"Keep sayin' that all ya want, Bruce," Jon shot back without missing a beat. "You're just jealous 'cause I'm winnin' and you're not. Learn how to play poker if ya want a chance at beatin' us."
Brendon couldn't stifle a grin as the pig man--Bruce--glared daggers at Jon, who didn't care in the slightest. Jon merely counted his chips without a care in the world as the next round went under way. Brendon aspired to have his confidence in the face of those unnerving loan sharks.
Brendon's heart sank down to his feet when he saw his next two cards: a two of diamonds and a four of spades. What was he supposed to do with those cards? The most he could do was make a pair, or if he got lucky, a three of a kind, but that was pushing it. He doubted he could win this round, so all he could do was hope and pray that Jon got a winning hand once again.
Toothless cut right to the chase and tossed in five chips before the flop cards were even dealt. That wasn't a good sign, especially when Fat Fingers and Bruce called. Brendon's chip pile was slowly diminishing. He wouldn't be able to keep up with them at that rate, but he wanted to give it a chance. He couldn't give up and fold without at least seeing the flop cards.
He threw five of his chips into the pile.
When the three flop cards were turned over, Brendon's hopes instantly deflated. A three of diamonds, an ace of clubs, and a one of hearts. He couldn't make anything out of those, and as the three loan sharks each added five more chips to the pile, he knew he had to give in. Why waste his remaining chips on a round he could never win?
He was well aware of Jon's careful eyes on him as he folded. The loan sharks scoffed and snickered, exchanged a few taunting glances with one another, but Brendon tried not to look at them. He was just being smart. He would only dig himself a deeper hole if he continued to bet on a round he knew he couldn't win, but still, he couldn't help but feel as if he was throwing Jon under the bus. It was one against three for this round, and the odds weren't necessarily in their favor.
The round went on until the final river card was drawn, revealing a seven of spades. Jon and the loan sharks turned over their own cards to compare; Brendon nearly leaped out of his seat as Fat Fingers let out a roaring laugh, a laugh so booming that it seemed to rattle the walls of the basement.
"Ha! I've got a straight!" he shouted, eagerly pounding his heavy fists on the table. "Look at that! A three, four, five, six, and seven, all in a row! Who needs to learn how to play poker now, Walker?"
"Yeah, yeah, can it, Earl," Jon griped, dismissing the comment with a wave of his hand. Brendon was impressed with how calm he remained. That was Jon Walker all right.
Brendon, on the other hand, had anything but serenity pulsing through his veins. Earl scooped the giant pile of chips to his side of the table, his even larger than Jon's. Things didn't look good for the fate of The Spotted Cat if the loan sharks kept on winning like that.
"Careful, gentlemen," Bruce sneered, his eyes piercing straight through Jon and Brendon. "One more big loss, and you're finished. You can kiss your jazz club goodbye if ya keep playin' like this."
"And we wouldn't want that, now, would we?" Earl added with a taunting smirk. He knew what he was doing to them; Brendon wanted nothing more than to take his massive chip pile and throw it right back in his fat face. He was sick and tired of those disgusting pigs talking bad about the things he cared about. It was unfair, and it only fueled his determination to win the next round more.
This round was going to be his.
His expression remained stone cold as the next two cards were dealt. His fingers twitched with anticipation, adrenaline surging through his veins like thousands and thousands of electrical volts. Not once did he break his hard stare with the dealer, even when Jynx silently leaped up onto the table and sat near his pile of chips, her amber eyes gleaming as she watched him. She almost looked like she was a part of the game.
YOU ARE READING
Mad as Jazzmen |1930s Ryden AU| ✔️
Fanfiction"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing." * * * The Great Depression was, by far, one of the worst tragedies in the history of the world. People drowned in debt. Banks were ruined. The stock market was broken and unreliable. But one...
