“What can I do?”
“Don’t 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.”
A smile spread across my lips as his words settled into my mind, biting back the pithy retort swirling in the depths of my mind. I was ready for the conversation to end. “Would a promise not to perform any serious mischief satisfy you?”
“That’s not the same thing. Remember what I said; this isn’t some back-alley game, this is Dempsey you’re dealing with. If you flex your abilities, you’ll wind up in trouble, and you know it.”
“Matt, he’s not arrogant enough to make any of the attendees disappear without justification. Remember, they can afford to pay his entrance fee. He would rather keep them alive so that they will keep coming back for more.”
“Marcus, you don’t need to win.”
While it sounded like a plea, his words were hollow. He was simply laying more groundwork to throw in my face later, if things fell apart. Any fire that had been coursing through his words was now gone. The curtain fell as I drew my thumb across my nose. “I’ll see you when I get back, my friend.”
And just like that, the call ended. There had been no last goodbye. No wish for luck, just the silence that comes when someone hangs up. Had I pushed him too far this time? Could this be the straw that broke the camel’s back? No, I was reading too much into his momentary depression. Matt always got right back up and was stronger than ever. Once I won the tournament, I’d go home, and we’d spend the next two months plotting our next mark and having fun. At least once he got his revenge.
Besides, Matt was worrying about problems that would never come to pass. I would be very surprised if Dempsey showed up at the tournament. More than likely the game would be managed by some trusted lackey. Not that the possibility of his presence hadn’t crossed my mind, but after thinking it through, it didn’t
make sense he’d attend the tournament. After all, with his supposed empire, he’d have more important things to attend to.
That thought reminded me of the halfhearted promise I had given Matt. I knew he had wanted more, but there was no way I’d handicap myself like that, not when I wasn’t entirely certain what I was walking into. There were going to be too many goons, some obviously armed, others not so obvious, in that warehouse. And I would not enter a building like that unless I could defend myself. It just wasn’t going to happen. Though truthfully, I was determined to win the game, no matter what.
I plopped into the serviceable chair beside the bed and resumed watching the video feed, trying to force the conversation from my mind. But after several fruitless minutes, I realized there was nothing to gain by continuing, not live anyway. Double checking there was enough memory for the night, I placed the camera onto the simple table and placed a hand on my rumbling stomach.
I rose from the chair and hopped over the bed and grabbed the phone. While I needed to keep my wits about me, I’ll admit he was right about that, I needed something to occupy my mind. So I grabbed the hotel’s menu off the bed and perused the options, selecting a meal catching my interest and what I believed would be a complementary cocktail. With my choices in mind, I picked up the phone and placed the order.
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