I was leaving the decision in Ink’s hands.
Ink rang me on the second day when I was starting to climb the walls. “You can come onto the premises provided you are specifically targeting this Chinese man. His name is Lai Lu by the way. Don’t blow it, Jaz. I’m trusting you now,” he warned.
“I won’t. I’ll see you tonight?”
“Yep. I’ll be there, probably on the ground floor. Miss you,” he added.
His words and tone made my go heart ka-boom. “You too.” I wasn’t the best with emotional connection sometimes. I blamed it on my childhood.
“Bye, Jaz. We’ll get there.”
What did he mean by that?
I dressed to kill in a red dress I’d bought in Honolulu. The slit on the side of the dress spelled danger. It made men weak and that’s what I wanted. I wanted them to be weak in the high roller room, so they would forget what cards to play.
I felt like a dislodged queen, coming home to her throne. I breathed in the smell of money and walked in through the threshold of the casino doors. I needed more chips, so I decided to go and see my biggest fan, Gladys the cashier.
I took the money and quickly moved to the elevator. Ever since I entered the Mahogany room, Mr. Lu had been present there. I quickly found the table Mr. Lu sat at.
His focus remained on the dealer. He kept nodding at him.
The dealer was busy sliding the cards out of their slots onto the table.
I slipped in next to Mr. Lu. I could tell it made him uncomfortable as his body became rigid like a block of wood.
I placed a low bet to get started. Mr. Lu did the same. My face became unreadable as I merged into the game and watched the cards fly out. Plus two. Card Count. Not bad. I would still hold a little longer. Card counting required the player to know when to go for broke and when to cut their losses. The card count went up as the dealer kept selecting low cards. I put more chips in. This was the time to go all in.
Concentrate, Jaz.
Mr. Lu who was normally expressionless, had a little twitch on the side of his mouth.
I only briefly glanced at him, the next cards were a mix of high and low. Plus five. Bingo. I started to keep a running count so as to get to the true card count. The thrill was back, probably as I had a worthy opponent.
“Bet?” The dealer asked.
I could see it was the time to go all chips in.
The other patrons around me were watching us play off one another and strategizing our moves virtually in sync. The advantage on this table was on the side of the player.
I took my winning haul as people around me gasped.
Mr. Lu shot me a dirty look and we kept playing.
Round two on the same table and now, people were talking in hushed tones around us.
Ink stood in the top corner with his arms folded, watching me.
I knew he was hoping I would have some information for him, but really I didn’t. Mr. Lu was losing. He didn’t bet enough and I ended up beating him.
Simple math. Basic deductions and subtractions. I felt tickled pink that I’d won and beat Mr. Lu. So far, there were no illegal actions taken by either one of us.
The second game was a different story. When I really got in the zone, my heart rate would slow and the cards would appear to be twice the size that they were. I was in another space and place. Card counting could be played effectively, every single game. There were even teams that worked across the country. I preferred to work solo. Teams could be too volatile.
Mr. Lu continued to play.
I worked so hard at running the count in my head I didn’t focus on him specifically. What I did notice was the dealer. She kept touching her nose after every second card, and I felt the knife twist hit my stomach as Mr. Lu placed large bets that seemed out of place. I felt a wave of anger rush through me as I figured out how he was cheating. I wanted to be sure, so I continued my standard card counting and placing modest bets.
The dealer tucked her thumb to the inside of her hand. Quick. Super subtle. To everyone else, it seemed like a normal human movement. No, it was the direct opposite. Mr. Lu increased his bet and so did I. He was working with the dealer. Slick. The dealer flicked her thumb in again. Mr. Lu increased his bet. I mirrored him and increased my beat. If he was going to cheat and win, then I was going to cheat and win as well.