Page 60 of When He Plays

The lock had been set.

Charlotte clutched the champagne flute with one hand while she jerked on the knob with the other. But the locked door would not open.

Not cool, Evelyn. Not cool at all.

Whirling, Charlotte rushed back to the desk. She lifted the silver bell. Rang it. Over and over.

No one came to the door.

Right. So much for the whole “If you need anything” crap about ringing the bell. Why even have the bell in that room?

Probably because Ares rings it all the time when he wants something.

“Dammit.” Charlotte swallowed a little more of the champagne, then clunked the flute down on the desk.

Whatever. Like a locked door would stop her. She’d pick the lock and get out. Easy. But, first, she intended to search the room she was in. She rushed around the desk and grabbed the top drawer.

Surprise, surprise, it was locked, too.

She snatched up a letter opener from the top of the desk, and Charlotte went to work on that lock.

She certainly hoped Logan was off to a better start than she was.

He won the first hand.

Lost the second. A deliberate loss. Not like he wanted everyone too suspicious of him.

He won the third round. Picked up a nice bit of change. At least the night would not be a total loss for him.

Now they were in the fourth game. Logan lounged at the table, body relaxed, but mind spinning. He didn’t like having Charlotte out of his sight. He wanted to go find her, and this BS play was getting him nowhere.

“Let’s raise the stakes,” Ares suddenly threw out. He inclined his head toward the dealer. “Evelyn, how high should we go?”

“The sky is the limit,” she murmured back.

Someone else had actually dealt the first hand, then Evelyn had returned and taken over for the second and third rounds.

Freya let out a bored sigh as she stared at her hand. “I’m afraid the sky is not the limit for me. I’m done.” She tossed away her cards. “I’ve reached my limit of play. Three hands will be more than enough for me.” A sly glance at the others. “I suspect the business you all want to conduct doesn’t really involve me anyway.” She rose.

Pierre bit his lip as he studied his cards. “Not higher.” He tossed down his cards. “Already lost too much.” A seething glare toward Logan.

Logan winked at him. “Win some, lose some, mon ami.”

“Bring me something stronger to drink,” Carmichael groused. “And maybe I’ll stick around. Otherwise, my ass will be heading for the door soon.”

Ares didn’t pay the others any attention. “What about you, Logan? Are you ready to go higher with your bet? Or, perhaps after such an uneven night—wins and a loss—you might be…scared to continue.”

Seriously? “I am terrified,” Logan told him, voice hushed. “Shaking in my seat.”

Ares’s mouth tightened.

“What else do you even have that I want?” Logan mused. He let his eyes widen. “Oh, wait, this building is nice. In fact, it’s kinda the whole reason I came tonight. To get an up close look at the place.”

Evelyn cut her gaze toward Ares. Definitely a nervous tell.

You don’t want me looking at this building too closely. And why not? Now his curiosity had been stirred. “All right, Ares, I have a deal for you.”

“Do tell.” Ares didn’t blink.