Chapter 553

Hannah ducked her head and sprinted for the third deck,her pulse hammering in her ears.

The phone in her grip blessedly didn't need a password-she jabbed in Vincent's number with shaking fingers. Silence answered.

Tension gripped her frame, every nerve on edge as she listened intently for movement from downstairs.

At last, the line clicked and Vincent's voice came through-right as footsteps rang sharply from the stairwell.

Her blood went cold. Without a second thought, she flung the phone overboard, the splash swallowed by the sea.

Gripping the railing, she bent forward, feigning nausea,her hair falling like a curtain around her face.

A voice cut through the air. "What's got you bolting up here?Something so fascinating on the third deck?"

It was Brixton who actualy had come up.

A shiver ran down Hannah's spine as cold sweat dampened her back. Forcing a mask of frailty, she hunched over, clutching her chest as if in discomfort. "I couldn't endure it anymore. I had to come up here to throw up. The stench down there..."Her voice cracked. "I couldn't stand it."

Her act was convincing enough to pass.

Brixton strolled closer at a lazy pace, the corners of his mouth curved in a mocking half-smile.′′|sthat all? Just came up here to puke? I assumed you came running up here for something

to puke? I assumed you came running up here for something special."

The teasing edge in his voice carried a sharper note of doubt.

Hannah's heart thudded so hard that it nearly drowned out her thoughts-he was suspicious. She gritted her teeth, silently ordering herself not to panic.

Hannah jerked her head up, fury flashing in her eyes as her voice sharpened. "Something special? Brixton, what do you take me for? I had a gun in my face-cards I'd never dealt shoved into my hands-and you slaughtered a man right in front of me. Blood everywhere. I was scared out of my mind!Now that it's finally over, I'm sick to my stomach and just wanted to catch my breath and throw up. Is that a crime? Or do you think even the way I breathe is suspicious? What exactly are you accusing me of?"

Her rapid-fire questions slammed into him, slightly easing the suspicion in his eyes. His eyes narrowed, amusement curling at the edges, as though he found her furious outburst more entertaining than threatening.

Brixton's unblinking stare lingered on Hannah, the silence pressing down until her chest ached.

Summoning what little courage she had, she squared her shoulders and snapped, "What the hell are you staring at?You've treated me like a criminal and suspected me. Am I not allowed to be upset? Aren't you the one in charge here?There's chaos downstairs-shouldn't you be dealing with that instead of hovering over a hostage who's about to pass out from vomiting?"

A low laugh slipped from Brixton as he stepped closer,his voice dipping into a taunting drawl. "But why do you look so uneasy?"

Hannah's mouth tightened, the fight seemingly draining from

Hannah's mouth tightened, the fight seemingly draining from her. "Go ahead and think whatever you want. No matter what I do, I'm guilty in your eyes."

Brixton's stare was cold and unyielding. "Scorpio just noticed his phone's gone missing. Funny how it disappeared right after the gambling round-right in the middle of the chaos."

Her hunch was right. He did come for the phone. Her stomach knotted, but she forced her features into wide-eyed confusion."His phone's missing? Then go find it. What's that got to do with me?"

Brixton's mouth curved into a glacial smile. "That's exactly what I'm doing-starting with you."

Before she could react, his hand shot out, patting her down without ceremony.

Her whole body went rigid. He really did suspect her. Thank goodness she'd hurled the phone into the sea earlier, or she'd be finished.

Brixton's search turned up nothing in Hannah's pockets, but when his hand slid down her sleeve, his fingers brushed something solid. It wasn't the size or shape of a phone.

Surprise flickered through Brixton's gaze when he pulled the thing out, revealing a single card: the three of clubs.

It was the same card Hannah had secretly swapped out in play.

He asked, shocked and confused, "Why are you carrying this?"

Hannah noted that the question seemed to divert his attention.She seized the chance and lunged, making it look like she tried to snatch the card back. "What do you think? You wouldn't have won half as easily if I hadn't pulled that off."

Brixton raised the card out of her reach. A sharp thought struck him, and his gaze turned cutting. "So you rigged that round?"

Hannah gave a tense nod, deliberately letting fear flicker in her eyes. "Yeah..." She lowered her head, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "It was too urgent. I was afraid that if you lost,we'd both be dead. I had to do something, so I swapped in a card I knew."

She turned her confession into an act of desperate survival,even making it sound like she'd done it for him.

Brixton studied her for a long moment before throwing back his head in sudden laughter. "Unbelievable! So that explains why you were so on edge. You've got nerve, Hannah. Do you even realize what would've happened if Rodger had caught the slightest slip?"

"It's already over! What's the damn use of bringing it up now?"she retorted sharply, feigning fright as she edged back, though a thread of defiance laced her tone. "And besides, isn't he gone?"

Brixton threw his head back and laughed harder, thrilled by her audacity. "So what you're saying is I won the game, put that old rival down for good, and it's all thanks to you, my clever little hostage?"