Belinda confided what had happened to no one.
Except Ike Silver.
When she and Sebastian sat down to discuss the rules of the game, she included an observation and a proposition.
“Maybe you can beat me and maybe I can beat you. Either of us can win or lose. But there’s one way we can both win. Make it look good for a couple of hours. Then deal me a winning hand. I’ll keep the Emporium and give you back the cash. How big is the bankroll?”
“Ten thousand.”
“Lessur?”
Sebastian nodded.
“I thought so. You and I both win and Lessur loses.”
For the first time in a long while, the look on Sebastian’s face, for less than a second, turned less solemn.
Rupert Lessur’s first ploy had failed, but it was a minor ploy compared to the other two. There was still Quentin Cord. And a truce to be broken.