Tsunami Blue (15 page)

Chapter Twenty-two

“What the hell is all the damn noise? Can’t ya see we’re playin’ here, bitch?”

I slid my sunglasses back in place as the boys and I turned to face a giant of a man. He smelled almost as bad as the Dumpster and was certainly as ugly. The missing teeth didn’t help. But on a positive note, if we got into a fight—and I had a feeling we would—he wouldn’t be much of a biter.

“What is it with this town?” I asked, stepping out of the shadows and pushing the boys behind me. “Are all the women here named ‘bitch,’ or is it just me?”

He actually had to think about that for a moment, which gave me a clue we weren’t dealing with the fastest ship in the harbor. No. He was more on the scale of a paddleboard. He was still thinking. Make that water wings.

I could see now that he had come from around an open fire pit in the alley. I hoped there weren’t any more of them.

No such luck.

When his buddy came up behind him, the hairs on the nape of my neck stood up. This man was danger, wrapped in a short, thick package of sheer muscle and bone. He took one look at the three of us and hunger flared in his eyes. This man was pure evil.

The boys must have sensed it too, because they flanked me protectively. I admired them for that. This man would chew them up and use their bones for toothpicks, and yet there they were, ready to fight alongside me. I was so proud of them. I was so afraid for them.

“Thanks, guys,” I whispered.

A third man came and joined them, this one tall and so thin he looked skeletal. With sunken eyes and matted hair, he looked like a zombie from a George Romero movie. Not that I’d seen one. I’d only seen a picture of a zombie in a black-and-white glossy photo in a vintage movie store. The zombie scared me then, and this guy, who looked like he had just walked out of the same grave, scared me now.

“How about you and your little friends join us for a wager, bitch,” the man with no teeth said. He pulled out a nasty-looking blade. Serrated.

“Bambi,” I said.

“What?”

“Bambi. The name’s Bambi. You know, like the deer.”

“You mean like the pole dancer,” the dangerous man said. His voice had a mean quality to it. Real mean. He licked his lips.
Great. Just great.

 I opened my fleece and pulled out the biggest knife I’d brought. They pulled out three bigger.

“What, boys?” I asked as they laughed at my blade. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that size doesn’t matter?”

I twirled the knife and then, in a blink, I threw the razor-sharp blade through the air, grazing Zombie’s cheek. A trail of scarlet seeped to the surface of his white flesh. So the man could bleed. Good, ’cause I’d like to make him bleed more.

The knife found its mark in Water Wings’ shoulder. All the way to the hilt. His knives clattered to the ground as he howled in pain and reached to pull it out.

“Make that a life lesson, big guy. Don’t pull a knife on a girl. It’s just rude.” Water Wings was not my first choice to knife. I had my sights set on the short, dangerous man with the dead eyes. But I knew better than to take out the brains of the group. Without leadership, the other two were unpredictable psychos, loose canyons who would charge without thinking. And they would go for the weakest targets. They would go for the boys.

I crossed my arms, tapped my foot, and waited.
Show no fear, Blue
, my Uncle Seamus had told me time and time again.
These kinds of men will respect you for it. And you will live longer.

The dangerous man looked impressed. He shrugged and nodded our departure. Guess we could go. Still, I wasn’t about to turn my back on these animals. Zombie was still holding his cheek, blood now dripping from his fingers.
Oops.
Maybe not the scrape I had thought.

“Come on, guys,” I said to Nick and Alec. “Let’s go.” We backed up in a line, moving away from the Dumpster. Circling our way around it.

And that was when I saw her.

A small child huddled by the fire, crumpled forward in a ball. A girl? Her hair, thick and tangled, hung just inches from the open flame. She played with a long strand, sweeping it back and forth as if she wanted it to catch fire. As if she thought that might be a better alternative to hanging with these men.

Or was I just overreacting? She could be a daughter. Couldn’t she? I looked at these men, filthy and evil, and I knew, just knew in my gut that this little girl shouldn’t have been here.

Well, shit.

Just at that moment, she turned and looked at me. Her pale features were soft and delicate. Even through the grime, I could she how pretty she was, how tiny and petite. Petite like me. And didn’t I just know how it felt to be small in a world so much bigger than you.

I shook my head. I didn’t have time for this. I had a fight to catch, a wave to outrun, two kids of my own to save. A tear glistened down her cheek.

Double shit.

“Hang on, boys,” I said to Nick and Alec. They stopped and looked at me in question.

“Your daughter?” I asked the man who gave us the green light, the one I feared the most.

He laughed a low, nasty, guttural laugh. “Now, what do you think, Bambi?” I hated the way he said the name. It just sounded like a rape waiting to happen.

