We Need A Plan. No, Not That One by Sarah McCormack (Me) (ink book reader txt) 📕

nod in return. “Not letting the pressure get to you, I hope?” Gage teased.
“You know I'm not the type, Welker.” He replied.
“Up to you, C.” Mario said. Gage looked to C, short for Cosco. He threw down two more coins. Cosco was definatly the most expierenced player here. Well, except for Mario. Mario was a dark haired, sallow skined man with beady eyes and a horse voice from years of shouting at employees at his farm land. He was too busy practicing poker to tend his own farm. But it paid off. Gage knew well that Mario Bronze was known for getting all your money and not feeling one bit bad about taking your last penny.
Little did Mario know that Gage was the most expierenced at lying, cheating and hustleing aswell as the poker face.
The smoke from the cigar that Cosco held between his lips made it's way over to Gage. He wiped it away from him and cleared the air. “Hey, C. Do you mind puffing that in the other direction? It's blurring my vision.” Gage said and laughed with Cosco when he replied,
“Oh, what a shame that'd be.” Gage didn't like cigars or cigerettes, but he didn't push Cosco. He was a six foot tall man that looked as though he had been a body builder before a mechanic. His square head was twice the size, and Gage was willing to bet twice as hard, as any other mans.
“To you, Welker.” Mario said as he threw down his bet before Chase matched it. Gage ran his tounge the lenght of his lips before sighing and throwing in the last of his coins, not that he had much. He just about had enough to stay in play.
“Right, gentlemen, on their backs, if you don't mind.” Mario said, taking a pull from his own cigar.
“There's not a day that goes by when I'm not glad to lay a woman down.” Gage heard Rooney do a sort of inward whistle as Cosco lay down a king and a queen that would match with the queen and king dealt out on the table. Gage didn't show anything but indifference as Mario smacked his two aces down on the table and laughed loudly. He had managed to get four aces, two in his hand and two on the table top.
“You son of a gun, Maz! That was the last twenty-coin I had!” Chase put down another queen and jack of spades.
As Mario leaned over the table, still laughing with his cigar hanging from the edge of his lips, he put his hands around the pot and began to pull his winnings in.
“Hold it, Maz! Welker here still gotta lay them down.” Cosco put his hand on Mario's arm. Mario froze in place and then slowly sat back in his seat.
“Go on then, Gage.” Rooney said. Gage looked to Rooney and then at each of the boys. He sighed and Mario began to laugh again.
“Sorry, Maz. But I gotta take that away from you today.” Gage said and lay down a ten and a jack of hearts that matched up with a queen, king and ace of hearts dealt on the velvet table. All hearts, all in accending order.
Mario slumbed in his seat and pulled the cigar out of his mouth before he spoke. “Welker, you sly dog.” Was all he said and then they began laughing. Gage poured his winnings into his pouch and laughed along with the others.
“Nicly played, my man. Drinks are on you tonight.” Rooney said as he punched him in the arm. Gage smiled crookedly and tried to pretend that he didn't see Cosco watching him with some speculation.
“Not trust me, or something?” Gage said light heartedly as he pulled the two strings that would close up his pouch, before tying it around the loop in his jeans.
“Should I?” Cosco answered as everyone stood to leave for the bar.
“Well, C, can you really trust anyone when you play a game of Texas Hold Em'?” Gage asked him. “It's a liar's game, after all.” Gage teased.
“Or a hustler's playground.” Gage narrowed his eyes at Cosco and realised they were the only two left in the room.
“Are you insinuationg that I-” Even if it was the truth, Gage didn't like being called up on the second deck of cards he had under the table, already tricked for when he was to be dealer. He made sure to have the person before him shuffle,
“No, just so everyone knows I didn't fix the deck in my favours!” He had said to Chase, making sure that he wouldn't have to shuffle once he was given the cards, ensuring that his fixed deck would remain intact. And while he watched him shuffle before quickly switching decks from the shuffled one to the fixed one he would suggest that they slow down for him in the next game, so he could cath up with the winners.
“It just seems awful strange how you have only played 'once or twice', isn't that the way you said it?” Gage held Cosco's eyes for no longer than a second, the trick of the game was to turn it back.
“Starter's luck and all that, I guess.” He shrugged. Cosco's dark eyes were no more that two slits in his face now.
