AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I have a few,” Chris said as he pulled out his phone. “Melissa has thousands.” He scrolled around before handing his phone to Jay.
“Damn, they’re cute. Must look like you did at their age.”
“I don’t have photos from my childhood.” He took a sip from his drink, his posture a bit less stiff than a few minutes ago, but there was still a level of alert in his eyes.
Jay watched the photos a few seconds more before handing the phone back to Chris. “Beautiful family, man.”
“Thank you.”
“Remember how freaked out you were to hear you were gonna have twins?”
Chris nodded. “I wanted to ask for a second opinion, and Melissa said she’d ask for a second husband. The first year was insane, though. Now it’s mostly fun when I get to be at home.”
“You know that couples with twins have more chances of having twins again, right?”
Chris raised a warning finger at Jay. “Don’t even joke about that.”
I couldn’t help but smile as I soaked in this non-hostile exchange. I knew it was an act on Jay’s part, but it was a damn good act.
With the air less tense, we started playing.
Jay’s instructions were clear regarding my part in his plan. I was to distract Chris whenever I felt Jay touching my leg underneath the table. He’d claimed that even without my contribution he should be able to cheat his way to a win, but since Chris was historically the best player among us, I was to be the backup.
Chris won the first round with little trouble. Jay won the second. I won the third, but I had a feeling it should have gone to Jay who decided to spread the winnings to debunk suspicion.
The conversation was thin, but it was better than complete awkward silence. The few times we did speak were due to Jay’s attempts to spark conversation. I was too nervous to contribute more than a few words, and Anthony seemed even more detached. Chris answered any question directed at him but didn’t respond with questions of his own.
Since I was keeping a close eye on Jay, I noticed him messing with his cards on more than one occasion. He was good at it, most likely a skill he’d picked up in prison. Yet despite his new-found knack for cheating in poker, Chris was still a strong player, racking up more than a few wins. I did my part when Jay touched my leg, but distracting Chris only worked partially. When it did, I noticed Jay messing with his own cards more aggressively, which was nerve-racking and made my stomach clench tight. One wrong move and Chris’s sharp senses would be on full alert.
After close to an hour, a substantial pile of chips grew in front of Jay, while Anthony was the first casualty to lose all his money.
“How’d you get so goddamn good?” Chris asked Jay. He only had around twenty dollars left to play with.
“Prison,” Jay flatly said, looking Chris in the eyes. “Not much else to do there.”
Chris nodded and looked away. That was the only time Jay had let his mask slip so far. He hurried to say, “All right, boys, I’m cleaning you dry and it’s breaking my heart. Time to put this body to rest. Ethan, you’re all in?”
“Yes.”
“Chris?”
“I guess.”
“Oh, don’t worry; you know luck favors you.”
Chris ignored that comment and we dove back into the game. I didn’t know how poker could possibly be connected to any plan Jay had in mind, but there was no doubt that for him this stage was crucial.
After five tense minutes, it was over. Jay won.
Chris put his cards on the table and leaned back. “Good game. I guess it’s just not my night. You think they have Netflix here?” He started to rise.
“Hold on,” Jay said.
Chris sat back down, eyes back to being alert. “Why?”
“It’s still early. I say we keep playing, but with different rules this time.”
“You’re gonna change the rules of poker?” Chris crossed his arms, one eyebrow raised.