“I think this kid shouldn’t be here, that’s what I think. Asshole,” I added, just because I was so infuriated. She was a kid. Just a little kid.

Zombie walked up, glaring at me.

“Don’t look so pissed,” I said. “I could have taken an ear.” Trace came to mind, and I kicked him right back out. I could handle only one bit of terror at a time.

“We’re playing for her.” Water Wings came from the shadows with a towel so dirty it looked black. He pressed it to his wound. Good for him. That should get a nice infection going.

“And you and Dumb and Dumber interrupted our game. Now get lost, bitch.”

I turned and raised my eyebrows to the boys at the Dumb and Dumber comment. They both were trying not to laugh. Which was good. We weren’t out of this yet.

“Just leave while you can, Bambi,” Dangerous Man said. “Leave her to us. We’ll take good care of her.”

The men laughed. The little girl jumped up at the sound and dropped her blanket. I could see they had the child chained at one foot, like an animal.

I wanted to kill them. Drop all three where they stood. But I had Nick and Alec to consider. And whereas I could take Zombie and Water Wings no problem, could I do it before they hurt one of the boys? And let’s face it, it was the short tank of a man that worried me. He’d fight dirty. And if he won, I didn’t want to think of the aftermath.

Then I saw the cards. The men had dropped them when they decided to play with us instead.

“So, I’m just a little curious.” I changed my demeanor; I was now friendly Bambi, just like the one on the pole. “What are you bad boys playing?”

“Hold ’Em,” Water Wings all but growled.

Hold ’Em? Hold ’Em? I could play Texas Hold ’Em. I could play great Texas Hold ’Em.

“And the stakes?”

“The girl, of course,” said Zombie. The mention of the girl was a turn-on for him. Just what I was afraid of.

“What? You interested, Bambi? I didn’t think you rolled that way. Thought you had it bad for me,” Dangerous Man said.

Oh, I had it bad for him. A-knife-through-his-miserable-heart bad.

“What’s the buy-in?” I asked.

“What do ya got?”

I immediately thought of the moon watch. I stuck out my wrist. Flaunting and showing off a little. Okay. A lot.

He held out his.
Damn.
It was just as nice, only in blue. I liked his better.
Okay. Time to get serious.

I reached into my fleece’s inner pocket and pulled out two packets of Christmas Blend. I held the coffee in front of the men’s noses and I prayed Gabriel knew what he was talking about.
It makes a good trade
. His voice played in my head and I felt a tug on my heart.

“Been a while, boys?”

The reaction was fast and loud.

“She’s in.”

“No limit, winner takes all.”

“I’m dealing. Let’s go.”

“The coffee and the girl?” I asked. “Winner takes all, baby.” Dangerous Guy was actually excited. He didn’t look quite so murderous. Still…

As the men walked away to set up the game, I turned to Nick and Alec, who were speechless at the turn of events.

“Bambi,” whispered Alec. “Do you even know how to play?”

“Some.” I raised my glasses and winked at him with my good eye.

“What can we do?” Nick asked.

“Watch and learn,” I said, lowering my glasses back in place. “And when I say game over, it’s over. Understood?”

The boys nodded.

“We take the little girl and walk out of here. Okay? Just walk. Like it’s no big deal.”

“What makes you think you’ll win?” Nick said.

Alec leaned in to hear my answer.

I smiled and thought of my days playing Texas Hold ’Em in all those Runner camps summer after summer. The games were aggressive, vocal, dangerous, and, for me, lucrative. The men lacked patience. I didn’t. And I was willing to bet these guys were no different.

“I’m the best,” I told the boys. “I’m the very best.”

With that I turned and walked toward the fire pit to choose my place. I wanted Dangerous Guy on my right, Water Wings to my left, and Zombie right across from me so I could read every tell on his ugly face.

Oh, yeah. I knew what I was doing. It felt good to be confident again. I mean, come on. My confidence had slipped some since a Runner had washed up on my beach, burned my home, probably killed my dog, and kidnapped me.

Four players, no limit, Texas Hold ’Em.

Winner took all.

Bring it.

“What’s your name, sweetheart? I said softly to the child, who had been placed in the middle of our game like the trophy she was. She stayed mute, not willing to answer. I couldn’t blame her.

The men—animals, really—had been throwing their chips at her when they bet. I accused them of splashing the pot and told them to knock it off. They stopped. Still, some chips were stuck in her hair and my anger grew. No child should suffer this humiliation.  

I’d bought my buy-in with Starbucks. I tossed in a third packet when I saw the chip stack Dangerous Guy, who I now knew as Tank, had in front of him.

