Trapped By Revenge: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

  Uncle Joey raised his startled gaze to me. “You think he’s the one?” He really hoped it wasn’t him.

  “Not exactly,” I hedged, hating to disappoint him. “But there is something he doesn’t want you to know.”

  Uncle Joey sighed. “All right then, let’s get it over with.”

  Jack stood at the bar waiting for his drink. We joined him and he sent me a pained expression. “She’s cleaning me out.” He was thinking he was having more fun losing to me than he’d had in a long time, so I didn’t take it personally.

  “Hey, I’m down to my ten dollar chips, so don’t complain to me,” Uncle Joey said, clapping him on the back. “And I think she’s enjoying it way too much.”

  “How come you never lose?” Jack asked me. He couldn’t believe that I would cheat because Joe would never put up with a cheater, but there was something about me…

  “You should know better than to ask a woman her secrets,” I chided him. “So…how long have you two been playing poker together?”

  Jack’s mind immediately went to the day his wife died two years ago. If Joe hadn’t gotten him out of the house to play poker, he might still be lost in his grief. “What’s it been Joe? About two years?”

  “Sounds about right,” Uncle Joey agreed.

  “We’ve known each other for a long time,” he said to me. “So, it was a surprise to hear he had a niece from Orlando that I’d never heard of.” He was thinking it was always best to go straight for the jugular with Manetto.

  Uncle Joey smiled. “I never could pull one over on you. That’s why I’m surprised you’d try to hide something from me.”

  Holy cow! Talk about going for the jugular. I cringed, hoping I hadn’t misread Jack’s thoughts and he wasn’t hiding anything after all.

  Jack’s eyes widened in surprise. How did Joe find out? Maybe he was just bluffing? But as far as he knew, Joe never bluffed about anything he was certain of, and he seemed pretty certain of this. Damn! He’d been so careful. There was no way Joe could know what he was doing, unless Carlotta had told him they were together. But he didn’t think she’d ever do that.

  My eyes bulged. Carlotta? Uncle Joey’s ex? Oh hell, this was bad. “We all have our little secrets,” I jumped in. “And you’re right, I’m really not Uncle Joey’s niece by blood. But I am where it counts.”

  Uncle Joey glared at me. Why was I stopping Jack when he was about to confess. Why did I admit we weren’t related? “And where is that?” he asked.

  “Right here.” I pounded my chest. “In the heart.”

  Uncle Joey wondered if that was his clue to stop pressing Jack for answers. Jack was wondering if I was alluding to him and Carlotta. How had I found out? Who was I really? More important, was I going to tell Joe?

  “That’s right,” I said, answering Uncle Joey’s thought. Jack glanced at me with confusion. What was going on? I wasn’t making sense. I quickly continued. “Matters of the heart can be…difficult. Sometimes they don’t even make sense. But when you feel a connection to somebody, it’s like you’re related in some way. So it does make sense when you look at it like that. Oh look! I think everyone’s waiting for us. We’d better get back.”

  I tugged on Uncle Joey’s arm and he reluctantly followed me to the table, leaving Jack to question my sanity at the bar. “What was that all about?” he hissed.

  “He’s not the one,” I said. “And yes, he is hiding something from you, but you don’t need to know what it is. Believe me; it’s for your own good.”

  Uncle Joey closed his eyes. He was thinking that it wasn’t up to me to decide what was for his own good and what wasn’t, but for now, he’d let it go. At least until we were done here. He glanced at me and I nodded. Maybe he was right. Maybe it wouldn’t bother him at all that Jack and Carlotta were together. Last time she was in the picture, Uncle Joey wasn’t too happy with her, so it could be fine. I was the one who was over-reacting. I hoped.

  We went back to the table and I concentrated on the game, taking as many hands as I could in a short amount of time. I cleaned out the professor first, but rather than leave, he stayed to watch. He was thinking I was cheating, and he was going to watch me like a hawk, just so he could accuse me and get his money back. It irked him that Manetto had brought me in to play. What was Manetto thinking? This was supposed to be fun, and he’d never lost so badly before.

