My Stepfather Lost Me in a Poker Game, Then I Cleaned Him Out novel · Chapter 16 of 24

Chapter 16: Heads-Up

I typed back a single word with Andre's shirt still on me.

"Fine."

The salon is on the top floor of the Sandpiper, behind a door with no sign on it.

It's where Russ takes whales who don't want to be seen losing.

On Saturday at nine it held one card table, a bar, a cocktail waitress and six men in good shoes.

The Houston man sat at the end of the bar with his white hat and his bourbon.

Three of Russ's other whales stood around him.

Andre stood against the wall where Russ could see him.

Laurent wasn't there.

He wasn't allowed on the property anymore, and I felt the space where he should have been.

Russ was already seated, his right hand still taped across two fingers.

"There's my girl," he said. "You bring my deck?"

I put it on the felt in front of him, rubber band and all.

The ace of spades was back inside it, where my mother had found it.

Russ slid the band off and fanned the deck face down under the light.

He looked at the corners for one second, and I watched him relax.

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