The Ramblings of a Gamblin' Man
The sharp sting of an open palmed slap emanated from my cheek and jolted me back into the waking world. Startled by the pain, I tried to cry out but found my mouth sealed shut. Several thick strands of duct tape ran around my skull keeping me quiet. When I tried to reach for it I found that one hand moved and the other was bound tight to the chain I sat in. Another slap came when my free hand touched my face along with a gruff warning to keep still. Wiggling my feet, I could feel that my ankles were also bound in place along the chair legs.
The third slap sent the message home. Keep still. Got it.
Quickly, I turned my attention to my surroundings to assess the situation. I was not alone in my captivity. The chair I had been strapped to sat against a drab green poker table, flanked by three others - all with people tied up in a similar fashion. I recognized them all. Two I knew by name. Harold sat across from me stoic, while Miss Lin sat to my left, red faced and teary eyed. The third man to my right was looking around bug eyed. We all frequented the same casino. Slowly I was putting two and two together.
“Glad you all could join us.” Came the weaselly voice of Jeb Montgomery. He stood to the side of the table with a guerilla of a man, the man that had been slapping me silly, beside him. He leered over us smugly.
Ah shit. I thought.
Jeb was a big time financier in the light of day, but he had liked to spend his time in the dark as a loan shark, and a damn right mean one. Everybody knew he was trouble, but the problem with having an inch that you can’t scratch is that eventually you’re willing to overlook trouble.
I unfortunately had that itch. Cursed with an addictive personality and being just good enough at card games to get into trouble, I soon found myself in need of Jeb's services. For me it wasn’t about the money. Hell I won enough that I could probably make a living if I stuck to the low stakes tables, but I was after the thrill. The bigger the bet, the more on the line, good God, the better that win felt. The problem with that is all it takes is one big loss to put you too far in the hole to get out, and just last week I had lost big.
“Now I’m sure you geniuses already know why you’ve been gathered here this evening.” Jeb continued.
“All of you owe me, yet none of you can pay. That’s something we’re going to have to fix.”
The giant man at his side produced a shiny snub nose revolver and everyone’s eyes went wide. The bug eyed man began to struggle in the chair. His efforts were rewarded with the smack of that same steel across the bridge of his nose, breaking it and slumping the man to a halt.
The large man now produced a bullet from his pocket and placed it into the gun. He gave the wheel a spin and palmed the revolver into bug eye’s hand, lifting it and the gun with his own, using the man as a puppet.
“Russian roulette is a simple game.” Jeb said. “Spin the wheel, place the gun, pull the trigger. If you hear a click, congratulations!” He clapped. “If not, well…”
He trailed off and gave the big man a nod. He lifted the gun to bug eyes’ head and pulled the trigger. The thunderous rapport of the revolver bounced and echoed in the confined basement, causing my ears to ring. I could feel the wetness of blood and brain matter decorating the side of my face.
“Ooh! Bad luck!” Jeb said as the big guy let the man slump to the table and emptied the revolver. Six shells fell from the chamber.
“Okay, we might have rigged that one, but now you guys are playing for real.” Jeb said. “Last man standing lives to fight another day. Good luck.” He laughed.
Click, click, click, click, click, click, click. The wheel of the revolver spun and the large man placed it in my hand. Trembling, I lifted the gun to my head, took a breath and pulled the trigger.
Click.
The endorphins that rushed through me were exquisite. I wanted to pull the damn thing again, I had just played the highest stake hand of my life and I had won it. This was gambling.
The wheel spun and the gun passed to Miss Lin. I could hear her sigh of relief under the gag when another click came. Harold wasn’t so lucky; the poor man didn’t even make it past the first round. It was one on one between Lin and me and boy were we on a hot streak.
Back and forth the revolver passed but that shot never came. God we were good. Every time that steel touched my hand my excitement grew, but as I put the barrel to my head for the tenth time, I paused. Something about it didn’t feel right. This was it. The live round. Shit. I couldn’t lose now.
In a flash, I turned the gun from my head and pulled the trigger. Jeb cried out in shock as Miss Lin’s skull erupted. The big man was already on me, but I had dropped the gun. I did it. I won. I fucking won.
Jeb might have been a mean son of a bitch but he was a man of his word. Let me go and I thanked him by taking out another loan and heading straight to the casino. Lost it all before the end of the night.
I had a huge smile on my face as I went home broke.
Jeb was going to have to let me play again.