The savage smile vanished.
Ah, she had hit a nerve. “Did Angie remind you of Mommy? Is that why you could never really trust her?”
Despite his age he moved quickly, raising his hand up like a cat and striking her across the face. The unexpected impact sent her head flying back as pain rocked her skull and shot through her jaw. She tasted blood.
He flexed his fingers as his breathing quickened. She was hurting, but he was also struggling.
Carefully, she touched her bruised lip. “You hit like a girl.” If she provoked his temper, his judgment in the poker game might slip. Battered and bruised was a small price to pay if the other player won and she and Hanna got out of this alive.
Seething, he raised his hand to strike again but stopped. “It’s time to play.”
“Hard to believe someone like me could scare the hell out of you.”
He leaned close so that his face was only inches from hers. “You do not scare me.”
“Liar.”
The old man shook his head. “You are trying to provoke me.”
“Just calling it like I see it.”
He smiled. “I think your strength is your best quality.” With the buzz of a bell, the man who had vanished returned. “Bring in the other player.”
“Yes, sir,” the man said.
She wasn’t expecting to recognize the player, but when she turned and saw the familiar face, she felt as if she’d been punched hard in the gut. She blinked, shaking her head as she tried to will the sight of him away.
“Duke?” she whispered, her voice tight with fear and anguish. “This can’t be true. You haven’t gambled for twenty years.”
He looked at her bruised face. A sense of resignation deepened the lines around his eyes and mouth.
She sat there stunned as the pain of betrayal cut into her. Duke. How could it be Duke? This had to be a mistake. He’d said once she was like a daughter to him, like family. Tears tightened her throat. “Duke, you met me at the bus in Virginia. You took care of me. You protected me.”
He sat at the table, staring at the sealed deck of cards. “Riley, I put you on that bus in New Orleans.”
“I don’t understand.”
He shoved out a sigh. “Gambling gets in your blood. You think you can control it, but it’s always there, lurking. I was in New Orleans and the fever to gamble hit me hard. I heard the Shark was in town and I wanted to test him. When I found out what the stake was, I went looking and I found you on the streets. I was so sure I’d win. I didn’t think anyone would get hurt. And they didn’t.”
“And if the cards hadn’t gone your way, would you have killed me?”
Duke didn’t answer.
“The Shark had already killed four girls in New Orleans,” she said.
Duke shook his head. “I had nothing to do with those games.”
“You had to have known about the girls.”
“There was nothing I could do for them. And I was so sure I could save you when I won.” He stared at her. “You were in a bad place in New Orleans. I saw how afraid and hungry you were. It was a matter of time before the streets ate you alive.”
“You knew this killer was out here.”
An angry frown deepened the lines on his face. “And he knew where I lived and where you were. He knows about Maria. If I’d spoken up, we’d all have been killed. I had no way out.”
“So you let him go free?”
“Shit, Riley.” Pain mingled with anger. “Don’t you get it? Not a day goes by that I don’t regret this.”
“Why can’t I remember you and the game?”
“The drugs I gave you wiped out your memory,” the Shark said. “It was designed to make you forget several days before the game so if he did win, I could set you free without worries.”
She couldn’t look away from Duke. “And you won? What happened? Why didn’t you dump me back on the streets where you found me?”
“I couldn’t. You could barely walk, and it would’ve been like throwing you to the wolves. So I put you on a bus and made sure I met the bus. I brought you here. I saved your life.”
“But you’re risking it again now.”
“He’s going to kill Maria if I don’t play.”
“We’ve talked enough. Time to play,” the Shark said.
Both men sat at the table. The dealer, while both men watched, broke the seal. The cards were elaborate, like the ones in her pocket and Vicky’s backpack and Cassie’s pocket.
“Who put the cards in my pocket?” Riley asked.
“I did,” Duke said. “It was one of the Shark’s stipulations. Win or lose, he wanted to leave his mark.”
“I trusted you,” she said.
Duke dropped his gaze to the cards, his eyes sharpening. She’d seen that look when he’d been talking to Jax on the phone. This was a man she didn’t recognize, because now she was getting a glimpse into his darker days as a younger man. The gambler. The man who’d lived for over two decades on the turn of a card.
Her mouth still throbbing, she sat, knowing she could berate Duke, but right now she needed his focus on the game. Her life and Hanna’s depended on him winning.
“We’ll play one hand,” the Shark said. “One hand decides it all.”
Duke nodded.
The Shark looked at his dealer. “Would you get Riley some ice for that cut on her lip?” the Shark said. “I think it’s swelling.”
“Yes, sir.”
When the dealer approached her with a white linen cloth filled with ice, she accepted it. Play nice, Riley. Your shot will come.
“We’re playing five-card stud, Riley,” the Shark said. “You know how the game is played, don’t you?”
“I do.” She gripped the cloth, wondering if she could wrap it around the Shark’s neck and kill him. She looked to the closed doorway and windows. On the slim chance she could fight her way out of here, she’d never get to Hanna in time. She might as well have been handcuffed to the Shark.
Bowman cut the lights to his SUV when the GPS told him his last turn would be around the next bend. He slowed and pulled to the side of the road. Grabbing his gear, he unholstered his weapon and screwed a suppressor on the end. He hurried along the edge of the road, knowing that going directly up the driveway was too risky. The Shark must have surveillance posted around the property. He reached for his radio. “Andrews.”
“Here.”
“Anything on satellite? What do you see?”
“The house is lit up. I see three vehicles. Looks like there are two men standing guard.”
“Two?” Bowman asked.
“Is that a concern?” Andrews asked.
“No. I’ll contact you when it’s over. Where’s the cavalry?”
“Ten minutes out.”
“Everyone comes in quiet. No sirens.”
“Understood.”
“Out.” He clipped the radio to his belt and, gun in hand, moved through the woods toward the house. The early-morning sun allowed him to navigate at top speed. “Just buy me ten more minutes, Riley. Just ten more minutes.”
“Did you bring the money?” the Shark asked.