High Stakes Crime: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Shelby Nichols Adventure Book 15) by Colleen Helme

Author:Colleen Helme [Helme, Colleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Manetto Books
Published: 2021-09-09T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

“Shelby?”

My eyes blinked open to find Ramos sitting on the bed beside me, gently nudging my shoulder. “Did I fall asleep?”

He nodded. “Looks like it. How are you feeling?”

“Better. My head’s not pounding anymore.”

“Do you think you can play?”

My eyes widened. “Of course. How much time do we have?”

“The final round starts in fifteen minutes. You were asleep for half an hour.”

“Wow… it must have been just what I needed. I’m going to freshen up and maybe change my dress.”

“Need some help?” He was partly serious, but he hoped I’d say no since it would test his resolve to be the good guy I thought he was… and for the record… he wasn’t a good guy.

I sent him a grin. “Thanks, but I can manage.”

He shrugged. “Okay. But I’ll be on the other side of the door if you change your mind.”

His lips turned up into that sexy half-grin that always sent my heart racing. I shook my head and hurried into the bathroom. Turning on the hot water, I pulled off my dress before wringing out a hot washcloth. After a quick underarm scrub, I put on some deodorant and touched up my makeup.

Back in the bedroom, I slipped on the royal blue dress I’d packed and found my shoes beside the bed. I could hardly believe that my head wasn’t hurting, and I sure hoped it would stay that way. The key would be to remember not to get upset or angry… since high blood pressure must have brought it on. I wasn’t sure that was possible, but I’d do my best.

I took a deep breath and blew it out before opening the door. Ramos spoke into his phone, but disconnected after telling Uncle Joey we were coming. “You look great. Ready?”

“Yes.”

Peering into the hallway, we found it empty, but Ramos wasn’t about to let his guard down. He kept me behind him as the elevator doors swished open. Our luck held to find it empty, and we stepped inside, pushing the button for the lobby.

“So who am I playing against? It’s not Ella’s boyfriend is it? She told me he was playing for Sonny.”

He pursed his lips. “I’m afraid so.” He met my gaze. “I know you might be tempted, but you can’t let him win.” He held up a hand before I could object, knowing I had a big heart and would want to do something. “Don’t worry. If he and Ella are in trouble, we’ll figure out another way to help.”

“Okay.”

The elevator doors opened, and Ramos waited for my nod before stepping out. We made our way through the lobby and into the crowded poker room. People parted as Ramos and I entered, like we were big-time celebrities, and I tried not to let it unnerve me.

Anticipation to see who would win the ten-million-dollar jackpot washed over me, and I realized most of the crowd was betting on me to win.

One poker table sat in the center of the room with chairs for the spectators surrounding it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.