“Not tonight.”
Logan extracted a set of playing cards from his pocket and shuffled. Jack went to the kitchen and brought back a bag of M&Ms, explaining to Sterling that they used them for bets. Then Logan dealt, and the game began.
Sterling learned quickly that Tione, for all his talk of being ruthless, was a conservative player. Jack was unpredictable, bluffing wildly at times and folding quickly at others. Logan was unflappable and difficult to read, and behind Shane’s rumpled professor façade was a clever mind and remorseless soul.
The men laughed. They teased, and mocked, and swore. Alcohol flowed freely. However much Sterling drank, his glass seemed to magically refill. It was unlike any card game he’d played with his friends in Auckland, and to his surprise, he was enjoying himself. The game appealed to his competitive spirit and it wasn’t long before he’d won Jack’s entire stash of M&Ms. Shane took Tione apart, piece by piece, and Logan held his own, neither gaining nor losing many treats.
Finally, Sterling got a winner of a hand. A straight flush. He pushed his whole pile of M&Ms forward and said, “All in.”
It was late, and Shane kept muffling yawns. Sterling had been counting on his weariness to make him less averse to risk. He’d been right. Shane called. Logan, apparently trusting Shane’s read of the situation, did the same. Sterling laid down his hand. Logan stared. Jack roared with laughter. Shane rubbed his eyes and flipped over a pair of aces and a pair of eights.
“You win.”
Sterling grinned, pumped beyond measure. These men might be different from his friends back home, but the outcome of the game had been the same. He collected his prize.