type as me

The Charming Monkey, Part 13

Vadas signalled to Puchenko, and whispered something in his ear. Punchenko's expression clearly showed that he didn't like what he heard, but he nodded and abruptly turned, leaving the room. I looked at Fortis, who appeared as though he was about to cry. Whether they would be tears of joy or sadness was another question. He was obviously excited about the stakes of this hand, and with his record in the game so far, you couldn't blame him. Puchenko returned and handed some papers to Vadas. He stood up, and moved toward the table.

"To show your trust is not misplaced, Mister Fortis", he said, placing the documents on the pile of chips in the centre of the table, "these are the deeds to the The Artemis".

Fortis peered at them over the rims of his glasses.

"Obviously, I trust you'll be able to match our bet", I said to Fortis, making my move. "But of course, Mister Cane", he replied, snapping out of his thoughts of riches, "This casino has been very good to me".

He gave a small smile, much to Vadas' obvious disgust.

"But I do not have the funds on my person", he continued, starting to look slightly uneasy. "I do not think they will be needed, however".

"That may be the case", I said, looking at Vadas, "but I'm sure Mister Vadas would like some sort of security... a sign of good faith, perhaps?" Vadas nodded in approval.

"Perhaps that monkey of yours would be more comfortable sitting in with the pot until the hand is over?" As the words left my lips, a wave of horror washed over Fortis. He turned a distinctly lighter shade of pale, and clutched the monkey tightly.

"I... I couldn't possibly...", he stammered.

"I insist", said Vadas through gritted teeth. Fortis began to sweat for probably the first time in a while. You could see him weighing up the situation in his head, his eyes flitting furiously. It was either greed or arrogance that tipped the balance, but he reluctantly began to push the statue toward the centre of the table.

Once the monkey had made friends with he chips, the dealer signalled for us to turn our cards over. Fortis's concerned face eased, as he saw that his pair of kings were more than a match for my cards. With the pool of cards in the centre, Fortis already had three-of-a-kind. Three kings laughing at my pair. Vadas, however, was not laughing.

I nodded to the dealer to draw the last card. My heart was beating fast. I had as much to lose as Fortis, if not more. The dealer pushed the card face down and placed it next to the other four on the beige. Fortis's gazed was fixed on the card, as dealer began to turn it over. I pushed my chair back, reaching toward the centre of the table. In a swift move, my hand touched the monkey as the card revealed itself to the world.