Bao Dai laid his cards out – a red flush.
“Full house,” Nicholai said, and swept up the chips.
Signavi swore in disgust.
Bao Dai only smiled, but Nicholai observed the slight flush of anger and frustration on his cheeks. He glanced up to Solange, who quickly turned away, walked to the bar, and fetched Bao Dai a fresh whiskey.
Nicholai looked at his own stack of chips. He had over two thousand piastres’ worth – about $120,000.
Bay Vien had the buck, ordered a fresh pack, and called for seven-card stud. The dealer shuffled and Bay Vien cut.
Nicholai looked at his two down cards.
It wasn’t promising – a four and five of clubs.
His first up card was a jack of hearts.
Bao Dai showed a queen of diamonds, and bet.
Nicholai stayed in.
The next round brought him the eight of clubs and Bao Dai the queen of spades. The emperor looked up, smiled at him, and raised by three hundred piastres. Nicholai tossed in the chips to see his next card.
A jack of diamonds.
“Pair of jacks showing,” the dealer said.
Haverford folded.
Bao Dai drew a deuce. Still the high hand showing, he bet another five hundred piastres, and Nicholai stayed in to get the six of clubs.
The emperor drew the queen of clubs.
“Three of a kind showing. Queen high.”
Solange’s eyes looked almost sorrowful. Bao Dai bet another five hundred, sat back, and looked at Nicholai. “Do you still prefer games that match player against player?”
Nicholai wasn’t sure if he was matched against a player, or against a player
“So…”
Bay Vien folded.
Signavi also threw in his cards. “It’s not my night, I see.” He got up, went to the bar, and poured himself a Pernod.
“So it comes down to you and me,” Bao Dai said to Nicholai.
“As it was meant to be,” Nicholai said. Insolently, he looked directly at Solange, who turned her face away.
“The lady is tired, I think,” Bao Dai said. “Shall we make this the last hand?”
“Fine with me,” Haverford said. Bay and Signavi quickly assented.
Bao Dai raised an eyebrow at Nicholai.
“As long as there’s a winner and a loser,” Nicholai said.
“I think I can assure you of that.”
I wonder if you can, Nicholai thought, recalling that the emperor’s ally and business partner had ordered the fresh deck, owned the casino and the dealer. I’ve made a fortune tonight, and still have enough left to purchase a fresh start in life.
The emperor has three of a kind showing. Judging from his aggressive betting, he has another card down. I have only one chance to beat even his up cards – I have to draw a seven of clubs. The odds are overwhelmingly against me.
Bao Dai reached up and brushed the top of Solange’s hand.
Nicholai pushed his chips in.
The deal came.
Bao Dai reached for his down card.
Nicholai said, “Let’s neither of us look.”
“Excuse me?”
“Let’s neither of us look, Your Excellency,” Nicholai suggested as he pushed all his chips toward the center. “And let’s do make this the last hand.”
“That’s insane,” Haverford said.
Solange’s green eyes flashed like emeralds.
“He could already have four queens under there and know it,” Haverford hissed.
Nicholai was aware of that. He looked at Bay to see if he could discern whether the fix was in.
He couldn’t.
Bao Dai took a deep breath and then pushed his chips in.
“I see you,” he said. Then he looked to Bay and asked, “Is my credit good here?”
“Of course,” Bay said jokingly, but his face looked strained, as if he hoped that the emperor wasn’t going to do what he feared.
But he was.
“I see you,” Bao Dai repeated, “and I raise you two thousand piastres.”
“I don’t have it.”
“I know,” Bao Dai said pleasantly. “I warned you this was no limits. The sad fact is, you had no business being in this game. I played you like a… puppet.”
Bay looked disgusted. Signavi found a reason to look down at the table as Haverford saw something fascinating on the floor. They were all embarrassed for Bao Dai. He had humiliated himself as a man.
But Solange looked straight at Bao Dai, and her expression was one of contempt. It was ephemeral, it quickly shifted to a mask of indifference, but Nicholai saw it, and it was victory enough.
“Good night, then,” Nicholai said, and started to get up.
“Your credit is good here,” Bay said to him, glaring at Bao Dai.
“To the limit of two thousand piastres?” Nicholai asked.
“Exactly.”
Is Bay’s offer sincere, or is the deck stacked and he’s setting me up for an even bigger fall? I saved you from a bullet, Nicholai thought, looking at him. Would you set me up now?
Nicholai sat back down.
He looked at Solange, who looked back at him.
“I call your bet,” Nicholai said.
Bao Dai turned his down cards and showed his hand.
His first card was the queen of hearts.
Four of a kind.
He looked at Nicholai and his leer said,
Nicholai turned his remaining down card.
The seven of clubs.
119
“MY GOD, YOU’RE RICH,” De Lhandes observed.
It was true – Nicholai had taken enough money from Bao Dai to set himself up for life.
To his credit, the puppet emperor had taken his losses with a suave grace. Small wonder, Nicholai thought, he could easily replace the money with the funds he took from the Americans and his percentage of the gambling, prostitution, and drug business.
Still, it took courage to face down the powerful Bao Dai, and Michel Guibert’s name was on hundreds of tongues in Cholon before Nicholai even left the casino.
“I will arrange security for you,” Bay offered.
