"You can't keep me here," she said.
"I sure can. Now, call the others."
"What if I won't?"
Griffen knew his poker face was the best around. He just looked at her.
She faced him down but grew more and more uncomfortable as the silence prolonged. Griffen sat down in a chair, blocking escape through either the window or the door. He blew a smoke ring, slowly, insouciantly.
Finally, she took out her cell phone.
Griffen kept his eyes fixed on the woman until a knock came at the door. "It's open!" he called.
Three men sidled cautiously into the room. Jordan Ma, whom Mai had warned him about, the old man called Pack, who had challenged Mr. Stearn a few weeks back, and Peter Sing. Griffen was disappointed but not surprised.
"I knew you were one of them."
Peter looked regretful. "I'm sorry. I came to like you. But business is business."
"The same goes for me," Griffen said.
"Rebecca, are you all right?" Jordan Ma asked the woman, who began to back away when they came in. She opened large, resentful eyes to him.
"No! He has kept me here for ages! You try holding it after six wine spritzers!" She turned and fled for the bathroom.
Griffen gestured to the other chairs. "Sit down. We still have a lot of refreshments. Can I pour you a drink? I'm Griffen McCandles, but you already know that. Won't you introduce me to your friends?"
When Jordan didn't speak, Peter said, "This is Winston Long, and that was Rebecca Tan."
"How do you do?" Griffen asked.
"Not bad for an old man," Winston said, amiably. "Call me Pack." Rebecca returned and plumped down in a chair but didn't say a word.
"Why are we here?" Jordan Ma asked, but he sat down and signed to the others to do the same. Griffen made himself a whisky and water and took the seat opposite Jordan.
"You came here to take down my operation. Naturally, I don't want you to."
"I do not mean in New Orleans. Why are we here in this room at this time of night?"
Griffen lounged back in his chair and studied the other dragon. "You have been trying to take me down for months. Why?"
"You have something we want."
"Good. And you have something I want."
"And what is that?"
"Your absence," Griffen said, toying with a stack of chips on the table. "I am finding it difficult to run my operation with you people causing trouble. I don't want you in this city. I challenge all of you to a single game of poker, any game, any rules, winner take all. You can put up whatever you have against what I have."
"And what is that?"
"What did you come for?" Griffen countered.
"Your fiefdom here," Jordan Ma said.
"Then that's it," Griffen said. "I will play you for everything you have against what I have. If I win, then you butt out and don't come back. Never. If you win, then I will pack up and move back to . . . well, maybe not Ann Arbor, but somewhere."
"Somewhere not in the Eastern dragons' command," Winston Long said.
"Fine," Griffen said. "You give me a list, and I'll avoid them. If I lose. Which I doubt. What I do after that is none of your business. This is what you are here for, now. Play or don't. I'll take you down one by one. I know who each of you is now."
"What about your sister?" Jordan Ma asked.
"She's independent," Griffen said, casually. "I'm the one you're worried about. So play me. My share is worth exactly what all four of yours are together. Everything you have against everything I have."
"Who the hell are you, Sky Masterson?"
Griffen smiled. "Up until now I would have thought of myself more as Nathan Detroit, but if you want to play me for what I have, then I guess I've graduated to Sky. That is my proposition. If you don't think it's worth your while, then why have you spent months here in disguise trying to undermine my business? This is your chance to take the whole thing in one game, winner take all. If you know anything about me, you know my word is good. I will walk away. You will win. If you can."
It was a dare. Griffen could feel the excitement in the air.
Peter grinned at him. "I love it," he said. "This is the final table to end all tournaments. There has never been a larger prize."
"Who will deal?" Winston asked. "I don't trust your humans or any of your feeble dragon hybrids."
"Mai," Griffen said.
The four Eastern dragons looked startled. Rebecca tapped the table.
"Why her? She is one of us."
"Because I don't trust her," Griffen said. "But maybe you do."
"No," Peter said. "None of us trust her."
"That's perfect," Jordan said. "I agree." The others nodded.
Griffen hit her speed-dial number on his cell phone. Mai answered, sounding irritable.
"Griffen? It's after three. Why are you calling so late?"
Griffen explained what was going on. "I need you to deal poker for a private party," he said. "A few old friends. Jordan Ma and some of his associates."
"Jordan! Where are you?" she demanded.
"In your hotel, on the fifteenth floor." He gave her the number of the suite.