THE WAGER

A reckless bet in a New York club draws Kek Huuygens into a deadly game As rain pummels Manhattan, two men play blackjack in one of New York?s most exclusive clubs. After an evening of comfortable low-stakes play, Kek Huuygens makes an outlandish bet: $10,000 on the next hand. He can afford it. The most accomplished smuggler in Europe, Huuygens never makes a bet unless he is sure to win. He is a lucky man, but his luck is about to be tested.   In the shadows, Victor Girard?a French gangster who gambles not just with money, but with people?s lives as well?watches him place the bet. Like his opponent, Girard prefers sure things. He knows Huuygens? reputation, and offers him $50,000 to bring a certain priceless item through United States customs. Huuygens has made a career humiliating border agents, but he will find that Americans are not so easy to fleece?and that this is a wager that he cannot afford to lose.