s no sign of JT returning.

The server leans between me and Otis, and tops up our champagne glasses. Once she’s finished, she positions six full champagne bottles in freestanding ice buckets around the table, and then she leaves through the door back towards the elevator. As the door opens I try to see whether JT is still in the foyer.

When I realise he isn’t I start to get concerned. I turn back towards Carmella. ‘When do our security people come back in here?’

‘They don’t. During the game only the players and myself remain in the suite.’ She gestures to the security guy over by the door. ‘The exception being Thomas who stays at the room for all our security.’

I frown. Wonder where the hell they’ve taken JT if he’s not in the suite. ‘Did you ask them to leave?’

She gives a little laugh and shakes her head. ‘Of course not, they’re waiting down on the sixty-second floor, where we have a special room laid out for their comfort. If you need to leave the table for any reason when cards are in play, you can request your security personnel returns to take your seat while you’re absent. Otherwise, it’s just us until the game is won.’

I’m irritated that I’ve been separated from JT, but I don’t let on. None of the other players seem fussed so I’m guessing this is the usual way the game is run. ‘No problem.’

Carmella gives me a tight smile. ‘Alright then.’

Next she deals the first hand.

*

The first few hands are fast and bold. Remembering JT’s warning, I take them easy, folding early with cards that might have been useful, because I don’t want to get caught up in the early-game dick-waving. Cabressa pulls into an early lead, beating Johnny, who was chancing his arm on a bluff, and taking half the ball player’s chips in the process.

I try to focus on the players, on the way they act before they bet, and how they react when things don’t go their way. It seems to me that there’s a distinct hierarchy with the players. It’s real obvious Cabressa is top dog here, with Mikey from the mayor’s office coming in a close second. They talk as equals – Mikey jokes with Cabressa and sometimes Cabressa even cracks a smile – while the rest treat Cabressa with reverence or apprehension. Anton and Carl are next in the pecking order. Johnny and Otis come after that, with Otis having the slight edge on Johnny. They’re friendly to each other but I wouldn’t say they seem like friends. There’s tension in every interaction between the two of them, in their words and their body language. It’s clear these men do not trust each other, but they’re trying real well to hide it. I don’t like secrets. And, the way they’re acting makes me not trust either of them.

Correction, I don’t trust anyone around this table, even Carmella, as it could be that she’s on Cabressa’s payroll. The longer I sit at the table and the longer the game plays on, the more it feels like I’m a shrimp invited to a shark’s dinner party.

Carmella deals the next hand. Johnny and Anton pay the blinds.

Reaching onto the green felt of the table, I slide my cards towards me and take a peep.

A pair of aces, known as pocket aces in the game. I try not to let my excitement show. Put the cards back flat on the table. Look up.

Cabressa is staring at me, a slight smile turning one corner of his lips up. I look away. The others are doing their best to hide their thoughts, but I can tell from how Otis is jigging his leg up and down and Anton is, seemingly absentmindedly, scratching his left wrist, that they have cards worth keeping in play.

‘Mikey, what are you going to do?’ Carmella prompts.

His face shows no emotion, no tell – good or bad – but Mikey takes two five-hundred-dollar chips from his stack and pushes them towards Carmella. ‘I’m in.’

Otis matches his bet, and then it’s my turn. We’ve been playing round about forty-five minutes, so I figure they should’ve gotten the first flush of recklessness out of their systems. I take a thousand-dollar chip from my stack and put it on the table.

‘Well lookee here,’ Anton says, rubbing his pudgy hands together. ‘Seems you’re not just a pretty face.’

I keep a neutral expression, pretending that his sexist remark hasn’t bothered me none, even though what I’d really like to do is dry-fire my confiscated Taser into his balls.

Next to me, Carl, the banker, folds. Straight after, Cabressa does the same.

Johnny necks another glass of champagne – I’ve lost count of how many he’s had already – and throws two five-hundred-dollar chips towards Carmella. ‘Why not, I’ll come along for the ride too.’

Carmella looks to Anton. ‘Your move.’

Smiling like a goddamn sexist Cheshire cat, Anton chucks two thousand-dollar chips onto the green felt. ‘Let’s make this a bit more interesting, shall we?’

‘Oh man,’ Johnny says, groaning.

Mikey adds another thousand to the pot. Otis dithers, looking at his cards, putting them down, then picking them up again for another look. A tut and head-shake from Cabressa has Otis make up his mind and add his own thousand-dollar chip to the pile. I do the same.

‘Fine, fine,’ says Johnny, throwing two five-hundred chips to join the rest.

