Tag: drawing dead
A day later, the stage was set. The sun was dying in the sky when the dozen players arrived at the Angelov mansion. Sofia had spent the day thinking a lot about the death of Georgi. There was no random element to his death. He was a strong swimmer. He worked deep in the city, […]
Sofia’s first memory was of riding a small pink tricycle up a garden path outside their modest two-bedroom family home. She was guided along the cobbled stones, not by the hand of her mother or father, but of Georgi, her older brother. She loved his energy, his heart, his sense of fun – it kept […]
The tournament was not offering the kind of money that would change the lives of any of the four high stakes players who had arrived in Barcelona to play at Antonio Molina’s apartment. That didn’t matter to any of them, however. Each of them was hunting for a crucial piece of information that would allow […]
They woke mid-afternoon, having earned the kind of sleep only lovers do. “Sammy, why do we meet like this?” Sofia asked as she sat at the gilt-edged make-up desk, blinking slowly into the mirror as she reapplied mascara. “In Barcelona or in bed? I think we both know the reason we end up in bed […]
Touching down in Bulgaria was always a routine that Sofia enjoyed. For one thing, she was landing in Sofia, the city after which she was named. When she was a child, it was all anyone talked about; her father’s relentless business drive and how he named his daughter after the city he hoped to one […]
For as long as the night was, the morning was that short. The jail cell wasn’t nearly as dark and foreboding when Sam woke from a fitful sleep. The shadowy gloom of early morning had been replaced by brilliant sunlight. As the sun lit the room, Sam’s mood brightened accordingly. He rose, rubbing his head […]
“Let’s go over what happened one more time, just so we’re clear.” It was three in the morning and Sam was exhausted. He’d slept well into the evening before heading to the poker game, preparing for a night where sleep would need to be staved off as he battled to win millions. In Antonio’s dining […]
At high stakes, the first few rounds are always the most fun. Everyone is still involved and no one has had to rebuy. If anyone is drinking, they’re at that merry stage between overpolite awkwardness and pure boorishness. It was in the dining room of the Barcelona penthouse where Sam Houston was taking on five […]
Sam walked the short distance to the venue. It was a private room inside a building that was itself part of a gated community. The color and vibrant nature of Barcelona faded behind each façade as the number of buildings grew. By the time he arrived, Sam needed to look up in order to see […]
Sam Houston left London in torrential rain. Less than three hours later, he had touched down in Barcelona, where it was 28 degrees in the shade. As he walked slowly down the stairs to exit the plane, Houston looked at the other travelers marching towards solid ground ahead of him. Most were still in clothes […]
