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"Making roo up to stand with the men

If Niels was surprised to see Cress there without her husband, he didn’t show it "About done," he said, dusting his hands "The engine’s near a co us to Farafrah and back without having to break into the petroleulanced at Jina "You’re not staying?"

Jina clicked her tongue "Oh, Jamal and a few others are, but we’ve had a new order, so we need to make a special trip There’s always ot here What about the cahed "They’ll stay in the town stables and be happy for the break So a bit faster" He thumped a pal?"

"It’s nothing," she said, dipping her head

"Jina?"

Jina’s hand tightened on Cress’s aruage Cress flushed, wishing she knehat Jina was saying

Then he srabbed suddenly fro her startled cry as she was shoved past Jina, past Niels Her head was forced down as she was thrust into the back of the vehicle, banging her shins on the bumper The hatch slammed shut Pitch blackness surrounded her

Niels barked soine rumbled beneath her She heard two more doors slam near the front of the vehicle

"No!" She threw herself at the hatch, pounding her fists against the metal She screamed until her throat went hoarse, until the ruh and the buainst a pile of bolted fabrics

Herwhen, not e They’d already left the paved streets of Kufra behind

BOOK Three

"The cat has caught the bird, and she will scratch out your eyes as well

You will never see your Rapunzel again"

Thirty-One

The girl returned froainst Thorne’s wrist so he would knohere it was

He tilted his head toward her and lifted the cards "What do you think?"

Her braids brushed his shoulder "I think…" She tugged at two cards in his hand "These two"

"Precisely the tas thinking," he said, taking hold of the two cards "Our luck is changing, right about … now"

"Two to the blinddown on the table He slid theue "That’s not anted," she said, and he could hear the pout in her voice

"Ah, well," said Thorne "We can’t win them all Or, apparently, any of the The woman leaned closer from behind him and nuzzled his neck "The next hand will be yours"

Thorne grinned "I a went twice around the table and the winner clairuff voice, Thorne pictured a scraggly beard and an excessive belly He’d drawn up detailed es of all the players at the table The dealer was a tall and skinny man with a finekept jangling when she took her cards, so Thorne pictured an abundance of gaudy jewelry He judged the ht to be scraith bad skin, but that was probably because he inning the most

Of course, the woman who had draped herself over Thorne was viciously hot

And not at all lucky, it turned out

The dealer dealt out another hand and Thorne raised his cards Behind hiirl let out a sad whistle "So sorry, love," she whispered

He pouted "No hope? What a sha around the table Check Bet Raise

Thorne tapped his fingers against his cards and sighed They were useless, judging froainst his chips and slid the entire stack toward the center of the table, listening to the happy clatter of chips falling against one another Not that he had a lot of them "All in," he said

The woman behind him was silent The hand on his shoulder didn’t even twitch Nothing to acknowledge that he’d gone against her suggestion

Poker face, indeed

"You’re a fool," said the scrawny player, but he folded

Then the bearded le--not from concern, but expectation This was hisleft to bet," he said, followed by the clicking and clacking of chips

The last two players folded The dealer passed out cards to replace the throays--two to Thorne’s opponent

He kept all his cards If his lady disapproved, her statuesque hands hinted at nothing

They didn’t bother to bid for the second round, knowing that Thorne was maxed out Thorne fanned his cards out on the table The dealer called theainst his opponent’s hand "Doubles" Then--"Royal triplets win!"

Thorne arched an eyebrow as the old lady with the jewelry let out a delighted giggle "To the blind man!"