"And you should take a shower and freshen up," Aaron said. "You want to make a good first impression."

Aaron sat at a square table in room 512.

Jack, the head of security for the Chicago cell, sat to the left. He wore a cowboy hat on his bald head, and his blue eyes peered from the shadows beneath the brim. His stylish gray jacket had black leather patches on the shoulders.

Nancy occupied the seat on Aaron's right. She did all of the mechanical and maintenance work for the cell. He had rarely seen her without grease under her fingernails, but for tonight's affair she had cleaned herself up. Her frizzy brown hair was combed and trimmed. She wore a long red dress that fit her stout figure well. She had scrubbed her face so hard her skin was a rosy pink.

Normally, Jack and Nancy spent all of their working hours in headquarters. They were caculas or a.s.sistants to legionnaires like Aaron. They rarely partic.i.p.ated in field work, and never when it involved physical danger. Because Mark Woods was no kind of threat, Ethel had allowed Jack and Nancy to play the part of Aaron's "friends" for tonight.

Aaron checked his watch. "It's 8:10. Woods is late."

"Maybe he's having second thoughts," Jack said. "If he doesn't spend Marina's money, he can pretend he hasn't done anything wrong."

"I think it's more likely he just fell asleep. I actually feel sorry for the poor guy."

"The choices are his to make, sir. n.o.body else is responsible for his mistakes."

Aaron sighed. "Still feels like entrapment."

There was a knock at the door. He went over and opened it. Woods stood there, freshly showered and shaved, and he wore a blue silk shirt.

"Come in," Aaron said with a broad smile. "You're lucky. One of the boys couldn't make it, so we have a seat for you. Where is the cash?"

Woods took out the roll of hundred dollar bills Marina had given him last night.

"Nice," Aaron said. "Come in. Meet my friends. Hey, guys! The man I told you about, Mark Woods, is here."

They approached the card table.

Aaron pointed at Jack. "This is George. We met in college and have been buddies ever since. I wish I had his golf handicap."

Jack gave Woods a hard, intimidating stare.

"The young lady is Candice." Aaron smiled at Nancy. "She runs research and development for Quick Click. She's a certified genius."

Nancy blushed. "Glad to meet you."

"You mentioned you were here on a contract," Aaron said. "What kind?"

"I'm a medical technician," Woods said.

"Where?"

"Saint Athanasius Hospital."

"Saint Athanasius?" Aaron leaned forward. "Do you know about the tuberculosis outbreak?"

"I'm not in that department," Woods said too quickly. "I don't know anything about it." He smiled nervously.

"I'd like to hear your expert opinion, anyway. Everybody is spooked. Thirsty? What's your pleasure?" Aaron looked at a dresser with several bottles of hard liquor on top.

Woods walked over. "Wow. This is good stuff!" He picked up a brown bottle. "25-year MaCallan Scotch. I have to try this."

"Go ahead. We didn't bring it just for show."

Woods poured himself a shot and took a sip. He swirled the liquor in his mouth for a moment before swallowing. "Smooth."

"Let's get started."

They sat at the table and Woods bought his chips. He only spent half his money roll, which was the minimum buy-in of five thousand dollars. Aaron knew it was just a matter of time before the rest was handed over.

The game proceeded according to plan. They let Woods win a little at first to encourage him, but then slowly, inexorably, they took his money away. It was a scam as old as the game of poker itself.

Aaron, Nancy, and Jack were all good players, but they couldn't allow even the slimmest possibility of failure, so they cheated. They signaled each other with subtle hand gestures and marked cards. Countless hours spent watching security monitors had allowed Jack to practice his card manipulation skills until he had become a master, and he put that ability to good use now.

Woods never had a chance. It took only two hours for him to burn through his chips. He eyed his dwindling pile with a glum expression.

"Bad luck," Aaron said, "but it happens to everybody, or maybe you're not as good as you thought. You should quit now."

This suggestion was a slap in the face to a hardcore gambler like Woods, and he immediately placed the remainder of his cash roll on the table. "I want more chips."

"No." Jack shook his head. "I don't like sitting with losers."

"I'm a winner!" Woods glared at him. "And I'm due for a lucky break. Give me the d.a.m.n chips."

"Are you sure?"

"Are you afraid of me?"

Jack smiled. "Not at all. You can keep playing. Who am I to stop you from donating to my kid's college fund?"

Aaron took the money and gave Woods a fresh pile of chips.

