Jessica groans and slumps against the banister. She’s not sure which is worse—waiting for Leilani to move or listening to James make bad gambling puns. She looks at the chandelier and notices that Gabrielle is standing under it. She seems to be trying to avoid the intensity of the crowd. Jessica smiles and straightens up.
“You know, it’s not too late to change the plan,” she says. “I think I hate Gabrielle even more than I hate her sister. And when else will I get an opportunity as good as this.”
“It must be a difficult thing to be so hated by you, Miss Clifford,” James says, his voice thick with irony. “Though even with all your charms, you must know that there are plenty of people who dislike you too.”
Jessica scowls and says, “You know James, sometimes I wonder whose side you’re really on.”
“I’m on the side of truth,” he says.
“Whatever,” Jessica says. “Just change the plan.”
Leilani plays with the edges of her cards as if she’s reluctant to reveal them. Jackson throws his cards into the middle of the table and the audience gasps—he only has seventeen. It’s the lowest hand he’s had since he and Leilani began playing.
“Come on, lady, show us your cards,” someone shouts.
“I’ll show you the cards,” Leilani says. “But first, I’d like to ask Mr. Oliver a few questions. Don’t you all find it a bit strange that his luck changed so quickly? He was doing so well, and then we switched the deck and now look, he only has seventeen.”
Jackson laughs and says, “I know you’re new to this, Mrs. Clifford, but I thought you understood how gambling worked—sometimes you’re lucky, and sometimes you’re not.”
“I think it’s more than luck,” Leilani says, slowly standing. “I know I’m not an expert, but I find it incredibly odd that you got so many twenty-one when we first started playing. The odds of that happening must be a million to one. Stranger still, your luck changed so dramatically as soon as we switched the deck.”
“Are you implying that I’ve created?” Jackson asks. “Don’t be ridiculous—the cards have nothing to do with this. I’m an experienced gambler, and you’re just a novice.”
“I’m not implying anything,” Leilani says, raising her voice so everyone can hear her. “I know you cheated.”
“And just how did I do that?” Jackson asks.
“It has to do with the seahorse cards,” Leilani says. “I think they’re magnetic. The dealer puts them in the machine and the machine sorts them so you get high numbers and your opponents always get the lowest numbers. When we started playing, the cards were already a bit old—they’d been used in another game. But the magnetic strips still worked. The more we played, the weaker the magnets got. That’s why your hands started getting worse.”
The casino is deadly silent, and then the spectators begin to whisper and gossip among themselves. Leilani listens, hoping the other gamblers will take her side.
“I can’t believe she’s calling Jackson a cheater in his own casino,” a man says. “That takes some nerve.”
“Honestly, she makes a good point, but what does it matter?” another man says. “This isn’t business, and it’s just some fun and games. Who cares if we lose a little money?”
“I don’t know,” a woman says. “Casinos are the Oliver family business. If they’re willing to cheat at these games, who knows where else they’ll cheat. It makes me nervous about doing business with them, that’s for sure.”
Jackson stands and leans casually against the table, sliding one hand into his pocket. His diamond earring sparkles and glitters in the dim light. He smiles and waves his hand through the air, and the crowd falls silent.
“That’s a very serious accusation, but where’s your proof?” he asks. “I have to say, and I’m insulted. I invited you here and agreed to play your game and follow your rules, and now you’re accusing me of cheating?”
“It’s easy enough to prove,” Leilani snaps. “We just need some seahorse cards and a magnet.”
Before Andrew can reply, the boat rocks dangerously to one side. Ch.i.p.s and cards slide across the tables, and men and women stumble into each other. Leilani grabs the blackjack table and looks around in a panic. A moment later, the boat rocks to the other side. The crystal chandeliers overhead swing violently from side to side, and the glass pendants clatter as they slam into each other.
One chandelier seems to be swaying more than the others. The boat rocks again, and a pendant the size of Leilani’s arm falls off and shatters against the floor. People scream and dive under the card tables. Leilani screams too—Gabrielle is standing underneath the chandelier, frozen with terror.
Leilani sprints across the room and shoves her sister as hard as she can. Gabrielle goes flying, and Leilani falls over. Another crystal pendant falls and crashes just inches from her face.
Everything seems to move in slow motion. The crystals shatter on the floor, and shards of glass spray like sparkles. She hears a dull roaring in her ears, and each fallen pendant sounds like an avalanche. She curls her body into the fetal position and throws her arms over her face and head. Too slowly, she realizes that she should close her eyes to keep the glass out. She shuts her eyes, and everything goes dark, and then something heavy is on her.
At first, she thinks she’s been hit, but her body doesn’t hurt. Besides, the thing is warm, and she can hear it breathing. The person wraps arms around her and picks her up, and then they’re running. She hears the chandelier fall with a final deafening crash, and she shivers.
She opens her eyes and comes face to face with Andrew. He’s panting for breath, but he won’t put her down. She looks over his shoulder at the fallen chandelier. Beneath the twisted metal, the broken glass looks like a pile of diamonds.
“Honey, are you okay?” Andrew asks.
She wants to answer, but the words seem to get stuck in her throat. She swallows and tries again, but she still can’t speak. She nods her head instead, and his face relaxes.
“Are you in shock?” he asks. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“No, no, I’m fine,” she says, the words coming out hoarse.
“What about your belly?” he asks. “Is the baby okay?”
“Yeah, I think so,” she says, strangely feeling touched that he’s worried about the child.
She looks over Andrew’s shoulder at the broken chandelier. Something glitters on the back of his jacket, and she realizes it’s a shard of glass. In fact, his back is covered with dozens of shards—some small and some large. There are dark wet spots on the back of his black coat.
Andrew slowly puts her down and examines her from head to toe. She has a small cut near her ankle, but it’s just a scratch. As he inspects her ankle, she studies his back. It looks horrible.
“Andrew,” she finally says. “You’re badly hurt.”
“Am I?” he asks.
He pauses, and he finally seems to notice the pain. His mouth tightens into a grimace, and his face pales. Leilani kneels down beside him and looks closer at his back. It’s impossible to tell just how bad his injuries are with his clothing on, but she suspects that they’re severe. Several pendants must have fallen on him as he carried her to safety.
The chandelier seems to fall in slow motion as Andrew runs beneath it. There’s a horrible, high-pitched sound, and it takes Jessica several seconds to realize it’s her screaming. She only stops when she sees that Andrew is still standing on the other side of the rubble pile.
“Jesus, James, I told you I didn’t want to kill anyone,” she says. “What were you thinking? Such a big chandelier could be deadly.”
“You told me you wanted to send a warning,” James says with a shrug. “Besides, I think it was successful. No one’s dead.”
Jessica scowls and says, “We almost killed my brother—I wouldn’t call that successful.”
“But we didn’t,” James says. “That’s what matters.
“You’re unbelievable,” Jessica shouts.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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