I thought I might need a few more chips with him in the game. I was right. We were playing with casino checks; most people knew them as simply poker chips, and they were from the now-underwater Vegas casinos. Imagine my surprise when I found one with a stripper named Bambi on it. She even had her pole.

But it was the chip I was using as my card protector that amazed me the most. Mr. December, from the Thunder Down Under all-male review, smiled up at me. The sight flipped my heart over and then back again. I decided that, win or lose, I was stealing it.

The child had been watching me with wary eyes that were the most remarkable shade of brown I had ever seen, rimmed in light gold, and the color of malt whiskey. She looked on with a scared and wary expression. Even though she was grimy, with matted hair, she looked well fed and had on nice pajamas. A gold cross hung around her neck.

Someone had taken good care of this little girl; that much was clear. I wondered, were they still alive to miss her?

I looked at my moon band.
Shit
. Gabriel’s fight was in less than thirty minutes. I was running out of time.

I looked down at my hole cards.

A seven and a nine of hearts. Any book would’ve told me to fold. The other players were feigning indifference, but not too well. They had something big.

Twenty-nine minutes and counting.

I had to make my move. If I made a straight or a flush, I could probably take whatever they had.

“Screw it,” Zombie said. “All or nothing. I’m bored with this game.” He looked at the little girl with hunger. I fought down the bile that rose in my throat as I watched him.

“I’m game. I’m in. Winner takes all,” Water Wings said.Tank studied me. I knew I was going all-in. This was the hand. I could take them all down. Or lose miserably. But either way I was getting the girl. I readied a blade in my lap. The easy way was if I won. The hard way was if I lost. Call me a cheater, a sore loser, whatever, but this child,
either way
, was coming with me.

I gave Nick and Alec our prearranged sign, stroking my chin, then running two fingers under my neck as if swishing my long hair out of my face. It was a get-ready sign. Things could get messy fast.

Looking at Tank, I shoved my chips at the feet of the little girl as she sat cross-legged and pale. She knew what was going on. My heart hurt for her. “It will be over soon, sweetheart,” I whispered.

 “All in,” I said, pushing my chips against the little girl’s toes.

“Call,” Tank said. Then the bastard stood, grabbed his chips, and rained them down over the child’s head.

What a monster.

Chapter Twenty-three

Zombie dealt.

We all watched his every move. No one trusted anyone at this makeshift table. Tank even made him take off his ratty jacket. It was the old nothing-up-your-sleeve paranoia. The odor from Zombie’s armpits almost knocked me over. I’d have to thank Tank for that. Nick and Alec, who got up to huddle around the table for the big hand, held their noses. I frowned and shook my head when Alec said, “Take a shower already.”

I didn’t want the boys to forget that these were dangerous men who would kill them just because they could.

I heard a small voice, a whisper so soft I almost missed it. “Good luck.”

Looking up from the cards, I slid my sunglasses down on the bridge on my nose and met the gaze of the little girl. I saw fear in her eyes. And hope.

“Luck has nothing to do with it, sweetheart,” I said, winking at her as I palmed the Mr. December chip. She saw me do it. I put a finger up to my lips like we had a secret, gave her a reassuring smile, and reached out to stroke her little foot. I pushed my shades back in place.

“Hey. Get your hands out of the pot until you win it.” Water Wings sneered at me and jerked the chain on the little girl’s foot. “And no pawing the prize”—he smiled, showing tobacco-stained gums—“until later.”

“She’s mine,” Zombie said. “I got the hand.” He reached for the chain to jerk the girl toward him.

I caught the steel links before they could cause any more damage to an already bruised and swollen ankle.

“Knock it off, you pigs,” I said. I stood and slapped the table with my hand. “Hand over the key. We’re unchaining her. It’s not like she can get away from all of us. I mean, how old is she? Seven? Ya think you big, bad men can handle a seven-year-old?”

“Nine.”

We all stopped and stared. The girl glared at all of us. “I’m nine. And I can run fast.” My heart dropped. I was doing my best to get her unchained for a quick escape if the cards didn’t fall the right way. Letting us all know she could run fast was so not a good thing.

Tank laughed. “Run if you can, little girl. I like to chase.” He produced the key and unlocked the chain.

“
Thank you, God
.” I muttered under my breath.

The little girl put her head down and curled into a ball.

“Come on; let’s do it,” Water Wings urged. “Deal.”

The first three cards, the flop, missed my straight draw entirely. But two hearts came. My flush draw was alive. One of the cards was a queen. I saw a tic in the jaw of Tank. Water Wings looked disappointed. Zombie looked like he was gonna jump right out of the chair and grab the girl. But I knew I almost had him beat.

