Call My Bluff

by Elizabeth Knox

  Hell, no problem then.

  Which should have prepared me for when the gunfire started in the distance, the lights flickered, and the girls shrieked. I needed to focus and get my erratic heartbeat under control.

  Not making eye contact with Sawyer, I moved in closer to Grace. I took a deep breath, and thought, I need to treat this like a training mission. It’s nothing like Afghanistan.

  Take a deep breath.

  Keep the mark safe.

  Focusing all my energy on Grace, I took another steady breath. Better.

  Eventually, we came into a large hollowed out open space. There was a lot of dark debris at the edges of the space, everything from dumpsters to packing crates. The gunfire was sudden and rapid, and all I could think was that I needed to get my helmet off.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  The numbness in my hands made it impossible to wrench open the clasp locking the strap at the side of my face. I was sweating and gasping for air as I sunk onto my heels against a large wooden box facing the wall. Just as the clasp released, my helmet clanged against the box. The noise was swallowed by another round of rapid-fire. Yanking off my goggles, realizing that tears were streaming from my eyes, I covered my head with my hands forcing my head onto my knees.

  Counting.

  Squeezing my eyes shut.

  Then forcing myself to stand, I grabbed the cast aside helmet and goggles by the straps and turned to face the room. At war with my racing heart and thoughts scrambled by memories, I tried to focus on Grace. She needed me and that would be enough for me to fight through.

  Pulling my sleeves down to cover the palms of my hands, I raised my chin and let go of the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

  My eyes crashed into Sawyer’s as he walked straight across the battlefield toward me, coming to a stop inches from my chest.

  “Not a great field tactic, launching yourself straight across the open and away from the enemy.” I felt pretty witty considering how scattered my thoughts were at that second. “And now you are blocking my sightline of the girls.” The cockiness of my words lied even in my own ears. I felt the heat and the strength coming off him in waves and I was longing to lean into and surround myself in him.

  His eyes hadn’t left mine, and his hand came up to my face. I winced. His hand didn’t falter, and he stroked the side of my face with just the tips of his fingers. My eyes drifted shut for a moment and my head leaned in toward his gentle caress. Seeking his comfort for a second, stilling my racing heart and focusing all my energy on the here and now, I opened my eyes and I found myself looking longingly at his lips, before once again meeting his now intense gaze.

  He dipped his head and brushed his lips against mine, pulling away for a split second before kissing me again. So tenderly. I waited for a full heartbeat before smiling, all the emotions swirling at the edges, but joy won out and took over.

  I had never kissed anyone, with both our eyes open and so connected to each other. For the first time I saw Sawyer smile, his eyes crinkled at the corners. He looked so pleased with himself as he took a full step back, and he raised his rifle and shot me.

  Well, fuck!

  He shot me.

  Then he showed me his back as he turned and walked away.

  Son. Of. A. Bitch.

  Rage swirled inside me as I realized exactly what he had done. Dammit! I was out. What a fucking fuck-nut. Urgh! I was back to needing to count my breathing again, as a woman I realized looked familiar to me, approached. Her eyes said she had seen what had happened. We both watched as the group moved on, and he didn’t even look back.

  Her soft, “Hey, Major Powell,” told me I should recognize her too.

  It only took me a second to place her kind face—her wearing fatigues helped. Shaking her outstretched hand, I said, “Captain Moran, it’s good to see you. When did you get back stateside?” I knew it must have been a few years.

  “It’s been a while. No more Captain Moran, I’m just Angel now. Do you want to get your stuff? It will be a little bit before they finish, they still have another forty-five minutes or so inside the game.”

  I nodded and we walked back through the briefing tent to the waiting area and gift shop. Heading to the locked boxes, I asked, “Are you still working as a nurse?” I remembered she had been an excellent nurse, provided the best care I received after the gunfight with hostiles that had seen almost seventy of my squad injured or killed, and got me sent back stateside. It usually felt like a lifetime ago, but it was surreal seeing her in this place, where it all felt so close.

