Betting Game Read Online Free Page B

your captain!”
    “You should’ve left it to me.”
    “We were teaching him a lesson! You can’t treat team like that!”
    “Did you treat him like team?”
    “You’re defending him after what he did to you and Danny?”
    “No! It’s just…” He shakes his head and pauses. When he speaks again, his voice is quieter. “It was my fault things got out of control.”
    “Your fault? You didn’t knock him down. It was an accident!”
    “I should’ve fixed it. I’m the captain.”
    “Would you skip the ‘burden of leadership’ crap? He tried to humiliate you. He wanted to show you up! After you showed him around.” I throw my hands up in the air. “Argh! What a…a…tool!”
    He tries to grab my arm, but I pull away.
    “Listen, Jack. It’s my job to help him settle in. Like Jonesy did when we joined the team.”
    “Jonesy would’ve kicked his ass.”
    “Yeah? Well, he wouldn’t have called him names.”
    His accusation hangs in the air.
    I pinch my lips together.
    Alex lets out his breath in a gust. “Think back, Jack. What it was like for us. New town. New team. Remember? And we had each other.”
    I do remember. I couldn’t sleep the night before. But Jonesy made us feel welcome. Like the missing piece that the team needed.
    “We’ve got a game Sunday. Just give him a chance, okay?”
    “Fine.” It’s almost a whisper.
    “Thanks, bro.”

Chapter Ten
    By Saturday I’ve poked around the account Luka set up for me. It’s pretty straightforward. I just have a couple of questions.
    He shows up right on time.
    ready to go?
    yup
    But I’m not ready for the shiny black sports car parked outside.
    The tinted window opens silently. “You getting in?” Luka asks. “Or just waiting for a bus?”
    “You drive a Corvette?”
    “Get in and I’ll show you.”
    The engine rumbles like a World Cup crowd waiting for a penalty shot. He shifts it into gear and we peel out. It’s like riding in the Batmobile.
    I run my hand along the soft upholstery and lean back in the low-slung seat. Someday I’m getting a car just like this.
    He glides into a parking spot at a little café. A bell rings as we go in.
    A cute girl in a short black skirt hurries over. She smiles and shows us to a table. Luka says something. She giggles and hurries off.
    “What language were you speaking?”
    “Russian.”
    “So you’re Russian. I thought I picked up an accent. A little Arnold Schwarzenegger. A little Zlatan.”
    He purses his lips like I’ve said something funny. “Not quite. I was born in Ukraine.”
    The waitress brings our coffee. When I take out my wallet, she puts her hand on mine. “No, no.” And she scurries off.
    Luka says, “I never pay here. The owner—he’s a friend.” He sips his coffee. “You look at your account yet?”
    I nod.
    “Let me show you how it works.”
    He reaches for my phone and brings up the site.
    “Minimum bet is a hundred dollars.”
    And I tried to bet twenty? What an idiot!
    Luka’s still explaining. “You win? That’s $100 in your account—boom! You lose? Your account goes down by $110. That’s $100 plus 10 percent juice.”
    “Juice?”
    “Service charge. But only if you lose.”
    “Right, juice!” I wave it off. “But how do I get you my bet? I don’t have a credit card or anything.”
    “You don’t need one. We settle up once a month. I pay you, or you pay me.”
    “Okay.”
    “Remember. You don’t bet on who wins or loses. You bet on the point spread.”
    So as long as my team beats the spread, I win? That means I can bet on the Lancers even if I think they’ll lose! Sick!
    Luka points at the screen. “Here’s where you find the spread. See? Today the Lancers need to win by a goal.” He looks at me. “Think they can do it?”
    “With Benson back? No problem. The Red Bulls are going down.”
    “An easy first bet. You’re all set.”
    “That’s it? Cool.”
    He leans back in his chair and crosses his legs. “So tell me. What is it like to play