Cast in Ice (21 page)

Nick chose to wear a mask tonight. The reason was obvious. He couldn’t risk Ellsworth recognizing him until the last minute. And that wouldn’t come until Winnie’s brother arrived with Lord Cavanaugh.

Nick walked through the lower level of
The Dove
checking out each table. There were no empty chairs, but that wasn’t unusual. It was still early. A place at a table would open up when one of the players lost as much money as he or she could afford to lose. Then Nick would take their place.

He wended his way through the crowd, searching for an ideal spot. His goal was to lose, and lose big, so he needed to find a table where the stakes were higher. Where the players were taking more chances with the amounts they wagered.

It took a little searching, but he finally found the table he wanted.

A large crowd had already gathered to watch the players, which meant something of interest was going on. Which meant the wagers were high enough to draw a group of onlookers.

The chairs were occupied by three women and one man. Nick recognized the man immediately. It was Viscount Bainburn’s son. From the small amount of chips in front of him, it appeared he’d already lost a great deal. Perhaps he would be the first to throw in his cards.

One of the ladies at the table was familiar to Nick. She was older than the others, and wasn’t particularly talented when it came to cards. Nor did she have a great deal of luck on average. But she enjoyed the game and he’d seen her here often.

The other two females were unfamiliar to him.

They both had hair almost the same shade of red, one a natural color. The other obviously a wig. They both took the game seriously, the natural redhead worrying her lower lip each time she had to make a decision as to what to do.

The bewigged female was a much more experienced gambler. Nick watched her for several hands. Not once did she show signs of being affected by nerves. He was in awe of players who exhibited such control. It was obvious that she wasn’t a novice.

He only knew one female who showed such restraint, such control of her actions. But the female in front of him couldn’t be her. Her treatment the last time she’d been here had frightened her enough to force her to think twice before even considering returning. She’d vowed she would never return to
The Dove
, and he’d believed her.

Only a fool would return to
The Dove
after what had happened the last time she was here. And Winnie was no fool.

He watched the players play several more hands. The older woman won two hands, and the bewigged female won the rest.

Baron Bainburn’s son was nearly out of chips, as was the redhead, but she dug into her reticule and, with a heavy sigh, placed more chips on the table in front of her.

It was evident that the bewigged redhead had no intention of giving up anytime soon. Her goal was obviously to win as much as she could, or to force the other players at the table to lose every pound they’d come with. And so far she’d succeeded.

After a few more losing hands, the older female threw in her cards and slid back her chair. A young dandy immediately took her place, boasting that he intended to change the bewigged player’s streak of good luck.

Nick knew he should have moved faster to take the woman’s place, but something told him to wait. A voice inside his head warned him to observe what was happening instead of joining in.

He crossed his hands over his chest and leaned a shoulder against the wall to watch. And the longer he watched, the more certain he was that what was unfolding in front of him was part of a grander scheme.

He focused his gaze on the bewigged female, waiting for her to glance up. He wanted her to look at him. Wanted to see her eyes. He was desperate to assure himself that the pinpricks of fear stabbing his flesh weren’t anything to be concerned over. But most of all, he needed to know that who he dreaded most finding at the table wasn’t who was actually there.

The players played another hand, then another. Viscount Bainburn’s son lost a staggering amount. The young dandy lost nearly as much. The redhead lost a great deal. And the bewigged redhead gathered in her winnings.

That’s when the atmosphere in the room changed.

Basil Ellsworth walked through the room, his henchmen following behind him. He didn’t stop until he neared the table with the bewigged female. Shortly after, Harvey Willard descended the stairs to join him.

One blast of fear after another exploded inside Nick’s chest. He wanted the female wearing the wig to look up. He needed to see her eyes. Maybe they weren’t a deep brown as dark and rich as the finest chocolate. Maybe they were a blue like the sky. Or maybe an emerald green. But the fear eating away at Nick’s insides convinced him that when looked up at him, he’d be staring into Winnie’s eyes.

Wagers were placed on the next hand. The dandy made a respectable wager, but nothing that indicated he had a winning hand. Viscount Bainburn’s son studied his cards for a few moments, then reluctantly placed them face up on the table and slunk back in his chair. It was obvious he wanted to continue, but he didn’t have the chips to wager more, and he didn’t want to risk going into the box with Ellsworth.

Then it was the mysterious female’s turn. With barely a glance at her cards, the bewigged redhead slid a large amount of chips to the center of the table.

Then, it was the natural redhead’s turn. She worried her lower lip as she studied her cards. Her blue eyes gleamed with excitement, with anticipation. The cards she held in her hand were obviously good. It was evident from the expression on her face.

In a move filled with confidence, she pushed every chip in front of her to the center of the table.

“Are you sure you want to do that, my lady?” the dandy said in a soft inquiring voice. “You know what will happen if you lose.”

Nick admired the dandy for issuing the warning and hoped the fiery redhead would listen to him. But she didn’t.

With a lift of her chin she leveled him a sharp gaze. “I know what I’m doing.”

“I hope so,” was all the dandy said, then he turned his attention to the other female.

The bewigged redhead pushed enough chips to the center to see the other female’s bid. Then sat back and waited.