“And all that...” Cosco walked from the poker room and out of sight from Gage.

Gage closed the door to Mario's diner and turned the key in the lock before putting it under the mat again. He put his hands deep into his pockets after trying to warm them by rubbing them together. A white cloud of breath came from his lips, disappearing into the moonlit sky.
He could hear Mario's voice in the distance as he strolled along the pathway. He could hear the jingle of the coins hitting against one another in the pouch. He knew the drill, after all, he had been the one who created it. He just hoped that his acomplise would remember aswel.
He had let the others go ahead, it was all about the plan. And once he got into the bar and served a round of drinks, everything would go smoothly. As he glanced down a side street, Gage ran his hand through his blond hair.
He could hear the music playing in the bar already. It was inbetween two double story houses owned by locals. A lit up sign went across the top of the bar. It read: Vistic Homes. Beside the name there was an illuminious picture of Eragon, the reigning ruler of Vistic. Gage looked up at the picture and at the grey- haired, clean cut, dark eyed man.
“Welker, where you been? We've been waiting on you! You're supposed to be buying, remember?” Rooney called from the entry door of the bar.
“How could I forget?” Rooney patted Gage on the shoulder and then the two headed inside.
Inside the bar the music was even louder. It blasted through the speakers that were situated at each corner of the room and at various spots around the walls and over head seats. It was far from empty; quite the opposite. A handful of brave induviduals stood on the wooden floor and were dancing with small, sharp moves.
Out of their heads, Gage thought.
Each of the stools at the bar were full with men and women out for a good night, and others out to feed their addiction. It was hard to move around the room without bumping shoulders with another punter.
Gage tried to inconspiciously find the pool table that he would later play on. After doing so, he found the painting of the girl with the glass mask and then lowered his eyes to the boy who stood under.
“Stand straighter, damn it!” Gage muttered, wishing he had some ability that would allow the boy to have some fraction of Gage's game.
“Did you say somthin'?” Rooney asked over the music. Gage shook his head and made his way over to the bar. He nodded at the barmaid and she walked over, a tea towel over her left shoulder.
“What can I get you?” She asked. Her blond hair flowed down in straight strands and her brown eyes were surrounded by a band of dark make-up.
“Give me five pints?” She nodded and pulled glasses up, slowly. Gage thought a monkey could have pulled the pints faster. The barmaid fluttered her eye lashes at him as she placed the first two drinks on the counter top.
“Get in there, Welker!” He heard Rooney chant in his ear. He forced a smile and handed him the drinks. He could feel Rooney's eyes on him as he waited for him to make a move on the obviously interested girl.
“So, what time do you get off at?” He shouted across, over the loud music. She smiled at him and handed him the last of the pints.
“Two. What are you doing tonight?” Gage shrugged.
“Well, that depends.” He replied. She leaned up againts the counter top.
“Yeah? On what?” Gage had to stop himself from laughing. It was the oldest pick up in the books.
Well, it depends on wheather you're free tonight. He could have said it. He knew that any other guy would have said it. But he wasn't any other guy and he wasn't that type of guy. Besides, he had some work to do.
Just as he was to let the girl down gently, his attention was caught by a very audiable sigh to the left of him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a girl with deep, dark brown hair, the color of chocolate, tied back into a pony tail. Her eyes were golden and shone out, even in the darkened room. Above them, two slightly slanted eyebrows. Her skin a light gold color. She was shorter than Gage and looked to be around the same age as him.
“Did you say something?” He asked. She narrowed her eyes at him and in the back of his mind he thought of a lioness in the wild. Her eyes were almond shaped, and he could see that her eye's weren't just a way of seeing for her. But also a way of feeling.
“I think that's disgusting.” She told him, referring to the 'pick up' he was about to pull, or at least had thought about. Gage widened his eyes and scoffed.
“Well nobody asked you!” He said. “Are you even old enough to be here?” He wondered. When she didn't answer, he knew she didn't need to speak for him to know. He began to laugh. Behind him the barmaid scowled and reluctantly made her way over to another customer.
“That's none of your business!” The girl said to him. Gage regarded her for a moment. He regocnised her. Or at least he thought he did. But from where? “What are you staring at?” She asked. He shook his head.
“Do I know you