“That, of course, is why I put you two at the same table today. With Nate and Gabe watching her every move, I knew you wouldn’t let Tessa hang herself. Or interfere with you winning.” He leaned back in his seat and chuckled. “That was quite a stunt you pulled off today. You’re lucky my dealer was feeding you the cards you needed to beat her.”
Annie let a ragged breath slip through her lips. The dealer helped her win? Suddenly, she realized her mistake. She’d thought she was doing the right thing, but she had played right into his plans. She was the one they were really after. They had just used Tessa to get to her.
“Tomorrow, the Barracuda is going to sweep the tournament,” Jerry announced.
“Nate has probably arrested your dealer by now,” she argued. “It won’t work. They’re watching everyone so closely.”
“We have more dealers and another player heading to the final table tomorrow. They’ll help us ensure that you’ll win it all. After Tessa and Darrell are arrested, they’ll relax their surveillance. No one will suspect you because they’ll believe you were instrumental in catching the real cheaters. You’ll be able to waltz out the door with your winnings.”
Annie’s heart started pounding frantically in her chest. She had worked for years to win, but she wasn’t a cheater. She couldn’t. Wouldn’t. “I don’t want to win that way.”
“You have no choice, Annie. Tessa going to jail could be the least of your worries. She was involved with some really dangerous people. Something might happen to her before her court date.”
Annie swallowed hard and closed her eyes. She wouldn’t let them hurt her sister. “My marriage will be ruined.” She could barely imagine the expression on Nate’s face if he found out she really was involved.
“From what I hear, your marriage was ruined the day you said your vows.” He tapped the radio at his hip and sighed. “What’s left of it will be destroyed tonight. You can’t go back to the suite. I don’t trust you not to tip Nate off.”
“I won’t, I—” she started, but he cut her off with a curt shake of his head.
“You’re going to go to Nate and tell him it’s over. That you’ve fulfilled your part of the bargain and now you want your own hotel room. After your stunt today, I doubt it will be a surprise. He’ll be so distraught that tomorrow’s outcome won’t matter.”
Annie’s fists tightened in her lap, the anger coursing through her veins. Since she was old enough to make decisions, every facet of her life had been decided by her. Right or wrong, she was in charge of her fate. She’d left Nate before he could start telling her what to do. She certainly didn’t want the likes of Eddie and Jerry calling the shots.
“What about him?” She jerked a thumb in the direction of Walker.
“He’s leaving. They suspect him, so his disappearance will confirm they’ve caught the right people. It’s all managed, Annie. I assure you that this is a well-organized plan. You’ll walk away with the glory, a third of your winnings and most importantly, a guarantee of your sister’s safety.”
Somehow, winning the tournament paled in comparison to what it would cost her. She hadn’t intended it to happen, but she had fallen in love with Nate. They had both grown up a lot since the last time they were together. They could have a future—one she’d never realized she wanted until she had Nate back in her life—but Jerry would force her to throw it all away.
And for what?
Even if she did everything she was told to do, there was no guarantee she could walk away from this. She would just be giving them more evidence to blackmail her into playing again. “And that’s it?”
“Until such time that we see fit to call on your services again.”
There it was. She was not just taking Tessa’s place tomorrow; she was filling her shoes until Annie came under suspicion and they had to replace her. In the end, her career and her marriage would be ruined.
Despite his assurances, she would never be free of any of this. Tessa would never be safe. And Nate would never, ever forgive her.
* * *
Nate was having one of the longest days of his life. He’d kept telling himself that catching criminals and protecting his casino was the most important thing. After seeing Annie’s reaction, he wasn’t so sure. He hadn’t had much time to think about it, though. Since Tessa was eliminated, he’d spent most of his evening in the security offices interviewing her and Darrell.
Hours of interrogation and working with the police had taken a lot of energy out of him. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with Annie and sleep. Honest-to-God sleep, for more than four hours. Twelve would just about do it.
But he knew he was likely to get none of those things. He’d seen the look in Annie’s eyes when he’d threatened her. He’d recognized the pain hidden there when he asked her to betray her sister and had forced her to choose. What choice did he have? He couldn’t just let Tessa walk because she was his sister-in-law.
When the elevator chimed and the doors opened to his suite, he was surprised to find Annie sitting on the leather sofa in his office. The lights of the Strip shining through the picture window were the only thing illuminating her as she sat in the darkness waiting for him. She looked up when he came in, but there was barely a flicker of recognition in her eyes, much less a warm greeting.
Nate walked over into the mostly dark office, flipping on the lamp on his desk. The light was enough to highlight the tracks of tears that had dried on Annie’s cheeks. His stomach immediately sank.
“How’s my sister?” Annie spoke the words without looking at him. Her gaze was fixed firmly on her hands, folded in her lap.
“She’s fine. A smart girl mixed up in something stupid. Hopefully they won’t go too hard on her. She’s working out a plea bargain with the D.A. for information to convict Darrell and Eddie.”
“Just Darrell and Eddie?”
