Infamous (sequel to IMPOSSIBLE)

Chapter One

Alice peered over her cards and took stock of her opponents. The rabbit with the eyepatch was terrible at keeping a straight face, and it was clear from his pained expression and quivering whiskers that he had a lousy hand. The man sitting to the right of him was a little better, but he had a tic: sniffing when he was bluffing. And he had been sniffing this entire round. The old woman with the bird cage stuck in her massive pile of hair was a tad harder to read. Even the little canary swinging in her hair ornament didn't give anything away. And the mysterious figure in the hooded cloak hadn't said a word or revealed their face. It was impossible to read them.

It didn't matter. Alice was confident that her cards would win her the game. She was the last one to bet, and without hesitation, she pushed the rest of her money into the pot.

"All right, show your hands," the sniffing man said.

As they placed their cards face up, all eyes wandered to Alice. She could not smother her self-satisfied grin as she said, "A royal, my friends. I don't think there's a higher hand than that, right?" When no one answered her, she leaned in and pulled the winnings towards herself. "I suppose that makes me the winner."

A dagger was thrust into the table, piercing the wood only inches from Alice's hand. She froze. Slowly, she lifted her eyes to see the woman with the bird cage glaring down at her.

"How does a little tart like you know how to play cards like that?" the woman asked in a husky voice.

At the sound of his name, Alice's miniature hedgehog stuck his nose out of one of the many pockets in her favorite blue vest. The canary in the old woman's hair fluttered its wings in surprise at the sight of him, and Tart disappeared back into the pocket.

"I beg pardon, my lady," Alice said, feigning hurt. "Are you suggesting that I cheated?"

"Can't see any other way a child could win against someone as experienced as myself," the old lady said with a sneer.

"I can understand your concern. Let me reassure you, though, that while I am fully capable of fixing a game, my winning hand here had nothing to do with my sticky fingers. It's all about my talent with cards. Here, allow me to demonstrate."

Alice picked up the deck that sat by the sniffing man. With the cards in one hand, she made a great flourish with the other before placing it atop the deck. She paused, glancing at the the small group around her as they stared at the deck with anticipation. Taking a deep breath, Alice threw the cards into the air, causing them to rain down like confetti. With the other players were distracted, she pulled out a smoke bomb and tossed it onto the table, adding to the chaos. While everyone coughed and choked, Alice quickly gathered her winnings into her smol and ran for the door.

The shouting and hacking from inside the tavern faded into the distance as Alice raced through the dark streets and back to the inn where she was lodging. Her heart was pounding, and she was nearly giddy over her theatrical escape.

The inn was still and empty. Only a snoozing hermit crab sat at the reception desk. Sneaking by him, Alice took the stairs by twos and counted the doors until she came to hers. Taking a deep breath, she turned the doorknob and slipped inside.

She immediately unlaced her boots and pulled them off, setting them in the corner. With a level of sneakiness and grace that could only be found in an expert thief, Alice made her way towards the bed while shedding her outer garments and tossing them onto the floor. Tart nosed his way out of her vest pocket, chattering in disgust at having been lumped into her laundry. Alice placed a finger on her lips, and the little hedgehog grumbled once more before curling up in the pile of clothes and closing his eyes.

Now stripped down to her chemise and drawers, Alice hung her smol over one of the bedposts and focused her attention on the bed itself. Ace was sleeping soundly, his breathing light and slow. Though she was a skilled thief, Alice was not very good at sneaking into an occupied bed without alerting the slumbering person to her presence. Holding her breath, she lifted the covers and tried her best to slip underneath without upsetting the mattress.

Ace's breathing hitched, and he sat up straight. Curse his alertness.

"Alice?" he said, his voice slightly hoarse.

Wincing, Alice glanced up at the former captain of the guard. His hair was ruffled, and his eyes were bleary with sleep. He looked absolutely adorable.

"Are you just getting in?" Ace asked, glancing at the cuckoo clock on the wall.

Alice shook her head. "No, you're dreaming, this isn't real, go back to sleep," she said as she covered his face with her hand and attempted to push his head back onto the pillow.

Ace removed her hand. "I didn't even hear you leave. Where were you?"

"I had an appointment."

"At two in the morning?"

"Um, yes?"

Ace sighed and settled back into the bed, turning on his side to face her. "Did you win?"

"How is that even a question?"

"Right, right, what was I thinking?"

"I'm sorry. I should have told you. I just didn't want you to worry."

"It's all right. Just as long as you didn't get into too much trouble."

Thinking about the disturbance she had caused at the tavern, Alice gave a sheepish grin. "No, nothing too bad. I mean, we should probably leave tomorrow, but still, it wasn't as bad as back in Spades."

Shaking his head, Ace gave a soft chuckle. "You do know how to leave an impression."

"Well, when we return to Hearts, I won't be able to do things like play cards and pick pockets."

"You wouldn't need to as the Queen anyhow. Honestly, you don't need to now."

"I know, I know. Old habits die hard, you know?"

"Oh, I know. Every time I see you stuff something in that crazy bag of yours, my immediate reaction is to take you into custody."

"You already have me in custody, Mr. Liddell. I have the ring to prove it."

Alice wiggled her fingers, the soft moonlight glinting off of her wedding band.

Ace smiled and took hold of her hand, lacing his fingers through hers and brushing a gentle kiss against her knuckles. "I certainly hope you don't see our marriage as imprisonment."

Goose pimples spread over Alice's arms. Even after several months of wedlock, his touch still managed to send a rush of delight through her veins.

"I've done the prison thing," Alice said, inching closer to Ace and resting her head on his chest. "Life with you is far from it."

Wrapping his arms around her, Ace planted a kiss atop her head. "Glad to hear it."