Lucky - by Erin Latimer

Out of Luck

Once we were in his room, Kiran took the pouch from me and set it on the table beside the bed.

            “What were you thinking?” His expression was hard. “This is my plan, I run the show. I say when we bet, and when we back out.”

            I glared at him, folding my arms over my chest. “You play like a woman, or a scared child. It’s called gambling for a reason. You take risks, Lightfoot…”

            He was across the room in two strides, slamming me back against the wall. His hands were on my shoulders, his grip so tight it was bruising.

            “Do you think I don’t know about risks?”

            I was startled to see that his cheeks were flushed with anger and he was breathing hard, chest rising and falling like he’d been running. “Do you think I don’t know what I’m getting into? My life has been nothing but risks. And now my life depends on this. On this plan. Do you understand me?”

            I blinked, eyes watering. Kiran opened his mouth like he was going to say something else, hesitated and then backed away from me. “I’m sorry.”

            I rubbed my shoulder and scowled at him. “That’s just it, I don’t understand. You haven’t told me anything. How do you expect me to…”

            “Just go along with what I’m doing,” Kiran said gruffly. “We stick to the plan.”

            My temper flared again. “You’re being too cautious. At this rate it’s going to take too long…”

            Kiran interrupted me, eyes flashing. “Do you know what your problem has always been, Cassandra? In the entire time I watched you, you did one thing over and over.”

            My mouth was hanging open now, and I started to protest that he didn’t know me, but he continued.

            “You overplay your hand. You’re confidence is good, in a way. But you’re too greedy. You’re addicted to the rush, so you don’t pull back when you should.”

            I was still sputtering, and now I trailed off, unsure what to say in retaliation. What could I say? Irritation made me scowl at him, because I didn’t like that he was right. I’d always lived on the edge, running from city to city. And it was always because I was running away from someone. Someone who’d figured out my luck wasn’t just luck.

            It had always been that way. I couldn’t seem to help it.

            Kiran’s voice was calm again. He smiled at me, which only made me more irritated. How could he go from stormy to calm in an instant? How could he mask his emotions so well?

            He turned away from me, moving to the bookshelf. “We follow my lead from now on. The next place we go to won’t be as shabby. And I won’t tolerate behavior like your little fit back there.”

            I narrowed my eyes at his back, wishing for something to throw at him. The memory of his “subtle” threat about the iron collar came back in that instant, and I felt like launching myself at him and kicking him repeatedly.

            He was still talking, but now my eyes were drawn to the bedside table. The leather pouch was just sitting there, unprotected.

Kiran had his back to me, still staring at the bookshelf as he talked. “We pick up some new clothing, I teach you a little bit more about etiquette and all that fun stuff, and then we can get on with the plan. And getting your gold.”