  “No. Not since I was discharged. Too many memories. Not many of them good.” She lifted the drawer with my things onto the counter. “You feeling any better now?” Her soft question reminded me that she knew I had panicked. Lost my shit. What she didn’t know was that the girl I was meant to protect had continued in the game without me.

  “Yeah, thanks. Which door will they come back through?” As I holstered one gun on my leg, and the other in the corset I was beginning to adore, she never stopped watching me.

  “That one,” she pointed toward the door on the other side of the gift shop. “So, not just a fun family outing?” she asked motioning to me tucking my Shield .380 into one side of my corset and a magazine of bullets into the other.

  “I am working. I run a protection and investigation agency. Ravi is working with me. Do you remember her?” Thinking of my friend made me long to spill my guts and tell her everything that was going on.

  At Ravi’s name, Angel’s face broke into a wide, genuine smile. “Who the hell can forget Ravi?”

  At the same moment we both boomed, “Oorah,” just as Ravi often did whenever anything got in her way.

  “I am gonna video call her… will you say hi? I know it would mean a lot to her.” My cell was already in my hand, and Ravi picked up right away. “Guess who I bumped into?”

  I turned slightly so Ravi could see Angel in the screenshot. “Hey, Sergeant Adams. Good to see ya.”

  Ravi reacted as only Ravi could. “Holy Shit! Captain Moran! Damn, it’s good to see you. How did you two run into each other? Major, are you wounded?”

  “I am not a nurse anymore, sergeant, I work with other veterans helping the public slay zombies. Sound fun?” As soon as Angel had finished asking the question Ravi answered with a snort. “I’m gonna give my number to Major Powell. You message me, okay? It has been too long. I gotta get back to work, I’ll let you two catch up. It is good to chat with you again.”

  I turned my attention to Ravi. “How are things there?”

  “Wait a minute. You just ran into her? At the zombie place?”

  I kept in nearly constant contact with Ravi, mostly over text, so she knew exactly where we were all the time. “Yeah, I didn’t realize how realistic this whole setup would be. I lost it in the main gunfight with the zombies. She had to pull me out.” I was omitting the biggest part, that I had been kissed and then shot by the person who had hired the agency. I figured I could fill her in on that little tidbit later.

  “You lost it? Like what? Panic? Is it all too much, boss?” Only Ravi truly understood how much this job was costing me. How the need to protect Grace swamped me, keeping her safe consumed me. If I could save this girl, it might ease the ache. So that no one, but especially not Sawyer, would ever have to know the pain of losing their child the way I did.

  “What happened?”

  “The rapid gunfire, the yelling, the shadows. I tried the breathing stuff, but nothing from our training worked. I couldn’t get the helmet or gear off quick enough. I was panicking, I guess. I even teared up for a minute but then I got it back together.”

  “Why did you have to leave the principal then, if you got it back together?” Ravi was smart and quick. She knew I wouldn’t have left Grace’s side unless I couldn’t do my job. At least not willingly.

  “He kissed me. I kissed him. Then he shot me at point-blank range. I was out,” I said bluntly and without emotion.

/>   The stunned silence on the other end of the call should have been enough.

  “Well, fuck me,” was all Ravi said before the side door banged open and Grace launched herself across the open space to me. She flung her arms around me, and for the first time, I hugged her back.

  “Hey, you okay?” I asked trying to get a look at her face.

  “Yeah, it was awesome! Thanks so much for coming along. Dad said you didn’t feel great, but you came anyway. I know it’s only to keep me safe. Before anyone else comes out I wanted to say how great I think you are. I am just so happy.” She bounced off again as her friends came through the door with Sawyer right behind them. I watched as he bought a stack of matching t-shirts and a zombie phone case for Grace.

  Angel was by my side a moment later and handed me a scrap of paper with her number on it. “I’d like to hear from you again. And give my number to Ravi. If after everything she has been through, she is still up and going, I want her in my life.”

