The Winning Hand Read Online Free Page A

salts, oils, creams with scents so lush she moaned in pleasure at every sniff.
    The adjoining dressing room boasted a walk-in closet that contained a robe and a pair of brushed cotton slippers with The Comanche logo, a triple-glass, full-length mirror, two elegant chairs and a table where fragrant flowers spilled out of a crystal vase.
    It was the kind of indulgence she’d only read about or seen in movies. Plush, sleek, shimmering with wealth. Now that her initial rush of adrenaline was leveling, she began to wonder if there hadn’t been some mistake.
    How could this have happened? The time and circumstances after she’d begun her long hike into town were all blurry around the edges in her mind now. Snatches of it came clear, the whirling lights on the machine, her own thumping heart, Mac Blade’s impossibly handsome face.
    “Don’t question it,” she whispered. “Don’t ruin it. Even if it all goes away in an hour, you have it now.”
    Biting her lip, she picked up the phone and punched in the button for room service.
    “Room service. Good morning, Ms. Wallace.”
    “Oh.” She blinked, looking guiltily over her shoulder as if someone had sneaked up behind her. “I was wondering if I could order some coffee.”
    “Of course. And breakfast?”
    “Well.” She didn’t want to take advantage. “Perhaps a muffin.”
    “Will that be all?”
    “Yes, that would be fine.”
    “We’ll have that up to you within fifteen minutes. Thank you, Ms. Wallace.”
    “You’re welcome, um, thank you.”
    After she hung up, Darcy hurried into the bedroom to turn off the stereo, switch the TV on and check the news to see if there were any reports of mass hallucinations.
    *   *   *
    In his office above the carnival world of the casino, Mac flicked his gaze over the security screens where people played the slots, bet on red or waited for their dealer to bust. There were more than a few diehards who’d started the night before and were still going at it. Slinky evening dresses sat hip to hip with jeans.
    Ten o’clock at night, ten in the morning, it made no difference. There was no real time in Vegas, no dress code, and for some, no reality beyond the next spin of the wheel. Mac ignored the whine of an incoming fax, sipped his coffee and paced the room as he spoke to his father on the phone.
    He imagined his father was doing virtually the same thing in the office in Reno.
    “I’m going to talk to her in a few minutes,” Mac continued. “I wanted to let her smooth out a little.”
    “Tell me about her,” Justin requested, knowing his son’s instincts for people would give him a clear picture.
    “I don’t know a lot yet. She’s young.” He kept moving as he talked, watching the screens, checking on the placement of his security people, the attitude of the dealers. “Skittish,” he added. “Looked like a woman on the move to me. Trouble somewhere. She’s out of her element here.”
    He cast his mind back, bringing the image of Darcy into focus, letting himself hear her voice again. “Small-town, Midwest, I’d say. Makes me think of a kindergarten teacher—the kind the kids would love and take merciless advantage of. She was broke and running on fumes when she hit.”
    “Sounds like it was her lucky day. If someone’s going to hit, it might as well be a broke, small-town kindergarten teacher.”
    Mac grinned. “She apologizes all over herself. Nervous as a mouse at a feline convention. She’s cute,” he said finally, thinking of those big, dark gold eyes. “And I’d have to guess naive. The wolvesare going to tear off pieces of her in short order if she doesn’t have some protection.”
    There was a short pause. “You planning on standing between her and the wolves, Mac?”
    “Just steering her in the right direction,” Mac muttered, rolling his shoulders. His reputation in the family for siding with the underdog was inescapable. “The press is already hammering at the door. The kid needs a