Page 16 of The Devil's Playground

Considering I pulled the idea of a big stakes poker game out of my ass, I’m an even better one than I thought.

Haines has no idea, but he’s already snared in my trap the second he joins me at the poker table at eleven-thirty. That Nicolette is milling around the quiet casino area to watch me pull this off?

That just makes this all the sweeter.

I’m keeping a close eye on the time. I have half an hour to knock the other three players out, then focus on Haines. Since two of the three are plants—prospective soldiers who want to be full-fledged Sinners—that’s easy enough. The third is a well-known gambler in Springfield, but I’ve played against him enough to know his tells.

He’s out even before one of the plants folds.

At ten to twelve, it’s just me and Haines. I lost a couple of hands deliberately in order to build up his confidence and add to the chips growing in front of him, but when the clock winds down and I realize it’s time I have here where I want him, I get ready to make my move.

The betting for the latest hand started out low. A couple of hundred before the ante went up to a thousand. We both buy in. Haines takes two cards. I take three.

I nod.

Haines smirks. High on the thought he’s walking out of here with Nicolette in a few moments, he’s probably looking to get some cash back from the amount he promised her.

Why else would he say, “Two grand.”

I could draw this out. Honestly? I’d rather see him squirm.

“I raise you.” A tiny crooked smile. “Ten grand.”

Haines’s eyes immediately drop to the floor. I know he’s looking at the case he has by his ankles. He waits a moment, then slowly fans out his cards again.

He blows a breath out through his long nose. “I’m in.”

“Put up the cash.”

“You know I’m good for it.”

I shake my head, swallowing my smile. This fucker’s making it too easy, but I don’t want to tip him off before I play my hand. “That’s not how it works. Put up or shut up.”

Haines works his jaw. “What about you?”

“What about me? I’m a Sinner.”

“So?” he demands.

Just like I thought he would. “You want to see my ten k? Is that is? You don’t think a Sinners’ word is good enough?”

“I didn’t say that?—”

Yeah, he did, but I don’t care. I made a display of looking around the faces gathered. I skip over Julio, landing on Killian who is standing behind me. I snap my finger, and he moseys on over to the table.

“Yeah, Rolls?”

“Go get me ten stacks.”

“You got it.”

Killian doesn’t hesitate. A good man who knows better than to question orders, I’m proud to have him on my crew. Having been filled in earlier on my plan, he doesn’t take too long, either; I need this game down at midnight, not before, not after.

At eleven-fifty-eight, he lays out ten grand on the table, then nods at me before taking up his spot by my side.

“Your turn,” I call.

“Come on, Rolls,” Haines says, now that I’ve called his bluff. “You know that money’s spoken for.”

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