  Sawyer was beckoning to me from the counter. I was still way to pissed off to act like nothing had happened.

  Angel said, “The photographer got some great shots from your session. I think he needs your help to choose which ones to buy.” She raised both her eyebrows and smiled before going to help another family who had just arrived.

  As I walked over to join Sawyer and Grace, I pocketed the scrap of paper safely, thinking about how I might need Angel’s number soon.

  Chapter Six

  SAWYER

  Hell. Looking down at the pictures in my hand I saw several with my daughter, eyes sparkling, a quick grin, and looking too grown up in the army vest and helmet. The two photographs that stabbed me in the heart though were of Honor. Exactly as she was when I saw her, almost squatting, head in her hands, helmet at her feet. I could almost feel the pain she was in from looking at the image. The next shot of her, standing at full attention, chin raised and the shine of tears still in her eyes, had been taken seconds later.

  What the hell had I been thinking?

  I thought it would be a bit of fun.

  I thought I was so smart to get the zombie thing in for Grace and hoped to score some points with Honor. I actually thought she would enjoy the whole camo and shoot ‘em up thing.

  What had she been through?

  What the fuck was I playing at?

  She was damn strong though—she recovered so fast.

  Then as soon as my fingers touched her skin I wanted more. I saw she was back, getting stronger as I stroked the side of her face, and the haunted look in her eyes had gone. For that moment she was soft as a kitten, leaning into my touch, and all I could think about was making her mine.

  I was getting fucking hard just sitting here thinking about kissing her. Shit. I was like a horny teenager. She was fucking amazing. I wanted to tell her, to explore whatever this was between us, that had me rock solid at the thought of her smile.

  But first I had a casino to open.

  I could smell the pizza long before I got to the doors of the security room. What the hell they were celebrating I didn’t know. I had to pay out over thirty thousand dollars in bonuses to the actors that scammed and swindled the tables and machines. Neither the security team nor the dealers had done much to curb the blatant cheating.

  I was beginning to doubt the wisdom of opening a casino with my brother as the head of security.

  As I walked into the room his head came up quickly. “Brother!”

  I wasn’t fooled by his jovial tone, I knew we were both mad as hell, but for different reasons. The security team was slowly coming together, but I needed to have them all ready and now. I nodded a greeting to several guards, looking over the schedule and roster to see who was on the casino floor. I wanted more men in ‘Decked’ our high roller room. It had its own dining room and dealers. The gamblers could get almost anything tableside twenty-four hours a day. Even massages. I wanted more security in there, and I had told him before so I wasn’t going to be put off tonight.

  “I want more staff on at Decked. Twenty-four hours a fucking day. Clear?” My demand silenced the room.

  Rylan looked bored, as he replied, “We have it under control. My tech guys are amazing. Look here, we can see everything.”

  I thought about explaining to him once more that it wasn’t just watching for someone to fuck us over. It was about the presence, about having people we trusted on the floor. I wondered what word I could use to get it through to him. When did it all get so hard with him? It had been a while, sometime after Dad died and Grace came, when I had been in a haze of my own grief, that I didn’t notice losing pieces of my younger brother.

  I took a deep breath and said, “Okay, show me the tech. Show me what you are excited about.”

  We walked closer to the two men controlling the cameras. Standing behind them, I watched as they typed in keywords for the AI computers and controlled the cameras to zero in on someone, the footage so clear I could probably read the serial numbers on the hundred dollar bills gamblers flung down on the tables.

  I hadn’t been concentrating on what he was saying, but Rylan continued, “From this control room we can see the gaming areas, cocktail bars and restaurants, both front-of-house and behind the scenes. That is as well as monitoring the entrances. And these tech guards are in constant contact with the floor staff.”

  As Rylan spoke, we saw a drunk-looking man approach the front doors. The younger of the two guards in front of me spoke into his mouthpiece, and a uniformed guard stepped in front of the drunken man.

