The Bondsman (a King Dice x Reader story)

Chapter Fourteen: The Art of "On Tilt" Gambling

Song: Angel-Eyes (Live at the Sands hotel and Casino/1966) by Frank Sinatra

       So, Dice's plan hadn't gone the exact way he had expected it to...

       ...big deal.

       He had still fulfilled the boss' demands by "cutting ties," and he had still made it back to the casino in time to work his magic over the morning rush. His job was done, and he was happy about it.

       At least, he told himself that he was happy about it...

       The trip back was easier on him now that the storm had stopped and the adrenaline was beginning to die down, allowing him to use his Highways and pop right up into his office. It also gave him an added few minutes to process everything that had just happened before you seemingly vanished from his life forever.

       You hated him. You hadn't said it, but he knew.

       He knew what people looked like when they hated someone; when they felt betrayed. He had been on the receiving end of that cheated glare many times before, typically after a good scam over the craps table or a particularly feverish Blackjack game.

       There were plenty of people across the Isles that hated King Dice, and he had never minded.

       Not until now.

       It had been a few hours since Dice returned, and the day seemed to stretch on much longer than the typical 24/7 operation time. Within the first hour, he'd run three craps games, six turns of roulette, and a seemingly endless round of poker. The day simply creeped along, dragging Dice along with it. One hour stretched into two; two hours stretched into four. Before he could even get his head on straight the clock read noon, and with that came the next rush.

       And with every rush, there came news.

       "Heard they took her out in under five minutes."

       "I heard it was ten."

       Rumors.

       "The whole building went down!"

       "No it didn't you dolt. It just lost a couple of bricks."

       Gossip.

       "Didn't think two little kids would be able to do that much damage on their own."

       "Didn't y'a hear? Word on the street is that they ain't workin' alone no more. They got some dame with them."

       The cups had been a popular subject here in the past two days, some patrons and staff (including the manager himself) even going as far as to place bets on whether they'd succeed or not. Dice didn't personally think that they'd be able to handle it, at least not until recently. Now that the cups were on the third Isle, however, he was beginning to grow a little nervous.

       It wasn't worth dwelling on. He'd lost bets plenty of times, though he would never admit it. Besides, his attentions were best served elsewhere, concentrating on keeping himself focused on the game at hand and not on you. Consequently, most of the rumors and babble that seemed to occupy the casino went in one ear and out the other.

       Except for the last part: They got some dame with them. This managed to burrow into his mind and stay there no matter what he tried to occupy himself with.