The deathly stare he flashed my way made a shiver run through my body. He was gone in a flash and I was freed up to play the table I wanted to play and make the money I wanted to.
I always get what I want.
I resumed my duties and sliced in between two other people, throwing my hat into the ring. I made up for lost time at the table by card counting, so I was in no danger of being escorted out. I felt a tinge of sadness as Ink wasn’t chasing me anymore. I won a few games fair and a little too square for my liking and moved to the roulette table where I would be able to get my cheating fix. This was my last hurrah for the night.
I pocketed another thousand dollars on the table and sashayed to the holy steel gates of payout. One of the cashiers on the other side had a judgemental look on her face. She wore red lipstick and her hair tied up in a slick style with a side part. My motto was to keep it low key, cash in and check out. The last thing I wanted to do was to be on the cashier’s radar. They feed that up to the powers that be.
“Hello. Looks like you had a good night,” she observed in a clipped tone.
“Yes.” My smile didn’t reach my eyes.
She pressed the chips into her little plastic holder with the others.
I watched as the other ladies in the cashier’s room counted money, working like little beavers for the system. My middle finger was up to all of them. The casino system was flawed and rigged. It was designed to set up the innocent and the poor. All I was doing was leveling the score.
Once my money was ready, she counted it out to me like a bank teller.
I felt my body tingle all over as I collected two neat rubber-banded stacks from her. It wasn’t about the money at all. I was hardwired for the game, and I loved it.
Red Stone Casino, zero. Jaz, one.