  What a complainer. At least when the business associate lost, he had the good grace to be sweet about it. Although he didn’t leave either, wanting to watch me play and wondering how I could win so handily. It didn’t make sense that Manetto would play with a cheater, especially since he was losing too. So I really must be that good. Wow, what a game.

  Jack threw in his last chips and lost the next round, making it a match between Uncle Joey and me. Having won a few rounds of his own, he had about three hundred dollars in chips to my seven hundred. I was ahead and planned to keep it that way.

  All at once, I sensed excitement from everyone in the room. Was I really going to challenge Joey “The Knife” Manetto? Wasn’t I afraid of what he’d do to me if I won? That made them all even more excited to see the outcome of the game.

  I slapped a hand to my mouth, trying to hide the big grin that spread over my face. Uncle Joey saw it and scowled. He was thinking that he never should have invited me to play poker with him. Now he was going to lose and how would that look?

  I pursed my lips and shook my head that he was being such a big baby. I glanced at him and lifted my eyebrow, giving him that look I gave my kids sometimes when they misbehaved. His surprise that I’d dare look at him that way was followed by a small smile, and he was thinking that I was enjoying this way too much. What was he going to do with me?

  If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was upset, but I picked up that he was enjoying the game lots more than he let on. He had sensed the nervous tension in the room and it added to the drama. He liked that everyone was afraid of him. It meant that he was good at his job of intimidating people.

  He caught my smile and sent back a knowing smile of his own. He knew I knew what he was thinking and he was having fun with me. A warm feeling slammed into my heart, and I realized we were acting just like a real uncle and niece might act who were in on a secret together.

  The dealer passed out the next hand, and my cards were high with an ace and a jack. Uncle Joey had a pair of tens…no…a ten and a seven? Wait just a darn minute. Uncle Joey was thinking a ten and a seven real hard, but I had seen his first thought of a pair of tens. Was he trying to trick me? Oh my gosh! He was! I pursed my lips tightly to keep from laughing, but it took all I had, and even then, I almost lost it.

  I knew I couldn’t look at him, so I kept my gaze on my cards. I really wanted to keep my cool so he wouldn’t know I knew he was trying to cheat me, but this was almost more than I could take. I took a few deep breaths until I got under control and placed my bet.

  He called, and tried to hold the seven in his mind as the dealer turned the flop, showing a queen, nine, and jack, all high cards. That gave me a pair of jacks which beat his tens, so I bet a hundred. Uncle Joey was down to two hundred by then, but he called anyway.

  The turn showed another queen and Uncle Joey was thinking that with a pair of queens, he had a good chance to win this round, so he put in fifty. Every time he glanced at the other ten, he thought of a seven, trying to ignore the fact that with two pair, he had a better chance to win.

  Of course I called, and Uncle Joey held his breath, hoping the river would be another ten, or even better, an eight or a king for a flush. Unluckily for him, the card showed a lousy two. Uncle Joey had fifty left and decided to go all in. He didn’t think I’d have the flush either, and hoped he’d pulled one over on me. He wanted to win in the worst way.

  Now was my chance to call and win, or fold and let Uncle Joey take the pot to play another round. I’d made up my mind that I was going to beat him, but now I wasn’t sure what to do. I glanced at him, and in that moment
, he knew he hadn’t fooled me, and I had the better cards.

  Even though he didn’t like it, he was expecting me to beat him, so I figured why not? I still had a surprise up my sleeve and beating him was just too good to pass up, especially since he’d tried to trick me. It also helped that Ramos was thinking, go for it babe. That clinched it.

  I called, then lifted my gaze to Ramos, who was standing behind Uncle Joey, and laid down my cards for everyone to see. We shared an intimate smile while an unexpected gasp came from the professor. Everyone else around the table pretty much held their breath in anticipation of what Uncle Joey would do. How would he take losing? Of course, I was his niece, so maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. Still, everyone knew Uncle Joey hated grovelers, double-crossers, and cheats. The way I’d beat them all so easily could mean I was a cheater. Would he accuse me of cheating? Would we have a huge fight over it?

  Uncle Joey let the silence lengthen, enjoying the anticipation. He even scowled a little to make everyone think he was seriously pissed off. Finally, he glanced at me, and a reluctant smile crossed his lips. “Well done, Shelby,” he said. He opened his mouth to add that I beat him fair and square, but since it wasn’t fair or square, he left that part out.

