Free Perfect Soldier: The Complete Story (5-Part BBW Military Romance Novel) by Haley Nix Page A

to casino after casino, my winnings
multiplying all along the way. I had a big hand right now. It was my final
night in Vegas. It was then that I realized that sometimes it makes sense to
take big risks in a card game, just as it made sense to take big risks in life.
I was going for it all.
    “All in,” I said.
    It went around table, each player folding in turn.
This was the biggest pot I’d won all week. It wasn’t just luck, it was skill.
I’d spent the whole night earning my reputation at the poker table, and now I
was coming away with the spoils. But I was smart, I knew when to quit. This
would be my last game of the entire trip.
    “Thank you, gentlemen. Enjoy the evening.”
    I flipped a few chips to the dealer – what amounted
to $300 worth. Not a bad tip, not bad at all. That was chump change right now.
I didn’t know exactly how much I’d won until I cashed out. Seeing those numbers
on the receipt sent my heart racing. Was this a mistake?
    I brought it back to the window and asked the
attendant if there had been some sort of error, if he’d accidentally given me
someone else’s receipt.
    “No, sir that’s yours. You’ve had a good night,
don’t question it,” said the man with a wry smile.
    He gave off the impression that he didn’t often get
to say that to most of the patrons at the casino.
    “Sound advice,” I said.
    Garrett and Tyson were in another casino a few
blocks down and I headed out to meet up with them. I was anxious to get home. I
wanted to see Cat, to have her share my happiness with me, the happiness borne
out of the incredible events of this week. I was going to see if Garrett and
Tyson would be interested in heading back one day early. It was only around
8:00 PM. If we drove through the night, on those empty desert highways, we
might be able to make it back sometime tomorrow afternoon.
     
    ***
     
    Catherine
     
    Dammit. This test was impossible, absolutely
impossible. At first it had seemed like a breeze, but the last few questions
appeared to cover material that hadn’t even been on the study guide. They might
as well have been written in Greek or Latin for all I knew.
    Still, I did my best to power through. I read and
re-read them, searching for some sort of meaning or understanding that would
allow me to answer them correctly. The only thing I really had going for me was
that they were multiple choice. I could at least rule out the answers that
seemed obviously wrong. If I could get it down to the choice between two
answers, at least I’d have a 50-50 shot.
    I’d finished the rest of the test quickly, so I had
time to ponder these last several questions awhile. I searched my memory,
trying to find some hint, some recognition from the past that would point me in
the right direction. Ultimately, I had nothing.
    It was nearing the end of the test and coming up on
the time when I would have to leave for work. I jotted down my last few
answers, making an educated guess of things. There was no point in sticking
around and going over my answers again and again. If I didn’t know them now, I
wouldn’t know them five minutes from now, or ten minutes from now, etc.
    I walked to the front of the classroom and handed in
my test. The professor took it directly from me and gave it a cursory look,
flipping between the pages to look at my answers. He looked up at me, a small
smile crossing his face. He seemed satisfied. I decided to take that as a
positive sign.
    As I walked out to my car, I felt my mood start to
change for the better. Sure, I had several hours of work ahead, but I was also
about to start my winter break. No more school for the next month. With the crazy
schedule I’d been running the past several months, I could certainly handle one
where I only had my job at the bar. Hell, I might even pick up an extra shift
or two to earn a little more cash. I had the energy. And I certainly needed the
money.

 
     
     
    Chapter
Eight
     
    Colton
     
    I found Tyson and Garrett at a