Gambling with Frauds

Resting my body in the most comfortable mattress I had ever laid in, while setting my head on the softest pillow I had ever felt, I was ready to fall into what would probably be the deepest sleep I had ever experienced. The bed I was in was a double king size that sat on a golden bedframe, covered with red silk sheets. Between my gruelling last few weeks here in the Kasino Kingdom and the hostile and uncomfortable reunion I had to experience between Rollnaldo and his ex-wife, I needed some time to unwind.

Dream land here I come!

Just as my eyes began to roll shut, a hand wrapped itself around my mouth.

“Mmmmmm!” I tried to cry out.

“Shhhh, calm down, it's just me.” Rollando shushed me as his face emerged from the shadows. He hovered over me while standing beside me on top of the mattress. “Get the pip up, we have some business to attend to.”

Prying his hand off, I sat up. “What the heck are you planning on doing?”

He pointed into the darkness beside my bed, where Eight suddenly manifested from. “Hurry up Recruit Number Sixteen. We got bombs to plant.”

Grabbing her hand, Rollnaldo continued. “Daddy issues here and I have struck a deal. In exchange for helping me blow up Marcus the Even Bigger and Better Twine Ball, we’re going to get eloped in a shotgun wedding at dawn.”

I raised my eyebrow. “Let me get this straight, you’re willing to marry Eight just so you can use her bombs to blow up a twine ball just to spite your cousin and ex-wife.”

He shook his head at me. “You know, ever since we came here you’ve been really sucking up to my cousin.”

“What are you talking about?” I responded.

“Don’t play dumb, I know how it is. You’re a total gold digger. Now that you’ve found a richer and better connected dice, you’re going to toss old Rollnaldo aside.” He snapped at me.

“You’re delusional!” I shoved him off the bed, causing him to fall to the ground. “Nothing has changed. My goal still is to make it to the Kasino King, whether you come with me or not.”

He stood back-up rubbing his head. “If nothing has changed, then you’d be in full support of me blowing up that stupid twine ball.”

I looked over to Eight. “You’re really alright with this?”

She let out a maniacal laugh. “Why wouldn’t I be? That twine ball is a perfect target for our organization. If we take that thing out, it could crash this entire city’s economy.”

“You two can go get yourselves arrested, but I want no part of this.” I laid my head back down and prepared to go back to sleep… Just as I was about to doze back off, a hand smacked me across the face. Opening my eyes, it belonged to Eight.

“In case you forgot, Recruit Number Sixteen, you lost another Gamble Showdown to me this morning. That means you’re still a member of my super secret domestic terrorist organization and have to follow my orders… You’ll be breaking the Kasino Kings decree if you don’t.”

Somehow by that logic, I would be committing a crime by not helping them commit a crime. The sad part was the penalty for disobeying the results of a Gamble Showdown were probably harsher than for committing an act of terrorism.

I reluctantly sighed, not really being given much of a choice. “Fine I’ll help…but I’m only acting as a look out, nothing more.”

🎲🎲🎲

“That was pipping easier than I expected.” Rollnaldo exclaimed, as he finished slicing through a padlock on one the the side doors leading into the Marcus Mausoleum with a pair of bolt cutters. “What moron doesn’t station any guards at a high profile celebrity's home?”

“We should still be cautious, there could still be some kind of security on the inside.” I warned him as he creaked the door open.

“Muck, I’m so excited to finally get to use these… and have my wedding all in a single night!” Eight was so ecstatic, her hands shook with excitement. “What are we waiting for? Let’s get in there.” Impatience got the best of her and she shoved us through the doorway.

Entering back into the large atrium from earlier today, there he was towering over us. The moonlight shining through the ceiling skylights illuminated Marcus the Even Bigger and Better Twine ball in the dark.

“The coast looks clear to me.” Rollnaldo held his hands out toward Eight. “Let me get a couple of those bombs.”

She pulled out two round black bombs with string fuses from the rucksack she was carrying. “Go make me proud, my soon to be husband!”

Taking each of the bombs, Rollnaldo made his way over to Marcus, who despite being an inanimate object was somehow projecting an intimidating aura.

“You think, you’re hot pip, don’t you?” Rollnaldo sneered at the twine ball. “We’ll see how much bigger and better you are when I blow you up-.”

A blinding spotlight came out of nowhere, and shined directly on the three of us.

“I told you he would try and pull something like this!” A nagging woman’s voice rang out from behind the spotlight.

The silhouette of Betssi's jacked body appeared behind the light. “Rollnaldo, what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I'm doing? I'm restoring Matthew’s title as the world's largest twine ball.” Despite being confronted, Rollnaldo continued planting the two bombs.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that.” Dieanne stormed out from behind the spotlight, angrily pointing at Rollnaldo. “Divorcing you was the best decision I ever made.”