Nate frowned. Did she think he was going to have her charged, too? She should know better. Or should she? Hell, if she had been involved, Nate probably would’ve hauled her in, even if he regretted it later. “Yes. We don’t have evidence of anyone else being involved at this point. I think that’s quite enough, to be honest. Tessa should be released on bail tomorrow morning.”
“Good.” Annie stood suddenly, scooping up her purse and grasping the handle of her rolling suitcase.
He didn’t know why he was surprised. “Where are you going?”
She continued to hide beneath her dark lashes. Nate couldn’t understand why she was hiding from him. What did she think he was going to see in her eyes?
“I’m going to check into my own hotel room. I think given the current situation it’s the best idea.”
“So you’re leaving.” It was more of a statement than a question, but Nate wanted to hear her say the words. When she left the last time, he hadn’t been there. She’d written a note and slipped out in the night. If she was going to leave him again, he wasn’t going to make it easy on her. It certainly wasn’t easy on him.
“Yes, I’m leaving. I’ve fulfilled my end of the agreement. You’ve caught your bad guys. I don’t see any need for us to continue with the charade.”
Charade. It sure as hell hadn’t felt like a charade. It had felt like she gave a damn. She’d confessed her love for him not twenty-four hours ago. Apparently it had all been smoke and mirrors to protect her sister. He couldn’t keep the steely anger from his voice when he responded. “So I assume you’re wanting me to keep my end of the deal and give you your precious divorce.”
Annie took a deep breath, not answering right away. There was something in her hesitation that urged him to act. He was about to call her on it when her chin snapped up and her blue eyes fixed on him with unmatched intensity. “Yes. I still want the divorce.”
Stupid. Nate was stupid. Even now, when faced with the truth about their relationship,
he kept looking for reasons to believe in her. He’d started out this journey in the hopes of getting over Annie once and for all, but it had backfired. He’d ended up falling for her again. Gabe had been right about this whole thing being a bad idea. That fact pissed him off more than anything.
“So you’re just going to run away again?” He stuffed his curled fists into his pockets to contain his anger.
“I am not running away!” A red flush rose to her cheeks and she crossed her arms tightly under her breasts. “I came here to play in the tournament and get a divorce. Just because you tried to twist this arrangement into something it wasn’t doesn’t mean I’m running away. I’m simply putting an end to this relationship once and for all.”
Nate reached out to touch her arm and found her skin ice-cold. Her tell was giving her away. “Please don’t lie to me, Annie.”
“I never lied to you.” Annie spoke the words, but the eye contact dropped and she turned to the window.
The frustration was starting to well up inside of him. How could she throw all this away? Again? He let his arm drop to his side. “You’re lying right now. Acting like this week hasn’t meant anything to you. Damn it, I think our relationship is more important than this situation with your sister. We can work this out.”
“No, we can’t. There’s nothing to work out.”
“Then you’ve changed your mind? You don’t love me after all?”
“Nate, it doesn’t mat—”
“Say it!” he interrupted, his voice booming loudly and reverberating off the walls of the small office. He hadn’t meant to yell, but if that was the only way to get through to her, so be it. “If this whole thing is just a charade you went along with to get your prized freedom and protect your sister, then say it. I want to hear the words before you walk out on me again.”
He expected her to get angry, to start yelling back at him. He wanted emotion out of her—any emotion. Instead, the expression on her face shifted in a way he almost couldn’t see. She was struggling with something. Her feelings? Her loyalty to her family? Annie almost looked defeated, and he’d never seen that in her before. She was first and foremost a fighter.
Her eyes became glassy. She opened her mouth to speak two or three times before she finally found the words. “I...don’t love you. I just said that because I thought I could talk you out of chasing Tessa.”
Her statement rang with about as much truth as a politician’s campaign speech. “I don’t believe you.” Nate stretched out a hand to her again, but she jerked back out of his reach.
She shook her head, blinking away tears she was too stubborn to shed. “It doesn’t matter if you believe me. It doesn’t matter if you love me. It’s over, Nate. Goodbye.”
* * *
Jerry better lock his bedroom door, or Annie would smother the old bastard in his sleep.
There were no words to describe how horrible it was to look into Nate’s eyes and destroy their chance at happiness. Annie had managed to hold her tears back until the doors of the elevator closed, but she sobbed with abandon until she reached the casino floor.
Five seconds.
That’s all it would’ve taken to tell him the truth, consequences be damned. To out Jerry for the rat he was. Instead, she’d done what she had to do to save her sister’s life. At first, she hadn’t been sure she could do it. When she said she didn’t love him, he didn’t believe her. He saw through her bluff and wanted her, anyway. The redemption and love she’d found with him were everything she’d never known she needed. And she’d been forced to throw it all away.
Now she had nothing. Yes, she might walk away with the championship tomorrow, but there was no glory when she didn’t earn it.
Defeated, she flopped down in front of a slot machine and stared blankly at the flashing lights of the screen that beckoned her to play. She wasn’t interested. She preferred games of skill over games of chance. She liked having some control over her fate.
