"Evan," Diltz said as we walked out. "Is there any message you want to leave for Samas?"

I stood under the green awning above the front door and looked out at the sleepy skyline. "Tell him I'll call him when I'm ready."

"Very well," said Diltz, closing the door behind us.

The driver passed through the security gate leading to the private planes and stopped the Mercedes next to a small blue and white twin-engine jet.

"Is that yours?"

"Beauty isn't she?" he said, stepping out into the cool night air. I followed him and ran my hand over the wing's smooth surface as he opened the door.

"How much does one of these babies go for?"

"I wouldn't know exactly. I didn't buy it, I won it."

"How?"

"Playing baccarat. A gentleman I periodically play with wagered it against my home and lost. That's why I learned to fly."

I shook my head in amazement. "Samas told me you were quite the gambler."

"Did he?" asked Chance looking at me. "That's where he is wrong. Gambling doesn't describe what I am, it describes what I do. What I am is a winner, and that is what makes all the difference," he said, returning to the car for Clovis.

Chance, his arms filled with strength, carried the old man like a bride over a threshold, like Isaac before the altar. Clovis' head flung back in unconscious despondency, his open mouth aghast. Chance climbed the steps into the plane being careful not to bang Clovis' head or feet as he entered. I carried the bags in right behind him.

His massive body filled the fuselage. He gently placed Clovis in a rear seat and buckled the belt around him. I placed the bags in the front seat and stepped back out of the plane when I saw Chance, unable to turn around in the narrow confine, begin to lumber, butt first, back up the aisle. He stopped for a moment in the open doorway above me and waved off the driver. "Are you ready?"

I nodded.

"Let's go then." He slid his upper body sideways through the cockpit door. The pilot's seat had obviously been reset just for him. It was six inches lower and farther back than the other one, as well as being twice as wide.

"What do I do?" I asked as I settled into the smaller seat on the right.

"Here, put these on." He handed me a set of headphones. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride."