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Greed — a powerful force that devours each and every one of us at least once in our lives, leaving in its wake a mass of wreckage and angry victims — victims who will never be able to quiet the desire for revenge that can burn insatiably inside them. Greed — it can begin so innocently. A young child wants the biggest piece of cake, the newest and shiniest bike on the block. He grows older and has to have the hottest car in town, the prettiest girlfriend in school. And later he desires the biggest house in the neighborhood or a new Mercedes because his competition at the office just purchased a Cadillac.
And then greed can take over with a mind of it’s own. “I must have that diamond ring that woman is wearing!” Or, “I can’t live without that extra few thousand in the bank! But where will I get it? Maybe I should steal it!”
That is where the victim enters the picture. And what of that victim? What must he feel as he realizes he has just been robbed? What must he feel for the thief when he discovers his identity? THE NAKED DEAL is a definitive story of greed and vengeance. We are introduced to characters who passionately confront these evils of human nature in their infinite variety. Their inevitable responses to these evils make THE NAKED DEAL a book you will never forget.
Lane’s cold eyes moved over the casino with a flat, bored expression, but his mind whirred constantly. From his perch, a quiet black throne set six feet high in the center of the gambling pit, he could see everything — the crowded green crap tables, the greedy faces, the rows of noisily clicking slot machines, the fast-moving blackjack tables, the spinning roulette wheels. His eyes darted over to the bar and narrowed. He picked up the phone beside him and pushed a button. Instantly a voice answered.
“Security, sir?”
“See that broad in blue at the end of the bar? She’s hustling. Get her ass out of here, but quietly.”
“Yes sir.”
He put the phone down and watched. Two security guards quietly threaded their way through the crowded casino toward the stacked brunette at the end of the bar. She was talking earnestly to a well-dressed business type beside her when one of the guards interrupted. Her face — pretty but too thick and garish with makeup — became angry and she slammed her drink down. She spoke in a shrill voice, which even Lane, ten yards away, could hear, but then the guard broke in, reached for the walkie-talkie on his belt and she suddenly seemed to sag.
Fictional reading for entertainment purposes only.