Oxblood by AnnaLisa Grant Read Free Book Online Page B

and the quiet, mentally preparing myself to get on a plane, when one of the card players came over and sat in the leather chair next to me. He was average height with brown hair, and he was wearing a gray suit. He wasn’t a particularly good card player. He folded almost immediately if he had terrible cards, but rubbed the back of his neck when he was dealt a great hand. I could tell by the condition of his suit that he was a family man—there was a tiny patch of glitter and green finger paint on the left cuff. And there was a small indent on his left ring finger where his wedding band should have been.
    â€œHello,” he said.
    â€œHello,” I said out of sheer politeness.
    â€œI’m Stefan.”
    Really? That was the fake name he was going with? I contemplated telling him my name was Regina Phalange but decided against it in case he was on my flight.
    â€œVic.”
    â€œI’m assuming that’s short for Victoria?”
    I nodded and went back to my crackers.
    â€œWhere are you traveling to today, Vic?” he asked.
    This guy really was dense. Getting me to talk to him was like pulling teeth, but he was oblivious.
    â€œI’m going to Italy to see my brother,” I told him.
    â€œSurely, a beautiful girl like you isn’t traveling alone.” He cocked his head to one side and leaned his elbow on the arm of the chair toward me.
    I put my plate of food on the coffee table in front of us, crossed my legs, and faced him.
    â€œLook. You seem like . . . well, you seem like a nice guy. And even though you’re a married man hitting on me here in the lounge at the ever-so-romantic Miami airport, I’m going to help you out. Your buddy dealing the cards is cheating,” I told him. “The win you had was a gift.”
    â€œWhat? I’m not—” Stefan stumbled.
    â€œYou have kids, too, don’t you?”
    He nodded slowly, embarrassed.
    â€œHow do you know he’s cheating?” he whispered, obviously avoiding being called out about his personal life.
    â€œHe’s cold-stacking the cards. Did you see how many times he shuffled the cards in that fancy way? Not like you or I would shuffle them. He’s watching for high cards and keeping track so he gets them,” I explained.
    â€œYeah, but how did you know he was doing that?”
    â€œMy dad used to play cards with his buddies every weekend at our house. He taught me how to watch for things, what to look for.”
    â€œThat son of a bitch! I play cards in here with him twice a month, and he wins every damn time. Do you have any idea how many free cocktails that man has consumed? Too many!” He laughed. “You’ve got a real talent there, Vic. You could work for the Nevada Gaming Commission.”
    â€œI don’t think so,” I chuckled. I picked up my plate of food and ate a piece of cheese.
    â€œUm, about the other thing—”
    â€œI’m sure you travel a lot and get lonely. Just don’t forget that she’s probably lonely, too.”
    With a tight-lipped smile and a nod, Stefan left me to rejoin his friends. He suggested another game and offered to deal, but Cool Hand Luke wasn’t interested in a game he couldn’t control, so he left the lounge.
    When it was time for my flight to board, I clutched my purse and headed for the gate. The man scanned my boarding pass and told me to enjoy my flight. Right . I took baby steps to delay my progress but all too soon I crossed the threshold into the hall that would lead to my nemesis.
    The closer I got to the plane, the narrower the tunnel seemed. The walls were suffocatingly close, the ceiling claustrophobically low. The air felt like it was getting thinner. I stopped and leaned my head against the wall, closing my eyes and trying to breathe deeply. Maybe a flight attendant would have to sedate me and drag me to my seat. I focused on putting one foot in front of the other, then on my anger at Gil.