Hold ’Em Hostage by Jackie Chance Page A

your fault. If you hadn’t gotten me into the stupid game in the first place, we could all be vacationing in Cancún and Affie would be home. Safe.”
    In the middle of my tirade, the door had opened to Frank, with Ingrid and Jack in tow. They paused in the foyer as Ben’s eyes narrowed at me in an anger I hadn’t seen from him. Not ever. “Don’t you lay this on me, Bee Bee. Don’t you dare. You’re the one who continues to play the game with no gun to your head.”
    â€œRight, except now the gun is against Affie’s head,” I snapped, then immediately regretted my flash of temper as Shana sucked in a breath. I couldn’t miss Frank’s raised eyebrows. Okay, so now I was the bad guy? Suddenly I was sick and tired of all the men in my life. Save the one shooting me an empathetic look with his big puppy dog eyes.
    â€œL-listen, everybody,” Jack piped up, letting his arm slide off Ingrid’s waist as he walked toward me. “Blame is overrated. G-guilt is a waste of t-time and energy. Neither will f-find Aphrodite.”
    â€œWell spoken, Jack,” Frank said, shooting me a warning look then looking pointedly at Ben. Obviously he expected me to apologize. Ha, dream on, dude. “You and I should go try to hunt down the two guys who mentioned Bee at the high-stakes room last night. Ingrid is here to keep an eye on Shana, so—”
    â€œI’m going home,” she announced. Ben patted her hand.
    Frank shook his head, repeating his theory about the dangers of being at home when under surveillance. “You need to stay close. But I understand your need to do something. Why don’t you register for one of the major satellites, throw Bee’s name around a bit, and eavesdrop hard. The more ears and eyes we have out in Vegas, the better. Affie’s abduction obviously has something to do with the game in town. If we all have something to do with the Main Event, the higher the odds we’ll luck into some information that will lead us to our girl.”
    Shana bowed her head, sighed heavily, then raised it again. “I just don’t know what’s right.”
    Frank brushed his fingertips over the top of her head. “We’ll just have to play that by ear.”
    Sparing me a vicious glare, Ben whispered something in Shana’s ear then disappeared into his bedroom. “He’s going to get changed for the tournament,” Shana explained.
    Frank looked at me, wearing his cop face. “Good, you two can get over there together. Take your car but it’s best if you valet park from now on too—there are too many dark corners in parking garages.”
    Jack and Ingrid had wandered over to the alcove behind the bar, fawning over each other. It was cute in a sickening kind of way. I don’t think they’d ever had a disagreement since they’d hooked up on the cruise last fall. I don’t think Frank and I went a day without a disagreement since we’d hooked up the winter before that. Should I take that as a sign, or was I just hard to get along with?
    As if reading my mind, Frank cupped my elbows in his palms and brushed his lips along my cheek. Then he ruined the gentle gesture by speaking. “You need to make up with Ben, Honey Bee. You hit him with a low blow.”
    â€œYeah, but what I want to know is why is he taking it so hard,” I narrowed my eyes at Ben’s bedroom door, deep in thought. “Usually he doesn’t feel the impact of those through his overinflated ego.”
    Frank shrugged. “I don’t know why. And it doesn’t matter. We are stronger working together as a team, and you’re dividing us.”
    Grr.
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    S ometimes cascading warm water and perfumed soap change everything. Today, however, a shower didn’t make me feel anything but clean. I supposed it was still an improvement, although not as big a one as I’d hoped for. At least the Church of