own slim fingers in his grip when we first met, when I thought he was still the white knight in shining armor—not the dark knight I see before me now. But I see his hand twitch ever so slightly as he stares at me and I can’t help but wonder, what might it be like to be under that hand? The hand of a man so rich, so powerful, that $1.3 million is mere pocket change?
“Lilly?” Deanna is staring at me expectantly. “You don’t have to do this.” She says calmly and clearly. A flash of sobriety has overtaken her. I realize that literally every pair of eyes in the room is staring at me. Everything depends on me right now.
“Yes.” I gulp. “I’ll do it.” Am I being fueled by champagne, adrenaline, fear, or all of the above? I don’t know. But I know I want to take this risk.
I see a brief flash of surprise cross David’s face. Deanna gives me a hug, whispering into my ear, “Don’t worry, I’m going to smoke this joker.” I wish I shared her confidence.
The others scoot back from the table, leaving only David and Deanna to face off. The dealer is nervously shuffling the cards, fanning them out and gathering them in his hand again before doling out two cards each, face down, to each of the players.
The first community card goes face up on the table. The jack of hearts. Both David and Deanna confidently check. Next up is a four of clubs. Again, both check. I pray that Deanna isn’t bluffing and that she actually has something this time. Next is a five of diamonds. Then a two of hearts.
“Check.”
“Check.”
And finally, the dealer plays the last card. The ace of diamonds.
Time for the showdown. Deanna triumphantly lays her cards down on the table. Two aces in hand. “Pocket aces,” Tessa whispers next to me excitedly. “She’s got three of a kind. That’s a good hand.” She gives me an encouraging nod.
David slowly places his cards down. Three of clubs. King of diamonds. I scan the cards on the table, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing. It doesn’t look like anything cohesive at first. But then I see it all come together. Combined with the cards on the table, he’s got an ace, two, three, four, and five. It’s a straight, consisting of five cards of increasing value. An ace can go before a two or follow a king.
I piece together what the skilled poker players in the room have already seen. And I gasp as if a bucket of ice water has been dumped on my head.
“Take her to the penthouse,” I hear David say sharply. “My penthouse.” Instantly a large hand seizes my forearm. I cast a pleading eye at Tessa, who is intently looking away.
“NO! Let her go!” Deanna shrieks, throwing herself at the giant security guy. He swats her off as if she doesn’t weigh a thing. But she doesn't stop fighting, scratching at his face until the second security guy grabs her around the waist, lifting her right off of her feet as she claws the air like a wild cat.
“Wait!” I whisper the word and nobody hears me. I lick my lips and try again. But I can’t speak. Then suddenly David steps forward.
“Hang on, Ben. Wait a second. Mike, put the other one down.” He instructs the security guys, who instantly take their hands off of us. They are just as terrifying and simultaneously docile like a pair of perfectly trained killer Rottweilers. “Lilly.” David stops in front of me. “What did you want to say?” How did he know I wanted to speak? I wonder, staring up at him.
“I just wanted to say bye to my sister.” I squeak out the sentence. “Is that okay?”
“Of course.” He smiles and the fear that had been washing through me gives way to something else. Anticipation. “But I’ll need to confiscate your phone while you’re here. I don’t want you two cooking up any harebrained schemes.”
“Fine.” My words are defiant but the thought of losing my phone sends a chill through me. “Deanna.” I turn to her. She’s breathing heavily after her scuffle with the security team and her hair looks wilder than ever, strewn across her face. Each cheek glows bright red. “It’s going to be okay. Cover for me with Mom and Dad, okay?” I look into her hazel eyes, the reflection of my own.