The game continued just as before. Woods kept sampling the booze long after he should've stopped. Desperation and exhaustion wasn't helping him think clearly, either. By midnight, he was slouching in his chair and gazing into the distance. He hardly spoke and when he did, his voice was low and slurred. His gambling addiction had taken complete control.

Almost too quickly, he went bust again. He discovered this fact when he reached for his own chips and found none left.

"All done, a.s.shole," Jack said. "I knew you were a born loser when you walked in."

Woods sat up straight and shook himself awake. "I'm not a loser."

"Take it easy," Aaron said. "Maybe we should all call it a night. Everybody has to work tomorrow."

"No." Woods slapped the table. "I'm not done. I just figured out a system for winning, guaranteed."

"Your 'system' can't work without money."

"I lost ten grand tonight. You have to give me a chance to win some back. That's fair, isn't it?"

Aaron raised his eyebrows. "Are you asking for credit?"

"Just a little."

Jack let loose a roaring laugh, as if he had never heard a funnier joke in his life. He slapped his knee hard.

"What's so funny?" Woods said.

"You," Jack said. "Loaning you money is like flushing it down the f.u.c.king toilet."

"I just need..."

"What you need is some sense knocked into your thick head. You're a total stranger to me. You could skip town in the morning. My gym shorts have better credit than you."

Woods lowered his head.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Do you have some identification at least?"

"A driver's license."

"Let me see your wallet."

Woods took out his wallet and gave it to Jack.

Jack examined the contents. "License, credit cards, insurance... this is interesting. A security badge! Looks like you work for the United States Army. You could've mentioned that before. And a photo of a hot babe. A little out of your league, isn't she?"

Woods stiffened. "We love each other."

"I don't care," Jack said. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll loan you five grand, but I'm keeping this wallet as collateral. If you don't pay me back, I have your address and a picture of your girlfriend. You understand me?" He pushed five thousand dollars worth of chips to the center of the table. "And I never forgive or forget."

Woods hesitated. He was staring into the abyss. A small part of Aaron hoped Woods would step back before he pa.s.sed the point of no return. Watching a man destroy himself wasn't enjoyable.

Woods took the chips. "I got it."

Aaron shook his head slightly. Some men are doomed at birth.

The endgame of the scam was quick. Woods bet recklessly, perhaps hoping to intimidate everybody else, or perhaps he just couldn't control himself. It took a half-hour for him to find the bottom of his pile of chips again.

"That's enough," Aaron said. "We're done, thank G.o.d!"

"Not quite," Jack said. "There is one last item on the agenda. Terms of payment." He stared at Woods.

Woods stood on unsteady legs. He looked at the faces in the room, and with a weak smile he said, "How about those Cubs?"

"Cubs?"

"The playoffs. It's exciting, isn't it? Maybe this will be the year."

Jack crossed his arms. "I don't give a f.u.c.k about baseball. What about my five grand?"

Woods' shoulders sagged. "You'll get your money. Don't worry about that. I always pay."

"Tomorrow night, in cash, all of it."

"I can't." Woods shook his head. "Impossible. I need more time."

Jack pushed the table over, tossing cards, chips, and shot gla.s.ses onto the floor. He raised his fist and took a step towards Woods.

"You already took all my money!" Woods backed away. "What do you expect me to do? Print more?"

"Maybe you should've thought about that before." Jack snarled.

Aaron stepped between them. "Calm down. We'll work something out."

"Get out of my way!" Jack shoved Aaron aside.

Aaron stifled his defensive reflexes. His first instinct was to throw Jack to the ground and break something while he was at it. Ethel didn't train her people to be gentle.

Woods backed up until he b.u.mped into a wall. "What are you doing?"

"Teaching you a lesson in fiscal responsibility." Jack advanced menacingly.

"No!" Aaron said. "You're not going to hit him. That's a felony."

Jack stopped. "You're right. I don't need to get physical." He held up the wallet. "I have this."

"What do you mean?" Woods said in a quavering voice.

"I'll steal your ident.i.ty. By the time I'm done, I'll be living in your house and banging your girl."

"George," Aaron said, "don't."

"No choice," Jack growled.

"Just hold on." Aaron looked at Woods. "Is there any way you can get the money? Think! Can you call somebody?"

Woods looked at the floor. After a long moment he said in a weary voice, "Yes."

"Good. Do it. Now go away, but be back here tomorrow night. We'll be expecting you."

Woods staggered out of the room.

Aaron went over and closed the door. When he was sure Woods was well down the hall, Aaron turned and smiled. "That was perfect. Great work, both of you."

Nancy grinned. "Too easy, sir."

"Yes, sir," Jack said. "No challenge at all."