My eyes locked onto the Zippo Humphrey was fidgeting with, and my vision went red.
That lighter was a gift Beverly had hunted down across every corner of the internet for our fifth anniversary.
"What's the matter, Thaddeus? Eyes all bloodshot. Can't handle losing?" Joe Whitney, sitting to my left, tossed out a tile with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes.
I drew a long breath and forced the murderous rage back down into my gut.
You bastards. You eat my food, drink my liquor, and I treated you like real brothers. And this whole time you've been laughing behind my back?
And Beverly. I handed over every paycheck, every single month. Had to beg for permission just to buy a pack of cigarettes. She claimed she was a germaphobe, barely let me touch her. Meanwhile she'd been sleeping around with God knows how many men?
"Steady, boy!" Great-Grandfather's voice cut through. "Two of these lowlifes just landed major construction contracts, and the third hit a lottery jackpot. Their luck is at its absolute peak right now."
"You can always find another wife. But fortune like this? If you don't siphon it off tonight, the chance is gone forever!"
"Play all eighteen rounds. By the time I'm done with them, they won't be able to scrounge a warm meal for the rest of their miserable lives!"
Great-Grandfather Abbott was nothing if not ruthless.
I rubbed my thumb across the jade ring, and my heartbeat steadied.
What was done was done. But the future? The future was going to go my way.
"You think I can't handle losing?"
"Whoever walks out that door first tonight is a goddamn coward!"
I slammed my wallet on the table. "My contract payment just cleared. A hundred grand, sitting right here. You've got the guts? Let's raise the stakes. Ten thousand a hand!"
The second those words left my mouth, all three pairs of eyes lit up like slot machines.
They'd always been itching to get their hands on my money. The only thing that ever stopped them was that I'd been too tight-fisted to give them the opening.
I had money now, and these three weren't about to let a payday slip through their fingers.
"Sure thing, Thaddeus! Since you're so eager to give your cash away, don't mind if we help ourselves!" Caspar shot a look at the other two.
From that moment on, the atmosphere at the table shifted.
The three of them started signaling each other nonstop, coordinating hands to bleed me dry.