Dead Man's Hand Read Online Free Page B

time I
tried to get close enough to place my cameras, a guard materialized out of thin
air.  Well he didn’t actually “materialize,” that would have been quite
the trick, but it certainly felt like he had.  If he hadn’t been carrying
that rather large gun, I might have made another effort somewhere else along
the wall.  Instead, I contented myself with a simple perimeter
search.  This turned up only a single entrance, a door to the building
adjacent to the loading dock.  Disheartened, I decided to place a camera
pointing at the entrance before I gradually made my withdrawal.
    Since I had already taken
enough grief from Matt, I decided not to mention just how little information I
was able to scrape together about the location.  “Well I think I just saw
something a moment ago.”
    “What do you mean, you
think?”
    “Considering that I was
dealing with an irate and rather shrill voice at the time...”  I
definitely couldn’t resist the poke.  “Yeah, I only Think I saw something
enter the warehouse.”  I had to learn how to bite my tongue.  A
comment like that was just going to add fire to all Matt’s objections.
    “I’m must not have heard
you correctly just now...” This time, it was clear from his tone that he was
furious. “The Marcus I know wouldn’t be so incredibly stupid as to even
consider walking into an illegal poker game in some random warehouse!”
    Yup, zero to fight in
less than a second.  I was too tired for this, physically and
mentally.  Normally I don’t really mind arguing with Matt, it can be fun,
or as I like to see it, a challenge.  But the renewed vigor in his voice
let me know that if I let this go on, fun was the last thing this conversation
would be.  The game was tomorrow, I needed to rest and clear my mind. 
Again I found myself wondering why I had picked up the phone in the first
place.  But then, I already knew the answer to the question, I was feeling
a little bit guilty.  Sighing, I decided to make the argument that I knew
would get me out of this discussion, not that I was proud of what I was going
to do.
    “Matt, where did you
think a game like this was going to be played?  Did you think Dempsey
would just rent some office space?  There is a reason I set up
surveillance on the building.”  I had to be very careful not to let my
lack of good surveillance slip out.  “I’m also not downstairs drinking
heavily tonight.  I do know what I’m voluntarily getting myself
into.  I will be fine.  Okay?”
    “Was that supposed to be
a hint?”  I could tell that he was resigned to what was happening.  I
must have sounded angrier than I thought because I have very rarely heard him
give up an argument so quickly.
    It made me feel like a
heel and there was no reason I had to let him know that it had been intentional
so I lied as best as I could.  “I hadn’t intended it to be one.”  And
I held my breath hoping that it would work.
    “But you’ll use whatever
you’re dealt, is that what you’re saying.”
    Either it worked or he
knew what I was doing and decided to let it pass, for the moment. 
Fortunately it did not matter which was the case as long as he let it go.
“Something like that.  Hey, I’m not expecting to be able to place very
many phone calls while the game is running so I’ll give you a call when it’s
all over.  And when I get back dinner’s on me so don’t cheap out on the
choice of restaurant.”
    “Sounds like a
deal.  Just do me a favor and try, I mean really Try not to transform any
of the cards you’re dealt.  I’ve enjoyed our friendship far too long to
see it end at Dempsey’s hands.  Besides, I want that dinner.”
    I smiled at his words and
bit back any pithy retort that I might have had, I was ready for the
conversation to come to an end. “I promise to do as little mischief as
possible.”
    “That’s not the same
thing, Marcus.  Remember what I said, this isn’t some back-alley game,
this is Dempsey