Naomi,” the cop said.
“What the hell does that mean?” Wyatt asked. By now, everyone had folded but me and Wyatt.
I wished he’d just fold. I didn’t want to fold my own hand, but he was betting big money. To my surprise, when his turn came, he laid his cards down. He folded a lot right after the cards were dealt, but never after he had skin in the game and he never bluffed. You knew if he played all the way through, he had something in his hand. Strange that I would think that and have it happen.
I won by default. Wyatt looked pissed, and was too distracted by his loss to remember where the conversation was going. Thankfully.
When the next hand was dealt, I folded almost immediately. All numbers, different colors, and not in a row.
I looked to Wyatt. He looked like he was about to throw his cards away. He should bluff. Bet everything. Instead of laying the cards down, he creased his eyebrows together and kept his cards in his hands. Play went around the table a few times, and each time it got to him he looked like he wanted to throw his cards away but he didn’t. Finally, it was down to him and Kai. Wyatt shoved all his chips toward the middle.
“All in.”
Kai grinned and shoved all of his money in as well.
Wyatt’s face was a mixture of fear and revulsion. He stood up and threw he cards down on the table face up. Kai looked at the cards. A two, king, ace, seven, and a five. A totally crappy poker hand.
Kai laughed. “You bluffed.”
Holy cow. There it was again. I thought that Wyatt should bluff and he did.
Then Kai laid down his cards. Two queens and three sixes. “Full house.”
He pulled all the money toward him and kissed me full on the lips. My mother’s energy rose to the surface and soon neither one of us paid much attention to the rest of the people in the room.
The men scattered after that. Kai asked the cop to stay.
“You blew it. You are off the council.”
“What the hell? Why?”
“You nearly blew Naomi’s cover.”
“Shit man, I was only trying to help, to let the rest of the council know you were taking care of things.”
“That’s not what it sounded like. It sounded like you were trying to tell them all what Naomi could do. We had a deal.”
The man stood up and paced the room, furious.
“Fine, then I’ll tell everyone that you are a wuss who is only able to do his job because he has a girl who steals power.”
“If you do anything like that, Naomi will hunt you down.”
The man looked at me. I did not want to be a weapon for Kai. That was not part of the deal, but I had to make a decision. Was I with Kai, or wasn’t I? Did I want to use the power I had or not? I did like accessing my mother’s power to kiss Kai. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. I hesitated for another few seconds, and then nodded my head. I was all in.
Chapter 12
Ruth Alexander Rose=Alive?
Monday morning Kai dropped me off. Stupid suspension. I suppose Dwayne getting his nose broken was worth it.
“I’ll pick you up right after school.”
I looked up at the front doors and trudged up the thirty stairs. I didn’t want to be going to school without Kai. When I opened the front doors, I turned and waved. He drove away. It was nice that he waited.
We ate breakfast at home so I found an empty table and took out a project for English I’d been working on. I had a few things to annotate.
Tiff sat down next to me. “We missed you at the bonfire.”
“Yeah, Kai got in a fight.”
“I heard about that. With that creepy Dwayne Yerdin. What was that all about?”
I took out the green highlighter, and I looked at Tiff.
“Dwayne thinks I belong to him.”
She scrunched up her face. “What makes him think that?”
“My mother forced me to date him last year.”
She shuddered. “Ew. I hope you didn’t kiss him.”
I laughed, grateful I didn’t actually have to experience that. “No. I tried to stay as far away as possible from him.”
She nodded like she understood. Jason sat down on
“What the hell does that mean?” Wyatt asked. By now, everyone had folded but me and Wyatt.
I wished he’d just fold. I didn’t want to fold my own hand, but he was betting big money. To my surprise, when his turn came, he laid his cards down. He folded a lot right after the cards were dealt, but never after he had skin in the game and he never bluffed. You knew if he played all the way through, he had something in his hand. Strange that I would think that and have it happen.
I won by default. Wyatt looked pissed, and was too distracted by his loss to remember where the conversation was going. Thankfully.
When the next hand was dealt, I folded almost immediately. All numbers, different colors, and not in a row.
I looked to Wyatt. He looked like he was about to throw his cards away. He should bluff. Bet everything. Instead of laying the cards down, he creased his eyebrows together and kept his cards in his hands. Play went around the table a few times, and each time it got to him he looked like he wanted to throw his cards away but he didn’t. Finally, it was down to him and Kai. Wyatt shoved all his chips toward the middle.
“All in.”
Kai grinned and shoved all of his money in as well.
Wyatt’s face was a mixture of fear and revulsion. He stood up and threw he cards down on the table face up. Kai looked at the cards. A two, king, ace, seven, and a five. A totally crappy poker hand.
Kai laughed. “You bluffed.”
Holy cow. There it was again. I thought that Wyatt should bluff and he did.
Then Kai laid down his cards. Two queens and three sixes. “Full house.”
He pulled all the money toward him and kissed me full on the lips. My mother’s energy rose to the surface and soon neither one of us paid much attention to the rest of the people in the room.
The men scattered after that. Kai asked the cop to stay.
“You blew it. You are off the council.”
“What the hell? Why?”
“You nearly blew Naomi’s cover.”
“Shit man, I was only trying to help, to let the rest of the council know you were taking care of things.”
“That’s not what it sounded like. It sounded like you were trying to tell them all what Naomi could do. We had a deal.”
The man stood up and paced the room, furious.
“Fine, then I’ll tell everyone that you are a wuss who is only able to do his job because he has a girl who steals power.”
“If you do anything like that, Naomi will hunt you down.”
The man looked at me. I did not want to be a weapon for Kai. That was not part of the deal, but I had to make a decision. Was I with Kai, or wasn’t I? Did I want to use the power I had or not? I did like accessing my mother’s power to kiss Kai. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. I hesitated for another few seconds, and then nodded my head. I was all in.
Chapter 12
Ruth Alexander Rose=Alive?
Monday morning Kai dropped me off. Stupid suspension. I suppose Dwayne getting his nose broken was worth it.
“I’ll pick you up right after school.”
I looked up at the front doors and trudged up the thirty stairs. I didn’t want to be going to school without Kai. When I opened the front doors, I turned and waved. He drove away. It was nice that he waited.
We ate breakfast at home so I found an empty table and took out a project for English I’d been working on. I had a few things to annotate.
Tiff sat down next to me. “We missed you at the bonfire.”
“Yeah, Kai got in a fight.”
“I heard about that. With that creepy Dwayne Yerdin. What was that all about?”
I took out the green highlighter, and I looked at Tiff.
“Dwayne thinks I belong to him.”
She scrunched up her face. “What makes him think that?”
“My mother forced me to date him last year.”
She shuddered. “Ew. I hope you didn’t kiss him.”
I laughed, grateful I didn’t actually have to experience that. “No. I tried to stay as far away as possible from him.”
She nodded like she understood. Jason sat down on
Similar Books
