Chapter 4

“Time to pay the piper,” said Leroy.

Nathan began to tap the table top with a finger. For each tap a lie formed and was on the tip of his tongue before it evaporated. Nothing he could fabricate was sophisticated enough for Leroy. The way he was looking at him, his eyes staring straight into his soul, had him grasping at straws. He was a deer trapped in the headlights.

“H-hey,” he said, forcing a wavering half-smile, “I don’t carry that kind of money around with me. I mean, come on.” He pushed the cash he’d won towards Leroy. “Here, take this for starters.”

Leroy’s smile solidified into a mask that was anything but reassuring.

“You’d better not be fucking with me,” he said.

“Would I do that? I’ve got the cash. You just have to let me go and get it.” Even as the words spilled out of his mouth he knew what Leroy’s response would be. “You want me to bring it back here?”

The smile melted from Leroy’s face. It was replaced by an icy stare and the hint of a snarl on his lips.