Free The last game by Fernando Trujillo Page A

looks had been exchanged between
them and now she´d fallen into the trap just like the
rest.
    “ I don´t see any point in waiting.” She
said, spreading her cards on the table. “Four kings.”
    Dante gasped. His stared ahead agape, tugging
at the little hair left on his head. “That´s impossible. It´s got
to be a mistake.” He shouted sweeping the cards off the table onto
the floor.
    “Cool it, you glorified gangster.” Hector
said. “Lose gracefully. Behave yourself, you imbecile! Or do you
want the mutt to remind you of your table manners? That´d be a good
show to finish all this off.”
    Dante leaned on the table. He looked dizzy.
The dog was right beside him, staring.
    “ That means there’s only the two of us
left.” Judith said. “What’ve you got?”
    A stab of fear ran thought Alvaro. The room
was spinning around him. Everything had finished, the only thing he
had to do was show his cards. But he didn’t want to do that. He
wanted something to happen, anything that could postpone the end of
Judith’s life.
    He should have been feeling good. He’d
prepared everything carefully, had practiced the sleight of hand
relentlessly for weeks. Everything had gone perfectly. Now, he had
won six more years of life. And his brother was rich. Everything
had come to a beautiful end.
    The only thing he hadn’t allowed for, was
feeling as low as he’d ever felt in his life. He didn’t want to
take Judith’s life from her, or the baby she was carrying, either.
What happened to Dante or Hector meant nothing to him, but Judith?
He couldn’t look her in the eyes. She was the only one at the table
who deserved to live. How could he take a pregnant woman’s
life?
    He could feel the change inside him. How was
he going to enjoy another eight years of living, knowing that he
had to kill her first? He’d never forget Judith, her memory would
haunt him for the rest of his life.
    “ Congratulations, you’ve won!” He said,
mixing his winning hand with the other cards on the table so that
no one would see what he had.
    An enormous smile covered Judith’s face.
Alvaro felt relieved, and even allowing for what was coming, happy.
He didn’t know why, but a strange sense of satisfaction was running
through his body. He’d done the right thing, there was no remorse.
Without any shadow of a doubt, it was the best of all possible
outcomes.
    “ That’s all I needed to see” Dante said,
dejectedly “You look happy. I knew you were an idiot, doctor. Well,
what does that matter now? W e ’ re all
in the same boat. About to…"
    “ Shut up, for once in your life!” Alvaro
shouted. “I’m happy that she’s won. Yes, she’s going to be a mother
and she deserves to keep on living.”
    “ Look how stupid you are. You’re that happy
that you’re almost drooling. She decided to play even though she’s
pregnant. She could’ve just as easily stayed at home. She’s no
different to anyone else here, leaving the stinkpot over there out,
that is.”
    “That’s a lie I’m nothing like you; or
Hector, who doesn’t care about anything or anyone.”
    Hector stared daggers at Alvaro.
    “That’s it. You think you’re better than us”
Dante said amused “Isn’t that right doctor?”
    “Better than you? That wouldn’t be too
hard.”
    “Well, I know that you’re not.” Hector said
coldly.
    “ What do you know about me?” Alvaro
scoffed.
    “More than you think.” Hector replied. “You
only think you’re better because of your sacrifice.”
    “What sacrifice?” Dante asked, suddenly
interested.
    “You knew?” Alvaro asked, perplexed.
    “ Knew what? Damn it!” Dante demanded to
know looking at the other two men.
    Hector was nodding slowly. “From the first
time you beat Dante.”
    Dante was getting desperate, he didn’t
understand, and that was making him furious. “Why don’t you tell me
what you’re talking about or I swear I’ll…”
    “Why didn’t you say anything?” Alvaro