This isn't quite 2119 words, but it's a start. I'm now up to 11863 words total.
She didn't often feel like a night was going to be a sure thing, but when she did it was inevitable that she won. A lot. It was a trend that had never been wrong yet, she couldn't see it being a problem now.
She dressed carefully, taking her time to make sure everything was right. Sandra had learned long ago that a bit of distraction was never a bad thing. A little skin here, a bit of colour there, a shiny necklace tucked almost completely behind the neckline but not quite… These were things that helped to keep the other players distracted, off-balance, unable to concentrate entirely on their own hand. These were things that were key.
Sandra did a final check in the mirror, making sure she had everything she needed. Red shirt with sleeves long enough to hide cards; a small clutch, just enough to bring her winnings home. Cab fare to the game, but not back, to keep her focussed and on edge. There was nothing like the prospect of a chilly walk home as motivation to play a hard game and win big. Smiling slightly, and using one perfectly manicured finger to wipe a smudge of lipstick out of the corner of her mouth, Sandra walked out the door, locking it quickly behind her.
The taxi was waiting downstairs. She climbed in, and gave the driver directions. Not quite to the game; just close enough for a comfortable walk. She couldn't risk being followed. These were high stakes, and not entirely legal. One wrong move and it could all be over.
She paid the cabbie, slipped out, and turned down the nearest alley, it was dark, perfect for moving around without being seen. She made sharp turns down a couple of laneways, pausing only to make sure that no one was behind her. Finally she reached the large door which led to the game itself. A few sharp knocks and it swung open, inwards, and she was inside.
It was a large room, with many circular tables set up in the sapce. She was no longer awed by the chair count, the only hint of the sheer number of people who would be here later this evening. For now it was only herself, and a large burly bouncer. He indicated that Sandra should follow him towards the back of the room, and she did.
There was a smaller table set up here, behind a curtain. The alcove was probably a former office or kitchen in what used to be a massive warehouse space. It had been painted a very dark grey but was well lit with bright flourescent, and was designed to make it very difficult to do anything with a white card that couldn't be seen instantly.
Sandra smiled widely at the older gentleman sitting at the table already. "Luigi," she said, as warmly as she could manage. "So good to see you again."
The white head nodded subtly. "And you, Sandra. How is your father?"
"Well," she said, lying through her teeth as she hadn't seen her father in many years. She sat at the chair that Luigi pointed to, smoothing her dress as she did so.
A drink appeared at her elbow: white wine spritzer, her favourite. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure they knew about her, and they obviously knew about her card tricks if they were playing in this room. For the first time today, Sandra's confidence faltered.
She had a sip of her drink, barely wetting her top lip. She wasn't ready to lose her head quite yet, and she didn't want to insult her host by completely ignoring the drink. Luigi smiled, and the bouncer came forward again with a deck of cards.
"Shall we?" Luigi looked warm and friendly, something which made Sandra's hair stand on end. This seemed a bit to well planned, and the fact the games would start wihtout others here was rather out of character. Still, she couldn't just refuse to play after coming out here specifically for the game. So Sandra smiled and nodded, and Luigi began to shuffle the cards.
It was one of the most intense games that Sandra had ever played. Luigi seemed to have the right cards at all the right moments. It was scary and invigorating at the same time.
They played for hours, or so it seemed. Sandra found her pile of chips steadily declining, and Luigi's increasing as the evening wore on. Sandra had never seen a lucky streak like this before. Try as she might she couldn't catch the actual cheat, however. It was as if Luigi had just been blessed tonight, and he was also having the decency to not rub it in too much.
Luigi scraped another stack of chips towards him. "Well," he said, a slight smile teasing the corners of his lips. "It looks like we have reached the end of your means."
He gestured towards the lone chip sitting in front of her. Sandra forced herself not to grimace.
"Perhaps," he said, not meeting her eyes. "Perhaps you have something else of value we could play for?"
This was it. Sandra had to decide what she was going to bet if she wanted to win it all, and what she was willing to risk if she didn't. She fidgetted with the bezel of her watch as she tried to think of something, anything of enough value currently in her possession.
