by Kendric Neal
“He's working on it. Joined a therapy group while he was inside.”
“Good for him. Like to see a con rehabilitate.”
“The rest of the group's all dead now.”
“Maybe they unburdened too much.”
“Maybe he did.” Dunn offered him a cigarette and Neely took it. Everyone else was smoking, a cloud of smoke descended near the ceiling.
“Reminds me of the good old days,” Neely said, looking up at the cloud.
“Kids today, don't know what they're missing,” Neely answered.
A tall guy took the chair Neely had his hand on, and Dunn motioned Neely to let it go. The guy had a lumberjack beard, looked intense and quiet, and had to be at least 6' 6”. “Slider. Spent four years in solitary and cracked up. Thinks the rest of us are ghosts, that's why he looks at you funny. You're new, you might be the archangel come to kill him.”
“Nice bunch of guys.”
“We all have our issues.”
A young guy came in the back door and went straight to the empty chair. Stig was part-Hispanic and very handsome, with strong features, two days' growth, wavy shoulder-length hair, blue eyes, a ripped physique and tattooed hands. Neely figured he couldn't have been more than 25, yet everyone deferred to him. His patch said “President”.
“Hundred ante, two small, four big,” Stig said, noticing Neely for the first time, the only new face around the table. “Standard play. Don't give me any shit and I won't kill you,” he said, laying a badly nicked and fully-loaded Glock on the table. “One rule: You gotta fart, go outside. We'll wait.”
“That's for you, Gup,” said Jacy to a fat, muscular biker.
“Sensitive stomach,” Dunn said to Neely.
Stig broke the seal on a new deck, cut it, and handed it to Jacy. Neely noticed he had rings on every finger and his knuckles were stained with fresh blood like he'd just finished punching someone. Dunn handed him a monogrammed handkerchief. “I don't like to see blood on the cards til after the game.” Stig took it from him and wiped his knuckles.
CHAPTER 23
“Don't fold,” Jacy said to Will, who looked like a new member since he was barely out of his teens and didn't have any scars yet. “I want to know what he's got,” Jacy said.
“Spend your own money then,” Will said.
“Stay in, bitch. You came this far.”
“Give it to me.”
“Fine. Coward…” He tossed him two blues. “You match 8, then cry at 2.”
“Shut up, you bailed two rounds ago. Call. 3's,” Will said, throwing his cards down.
Neely laid his down.
“6's! You kidding me? I had 9's!” said Jacy.
“You should have stayed in.” Neely said.
“On three grand! I thought you had something.”
“I do. Big pair of hairy ones.”
“Who cold-calls on 6's?”
“Worked, didn't it?”
“What are you, rich as fuck? You play like you're high,” Slider said.
“That's how I roll.”
“Don't look at me,” Dunn said. “Boy's off the box.”
Stig stared at Neely, as did the others around the table, starting to seriously wonder about the new guy. “Alright, everybody, fifteen. Gup's looking pale,” Stig said.
“I'm fine, I let one slide while you were talking,” Gup said.
“You did, didn't you? I thought I smelled something,” said a wiry-looking meth-head named Threece sitting next to him.
“Sneaked it by security.”
“I swear, Gup, you do it again, I blow your brains out,” Threece said, placing his H&K to Gup's temple.
“Then it'll all let go. You don't want to do that,” Stig said.
“Yeah, his head might be full of it too,” said Ricky.
“Yeah, please, I'm sitting on the other side,” Jacy said.
“Find another seat. I'm not kidding,” Threece said, then back to Gup, “You been warned.”
“Fine, I'll take a break. Might have one more in the kettle. Fuck out of my way,” Gup said, moving his immense girth past him.
Dunn took the opportunity to whisper to Neely, “What the hell are you up to?”
“What do you mean?”
“I know your game, I've been playing with you for twenty years. You bluff early, set up the stretch.”
“I didn't know I was so predictable.”
“Why do you think I'm here? I thought I'd soak you for a few thou, pay me back for you stealing Liz Bates.”
“You were banging her roommate on the sun deck, ass wipe.”
