The Gambler by Lois Greiman Page A

had a very sensible, and possibly life-preserving, reason for leaving, for he didn't seem to be particularly law-abiding. From conversation she knew that he was a detective of sorts, but unlike his former partner, he was interested but not particularly obsessed with the idea of finding this woman called Chantilly. It was a characteristic she suddenly found most appealing. And, too, he trusted her. Or at least he trusted her more than Raven did. Perhaps he was even sane, and certainly he would be easier to escape from than Raven had proven to be. So despite her gnawing fear...
    "I'll go with him," she said, nodding breathlessly at Clancy while holding her gaze on Raven.
    The woods were absolutely silent before Raven spoke.
    "No." His tone was perfectly even and cool. "You won't."
    "You heard her," said Clancy, sounding delighted, though Charm dared not look toward him. "She's made her choice."
    "The choice is not hers to make," Raven said, holding her gaze.
    "Are you angry, Joseph?" Clancy asked hopefully. "Jealous?"
    But Raven eyed him levelly, showing no emotion whatsoever. "You willing to find out?"
    "Damned if it wouldn't be worth it. After all these years to see you not just fightin', but fightin' mad. Might be worth a busted nose."
    "You've made your decision, then?" asked Raven, watching him.
    "Well, if I wasn't so pretty I'd..." Suddenly Clancy's words broke off, and his fist slammed forward.
    Everything happened in a heartbeat. Raven ducked, smoothly avoiding Clancy's fist before planting his own in the other's middle. Charm, jarred from her seat on the log, launched into action.
    She managed to make it a full fifteen feet before he tackled her. Then she fell in pretty much the same position as all the other times. It wasn't comfortable, but at least it was predictable. Still, she tried to scream.
    "I just need one thing." His voice was a whisper. His palm covered her mouth. "Lie," he said, and moved his hand away.
    Despite everything, Charm didn't scream. The man was certifiably insane. "What?" Her own voice was no more than a breathy murmur.
    "We've only got a few seconds before Clancy gets his wind, so listen. I'm giving you tonight to think up a first-class lie about Grady's death. Say you found her, took her Bible, then lost it."
    "I did lose it, you blackhearted devil," she said. "In the livery."
    "Good. Tell him that. But stick to your story. No matter what. You hear me?"
    "You're crazy." Her words came out in a windy gasp.
    "Could be. I'm giving you one chance and one chance only. Got it? Tell your story. Stick to it. Make it good, and I'll set you free."
    "What—"
    "Damn it, Joseph," Clancy said, limping up to them in a bent position. "You didn't have to wait for me to jump you."
    Raven rose slowly from Charm's aching body before pulling her up alongside by her bound wrists.
    "It was more fun this way, Bodine."
    "Well, hell," said Clancy, bending over slightly and wincing at the pain in his stomach, "far be it from me to spoil yer fun."
    "Good," Raven said, turning back toward the logs they had just abandoned. "She sleeps with me."
    Charm didn't mean to stop, but her knees locked up, freezing her feet to the earth on which she stood. Despite all her efforts to look heroic and brave, she couldn't budge them. "I won't," she said softly.
    "You will," he countered, and jerked her toward him, but still her knees wouldn't bend, causing her to fall toward him like a toppled pine.
    "Couldn't wait to be in my arms?" he asked, catching her against his chest with a grunt.
    "I'll send you to hell first!" Even to her own ears, the words sounded melodramatic, but his devilish dark face was only two inches away, prompting melodramatics and much more.
    "You already put me through hell, killer woman," he said and yanked her after him.
    "And now you'll make me pay," she said through her teeth as she stumbled along behind.
    "Oh, for Christ's sake. And Bodine thought I was dramatic. Listen, you," he said, pulling her into what