that night. But he knew he couldn’t let the man grow too comfortable. Throwing him off-balance was a good thing.
“Shall we break a moment for a bite to eat?” the Raven suggested.
“I didn’t come to eat.” Hollis shuffled quickly, expertly, efficiently. “You’re welcome to snack through the next trick if you can do so without mussing the cards or slowing the play.”
“You aren’t at all hungry?” The Raven slouched, but to the right. The man wasn’t as sure of himself as he’d like to be.
“I can eat when we’re done.”
“A dram of brandy, then?” the Raven offered.
“I don’t drink while I play.” More shuffling, more pointed waiting.
“I happen to be able to do both.” The slouch shifted to the left. An odd thing to take real pride in, but so be it.
Hollis motioned for him to proceed.
The Raven snapped at one of his staff and pointed to the empty spot on the table beside him. “Brandy, girl. Quick.”
The man certainly didn’t address his staff with any degree of consideration. Freeing them from this house felt as important as freeing his brother from exile.
Hollis kept shuffling, kept waiting. He’d learned long ago that equilibrium was essential to winning.
The maid, in a dress of startlingly bright blue, its fine fabric and less-than-serviceable style an odd choice for a servant, slipped over and set a glass of amber liquid at the Raven’s elbow.
The Raven gave her an assessing once-over before tossing an all-too-slick gaze in Hollis’s direction. “Once you graduate from the kiddie tables on the ground floor, you get to enjoy the company of our more . . . pleasant staff.”
Considering Hollis knew of Four-Finger Mike’s connection to people who ran brothels and prostituted women on the streets, the comment was not a particularly pleasing one. Equilibrium, he reminded himself.
“As I said, I’m here to play cards.” Hollis cut the deck. “Everything else is just distraction.”
The Raven examined the maid once more. “Some distractions are worth it.”
The maid dipped a quick curtsey and stepped away. Doing so brought her face into view for the first time. If Hollis could get a good look at her, he might be able to describe her well enough to see if Móirín and Brogan could make certain she had somewhere safe to go.
He looked directly at her. For the first time in his long and storied career as a gambler, Hollis was completely upended.
The maid was Ana. His Ana.
The cards slipped a little in his hand, enough to throw off his shuffle but not enough for most to notice. The Raven did, though. He most certainly did.
This was not good.
Not good at all.
“That one’s been about the place since we arrived,” Fletcher said. “I could count on five fingers the number of times I’ve seen her.”
So Fletcher had interacted with her already. Perhaps the situation wasn’t as dire as it seemed. And “five fingers” was too pointed a phrase to be accidental. Four fingers would have made more sense, considering who they were attempting to find. Unless four was the wrong number.
“Did she bring you anything?” Hollis asked.
“Brought me heartache, she did. Dropping a word of warning, like I was a great hairy dog.”
Warning. Great hairy dog.
Blue blimey.
The Mastiff. He was connected to all this. Closely, apparently. Mercy, they were in trouble.
“Can’t say I blame the bird,” Hollis said to Fletcher. “You are a bit of a mutt.”
Fletch shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “Are the two of you meaning to finish this game today, or ought we all find a corner for sleeping in tonight?”
“Oh, we’re going to finish it.” He looked across at the Raven. “We are going to finish this.”
The Raven gestured to the table with a flourish. He always grew more elaborate when he was feeling cocky. That was a good thing at the moment. Hollis still felt more than a little off his game, seeing Ana nearby, trapped in this den of villainy. If the Raven was overconfident, that would even things up.
Hollis dealt. The room held its breath.
“Will you allow the exchange?” the Raven asked.
“No.”
The room took a collective sharp breath. A dealer took a great risk in denying cards to be exchanged. If he lost the round, his opponent would receive an extra point, which could be enough to win the game.
“I’m declaring the king in the trump suit,” the Raven said.
Hollis nodded in acknowledgment. That earned the Raven a point, and it meant he was guaranteed to win at least one trick. Hollis wasn’t in the most