“Hardly relevant. So what's with tonight? Every time I give you a run, you've got the hand to back it.”
“Maybe I've changed my style.”
“Maybe Liz still wants me.”
“Liz doesn't remember either one of us.”
“Liz doesn't remember college. Girl had more Molly in her than I did and I was selling it.”
“I've been getting good hands.”
“No shit.”
“I haven't had to bluff.”
“Well, word to the wise. Drums are beating. You're new, you're standing out.”
“I should be a good guest and lose?”
“Just sayin' Stig's no altar boy. Well, actually he was, which is one of the reasons he's so hyphy now. Boy's got a violent streak so wide it's got mile markers on it.”
“The real Tony Montana?”
“Yeah, and a whole lot of little friends.”
“I noticed the knuckles.”
“That was probably just his babysitter, I'm talking gulag shit. He dug up the previous VP, asshole gintzed 'em so they killed him, Stig gets drunk one night, goes and digs him up again just to beat the crap out of him some more. You want to talk nasty? Pieces flying everywhere, they had to steam-clean the bikes, had little pieces of dead flesh wedged in the cooling fins, smelled like the devil's crusty anus when you got 'em up to speed. True story, pix are in the clubhouse.”
Neely sat on a chip stack at least three times higher than anyone else's and conversation was subdued. Dunn tried to make up for it by keeping up his usual banter, but the humor was palling. As the most recent betting round finished, Gup laid down a King and a 10, making two pair off the board. Dunn put down a King and a 7, making a weaker two pair. Neely laid down an 8 and the Queen of Spades, making a straight off the board.
“That bitch likes you. That's the fifth hand she's won for you,” Dunn said.
“She wants me.”
“How bout that one?” Dunn said, noticing Neely's phone on the table, a muted call from Hope coming in. Neely turned it off and slipped it in his pocket.
“That one can wait.”
“Never seen a guy hit so many gut shots in one night before,” Stig said, rocking back in his chair, staring at Neely.
“Must be my night,” said Neely, though no one seemed to agree with him. Stig held his gaze before handing the cards off to Jacy for the next deal. Neely was no longer looking at Stig, but Dunn was. He nudged Neely with his foot while the next hand was dealt, covering it with more banter.
“Cop and blow,” he said, eyeing his diminished stack of chips. “Knew I shouldn't have given up those Hornets tickets tonight.”
“Maybe your friend will share,” Ricky said.
Neely seemed to ignore the tense mood as he poured another finger of Jack, pausing to remove a dead gnat.
“At least he died happy,” Dunn said.
Jacy pointed at Neely, “Under the gun.”
“In,” Neely said, matching the small blind. Dunn kicked him harder this time, which Neely didn't acknowledge.
“Don't fold much, do you?” said Threece.
“I get bored on the sidelines.”
“Most guys sitting on shit, they don't stick around,” said Stig.
“Lot of cards in the deck. I've won hands on 4s and 2s.”
“I know, I've seen you. Seven or eight times,” said Slider.
Jacy dealt the flop�
�two Jacks and a 7. Neely slid the Big Blind in.
“Out,” said Gup. Ricky tossed over his chips. Slider tossed his cards on the table, out.
“Out,” said Will.
“Two hundred,” said Threece.
They all looked at Neely. He hesitated a moment too long, “Out,” he finally said. Stig stayed riveted on him through the betting to follow.
“Two and raise two,” said Dunn.
“Match,” said Ricky.
“Call—” Threece started to say when Stig lunged over the table and flipped Neely's discarded cards over. He was sitting on a Jack.
“What the hell?” Ricky said.
“Bet on nothing,” Stig said. “Now you're dumping three Jacks.” He got up, holding his hand on the hilt of his gun.
“Stupid isn't illegal,” said Dunn, trying to defuse it. “Otherwise the Kardashians would be in jail.”
“I want to know what the hell's going on,” Stig said.
“Your cards, your house, your deal. How's he going to ace out?” said Dunn. Neely meanwhile seemed content to stare back at him.
“Break it down for me,” Stig said.
