Win/Lose

Herman Mercer smiled. The deck glowed a pale, tarnished gold as he shuffled it. "What shall it be? Seven card stud? Strip poker?"

"As if I would subject myself to your tawdry intentions," Miranda rolled her eyes, "If this is the only way - - the game will be blackjack. Now deal."

"As you wish, Ms. West," Mercer's grin tightened a little at the corners. He liked jokes, Miranda didn't. Maybe that was where all the trouble had started between the two of them so long ago. With curt little flips of his wrist, he tossed out the cards.

The game was over and quickly. Miranda went bust and Herman won with a natural blackjack. The former Wotch frowned, one eyebrow arched as if trying to detect some magical interference. Mercer couldn't resist one short derisive snort of laughter.

"Oh, please, Miranda. You think I needed to cheat? You've never been that good at cards. These or any others," Herman Mercer buffed the nails of his left hand, his sinister hand, against the collar of his shirt, "Whereas I have always been a "jack" of my particular "deck". Why wouldn't I win?"

"Be careful, Mercer. She's dangerous," Miranda glanced over at the doll that had been Natasha Dahlet before she locked eyes with the grinning fool before her. "She combined science and sorcery in ways undreamed of in your day."

"Thanks for the warning," Mercer gathered up the cards, shuffling them. Again the golden light sprang up between his hands and the deck seemed to change. They were no longer ordinary playing cards.

"You can thank me by leaving Tandy Gardens," Miranda scowled.

"Oh no," Mercer began slowly before suddenly hurling a single card at Miranda with blinding speed and deadly force, "I think you should go!"