The fiery redhead’s pursed lips spread to a grin behind her mask as she placed her cards on the table. Her cards were excellent—two tens.

Without any show of emotion, the bewigged player looked at her own cards for several moments.

That’s when he realized his worst fears. He knew the player’s identity. Winnie’s habit was to look at her cards a final time before laying them down, as if memorizing the cards everyone played for future reference. When the bewigged player did that same thing, he knew that Winnie had returned to
The Dove
. And he knew that just like the last time, she’d be lucky to escape with her life.

Nick cast a glance around the room and saw Winnie’s brother, Lord Benjamin, with Lord Cavanaugh. They stood on the opposite side of the table, and were observing what was happening just as he was.

He knew Lord Benjamin had recognized him. He’d told him that he’d be wearing a black jacket with a silver waistcoat. But his attire was the only part of the plan he’d followed. Nick was supposed to be playing cards when they arrived. He was supposed to have already lost more than he’d brought, so he’d be given the chance to cover his losses in the box.

Instead, Nick hadn’t played one hand yet. But Winnie had. And she’d won more money than she could fit into her reticule. Enough money that she’d drawn the attention of both Basil Ellsworth and Harvey Willard.

The crowd surrounding her stared intently. Everyone wanted to see what cards the second redhead would lay down. She hesitated a moment, as if she knew what Ellsworth and Willard would do, then placed her cards on the table. The crowd erupted into cheers and shouts of congratulations.

Nick looked at the cards she’d laid down—an ace and a king. Twenty-one.

For several moments the large crowd continued to cheer. There were calls of admiration at Winnie’s unparalleled good luck. There was also a cry of dismay from the fiery redhead when she realized that she’d not only lost the amount she’d wagered, but she was out of chips and couldn’t cover the amount she owed.

With tears streaming beneath her mask, the young girl looked at Basil Ellsworth. “I was sure I’d win,” she cried. “I wouldn’t have wagered everything if I had known there was another ace still in the deck. But I thought they’d all been played.”

“That’s not my problem, my lady.”

Nick watched Cavanaugh. He needed to see his reaction to the young female who’d lost everything she had. What he saw, though, made several facts obvious to Nick.

First, Cavanaugh was indeed the third partner in
The Dove
. The look Willard shared with the marquess confirmed that he was. What confused Nick, however, was the message relayed in the look the two men shared.

The look they shared wasn’t one of two partners who understood the roles they each played, but more an adversarial glare. Willard definitely issued a warning that said Willard was in charge of what happened at
The Dove
. Cavanaugh may be a partner, but he was a silent partner. The look was a threat that ordered Cavanaugh that he had no say in the means Willard and Ellsworth used to make a profit.

Cavanaugh looked noticeably uncomfortable. He blanched when Willard narrowed his gaze, then lowered his head in submission.

And Nick vowed that even though Cavanaugh wasn’t aware of what Ellsworth and Willard were doing at
The Dove
, he was by omission allowing it. Nick swore he’d make the marquess pay for every young girl who’d had their innocence stolen from them, the same as Ellsworth and Willard. But he had to let this scene play out. The authorities needed enough proof to prosecute the three of them, and convict them.

Nick took note of what was happening. He looked around and saw that two other brigadesmen had taken their places at various locations throughout the room. Their presence was reassuring. Especially when Ellsworth and Willard moved.

Basil Ellsworth nodded to two burley guards and they forced the sobbing female to her feet. They also motioned for Winnie to stand.

Nick felt as if his heart was being ripped from his chest. He watched as one guard led the sobbing redhead to the stairs. Another guard pulled Winnie along behind them. Ellsworth and Willard followed.

“I’ll bring the money the next time I come,” the distraught female promised as she was being led away.

Her plea went unanswered.

When Ellsworth reached the top of the stairs, he turned to face the crowd below. The guards pushed the two females forward so the crowd below could get a good look at them.

“The auction will begin in ten minutes! Gather your winnings! This promises to be a very special night!”

Then he turned and led the group away.

Nick watched Winnie until she disappeared from sight. His heart continued to thunder in his chest. Blood rushed through his head and exploded as wave after wave of terror consumed him.

He wanted to rush after her, but he couldn’t. This is what they’d come to witness. This would provide the proof they needed that Ellsworth and Willard were dealing in sex trafficking.

Nick scanned the crowd. Mack Wallace was here now, along with a stranger Nick didn’t recognize. Undoubtedly, the man represented the authorities.

The end result would be exactly what they wanted, except nothing was happening as they’d planned.

Winnie wasn’t supposed to be the one Ellsworth was taking to the third floor. He was.

Winnie wasn’t supposed to be in danger. He was.

Winnie wasn’t supposed to be alone and unprotected. He was.

Nick glanced at Lord Benjamin and saw the confusion on his face. He would have been more confused if he knew the woman going to the third floor was his sister.

“Have you ever witnessed an auction at
The Dove
?” he asked Lord Benjamin when he made his way to them.

“No, never.”

“Have you, my lord?” he asked the Marquess of Cavanaugh.

“I wasn’t aware they held auctions,” he answered. “But it seems exciting.”