Ezra Matten was the kind of man who tried his best to know the answer before the question was even asked.
But right now, at the casino card table, he was facing a problem that even his brilliant mind found challenging.
He had been winning consistently, too consistently, and he knew what was going on.
It was all a setup.
The house was letting him win. They'll inflate his ego and when he is at the climax, they'll crush him and send him crashing back down.
He couldn't let that happen.
This was his last shot. His desperate Hail Mary attempt to climb out of the pit of debt that had swallowed his life.
The dealer slid another card his way and he glanced at his hand.
He was currently playing this game with the last of his cash. It was every credit he could scrape together in a last-ditch effort to secure fast money.
His eyes flicker around the table, evaluating the probabilities and reading the tells of the other players.
It was time to outsmart the gamemaster.
Ezra had always made smart choices in his life.
He grew up poor, so he had to. When others were chasing girls, he was studying hard to enter law school. He had sacrificed a lot to get to where he was and when he got there, oh how sweet it was.
Even with how smart he was, it took just one stupid choice to ruin his life.
He fell in love with the wrong woman.
Emily.
If only he had known.
Everyday, he cursed the day he met her. She had taken all his IDs and borrowed millions of credits in his name.
He had woken up the next day to his bed cold and Emily gone.
He'd gone to the police but they still haven't found her.
To make matters worse, she had borrowed from a company owned by a gang and they definitely weren't going to let the police stop them from getting their money back.
He fought the urge to sigh. When Emily had been with him, she made his heart pound with love. When she left him, she made his heart pound with heartbreak.
But now, Ezra's heart pounded from the game in front of him. The time was getting nearer and the trap was closing.
It was just a matter of whose trap would work. His or the house's.
He'd been calculating. He'd had most cards needed for a royal flush pass through his hands and had replaced them with trash cards that he'd sneaked in. He'd doctored every suit except the spade.
The dealer finally dealt his hand and he glanced at it.
Fuck! Not a single spade. He'd have to rely on his acting skills.
Showtime.
"Royal flush." He whispered seemingly to himself but in a voice designed for all the table to hear.
He exaggerated his joy, a broad grin stretching across his face as he slapped his cards down. "Gentlemen, I believe this is my night." He said confidently.
He leaned back in his chair, laughing like the world was in his hands.
The players around him shifted uncomfortably.
They had already been feeling his good luck through their pockets and this confidence could only mean one thing.
Ezra watched as the doubt entered their eyes. They glanced at each other, hesitating.
Slowly, with the confidence of a man who had already won, he pushed all his chips to the center of the table.
"All in." He glanced at the dealer who was frowning slightly. So far, so good.
The other players kept glancing between him, their cards and each other.
Ezra's heart pounded crazily as he watched. It was so loud he wondered why no one else could hear it.
"Fuck it!" One of the players who had messy red hair and a scraggly beard slapped his cards on the table shooting the dealer an irritated frown. "I fold."
If not for his self control, Ezra would have sighed in relief right there and then.That had to be the house's plant at the table.
With one person giving up, the others followed suit. One by one, they folded, unable to shake the belief that Ezra had the unbeatable hand he claimed.
When the last player folded, Ezra exhaled slowly, gathering the pot with trembling hands. He'd secured enough breathing space till the next payment.
His act had paid off.
He stood up, feigning nonchalance as he collected his winnings, every fiber of his being focused on maintaining the charade until he was safely out of the casino.
Ezra walked briskly towards the cashier, already strategizing his next steps.
He needed to lay low for now and convert the cash into something less traceable. Then, he'll pay off the most pressing debts and look for other casinos to try his luck.
After exchanging his chips into cash, he left the casino, heading straight for his hover car.
He glanced this way and that before ducking into a nearby alley, intending to take a shortcut to where he'd parked his secondhand hover car a few blocks away.
If he was about to be mugged, this was the perfect place for it.
As if on cue, he heard footsteps behind him.
He turned just in time to see a figure step out of the darkness, a smile on his face.
"You thought you could just walk away, huh?" The thug laughed at Ezra. It was the red headed plant at the table. "Unfortunately for you, the Red Orphans never forget."
Ezra's heart sank. He had heard rumors about the Red Orphans, their ruthless tactics, and their unforgiving nature. He knew just how much danger he was in.
"Listen, I don't want any trouble." He said, raising his hands in surrender. At this point, he knew the money was a goner. "Take the money. Just let me go."
The thug laughed, a harsh sound that echoed around the alley.
"It's not just about the money, genius. You embarrassed us. Made us look like fools. And that, we can't allow."
The man lunged forward, the glint of a knife in his hand catching the faint light from the street.
Pain exploded in Ezra's side as the blade found its mark.
He gasped, stumbling back against the wall. The thug grabbed the bag of money, before rifling through Ezra's pockets.
"Consider this a lesson." The man sneered before stabbing twice more and disappearing back into the night.
Ezra collapsed to the ground, clutching his wound. He could feel the strength leave his body and his vision began to blur.
His mind scrambled for the answer to this problem but came up with nothing.
This wasn't how it was supposed to end.
He had spent his life studying just so he could always be a step ahead but this time, he didn't even know where this road led to.
He sighed as his vision darkened even further. This was the end of the road for him.
Click! Clack!
Click! Clack!
The sound of shoes echoed down the alley as someone approached.
He frowned. Was the grim reaper coming for his soul? Then why were they wearing high heels?