of her sun-bleached hair. The dealer laid out two cards for each player; then the betting began. For the first four hands Lore seemed to take very little interest in her cards, chatting with the other players, folding quickly with a roll of her eyes. Then, on the fifth, with no discernible change in her demeanor, she began to drive up the bet. The pile on the table grew; Peter guessed there were at least three hundred Austins sitting there for the taking. One by one the others dropped out until just a single player remained, a skinny man with pockmarked cheeks who was wearing a hydro’s jumpsuit. The last card was dealt; stone-faced, Lore put down five more bills. The man shook his head and folded his cards.
“Okay, I’m impressed,” said Peter, as Lore raked in the pot. They were standing off to the side, close enough to watch without seeming to. “How did she do that?”
“She cheats.”
“Really? I don’t see how.”
“It’s pretty simple, actually. The cards are all marked. It’s subtle, but you can figure it out. One player at the table is playing for the house so it always comes out ahead. She used the first few hands to figure out who it was and how to read the cards. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s a woman. In here, no one’s taking her seriously. They assume she’ll bet when she has good cards, that she’ll fold when she doesn’t. Three-quarters of the time she’s bluffing.”
“What happens when they realize what she’s doing?”
“They won’t, not right away. She’ll throw a hand or two.”
“And then?”
“Then it’s time to leave.”
A sudden commotion drew their attention to the rear of the room. A dark-haired woman, her dress torn from her shoulders, arms crossed over her exposed breasts, burst through the curtain, screaming incoherently. A second later a man emerged, his pants bunched comically around his ankles. He seemed to be floating a foot off the floor—suspended, Peter realized, by a man gripping him from behind. As the first man hurtled through the air, Peter recognized him; it was the young corporal from Satch’s squad who had driven the transport from Camp Vorhees. The second man, mountainous, the lower half of his face buried in a salt-and-pepper beard, was Hollis.
“Aha,” said Michael.
With impressive nonchalance, Hollis hauled the man to his feet by his collar. The woman was shrieking profanities, jabbing a finger at the two of them—Kill this fucker! I don’t have to put up with this shit! Do you hear me? You’re fucking dead, you asshole!—as Hollis half-shoved, half-levitated him toward the exit.
“That’s our cue,” Peter said.
At a quickstep they made their way for the door, Lore coming up behind them as they exited the hut. The corporal, crying desperate apologies, was simultaneously trying to pull up his pants and scamper away. If Hollis was moved by the man’s appeals, he gave no sign. While the two guards looked on, laughing uproariously, Hollis hoisted the corporal by the waistband and propelled him farther down the alley. As he pulled the man upright again, Peter called his name.
“Hollis!”
For a perplexing instant the man seemed not to recognize them. Then he made a small sound of surprise. “Peter. Hola.”
The corporal was still squirming in his grip. “Lieutenant, for God’s sake do something! This monster’s trying to kill me!”
Peter looked at his friend. “Are you?”
The big man shrugged drolly. “I suppose, since he’s one of yours, I could let it go this one time.”
“Exactly! You could let me go and I’ll never come back, I swear it!”
Peter directed his attention to the terrified soldier, whose name, he recalled, was Udall. “Corporal. Where are you supposed to be? Don’t bullshit me.”
“West Barracks, sir.”
“Then get there, soldier.”
“Thank you, sir! You won’t regret it!”
“I already do. Now get out of my sight.”
He scampered away, holding up his pants.
“I wasn’t going to really hurt him,” Hollis said. “Just put a scare into him.”
“What did he do?”
“Tried to kiss her. That’s not allowed.”
The offense seemed minor. Given all Peter had seen, it didn’t seem like an offense at all. “Really?”
“Those are the rules. Pretty much anything goes except for that. It’s mostly up to the women.” He glanced past Peter. “Michael, it’s good to see you. It’s been a while. You’re looking well.”
“Same here. This is Lore.”
Hollis smiled in her direction. “Oh, I know who you are. It’s nice to finally have a proper introduction, though. How were the cards tonight?”