“You got something to back that, or you just a sore loser?” Neely said, much to Dunn's annoyance. Stig reached across the table for him and grabbed him by the shirt. It wasn't for show, Neely saw murder in the guy's eyes. Dunn put his hands between them. Good old Dunn, nothing ever ruffled him.
“Since when is it cheating to play badly?” Dunn said.
“Since I don't understand the reason.”
“Just testing my luck,” Neely said.
“I'll agree with you there.”
“See, if I don't fold occasionally, I win too much. If I win too much, people don't like me. I really want to be liked.”
“Well you're fucked there,” said the blonde, who'd put down her magazine to watch the drama.
“So you've got a psychological condition, is what you're telling me?” said Jacy.
“That's it.”
“Take it somewhere else,” Stig said.
“Okay. Where?”
Stig and Ricky both stood. Dunn stood with them. “Whoa, alright, okay. You know me, Stig. You're up, what are you complaining about?”
“I don't like being pawned.”
“You're winning! You wanna be known as a sore winner?! Who'd believe you?”
Stig took his eyes off Neely. “Maybe I'm a sore everything.”
“They make ointments for that. Sit down, come on. You too, Threece, Jacy, Ricky. Drinks on me.”
“I want to know what your friend's up to before I drink with him,” Ricky said.
“Neely, help us out here. What are you up to?”
Neely looked from one face to the next, reached across and grabbed Stig's 9mm off the table, put it to his own temple and fired. The whole table erupted as everyone stood back, taking out weapons. Neely was uninjured though. He looked up to see a dozen guns pointed at him. “It's loaded isn't it?” Neely popped the clip and thumbed it. “Full clip?” He turned it around and handed it to Stig. “Ever known it to jam?”
“I don't keep one in the chamber.”
“Yeah, but I didn't know that, did I?” Neely had their attention, but it wasn't respect they were looking at him with. “Go ahead. I can't lose, not unless I'm willing to fold on three Jacks. Something that's incredibly hard to do, I might add.” Stig checked the chamber of his gun and looked at Neely. Stig shot a lamp on the far side of the room instead. It shattered and crashed to the ground. “There's nothing wrong with the gun. All of you… go ahead, take a shot at me,” Neely continued. Dunn saw it before Neely, who probably never would have seen it. The mood in the room had gone beyond violence.
Dunn took Neely's arm. “What's with the voodoo shit, brother? You got a death wish?”
“No. Just the lucky streak to end all lucky streaks. So lucky I win too much. So lucky it's starting to turn on me. So lucky I just dared you all to kill me and yet here I am.”
“Come on, Neely. Welcome wore out. Time to go home to the wife.”
“I got nothing to fear here.”
“I do. Come on.”
“We haven't finished the game,” said Neely, sitting back down. “Outlaws, bikers, badasses. You're not afraid of anything, are you? Except a little luck. Ever see it up close? Smell it, feel it sitting next to you? You really want to pass up the chance? Fucking fickle mistress. Play your cards right, maybe she'll go home with you. C'mon, I wouldn't mind getting this wrinkled old cunt off my back.” They all stared at him, unsure what to make of this maniac. Crazy was something they knew, so was suicidal, but Neely was carving out new territory. “I'll make a you a deal,” said Neely, shuffling. “We play out the game. I stop trying to lose. You see what real luck looks like. You don't like it, kill me. Or try to, anyway. Hell, six guns aren't going to jam, are they?”
“What the hell, man? What's happened to you?” asked Dunn, and Neely looked at him, strangely pleased that even the implacable, unshakable Derek Dunn was looking at him with a measure of fear.
“I beat Vegas, I beat Wall Street, I beat God, now I'm going to beat you,” Neely said, cutting the deck, “So pony up, fucking panty stains…” He slammed down the cut deck. “Let's play.”
“Okay—alright—getting mighty crowded now,” Dunn said, getting up and gathering his cash and belongings. “Time to get some air.”
“Dunn. Thought you were interested.”
“No mas, amigo. Esta loco in la cabeza. Stig, do what you want. He's off the res.”
“No shit,” Stig said.
“Good night, sweet dreams, keep bangin' that chicken,” Dunn said, saluting Neely.
