The Power of Five Oblivion

a sofa – red velvet cushions and a gold frame – set up on a raised platform and the sheikh went over to it, followed by his retinue. His bodyguards stood around him, warning the crowds to keep their distance. The woman who had come with him sat down at the very edge. The gamblers returned to their games.
    “So what do we do now?” Scarlett whispered.
    “I don’t know.” Richard watched as the sheikh twisted a cigarette between his lips and one of the bodyguards leant forward with a gold lighter. The guard said something and he burst into childish laughter. “I suppose we’ve got to get his attention.”
    “How do we do that?”
    Scarlett looked around her – at the fruit machines, the dice table, finally at the roulette wheel. The ball had just finished spinning and the croupier was settling the bets … more people had lost than won. As he swept the multicoloured chips off the baize surface, he looked up and Scarlett started. For a moment, he seemed to examine her. Then he turned away, waiting while the bets for the next game were placed in front of him.
    Scarlett turned to Richard. “I know what to do.”
    “What…?” Richard began.
    “Trust me!”
    Before Richard could stop her she had marched forward to the roulette wheel, placing herself right in front of the sheikh, partly blocking his view. She spoke directly to the croupier and her voice was deliberately loud. “I want to play roulette,” she announced. “Is there a limit on this table?”
    “There is no limit,” the croupier replied.
    “So I can put on as much money as I want?”
    “Yes, miss.”
    “That’s very good.” Scarlett produced the wallet that Richard had taken from Rémy. “In that case, I want to bet five thousand dollars.”
    The sheikh had been holding out his glass, waiting for it to be refilled, when this strange girl had made her appearance in front of him. He had also heard what she had just said. Slowly, he reached up and took off his sunglasses, examining her with small, lizard-like eyes. The croupier glanced in his direction, unsure whether to accept the bet.
    “You! Young woman!” Sheikh Rasheed pointed at her. Scarlett turned. “How old are you?” the sheikh demanded.
    “Fifteen.”
    “You’re too young to gamble.”
    Scarlett looked him straight in the eye. Again, she spoke so that everyone could hear. “Are you afraid I’ll win?”
    Something flared briefly in those lizard eyes. The sheikh examined her more closely and she wondered what was going on in his mind. It was probably better not to know. There was a half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Have you got five thousand dollars?” he asked.
    “Yes.”
    “And you don’t mind losing?”
    “Maybe I won’t lose.”
    “Are you going to put it on red or black?”
    That was the obvious bet. The odds were fifty-fifty. If Scarlett won, she would double her money. If she lost, it would all go.
    “I want to put it on a single number.”
    “All of it? Five thousand dollars on a single number?” The sheikh’s voice was more high-pitched than ever. He burst into laughter. “You really want to do that? Then go ahead! That’s an awful lot of pocket money to lose but I’m not going to stop you.” He snapped out a command in Arabic and the croupier produced a handful of black chips, which he handed to Scarlett. Scarlett took out the banknotes and handed them over. She was aware of Richard, watching in horror. The croupier folded the money and slid it through a slot next to the table.
    The entire casino was watching her, knowing that what she was proposing was insane. She could have bet on red or black, high or low, odd or even. These were all known as outside bets – with the lowest risk but also the lowest return. There were thirty-five numbers on the wheel but there was also a green zero and a double zero that pushed the odds heavily in the casino’s favour. Scarlett had a one-in-thirty-seven chance of winning. But if by some miracle the ball did land in whatever slot she chose, she would receive almost two hundred thousand dollars in return. The casino never made pay-outs like that.
    “What number?” the croupier asked.
    “Five,” Scarlett said.
    The croupier took her chips and slid them into place. At once, there was a rush to the side of the table. A great many of the other players in the room had decided to follow her example. It often happened that way in casinos. One person’s courage would inspire the others. Perhaps