  With that, the room came back to life. The businessman and Jack heartily congratulated me. The professor still thought I had cheated, but since he didn’t know how I did it, he kept his mouth shut. The dealer had never seen anyone play as well as me and enthusiastically shook my hand.

  “Thanks everyone,” I said. “This has been fun, but I have to admit that I may have had an unfair advantage which will not allow me to take all the money.”

  Shock came from everyone in the room. The professor even muttered, “I knew it!” under his breath.

  The businessman and Jack were both thinking I was an idiot to confess I’d been cheating, especially since Uncle Joey had taken it so well. Uncle Joey was aghast that I would reveal my secret, and wondered what the hell I was thinking. Even Ramos was ready to clamp his hand over my mouth to stop me.

  “Relax,” I said, mostly for Ramos’ benefit. “All I meant was that since Uncle Joey gave me the one thousand to begin with, I couldn’t possibly take all this money.” I turned to Uncle Joey and said, “Can I keep it all, or do you want your grand back?”

  Uncle Joey threw back his head and laughed. He was thinking this was the most fun he’d ever had playing poker. He’d even do it again, except he didn’t think anyone there would ever agree to play with me. “Keep it Shelby, it was worth every penny.”

  He was thinking that when this was all over, he’d love to take me to Vegas. What fun it would be to enter me into one of those million dollar jackpot poker tournaments and watch me win. Of course, he would be fine if I split the money with him then. Maybe he’d check it out tomorrow, just to see if it was a possibility.

  I shook my head, but didn’t tell him to stop. Right now it was just a harmless dream, and I didn’t want to burst his bubble when he was enjoying himself, especially considering he’d soon find out about Jack and Carlotta.

  “I thought for sure you were cheating,” the professor said, surprising me with his candor. “I’ve never seen anyone win like that. It was almost like you knew what the cards were before you played. Simply fascinating. Congratulations, and good luck in Vegas.”

  Thanks,” I said. He held out his hand and I promptly shook it, surprised that he was being so gracious. Maybe I’d misjudged him. Then I picked up that he was convinced I’d cheated, but maybe it was because I was clairvoyant, or psychic. That was the only thing that could explain it. That, or maybe I was an alien with mind-reading skills. In the course of his studies, he was more and more convinced that we weren’t alone in the universe. He glanced at me, just to see if I looked a little off. Nope, I seemed normal enough, but still it was uncanny how…

  “That was the most fun I’ve ever had losing,” the businessman interrupted, and I gave him a grateful smile. He was thinking it was probably a once in a lifetime event to watch Manetto lose. “Do you think you’ll be back?”

  “Oh, no,” I said. “I’m sure that was a one-time deal. But I’m glad you had fun, it makes it lots easier to take your money home with me.” That startled a laugh out of him, and he chuckled all the way out the door, taking the professor out with him.

  The judge had been waiting to get me alone, and now that the others were gone and Uncle Joey was busy talking to Ramos, he approached me. “I have a feeling you know my secret,” he began. “Are you going to tell him?”

  “Have you ever been able to keep something from him that he wanted to know?” I asked.

  He shook his head and sighed with resignation. “I see what you mean. But you have to believe me. I didn’t know they knew each other when I first met her. It seems like some cruel joke that I even have to worry about this.”

  “Have you met Miguel?”

  “Sure, he’s a great kid…I…oh hell, don’t tell me he’s…he’s Joe’s?”

  I nodded, and a string of profanity came from Jack’s mind. “Calm down,” I said. “Now you know something he doesn’t want out there, and you have a little leverage with that. I think Uncle Joey will be fine since you’re a good friend and all. In fact, use that to your advantage and soon he’ll be thanking you for keeping tabs on Carlotta.”

  Jack nodded, thinking that could work for Joe, but how would Carlotta feel knowing he was telling Joe what was going on with her. But then who said she ever needed to know he was the source? Joe probably already had someone keeping tabs on her, and it wasn’t like she ever did anything bad. It could still work.

