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I went to his scar.What did Gordon Saxon do to you to bring you back into his clutches? I wanted to ask him. It had to be something so sinister, so nightmarishly cruel, that Theo couldn’t refuse.
I thought of Chenko, and the promise he made me swear to.
Theo had made sure he had nothing left of value to give. Nothing except … himself, in favor of others.
But who?
Theo’s younger brother. Theo loved Ward, that I knew. Their father now resorted to threats against his youngest and last son.
Disgust curdled on the back of my tongue. Of course Gordon would. And of course Theo would do anything protect him. Including submitting to permanent mutilation on his angelic face.
Gordon W. Saxon. Oh, how I hated that man.
“You’ve played there before?” Theo asked Rada. I jarred back to the present.
“Many times,” she said.
“All right. Tell us the layout.”
Rada outlined her mental blueprint of the poker room, and while her staff drifted in and out, refilling our waters and her wine, I paid particular attention to her description of the players. Eight took to the table, including the duke’s son. Investors mainly, venture capitalists, a couple of others with royal monikers, including a knighted Sir Kingston. It was rare to have a female player at the felt, but foreigners often came and went, so having an American at the table wouldn’t be uncharacteristic.
Trace himself wouldn’t be there, due to the notoriety of his face. That was a relief—Trace would recognize me on sight, even with new chocolate locks.
“How do you know he’s Trace’s horse?” Theo bent forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.
“Trace has chosen a great player, but Mel is a talker,” she said, then smiled. “And I love to be spoken to.”
“Is he Trace’s only horse?”
“He’s the only one I know.” Rada gave a dainty shrug. “But if he were smart, he’d have many horses playing at many tables.”
“I don’t get it,” I spoke up. “Why would this Mel agree to Trace as his backer? Does he not watch the news? Trace has got a reward on his head, both by his family and the FBI. Why isn’t he giving Trace up?”
“Because the split is eighty-twenty,” Rada answered.
I fell back against the chair. “Wow. Shit.”
“Then Trace has to have more than one horse,” Theo said. “We’re lucky we found one.”
“We have to assume Mel’s a liability,” I said to Theo. “He’s already spoken to Rada. Who knows who else he’s bragged to.”
“Yeah. Trace is going to put an end to it soon,” Theo said.
“Or end Mel,” I added.
“He wouldn’t—can’t,” Rada said. “Mel’s too well known.”
I snorted. “That won’t stop him.”
“Your job tonight is to watch Mel’s plays,” Theo said to me. “Knowing my brother’s desperation, Mel will be playing to win as much as he can, but not so steep that it’d be out of character for him.”
“And I need to do what I can to encourage a high pot, and allow Mel to win,” I said.
“Yes.” Lifting, Theo splayed his hands on his thighs. “Then we can follow him once the game has ended, see if he leads us to my brother. Are we set?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m confident.”
“Wonderful.” Rada snapped her fingers, and the butler appeared with a wad of cash. She then handed it to me. “Welcome to my stable, little princess.”