Carmella deals the next three cards: ace of hearts, king of diamonds, ten of clubs.

Otis’s leg is jigging faster. Anton stops scratching his wrist.

I stare at the cards on the table. I’ve got three of a kind, aces, now – my two plus the one from the table. It’s a good hand, but there’s danger too. If someone has a queen and a jack they’re on for a royal straight, and that’d have me beaten.

Carmella looks to Mikey.

He shakes his head and pushes his cards across the table to her. ‘I’m out.’

Otis puts in a three-thousand-dollar bet. His leg doesn’t stop jigging.

I match him. Don’t hesitate this time.

Johnny throws three thousand worth of chips onto the board. ‘May as well see where this river runs.’

Anton smiles, and puts a five-thousand-dollar chip on the table. ‘I see y’all.’

I bite my lip.

He adds a second chip. Winks at me. ‘And I raise you.’

Otis’s leg stops jigging. He looks back and forth from his cards to the river, as if he’s trying to calculate if his odds are good. Shakes his head and pushes his cards towards the middle of the table. ‘Nah, I’m done.’

Damn. I feel the fizz of adrenaline – the thrill of competition – but I’m cautious. I chased down Monroe in our practice game and wound up losing. I need to be logical, steady. I glance at my cards again. It’s a good hand. I need to stay in.

‘I’m in,’ I say, faking more confidence than I’m feeling. And push another two thousand in chips onto the board to match Anton’s bet.

Anton whoops. ‘Nice, really nice.’ He looks at Johnny. ‘You coming too?’

Johnny cusses under his breath. Throws his cards onto the table. ‘You’re killing me, man.’

Anton laughs. Licks his lips and says to me, ‘Now we get to find out which of us is riding the other.’

I force a smile and think about firing my Taser into him again.

Carmella deals the turn. It’s the queen of hearts.

Hot damn. If Anton has a jack in his hand then with what’s already on the table he’s gotten all he needs to make himself a royal straight. I rap my knuckles on the table. ‘Check.’

Anton gives a loud bark of laughter and pushes his stacks of chips onto the board. ‘That’s me all in.’ He grins. ‘What you going to do about that, princess? Ready for me to ride you?’

I try not to let my disgust show. Need to figure out my move. JT warned me not to be impulsive, and that I need to play the long game. I lost the game with Monroe because I ignored what was on the board and let my competitiveness get the better of me. I can see what’s on the board here and I know there’s a straight to be had. I think of Monroe watching and listening via the micro camera, and suddenly wish it had two-way comms. I’m gambling with the FBI’s dollars. Things go wrong, Monroe will find a way to punish me.

Anton is leering across from the other side of the table and there’s nothing more I’d like to do right now than to beat him at this hand. But there’s a whole night ahead of us, and I have to stay in the game to get heads-up with Cabressa. I only have enough money for two additional buy-ins, and the way things are going so far I’m not sure it’s enough.

I shake my head. Fold my cards and push them into the centre of the table. ‘Too rich for my blood.’

Anton punches the air. ‘Show us your cards.’

I hesitate. I know I don’t have to, but all eyes are on me.

‘I’ll show you mine if you show yours,’ says Anton, and flips over his cards.

I cuss under my breath. He has a six and a queen. All he’s got is a pair of queens. I reach onto the board and turn over my cards.

Anton claps his hands. ‘Well damn, would you take a look at that.’

Otis shakes his head. ‘It’s not cool to gloat.’

‘He got us all,’ Johnny says. He meets my eye. ‘Got you the worst though, man.’

I glance at Cabressa. For the first time since I met him he’s showing some emotion – he looks real disappointed. I guess he’s thinking on whether I’ve got what it takes to make it to heads-up, and if I don’t, how he’s going to get his hands on the chess pieces.

‘Hey Lori,’ says Anton, laughing as he gathers the pot off the board. ‘You got spooked by the queen of hearts but who says romance has to be dead. You want to give me a kiss with these chips? Go some place we could have ourselves a real ride?’

I imagine slamming my fist into his smug asshole face. Shake my head. ‘You’ve more chance of seeing God twice in the next five minutes than me and you ever doing anything.’

‘Ouch, that’s quite a burn,’ says Johnny with a laugh.

Anton looks pissed. ‘Don’t be a little—’

‘Back in your pants, Anton,’ Cabressa says.

Anton scowls but stays silent as he finishes raking up the chips and starts stacking them up alongside the rest of his stash.

Carmella deals the next hand. The drinks keep flowing. Mikey lights a cigar.

I take a deep breath and wonder how long I’ll be able to stay in the game.