“I swear you never shut the pip up, wom-...” Rollnaldo suddenly paused mid-sentence, as his hand brushed up against Marcus. “What the-...?” He touched the ball again. “Wait a pipping second here, this ball is made from hemp cord, not twine… Marcus is a fraud!”

“Aren't hemp cord and twine pretty the same thing?” I chimed in.

“Pft, are you for real, Lucky? Of course they’re different.” Rollnaldo snorted at me, as if this was common knowledge I should have known.

“Wh-what are you talking about? Marcus is made from one hundred percent authentic twine.” Betssi nervously shifted his eyes from side to side.

“You’ve always been a terrible liar, Betssi.” Rollnaldo let out a maniacal laugh. “Forget blowing this thing up. When the tabloids find out the truth about Marcus, your little operation will be over.”

“I get where you’re coming from and all, but what does it matter whether Marcus is made from twine or hemp cord?” I felt the need to interject again.

Eight suddenly burst out laughing. “Are you actually serious right now, Recruit Number Sixteen?”

Rollnaldo couldn’t contain himself either. “I know. Nobody in their right mind would go to see a ball of hemp cord.”

Since I came to this world, I still didn’t get everyone’s obsession with these giant balls of twine. Back home, a giant twine ball was some obscure attraction you’d see on a boring road trip with your family, but in this world they were treated like celebrities.

Getting back on track, Rollnaldo looked at his cousin. “I never took you for the scamming type. With how successful your business is, why not just replace Marcus with a real twine ball?”

Betssi shook his head, “It's complicated… Dieanne and I spent all the divorce settlement money to get here, so we started out flat broke. One day Dieanne suggested we just fake it until we make it, but after a while, I got a bit attached to Marcus.”

Rollando sneered at Dieanne. “Figures it would be your idea to scam the public.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s rich coming from a man who sells bootleg junk for a living.” Shooting a menacing glare at the three of us, she continued. “It doesn’t matter though. After we report the three of you to the police for attempting to commit an act of terrorism, nobody will believe you. You’ll be rotting in a cell before anyone ever finds out the truth about Marcus!”

Rollnaldo shook his head with a fed up look on his face. “You know what, Dieanne, I’m sick and tired of you. I’m going to do something I've been waiting to do for a long time… I challenge you to a Gamble Showdown!”

Betssi suddenly let out a gasp. “But Rollnaldo, it's illegal for non-gamblords like us to issue Gamble Showdowns.”

“Then let the government execute me, it’ll be worth it just to spite her!” Rollnaldo defiantly pointed back at Dieanne.

She smirked in response. “Fine, I’ll accept, but in addition to me turning you into the police, my other prize for winning will be your remaining possessions that I didn’t get in the divorce, specifically that crappy merch cart that you love so much.”

“Wait, Dieanne, what are you doing? You’ll get arrested also for accepting a Gamble Showdown request as a non-gamblord.” Betssi panicked as he tried to get between the two of them.

She pushed her hand against his rock hard abs. “Relax, babe, if we just have our gamblords compete on our behalf, we won’t be breaking any laws.”

“Fine if that's how you want to do it, then it looks like you’re up, Lucky.” Rollnaldo responded, volunteering me on my own behalf.

“Tomorrow, we’ll meet at the horse derby being hosted at noon. Both of us will enter our best steeds and whichever places the highest will win.”

“But we don’t have a-.”

Rollnaldo interjected over me. “We'll pipping be there and when we win, you're going to admit to the public that Marcus is a fake… Now that I think about it, I also want a carriage and a driver arranged to take my companion here to the High Roller Capital.”

“Considering my horse, Triple Cherry is slated with the highest overall odds in the local derby, I doubt you have a chance, but I’ll enjoy watching you struggle.” She snapped her fingers at Betssi. “Come on Babe, let's head home. I need my beauty sleep for tomorrow.”

With that, they flicked off their spotlight and departed, leaving the three of us alone.

I immediately turned to Rollnaldo, befuddled. “How are we supposed to compete in a derby when we don’t have a horse?”

“We’ll just find one. I don't care what it takes. I’m not about to let that woman get her grubby paws on my merch cart.”

“Ahem.” Eight, who had been surprisingly quiet this whole time chimed in. “Before we do any horse searching, I was promised a shotgun wedding before the end of the night.”

“Yeah about tha-.”

Before letting him finish, Eight pulled out a potato sack and shoved Rollnaldo into it. “Come on Recruit Number Sixteen, you can be his best man.”

Not giving him any say in the matter, Eight dragged Rollnaldo over to a nearby chapel for their forced elopement. The ceremony lasted a total of ten minutes and was made legitimate by some paperwork that she manipulated his hand into signing. Before dawn even broke, the two of them were now husband and wife…