The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

ucks ahead.'
'Never count your winnings at the table, son,' Clark advised soberly.
'I never did like that song.' Chavez grinned. 'But I like this game.'
'I thought soldiers were lousy gamblers,' the Air Force sergeant observed
sourly. He was three bucks down, and he was a real poker player. He got to
practice against politicians all the time on long flights when they needed a
good dealer.
'One of the first things they teach you at CIA is how to mark cards,' Clark
announced, as he went for the next round of drinks.
'Always knew I should have taken the course at The Farm,' Ryan said. He was
about even, but every time he'd had a good hand, Chavez had held a better one.
'Next time, I'll let you play with my wife.'
'She good?' Chavez asked.
'She's a surgeon. She deals seconds so smooth she can fool a professional
mechanic. She plays with cards as a kind of dexterity exercise,' Ryan explained
with a grin. 'I never let her deal.'
'Mrs Ryan would never do anything like that,' Clark said, when he sat back down.
'Your turn to deal,' Ding said.
Clark started shuffling, something he also did fairly well. 'So, what you think,
Doc?'
'Jerusalem? Better than I hoped. How about you?'
'Last time I was there – '84, I think – God, it was like Olongapo in the P.I.
You could smell it – the trouble, I mean. You couldn't actually see it, but,
man, it was there. You could feel people watching you. Now? It's sure chilled
out some. How about some five-card stud?' Clark asked.
'Dealer's choice,' the sergeant agreed.
Clark dealt the hole cards, then the first set of up cards. 'Nine of spades to
the Air Force. Five of diamonds to our Latino friend. Queen of clubs to the doc,
and the dealer gets – how about that? Dealer gets an ace. Ace bets a quarter.'
'Well, John?' Ryan asked after the first round of bets.
'You do put a lot of faith in my powers of observation, Jack. We'll know for
sure in a couple of months, but I'd say it looks all right.' He dealt four more
cards. 'Possible straight – possible straight flush to the Air Force. Your bet,
sir.'
'Another quarter.' The Air Force sergeant felt lucky. 'The Israeli security guys
have mellowed out some, too.'
'How so?'
'Dr Ryan, the Israelis really know about security. Every time we fly over here,
they put a wall up around the bird, y'know? This time the wall wasn't so high. I
talked to a couple of 'em, and they're more relaxed – not officially, but
personal, y'know? Used to be they hardly talked at all. Looked like a big
difference to me, anyway.'
Ryan smiled as he decided to fold. His eight, queen, and deuce weren't going
anywhere. It never failed. You always got better data from sergeants than
generals.
***
'What we have here,' Ghosn said, flipping his book to the right page, 'is