Her finger ran softly over the blinking buttons as she chuckled bitterly. Maybe she should give up poker for slots. She’d relinquished control in all the other areas of her life. Why not this, too?
“Ms. Baracas?”
Annie turned, surprised at being addressed by her maiden name for the first time in a week. Everyone in the hotel had been calling her Mrs. Reed. Apparently bad news traveled faster than the good.
It was a bellhop, dressed in the navy-and-gold uniform of the hotel. His name tag said his name was Ryan. “Mr. Reed requested that I bring you this.” He held out one of the disposable room key cards. “Your new room is suite eleven fifty-three, up the west elevators near the keno lounge.” With a quick, polite nod, he turned and vanished into the crowd.
Annie frowned and rotated the plastic key in her fingers. She should’ve known that Nate would think of everything. He always did. Even as upset as he’d appeared to be, he had managed to take care of all the loose ends. Her pride stung a bit for it. A part of her was hoping he’d be too distraught by her leaving, but what did she expect? He’d managed to build a great hotel after she left the first time. Why would this be any different?
She was angry at him, although she had no right to be. She’d been the one to walk away. But it still hurt.
Annie stood up and headed toward her new room. She moved quickly, not wanting to run into anyone she knew right now. As it was, it felt as if every employee in blue was eyeballing her with contempt. Maybe it was just the guilt making her paranoid. She doubted a company-wide memo had been distributed in the last fifteen minutes.
As she reached the elevators, she was dismayed to find Jerry there, waiting for her. “I don’t want to speak to you right now.” Turning from him, she forcefully pressed the up button and crossed her arms over her chest.
He ignored her irritation and patted her on the shoulder in a paternal way that was completely alien to her. It was probably meant to be soothing and encouraging, but it wasn’t. A real father wouldn’t force her to do the things she’d done today.
“You’re a good girl,” he said before disappearing into the keno lounge.
Twelve
This was it.
Annie should be proud. This was the first time she’d ever made it to the final table of a main event. Unfortunately, what would’ve been a feather in her cap was tainted by what she was about to do today.
She sat down at the table, taking her assigned chair. As the others gathered, she pulled her compact from her purse and did a quick once-over of her makeup. The cameras and lights would be on her all day.
“You look like hell, kiddo.” The Captain took his seat at the table, decked out in his favorite Hawaiian shirt. He always wore the blue one with the pink hyacinths at the final table. “Trouble in paradise?”
Annie tried to smile and dismiss his concerns, although she had to agree. The concealer did its best to cover the dark circles, but there was no hiding the drooping of her eyelids or the sleep-deprived fog that clouded her blue gaze. “I didn’t sleep well last night. Just nervous about today, I think.”
“Just focus on your game, Annie. Deal with the rest later.”
They were wise words. She wished that she could, but “the rest” had literally made its way into her game. She looked up at the Captain, a man who was probably as close to a father figure as she’d ever have. His blue-gray eyes saw straight through her in a way few people could. There was no way he could know what was really going on, but he had no trouble reading the strain etched into every inch of her body.
It probably wasn’t hard, if she looked as bad as she felt. The granola bar and coffee she’d scarfed down were turning somersaults in her stomach. Her hands were shaking. She felt a sheen of nervous perspiration forming at her hairline and the nape of her neck. The needling sensation of anxiety was running up and down her spine. She was going to look like a nervous, swe
aty, female version of Richard Nixon on national television, and that was the least of her problems.
“Thanks. Good luck, Captain.”
He winked at her and Annie turned back to staring at her hands. For once, she wished she was one of the players who hid behind sunglasses and hats. Then maybe her vulnerabilities wouldn’t show. Instead, she was on full display with her low-cut blouse and short skirt. She’d considered wearing jeans and a T-shirt today but felt the sudden change would alert the other players, and Jerry, to the fact that she was not at the top of her game this morning.
The Barracuda never showed weakness.
Annie closed her eyes to take a deep breath and center herself before the tournament started. When she did, Nate’s face, pained with her betrayal, appeared in her mind just as it had last night every time she’d tried to sleep. Her eyes had popped open to avoid the disappointed expression of the man she loved, only to find the same look on his face across the room.
Nate was watching everything from a far corner. Not her, per se, but overseeing the tournament. She’d expected he would watch from the security booth, but Jerry had been right. The bad guys were caught, the contract was secured and now the focus was on managing the VIPs and finishing up a successful tournament. What did they know?
His dark eyes ran across the room, stopping on her for just a fraction of a second. When their gazes met, there was a moment, an instant of connection. In that second, Annie saw the pain and confusion he was hiding behind his businessman facade. Then it was gone. He turned away to talk to one of his employees and Annie was once again alone in a room full of people.
The tournament started a few minutes later. The man seated to her far right was there to help her drive up the pots and win hands. Eddie had gone over all the signals with her. She didn’t know his name, but she recognized him. Like her, he’d been specially “selected” to reach the final table without drawing suspicion. He smiled at her briefly before game play began. That would be the only recognition she’d get. The room was absolutely crawling with ESPN cameras. They had to be very careful.
BACK IN HER HUSBAND'S BED Page 14