The turn card, or fourth street, as some people called it, brought a blank. A card that didn’t help any of us. Right now Tank had the best hand. If he won, I’d have to kill him to get the girl. Or die trying.

Now the river. My palms started to sweat and I wiped them on my jeans. I needed dry hands to hold my blades. And it looked like I was gonna have to use them.
Damn it.

I looked at Nick and Alec, who had slowly circled around behind me. Good. They were ready to run when I gave the word.

The last card fell.

An ace.

Water Wings looked like he might cry. Good.

Tank’s hand just went down in flames, and he didn’t know it. He looked smug and eyed the little girl in a way that made me want to throw up. It wasn’t sexual. It was something else. He’d hurt her and enjoy every minute. How I hated the man. Zombie jumped out of his chair, flipping it over. It crashed and shattered into splinters on the cement.

He slammed down aces. “Ship it!” He tried to grab the girl from behind. She screamed, turned, kicked him in the gut, and scooted over to me.

He doubled over in pain. “You little bitch,” he wheezed.

I put my arm around the child and whispered in her ear, “It’s okay, honey. That’s been my name all night too.”

Color drained from Tank’s face, replaced by a white-hot, seething anger. He’d lost. And the man didn’t like losing.

I stood slowly and, as Zombie caught his breath, I laid my cards on the table in front of his nose. I’d hit my miracle card. The last card to fall, the ace that had given Zombie his set, had been the ace of hearts. Flush. Mine.

“My flush takes it down.” I leaned over to Zombie and said, “You ship it.”

Lifting the child off the table I hugged her. “We won, sweetie, we won.” And then I whispered so softly, a whisper meant just for her. “You’re safe now, little one, you’re safe.”

I passed her off to Nick, and he and Alec each took one of her hands in theirs. I gathered up the coffee.

Zombie, however, didn’t take it that well.

“You slow-rolling bitch.”

Oh, boy. Here it comes.

But I had to agree: I did slow-roll him, which entails turning your cards over dead last when you know you have won, letting an opponent think he won the pot—in this case, coffee and a kid—for as long as possible. It was a creep thing to do, and yeah, it did make me a bitch, first-class, but hey, I’d played all my life with Runners. Getting your throat slit at the table for drawing out on the river; well, now, that’s something to be pissed about.

“You cheated!” he screamed. “No one calls two raises with a seven-nine, hoping to hit a flush.”

“I do.”

He drew a knife. But I beat him to it. In fact, I had two. It just paid to think ahead.

I sank one into his hand, pinning him to the table. He screamed in pain. I put the other to his throat. I was going to kill him, kill all of them, but not this way. Not like this. The kids had been traumatized enough for one night. And, hell, the night wasn’t over. How I wished it were.

“Look, you poor loser, bad sport, asshole, whatever. I won. You lost. Get over it. And just to show you what a great player I am, in the name of sportsmanship, I’m leaving you a packet of coffee. Just one, mind you, but it’s more than you deserve.”

“Really?” Water Wings looked like he wanted to hug me.

“Really.”

Tank was up already putting water into a bashed-up teapot. He paused just long enough to slam a fist onto the hilt of my knife, driving it farther into Zombie’s hand, just when I thought Zombie couldn’t scream any louder.

“Well, boys,” I said backing up slowly with the kids, so proud of Nick and Alec for remembering our exit plan, “I’d like to say it’s been fun, but I’m not gonna lie: I kind of hate your town. No offense.”

“And speaking of lying and hating, that Tsunami Blue chick? Well, she lies all the time.”

“She does?” Water Wings looked like I’d just told him there was no Santa Claus.

“But—” One of my boys started to speak up, and I shot up a hand in warning, shaking my head at him. He backed down.

“Hate to break it to you, but yeah, she does. Like that wave tonight? No worries. If I were you I’d just sit back and enjoy your brew.” I looked at Zombie, who was whimpering and trying to pull my knife out of his hand.

“Looks like you’re pretty much stuck here anyway.”

Tank laughed and walked over to me. I kept my blade between us.

“Been nice knowin’ ya, Bambi. I’ll be seeing you around.”

Not likely
. “See ya, Tank.”

I was almost past the Dumpster with all three kids when I heard Tank one more time. “If I do see you, Bambi, I’ll kill you. And I’ll take my time, just to do it right.”

I pushed the kids out into the street, turned, and walked back to face Tank.

“You know, it’s damn near impossible to make friends in this town. But if I ever see you again, I’ll be sure and do the same.”

How perverse were we? It sounded like we had just agreed to become pen pals. But what did it matter? I walked away, knowing the wave was coming, knowing all three would be sitting around having coffee when it came, and knowing there wasn’t a chance in hell that any of them would survive.

Good fucking riddance.