Luigi tapped the deck of cards solidly on the table in front of him. "How about that lovely statue you have in your foyer? The one of the satyr and the girl."
Sandra looked up, surprised. The statue seemed to have little value at all. It was marble, sure, but a bad marble. Cheap, badly carved, and downright ugly. Why would Luigi be interested in the damned statue? She was barely interested in it, and she'd been living with it for much longer than she felt comfortable living with anything. She pulled the watch away from her wrist and released it, a small slapping sound in the silence.
She nodded, once, and Luigi began to deal.
Once again the deck seemed horribly stacked against her. Sandra couldn't believe that she'd honestly been dealt this hand. There had to be trickery, and in earnest. There was no way she could possibly win. Luigi would get her last chip and the lousy statue. She pursed her lips and tried to mkae it look like she was at least trying to make the best of these cards.
It was in vain. Luigi easily won, and he grinned broadly as Sandra folded her cards. "Well, that's a friendly game, isn't it?"
Sandra became aware of the noise of people in the large room behind her. At least she knew she was safe right now. In a few minutes, once they left the building, however...
Luigi stood up, his bodyguard and bouncer standing right beside him. "Shall we go and collect on our debt?" he asked, still smiling politely.
"Sure." Sandra grabbed her clutch, and turned, walking slowly and deliberately to the door she had entered by. She knew that any false move past that point would likely end up with her dead, and she wasn't in the mood to have that happen.
Luigi pointed her towards a black Cadillac that was itting just outisde. "Please," he said. "I know you prefer taxis, but tonight allow me."
Climbing in carefully, Sandra moved into the centre of the seat. Luigi squeezed in beside her, and the bouncer got behind the wheel.
The drive was short, and quiet. Once they got to her building, the bouncer opened the door for her, and Sandra got out. The doorman was standing on the sidewalk and greeted her warmly, and Sandra returned the greeting as pleasantly as she could.
The building was old, one of the huge apartment buildings that had been built in the style known as Art Deco. The elevator was ancient, wood and brass, and slow. Sandra saw Luigi shift from foot to foot impatiently, apparently wanting this over with as badly as she did.
They exited at her penthouse, and there, in the foyer, was the statue. Sandra looked at it again, but still couldn't see the appeal. It was pretty awful. The marble had aged badly, looking lik eit had spent some significant time in weather. The satyr had lost most of one arm. The girl was missing the end of her nose, and one ear. It didn't look like an authentic antiquity, and it definitely wasn't a major work of art.
Luigi walked over to it, and nodded. "Excellent," he said. He paced around it a few times, and then raised his gun. Sandra tried not to flinch as he pointed it at the base of the satyr's other arm, and fired.
The arm dropped off, revealing a small hollow in the satyr's shoulder. There was a small gold coloured case nestled in there. Sandra watched as Luigi pulled it out, and then she slowly whistled.
Luigi stared at her, obviously confused. A half dozen armed men rushed out of the various rooms in the apartment, surrounding Luigi and his thug with an array of armour piercing firearms. Sandra walked over to him, took the gun out of one hand and the small capsule out of the other.
"You're under arrest," Sandra said, signalling for one of the officers to cuff their guests.
Luigi spluttered and foamed and he was led off, trying to wrestle himself away from his captors.
Another officer came over, and slapped Sandra on the back, a little too energetically for her liking. She gave him the side eye, then realised it was her boss, and smiled instead.
"Way to go!" he said. "I didn't htink you'd be able to pull it off, but he really thought you were Sandra Del Ray. Good work. Finally we got this guy off the street, no doubt about it."
Sandra nodded, not entirely convinced yet. They'd caught Luigi before, and he always managed to get off on a technicality. They'd played this one slowly and carefully though, so there was a very good chance they'd succeed. She reviewed the entire sting in her head, and started to feel more confident.
She tossed the cannister in the air, catching it again deftly. Yep. It had been a pretty good day indeed.
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