  “What are you two talking about?” Uncle Joey asked, coming beside us.

  Jack glanced at me, then made his decision. “There’s something I need to tell you. Can I buy you a drink?” Jack maneuvered Uncle Joey toward the bar. “I met this beautiful woman and we just hit it off. Since Sarah died I never thought I’d find anyone else and…”

  “Babe,” Ramos said. His velvet voice sent all my concentration on what Jack was saying to Uncle Joey right out the window. “Nice playing.”

  “Thanks,” I responded. “I have to admit it was a blast. Uncle Joey took it pretty well too.”

  He chuckled. “Well, you certainly gave him a run for his money. I enjoyed it immensely. You even took me by surprise at the end there with your confession.”

  “Yeah, I noticed. I’m glad you kept your hands to yourself.” Oops that sounded wrong. “I mean that you didn’t try to put your hand over my mouth like you were thinking.”

  “Uh-huh.” He exhaled slowly, shoving his hands in his pockets, and thinking that I had it right the first time. “So, what’s up with them?” He motioned his chin toward Uncle Joey and Jack. “Is he involved?”

  “Not in Killpack’s murder,” I replied, relieved to focus on something besides Ramos’ hands. “You’ll never believe it, but Jack is with Carlotta.” Wow, did I just let the cat out of the bag? Of course, telling Ramos was like telling Uncle Joey, and now that he knew, I’d probably saved Uncle Joey from having to talk about it.

  “Oh,” he said. “So he’s telling him right now?”

  “You already knew?” I gasped.

  Ramos flushed guiltily, and shrugged. “Yeah. I didn’t think it mattered that much.” Mostly, he didn’t want to be the one who told Uncle Joey. He glanced at me, realizing I’d heard that.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “I get it. I didn’t want to tell him either, so at least Jack’s doing us both a favor. That’s a plus, right?”

  Ramos chuckled, and I laughed too. “Yes it is,” he agreed. “Before I forget, here’s your earnings for the evening.” He picked up the wad of green bills from the table. “A cool five grand.” He flipped through the cash with his thumb before holding it out for me to take.

  I hesitated. Somehow, it just didn’t feel right taking all that money. It almost felt like highway robbery, with me as the cold-hearted bandit, who had deviously swindled them out of their h
ard earned cash. Worse, it probably made me a bad person, mostly since I’d enjoyed taking it from them lots more than I should have.

  “Having second thoughts?” Ramos asked.

  “Well, I did cheat, just like everyone was thinking.”

  That startled a laugh out of him. “Is that right? They all thought you were a cheater? I’ll bet the professor was the worst. He’s some kind of a math wiz, and he usually wins more than he loses.”

  “No wonder he was so upset,” I said. “Now it makes sense. He was trying to figure me out and swore to watch me like a hawk. He was even thinking I might be psychic or something, which is pretty close to the truth. I would have worried more, except then he thought I was probably an alien with superpowers.” At that I burst out laughing. “That sounds even funnier out loud!”

  Ramos chuckled. “True,” he agreed. “So what do you want to do with this?” He held up the cash. “I know…since we probably can’t fit it all into that tiny, little purse of yours, I’ll just keep it.” He shoved it into the inside pocket of his jacket.

  “No way!” I grabbed for the money and soon my hand was caught in his pocket and I was standing real close to him. I jerked at the money, but it was stuffed in there so tight that I couldn’t pull it out. Placing my other hand on his chest I pulled harder, but it still wouldn’t budge.

  Ramos chuckled and the vibration from his chest into my hand sent a shock through me. What was I doing standing so close to him? I even had my hand on his chest! I jumped back, leaving the money in his pocket, and narrowed my eyes.

  “Babe,” Ramos drawled. “If you wanted it that badly, all you had to do was ask.”

  “Ugh!” I pursed my lips and clenched my jaw, then took a deep breath and let it out before I strangled him. “Okay, give it back.”

  “What’s going on?” Uncle Joey asked.

  Feeling like I’d been caught with my hand in the cookie jar, I whipped around to find him standing behind me with Jack nowhere in sight. He was thinking Ramos and I were acting like a couple of teenagers, and he wasn’t real happy with Jack and Carlotta either.