Chapter 11
It was a table near the back, dimly lit, with only a few people around it. They weren't loud or dramatic like the slot crowd. Just focused. Calm. One woman adjusted her sunglasses. Another man tossed a card down without even blinking. The dealer flicked cards with practiced ease.
A small wooden sign sat on the corner of the table. "Rummy – Open Play"
Alison slowed her steps.
She watched for a second. The way the players moved. The way they read each other. It wasn't mindless luck anymore. This was different. it needed Strategy , Calculation and a clever mind .
Her fingers twitched.
"...I've got time," she said, glancing over her shoulder toward the table.
And just like that, she turned back and walked toward it, slipping into the empty seat at the edge like she belonged there.
The chair creaked softly as Alison sat down, eyes scanning the players at the table. Four of them.
Directly across from her: a bleach-blond guy with an oil-slick leather jacket, chewing gum like it owed him money. He was so focused he looked like he hadn't blinked in twenty minutes.
On her left, a woman with smudged eyeliner and an ashtray laugh, sipping something dark from a chipped glass , guess it's some kind of wine .
On her right, a man in a tank top with biceps bigger than Alicia's ego and a neck tattoo that read "Don't Fold." and she shuddered as she hoped it referred to cards and not his general approach to life.
And then there was the dealer.
Slick and Silent , Probably born in a cloud of cigarette smoke and regret. He shuffled the deck with the air of an expert like it was muscle memory . It was sharp, smooth and practiced. The kind of guy who could rob you blind with a smile and still wish you a good night.
"Buy-in?" he asked, voice as dry as Lowtown air.
Alison reached into her coat and pulled out a few Jenny bills. "Five thousand," she said, sliding the cash across the felt.
He didn't blink, just nodded and dealt her in. Thirteen cards, crisp and a little too stiff.
The table was quiet except for the soft clack of chips and the whisper of cards being rearranged. No flashy lights, no buzzers. Just the dull hum of distant slot machines and the occasional cough from the bar.
The game was Rummy , no fancy variant, no side bets, just straight melds and discards. The first to clear their hand or leave the table bankrupt would be the victor.
She glanced at her hand ,
3♦, 4♦, 5♦
7♠, 8♠, Joker
Q♥, Q♣, Q♠
2♣, 9♦, K♣, 6♠
' so , I arranged them in a way so I have a pure sequence of diamonds, an impure sequence of spades , a set of four and a bunch of random cards . Not bad actually i think I have a chance of winning '
She started with a straight face, naturally. After months in the Lowtown branch, that came easier than blinking.
First discard came from Tattoo Neck. He tossed a King of Hearts with the attitude of a man who never respected royalty anyway.
Sunglasses Lady scooped it up like she'd been waiting her whole life for it. "Thanks, sugar," she said, grinning with wine-stained teeth. Her voice sounded like a jazz club ashtray. She melded a K♠, K♥, K♦ and discarded a 2♦ without a care.
Alison's fingers twitched.
"You gonna play or just sit there and judge us?" Bleach-blond said, popping his gum.
She met his eyes and offered a fake-smile so dry it could sand wood. "Can't I do both?"
He rolled his eyes and drew from the pile like he was being personally inconvenienced by the deck. Discarded a 6♠.
Alison blinked. Nice. She picked it up and melded: 6♠, 7♠, 8♠ with the Joker as the 9♠. A clean four-card run.
The Bleach-haired boy looked at her sideways, offended that she was already playing like she had a plan.
She wasn't going to tell him she was mostly winging it.
Next few rounds went fast. The table traded cards like gossip , some bluffing mixed with some calculating, most of them probably guessing.
The tattoo-necked guy grunted a lot. Every time he drew a bad card, he looked like he was being personally betrayed by fate.
Alison slowly built her hand up.
She pulled a 2♦ to pair with the one from earlier. Grabbed a 3♣. Then, miraculously, someone ditched a 2♣ and she snagged it fast.
2♦, 2♣, 2♠ — triple twos now. Not game-ending, but satisfying.
"You're new," Sunglasses Lady said, eyes hidden but voice sharp. " You from around here?"
Alison shrugged. " not really but you could say that ."
The Blond boy snorted. "She's probably some rich kid slumming it for kicks."
" man do you really think a rich kid will come to shady casino like this one ? Use your mind please. "
The lady said
Alison didn't reply , she just smiled and drew a card. It was a K♣. Her eyes lit up, but her facial expressions didn't change .
She looked at the rest of her hand — now two K♣, and one useless 9♦ that had been haunting her .
She was three melds in. One more run and she could go out.
But the muscled guy wasn't letting up. He was close , she could feel it. His eyes narrowed every turn. His fingers twitched every discard.
The tension started to build. The kind of tension that only comes when everyone at the table knows someone's about to lose money.
The blondie went out first. He slapped his cards down like they were hot and mumbled something about broken machines and rigged cards.
"Sorry, sweetheart," the lady with Sunglasses said, scooping up a modest stack of chips. "Better luck in the kiddie pool."
He flipped her off and stormed off toward the slots. Alison hoped he tripped.
Now three players remained.
Tattoo Neck grunted and slapped down a new meld: 5♦, 6♦, 7♦, 8♦ — a monster run.
"Damn," Sunglasses muttered.
He had one card left. Alison knew that look. That don't talk to me I'm one step from glory look.
He was going for a full-hand meld, no discards, a rare Rummy finisher with high payout . Exactly the kind of thing a man with a neck tattoo would chase.
Alison couldn't let him win. Pride aside, she still needed money. Heavens Arena wasn't going to fly her out on vibes.
She glanced at her hand.
If she could just pull one more King… she had the Q♥, Q♣, Q♠ already melded… if she got K♥ back from the discard pile...
Wait.
Sunglasses Lady dropped it. King of Hearts. Casual. Like she hadn't just handed Alicia the win.
Alison didn't say a word. Just picked it up, melded:
K♣, K♥, K♦
Now she had four melds.
All that was left was one card. One lonely, useless 9♦.
If she could just—
The dealer offered her the next draw.
Alicia reached out, heartbeat stupidly loud for someone who didn't care about anything. She drew the card.
9♣.
She stared at it , then slowly, carefully, slid it in next to her 9♦ and pulled the Joker out of her other meld. Replaced the 9♠ with it.
9♣, 9♦, Joker.
Three of a kind. Ugly , But valid.
That was five melds.
She laid down her whole hand with one smooth motion.
The table froze.
"Rummy," she said, deadpan.
Tattoo Neck looked like someone just told him protein powder was a scam while the Sunglasses Lady sighed and leaned back.
"Well, shit," she muttered. "You got lucky, kid."
Alison shrugged. "Guess I should buy a lottery ticket while I'm at it ." she said jokingly.
The dealer gave a short nod and began counting chips. Alison watched the stack grow . It was modest, but enough for her. Combined with her voucher from earlier, it'd cover her travel.
She stood, grabbed the chips, and slid them into her coat.
The Neck tattooed guy shook his head and lit a cigarette. "Ain't no way a rookie walks in here and wins."
Alison just smiled. "Maybe I'm not a rookie."
She turned and walked out, ignoring the looks behind her.
" oh boy I'm sure I am "
Outside, the air was colder, sharper. Her boots crunched glass on the sidewalk.
She pulled her coat tighter and smirked.
"Now that's more like it."