She was still laughing hysterically. Any thought I had about intervening on her behalf was gone. If she was gonna play it like that, then I could play that way, too. Consequences be damned.

"If you thought I had the ace, then why did you call?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Ashley told me to," Kate said innocently.

Then she started laughing again. Finally she went still, she tipped her head back, her face still bright red, and took a long, deep breath. She rubbed her eyes with her fingers.

"Oh God, that was good," Kate said, "It's been a while since I've had one of those. I think I...