CHAPTER 2

 

“Are you absolutely sure you want to take this bet? I don’t want to feel like I persuaded you to do something you don’t want to do,” Boss man Sully said concerned.

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“Yes, I want to take the bet,” Ace reassured.

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Boss man Sully grinned, “Alright, Let’s shake on it.” He holds his hands out towards Ace.

Boss man Sully is wearing a ring on his middle finger. A small needle sticks out from the ring and faces Ace’s palm. When Ace shakes Boss man Sully’s hand, the needle stabs Ace.

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“Ow,” Ace immediately pulls is hand back. “What was that?”

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“I’m sorry it’s my ring. I’ve been meaning to smooth it down. Are you alright?” Here’s a cloth.” Boss man throws Ace the handkerchief out of his right breast pocket.

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Ace dabs at the little blood in the palm of his hand. “Thank you. Here you are.” Ace hands the handkerchief back to Boss man Sully.

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He takes it from Ace and stuffs it in his top right desk drawer. “Alright, let’s get on with it.”

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For the third time, the dealer shuffles the cards and deals Ace the top card and Boss man Sully the next top card. They both look at their cards.

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“Gentlemen, flip your cards over please.”

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Ace’s heart feels like it’s beating out of his chest. Ace flips over his card. It’s the seven of diamonds. Nervousness starts to build inside of Ace. He watches as Boss man slowly turns his card over. The king of diamonds.

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With a huge grin on his face Boss man sully stands up. “Looks like your luck just ran out.”

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Ace sits there with his mouth open. He can’t believe he lost. How could he have let this happen? He let $750,000 slip through his fingers because of greed. At least, he got to take $250,000 back to Dawn. He relaxed a little.

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“I guess I wasn’t that lucky after all,” Ace grins sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck.

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“I guess not,” Boss man Sully agreed. “And now that our luck has run out, it’s time to pay.”

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Ace looked confused. “Pay? All my winnings are downstairs, I’ll take my $250,000 and bring the rest back to you.”

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“Yes, that sounds good, but you owe me something else,” Boss man Sully replies.

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“That’s right,” Ace remembers. “I owe him one other debt, whatever he wants. Oh, man! What have I done?” Ace thinks to himself.

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“Now I know you’re a young fellow. You don’t have that much to your name. Do you have a girlfriend?” Boss man Sully quizzes.

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At the mention of Dawn, Ace gets a little aggravated at the question. Ace says, “Actually, I proposed to her this past week. She said yes.” Ace smiled weakly.

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“That’s wonderful!” Boss man Sully exclaimed. “Congratulations! What a happy and exciting time for you. Wish I was giving you a present instead of having you give me something. But I’m sure it will all work out for the best.”

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“So, what do you want?” Ace asks getting more annoyed.

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“Well, since you ask, I’m not going to ask for much. All I want is…” He pauses and looks Ace in the eyes. “…your first-born daughter. She’ll come and work for me.”

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Ace looks at Boss man Sully in disbelief. “You’re joking right?” Ace half chuckles.

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“I don’t joke. Especially when a debt is involved.”

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Ace begins to protest. “But I…”

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“Don’t worry…” Boss man Sully continues. “You’ll get all the childhood years with her. But once she turns 18 years old, you bring her to me, and she’ll be mine.” Boss man Sully snickered.

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“What?!” Ace bursts out. “You must be crazy! What kind of nonsense is this? I’m not agreeing to nothing.”

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“Too late, we already shook on it.” Boss man says casually. "And, I don't like when people back out on a deal after they've shook on it. But then people tend to realize the...consequences of their actions much too late. Consequences that could be deadly....for them and their loved ones." Boss man finished with a challenging look ni his eyes.

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Ace backs up slowly shaking his head.“It doesn’t matter. You know what, your money will be downstairs. I’m taking my winnings and leaving. Everything after that is on you, I ihave no part of it” Ace says. Ace turns around and heads to the elevator doors.

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“Alright. You can go. Just know, I’ll be watching and I’ll be in contact Ace.” Boss man Sully smiles. “Go celebrate your winnings with your beautiful bride to be” ending with a deep sounding laugh.

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Ace steps into the elevator, pushes the casino lobby button button, and the door closes on Boss man Sully’s image.

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“This guy must really be off his rocker. This can’t be real.” Ace thinks to himself. “Plus, Dawn and I don’t have kids. I mean, one day I’d like to. And there’s a chance our first born will be a boy. It doesn’t matter. The guy gets his rocks off by using his wealth to mess with people’s heads.” Ace decides not to take Boss man Sully seriously.

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*****

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Boss man Sully opens his top desk drawer and takes out the handkerchief with Ace’s blood stained on it. “Micky prepare my things. I’ve got work to do.” Boss man smirks.

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Yes, Boss man.” Micky replies.

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“Now to get things in motion.” Boss man Sully says to himself.

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*****

Walking back to the hotel room, he hopes that Dawn is sleeping. It’s been a long night and all he wants to do is get some sleep.

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When he opens the door, he sees Dawn sitting on the bed watching T.V. “Hey babe.” Dawn smiles at Ace. Her smile always melts his heart.

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“Did you win big?” she asks.

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Ace tries to push the encounter with Boss man Sully out his mind. He wants to wait till the morning to tell Dawn about it all.

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“Well, I did win $250,000! That’s enough for us to have a wonderful wedding and buy a big house!” Ace says with a smile.

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“What? You’re kidding.” Dawns says in amazement. She runs over and hugs Ace around his neck.

“I think tonight is our lucky night, Babe.” Dawn says softly in his ear. “I have some wonderful news too.”

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“Really, what is it?” Ace asks smiling at his fiancée. Some good news will be a great distraction.

 

Dawn runs to the bathroom and comes back out with a stick in her hand and a big smile on her face.

“I’m pregnant!”