Page 18 of Own

Marva smiled. A straight in her high hand. Three and two in her low. A push. It wouldn’t win anything, but she didn’t lose.

Yet.

They both eyed me and I flipped over my high hand. Royal flush. Pair of nines for the low hand.

I beat them both.

“Well,” she said with a long exhale. “Well done, sir. Well done.”

“Thank you.”

The dealer passed the markers to me. The progressive win was mine as was the hand, and the fortune. A total of just under three million. But not under by much.

I passed the dealer a five hundred dollar chip as I rose. Then I tucked the markers into the inner pocket of my jacket. It would be nice to clear the money but that was not the primary mission.

A server came by our table and presented a card to Madame Duvall. “What excellent timing.” She rose, ever graceful. “Would you be so kind as to join me?”

“I would be honored.”

She took the arm I offered. “Both of yours with you?” She waved her invitation toward Alphabet and Lunchbox.

“Absolutely. I presume you’re taking all three of yours.”

A flash of irritation danced through her eyes, but she shuttered it away swiftly. I probably shouldn’t enjoy tweaking her so much, but I hadn’t missed any of her security. Better for her to understand that I was not an easy mark.

“Of course.” She let out a soft laugh. “This is what happens when I let a pretty face turn my head.” She made a show of fanning herself as we headed toward the elevators. Unsurprisingly, the Nocturne would be meeting on a different floor.

The man we’d already identified as Suitcase was already at the elevator bank with his own retinue. He surveyed our little group with cool eyes before he nodded to Madame Duvall—Peacock. When the doors opened, he and his went in and they rode alone.

Alphabet hit the button to summon the car back once the elevator was on the move. Another elevator opened. We boarded the empty one. Removing her hand from my arm, she pulled a key from beneath her dress. While it looked like an old fashioned skeleton key, she merely pressed it to the tap and a secondary keypad opened.

She chose an unmarked floor for our destination. The elevator’s motion told me we were going up. Not down. So wherever we were headed, it wasn’t below where they were actually hosting the auction.

That made sense. They probably wanted to do their bidding with creature comforts in place. Based on the seconds passing, we climbed six levels. So we were back in the luxury hotel’s private area most likely.

Above ground.

That would make exfiltration easier.

When the doors opened, it was to thickly carpeted hallway that muffled even the suggestion of steps. The walls were done in varying shades with expensive artwork serving as general decor.

The one with the young girls as ballet dancers offered a disturbing surrealism to this macabre drama we were unearthing. Madame Duvall gestured with one hand the directions we needed to follow.

At the end of the hallway was a pair of double doors standing wide with guards in place. Movement in the room showed Suitcase was there well ahead of us. Diamond passed the doors with a cigar in one hand and a whiskey in the other.

The room was quite full with bidders, the Nocturne, and their various parties. I just gave the room a bored sweep of my gaze before glancing at Madame Duvall.

“My table is there.” She motioned to one near the back. “I don’t like to be crowded.”

“Would you care for a drink?” It would allow me to disconnect and put me on the back foot with her. The offer of service seemed to brighten her mood.

“Romanee-Conti Grand Cru 2019,” she said, with a slow smile. “The bottle. Two glasses.”

Taking her hand from my arm, I cupped her palm as I lifted her knuckles to my mouth for a kiss. “Of course.” I held her gaze for just a few seconds longer than necessary as lips brushed over her skin. When her pupils widened again, I smiled and then stepped away.

Her people converged on her as Lunchbox and Alphabet did with me.

“Pretty sure she would have skipped this entirely if she’d won that hand,” Alphabet commented.

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