Chapter 1

A friendly card game

Thrasher stared blankly ahead at the man positioned directly in front of him. His dark eyes as black as his hair and as cold as his soul, face expressionless, devoid of any tell. He desperately wanted to win this hand and he knew from experience he wasn't holding the better cards. " I raise you twenty" Thrasher shot at the man. " Let's see how big your britches are mate?"

Monkey Wrench seated next to Thrasher who had folded his hand earlier let out a slight chuckle. That was all the man directly in front of Thrasher needed. Sitting calmly dressed in a brown over coat with a dark hat pulled over his eyes he had the look of a true gambler out of the wild west. " I see your twenty and raise you fifty" The man known only as Gambit retorted.

"Oh bloody hell you meat wad you just gave away my hand" Thrasher shouted at Monkey Wrench. " I'm out"

"Is not me fault you don know how to bluff Thrasher maybe you'd be bedder off playin ole maid or go fish Im sur dis fruity sailor here knos dat game hahaha" Monkey Wrench went on

Gambit ever the professional simply threw his cards in with the rest and raked his chips. "Better luck next time cher" He stated to Thrasher in a warm, French Creole drawl.

Thrasher grumbled something about "Lousy Wrench ,keep your damn mouth shut" and began to deal the cards.

The rundown "Tavern Of Scorn" bar on the edge of town had always been known as a seedy place for bikers and wanna-be hustlers to converge, there was always a poker game one could get involved in if he didn't mind the locals. The beer was cheap the woman were trashy and the music was usually some form of English punk with some classic rock thrown in now and again. The perfect hangout for the notorious biker gang known as "The Dreadnoks." Tonight had been different though, an unknown hustler known only as Gambit had appeared out of thin air and straight away began lifting a good deal of "The Dreadnoks" hard earned loot. This along with his what could only be described as, sardonic humor and attitude only heightened the tension of the game.

For the better part of six hours the three men had been glued to this table. There had been a steady rotation in the fourth man but for the last two hours a wily character calling himself Shipwreck had been sitting to the left of Gambit. He had shuffled into "The Tavern of Scorn" (seemingly out of no were also) nearly three hours before and bided his time drinking beer until a seat became available. When opportunity presented himself he had sat down at the table and asked for the buy in. He had been holding his own ever since, and besides the shots that both Thrasher and Monkey Wrench seemed to enjoy exchanging, and the occasional sarcastic remarks from Gambit there hadn't been much else conversation. Yet you could cut the tension with a knife!

Monkey Wrench lit a cigarette and started to shuffle another hand. " So Shipwreck was it, right?" he began " I don believe you mentioned where yer from. Or how you wondered into this fine hell hole eidder mate.

"Is that meant to be a question?" Shipwreck retorted.

Means we don't exactly know who you are and well we've tried taking all your money but it seems you're a half decent poker player. So, why don't we all get to know one another?" Thrasher answered

"I'd rather play cards boys" Gambit spoke " You can court one another on your own time!"

"You know what Gambit I've about had it with your saucy comments mate!" Thrasher warned " Now maybe the time to show you more than my hand, you arrogant, limey grifter!"

"Is that a fact?" Gambit responded " Make sure you have a big enough stick before you go whacking the mole little man, a fella could get hurt with a mouth like yours."

"I'll show you what size my stick is mate by ramming it down your bloody throat!" Thrasher snarled.

With that Thrasher reached under the table for his mace (which was actually a self fashioned lacrosse stick with a spiked ball held in its head) and raised it towards gambit. With a quick hand he swung the wicked mace at Gambit. Gambit who happened to be two steps ahead of him seeing Thrasher telegraphed his swing, moved out of its path and the stick smashed through the table splitting it in two sending cards and chips flying in its wake. The patrons in the bar scrambled, some for cover and others just ran out the doors. A young woman shrieked and dodged for the backroom. In no time flat Gambit had a card in his hand (it seemed to glow red) as he sent the "Ace of spades" flying like a missile threw the air slicing threw the heavy armored shoulder pad Thrasher was wearing. It still felt like he had been hit with a knife and went clean threw the padding Thrasher grabbed at his shoulder in pain and went down hard and fast! Monkey Wrench by this time had drawn his Hogue Avenger .45 and fired two quick rounds that managed to catch Gambit once in the left thigh and another in his stomach coming dangerously close to several vital organs. Gambit fell back closer towards the door blood beginning to bleed through his tan faded shirt he wore under his heavy brown over coat. Just then Shipwreck who now had raised his own Colt Diamondback .22 from an ankle holster fired at Monkey Wrench severing his thumb, and as he dropped his pistol Shipwreck fired two more shots into the air shattering the old glass chandelier raining shards of glass and splinters down on Thrasher and Monkey Wrench and turning out the lights. Shipwreck then lifted Gambit on his shoulder turned and headed for the door.

"I think this game is over my friend it's high time we set sail" He stated to Gambit while darting outside.

He fired a few shots into the tires of the two custom Harleys parked out front rendering the two combatants unable to follow and headed for his jeep.

The South Florida night's air was hot, stale and quite balmy which only added to the overall unpleasantness of carrying an injured man on your shoulders but Shipwreck managed to reach his jeep which was parked across from the Tavern and lay Gambit in the back seat. He wasn't out of the woods yet however as he soon heard Thrasher stumble out of the bar yelling " Come back here you little fruit, were gonna kill you for blowing off Wrench's finger and wasting our tires!" he fired his own Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm at the old jeep and sparks flew off the metal.

Shipwreck blasted back blindly and the shots ricocheted behind Thrasher sending him diving for cover, Shipwreck then jumped behind the wheel and cranked the engine to life he glanced back at Gambit who was covered in blood but not unconscious.

"Hey I appreciate this Mon ami " was all Gambit could muster before everything went dark for him.

"Just rest" Shipwreck answered then added " And don't die on me, we got a lot of things to discuss" He then gunned the old jeep down the street just as Monkey Wrench came staggering out of the bar firing his pistol with his left hand wildly as the vehicle flew down the street and into relative safety.