  “Let him in,” I growled to the whole room, making yet another demand. It was strange, trying to control what happened down on the floor from up in this room so far away. The young guard turned toward me in his chair, and the anger in his eyes caught me unaware, before he spoke again into the mouthpiece and the customer was let in.

  “They need more training, Rylan. They should know who Bobby is. This is exactly the sort of mistake that can cost us.” Bobby’s a well-known professional poker player. His medical condition may make it a challenge for him to walk, but seated he was a machine. He played high-stakes and brought in other professional players. It was a big deal that he was even here tonight.

  Rylan stepped in, “We will keep working on it. Right now, you should be down there greeting customers.” Looking through the screens being monitored in the security room, I could see the lines of gamblers waiting, and I agreed.

  “Before you head down, this arrived today.” Rylan was holding out another slim courier bag. It looked like more pictures from the zombie apocalypse thing. Because Honor hadn’t helped me choose any prints, I had paid for two sets of every image. It made sense that the second set would be sent separately.

  Except as I looked at the photographs these were grainy. It was like they had been taken from far away. Before and after the professional images, maybe even snapped at the Earl of Sandwich, where I had taken everyone before we started the drive back into town last night. My gut was churning.

  What the fuck?

  No-one except Honor had known, and I had only sprung it on her as she was leaving to get Grace from school.

  I tried to think.

  Had I used the phone in my room to make the reservations?

  Or had I used my cell?

  Was that the link?

  Another photograph fell out of the plastic envelope. This time of Grace, sleeping. This one was different, not grainy, like I took it on my phone. Looking at it I felt like I was going to puke.

  On the back of the picture was written in red ink. She’s mine. I’m coming for what’s mine.

  Rage clouded my thoughts as I turned and punched the wall. How was this asshole still hiding?

  The last photograph, the one of Grace, must have been taken in her room.

  While I was there!

  As I turned, I slid the courier envelope with all the photographs back into my jacket inside pocket.

  I wanted to hand these over to the FBI.

 
But not until Honor got everything she needed from them.

  Before the elevator doors pinged shut, I knew I should have taken the stairs. Seeing the two women wearing so much make-up and false lashes, I wondered how they kept their eyes open. From far away, once they were in costume and when you were watching them dance on stage they looked amazing, but up-close-and-personal in the confined space of an elevator it was all too much. I am sure their names were Ashley and Brittany, but because I couldn’t remember who was who I stuck to a clipped, “Ladies.”

  “Oh, Sawyer, I’m so glad to see you. We are just thrilled to be opening the show tonight. You hear me? Thrilled. This opening is absolutely the only event in town.”

  When the elevator doors opened again, I could have groaned. Two of the couples known to be high rollers stepped in. “Well, Mr. Ford, hello.” The breathy greeting of one of the wives as she tucked her hand under my elbow made me stand up to my full height, nearly a head taller than everyone else on this hellish descent with me. I also rolled my shoulders back, and it shook off the bird-like grasp of the married woman at my side.

  As the elevator slowed for a third time, I was ready. I was going to take the stairs. Except that, as the doors opened, my head of staff stood before me.

  “There you are. The security team said you were headed down. Just before we get there, I need your…” he droned on as we pounded down the steps.

  All I wanted was to see Honor. I just needed to get this opening over, then I would tell her.

  Opening the door to the rooms Grace and I share just after 3:00 a.m. I realized how tired I was.

  The flickering of the television showed me that Grace and Honor had both fallen asleep on the couch watching a movie. But they had made me a chocolate cake, set out in the tiny kitchen, with the logo of our casino almost legible in sprinkles on the top. Everything else was forgotten as I realized this was what I wanted most.

  Walking closer I tried to figure out how I could wake Honor without getting shot. I attempted to clear my throat, but neither of them stirred. Taking my chances, I called her name as I touched the side of her face again. She smiled, even before she opened her eyes. As she stood before me, I leaned in—kissing her the only thing I could think about.