Chapter 1

He hurried along the busy street as night took hold of the city, stopping in every familiar storefront and building entrance to ask about her, if anyone had seen her, knew where she was. Jimmy Martinez, dark and handsome, cursed himself time and again for allowing the one good thing in his life to get away. He knew why, but even now he felt the urge, always present, beginning to rise so that, despite his urgent mission, he stopped at the corner tavern, walked to the deserted end of the bar and motioned for the bartender.

"Hey, Jimmy, where you been? Haven't seen you in almost a week."

"I been busy Manny. Uh, what's the spread on the Blazers?"

"Six and a half."

The dark haired young man rubbed his chin. "Okay, two bills on the Blazers."

"Sure you want to do that? I mean, the last time..."

"And I paid up didn't I?" he responded painfully.

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Just place the bet okay."

"Okay, Jimmy, but you know I'll have to clear it with Mr. Alverez."

The young man winced. Alverez, his bookie -- then that damned poker game. The start of all his problems.

That wasn't exactly true. In fact it wasn't true at all. Jimmy had become obsessed with gambling when but a young boy, running numbers for the local syndicate. Impressed with the easy money, he began shooting craps with the other kids at school, laying down bets on sporting events and eventually weaseled his way into some weekend poker games where he had his clock cleaned on more than one occasion. But he never lost the fascination, in fact as he grew older the obsession had tightened its hold on him. He was constantly gambling away his rent money and often going hungry to pay off his wagering debts.