“Come on, fellas. Thought you wanted to play some real poker,” Neely said, shuffling.
“I'm not playing with you,” Threece said.
“Any game you want. One hand, then. Winner take all. Any of you take it, you split it. Put it in the club rec fund. I win, I take it all.”
“You need to check your totem, fuckboi,” said the blonde.
“That's 5 to 1, you'd be crazy not to.”
“Ricky deals,” Stig said.
“Fine.”
“5 card, no draw,” Jacy said.
“We can play Go Fish for all I care. Just deal.”
Ricky sat while the others stood. Neely shoved a stack of cash into the center and looked at the rest of them. The others followed suit as Ricky dealt.
A betting round followed and everyone but Will drew. No one wanted to bet the final round so Neely moved his whole stack to the middle. Stig eyed him along with the others. They'd all done time, they'd all seen their share, they'd just never seen someone quite like Neely. “Call.”
“Three Jacks,” Neely said, laying them down.
“What the—? Those are the same three cards,” Threece said.
“You palmed it!” Slider said, furious.
“You know I didn't,” Neely said.
“You're nuts,” Ricky said.
“Maybe,” said Neely, gathering in the pile. “Maybe I am.” Stig pulled his 9 and placed it to Neely's temple.
“Feeling lucky still?”
Neely looked him in the eye. “Well, yeah…”
“Come on, Stig,” said Jacy, too aware of Stig's short fuse.
“Jesus. Get him out of here,” said Ricky.
“The cash stays. You go,” Stig said.
“No. I won.”
“Don't push your luck,” Will said.
“That's all I've been doing.”
Neely felt a chair leg come down on the back of his head and it was suddenly on. They were beating on him, venting a lot of frustration as he covered up from the blows. They surrounded him and he had nowhere to crawl off to. Stig hit, punched and kicked and Jacy looked at Ricky, who quickly recognized where this was headed.
Ricky pulled Stig off and it was suddenly over. Stig didn't like the expression on Ricky's face either. He didn't like any of it.
Neely stood and smiled bl
oodily. “You know I didn't palm it, don't you? I saw you take 'em. You know I didn't.”
“Get up,” Stig said, looming over him.
“Get him out of here,” said Threece.
“Tell you what. I'll give you back 30K each if you keep playing. It's too early to go home. What do you say? Come on, guys…” Neely started counting it out. “Thirty each.” He looked up at them through bloodied teeth, “It's just getting interesting. Come on, guys. Too early to go home. I'll buy drinks… Sorry about before. Just play with me, please. Come on…couple more hands. Just a couple more.”
CHAPTER 24
Neely drove the city streets, watching commuters stop for their morning coffee as the sun came up. He pulled into his normal rooftop space, the exhaust blowing white clouds as it condensed in the cold morning air, and he walked across the expanse to the building, leaving footprints in the frost. His suit was wrinkled after 24 hours and stained with blood, his hair a wild mess, his face unshaven and covered in cuts, and he carried a trash bag stuffed to bursting with loose cash.
Despite his drastic appearance, he followed his normal morning routine, pouring a cup of coffee and sorting through his burgeoning inbox, accidentally trailing money as the trash bag snagged a chair. He grabbed a cardboard file box, emptied the binders from it and began transferring all the loose money into it. Marcia watched speechless from her station as Neely had to press down on the overflowing mountain of loose cash to get the lid to stay on.
“Speak to you?” Hugh Donaldson asked, poking his around the corner of Neely's office. Neely noted he looked pinched and constrained. His automatic smile, the kind that worked regardless of conditions, was on, but his normal bluster seemed to be oddly missing. Neely nodded and entered, shutting the door behind him. “Jesus, what happened to you?”
“Oh.” Neely hadn't realized it showed. “Tripped on the ice. I'll go clean up.”
“It can wait. We're having a problem with Jepp.”
“So I heard.”
“The problem got worse,” Donaldson said. “Their system went down with a virus. You know Deanne over at Pedott-Carey? Swears the system was clean as of the 4th, they ran all systems through a Meeker test.”
“So? Someone got sloppy. Left a door open.”