Piece

DONEGAL REESE (37) manages a prosperous casino and club; he single-handedly reclaimed it from the slums of Atlantic City and made it the hottest spot in town. He made it, but it isn’t his place. Reese has wanted to be his own man since growing up running dice games on the lower east side of Philadelphia. Now, he has his shot. Information leaks out about a new casino property coming onto the market, an inside sweetheart deal. The property auction is Monday. Reese doesn’t have the juice to take on his owners to purchase the place – his street credibility damaged by a recent theft at his casino, his most loyal man takes a bullet on his casino floor – Reese is driven from Atlantic City back to where he started, back to the streets of Philly. He hooks up with his old crew. They are still using their street skills for small time cons, larceny and enforcement. He convinces them to step up with him to the big time. Reese brings his experience as a planner, organizer and strategist to the hood. Reese sets an intricate series of heists, blackmail, petty burglary and finally a high stakes poker con into action. At the end of the weekend, Reese tells his crew that they’ll have it all or nothing. The only wildcard is a casino dancer, Claudia, she exposes Reese’s weakness: women. She is the passenger on the ride that distracts Reese from his purpose. It would be easy to dump her, if she weren’t so smart, sexy and if she didn’t always seem to be saving Reese’s ass from trouble. The crew pulls off the jobs masterfully, but find that big city rewards include a group of hired killers that take down an old friend. Reese snaps, sends his old friends away and takes on his most dangerous enemy by himself. Claudia betrays him in the final game, Reese loses all of his money in a high stakes poker game and walks out with nothing. Claudia torn by her love for Reese, attempts to make things right, and ends up adding to the losses of the night. The auction starts on Monday, and Reese is there, ready to bid. Everyone in the room thinks it’s a bluff, but when you put all the cards together, his losses over the weekend make for a winning hand that stands up against the men who never saw the full value of Donegal Reese.