My Stepfather Lost Me in a Poker Game, Then I Cleaned Him Out novel · Chapter 17 of 24

Chapter 17: The Dark Room

"I'll deal it," I said. "Bring every man you ever cheated."

Russ laughed and walked out of the salon with his whales behind him.

The Houston man was the last to go.

He stopped beside me and looked at my pocket, where the deck was.

"Darlin', I can't tell which of you is lying," he said. "I'll come on the first and find out."

On Sunday at noon I walked into the Sandpiper through the employee door with the deck in my hand.

I'd told the gaming agent Sunday, and I keep my word.

Brandi caught me in the corridor by the time clock, still in her vest, with a vending machine coffee.

"Where are you going?"

"To give the state lady the deck."

"Then you heard."

"Heard what?"

Brandi set her coffee down on top of the time clock.

"The commission pulled Laurent's license Friday. For good. And the Sandpiper fired him the same afternoon."

I stood very still.

"That's not all," she said. "The last thing he filed before they took his keys was a statement about you."

"It says you never took a dime from Russ, and it's going to close your review."

"Why didn't anybody tell me?"

"He asked me not to." She looked unhappy about it. "He said you'd think it was a bill he was handing you."

"He's up there now," she said. "They gave him until two to clear out the camera room."

I didn't wait for the elevator.

The gaming agent was in the hall outside surveillance, talking on her phone.

I put the deck in her hand, rubber band and all.

"Sunday," I said. "Like I told you."

She looked at me over her glasses for a long moment.

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