Fredrick — The Enforcer in the Shadows
Appearance & Style
Fredrick is impossible to overlook. Towering, broad-shouldered, and built like the NFL linebacker he once was, he dwarfs even his boss, Ace. His bald head gleams beneath casino lights, a striking contrast to the immaculate dark suits he wears. Every detail of his appearance signals control and intimidation. Beneath the tailored fabric lies an arsenal—semi-automatic pistol, small revolver, and other hidden weapons—ensuring he’s never unprepared.
Personality & Motivation
Fredrick lives in a constant balancing act—between power and compromise, loyalty and betrayal.
- Professionalism & Skill: Smooth with people and lethal when required, Fredrick climbed quickly through Ace’s ranks. A master of martial arts, weaponry, and persuasion, he’s more than muscle—he’s a strategist.
- Gambling Addiction & Debt: His fall from the NFL wasn’t due to injury but compulsion. Blackjack tables destroyed his career, leaving him with debts that still haunt him.
- Desire for Freedom: More than anything, Fredrick wants out. Out of Vegas. Out of debt. Out of the cycle that keeps him trapped between two masters.
- Double Agent: Publicly Ace’s right-hand man, privately Solitaire’s mole. He feeds information both ways, earning bribes and risking death if either side uncovers the truth.
- Intelligence & Leverage: Fredrick counts cards with precision, decodes with skill, and uses secrets—like Dr. Larry’s private indulgences—as weapons as sharp as any blade.
Character Arc
- Downfall & Recruitment: Fredrick’s career ended not on the field, but in the casino. Gambling debts forced him to fake an injury and leave the Rams. Ace found him, saw his potential, and pulled him into the Blackjack organization. Nakamura (K of Solitaire) followed, bribing Fredrick to spy from within.
- Missions:
- Helped Ace recruit Burt, “Red Hat,” to trail Jack Bardlow, Jr.
- Leveraged secrets from “Uncle Bob” (King of Clubs) to push Alec into going undercover at Dr. Larry’s clinic.
- Demonstrated his skill with deception by flawlessly forcing a fake Five of Spades card into play, proving he could manipulate the game itself.
The Man Behind the Suit
Fredrick is a study in contradictions. He is disciplined yet reckless, powerful yet compromised, loyal yet divided. His addiction keeps him tethered to Vegas, while his cunning pushes him closer to freedom.
The question isn’t whether Fredrick will break free—it’s whether he can survive long enough to do it.
Jack’s next move takes him where the stakes are high, but the risks are higher.
In The Ace of Clubs, the eighth thrilling installment of The Solitaire Series, Jack enters a vibrant Vegas nightclub in search of a high-stakes game to rebuild his bankroll. But the club is no ordinary venue—it’s a domain ruled by Ace, a ruthless operator with an eye on everything and everyone.
As Jack tries to stay under the radar, he finds himself crossing paths with Burt, the eccentric card counter with a knack for finding trouble. Burt’s attempts to shadow Jack draw Ace's attention, who sees an opportunity to turn Burt into his pawn. Now under Ace’s command, Burt must spy on Jack or risk disappearing into the night.
Amidst the flashing lights and pounding music, alliances are forged, and betrayals unfold. Jack faces challenges at every turn, including Solitaire operatives, Ace’s unrelenting grip on the city’s underground, and Burt’s unsteady loyalty.
In the high-stakes world of Blackjack and Solitaire, loyalty is a dangerous gamble.
Fredrick was once a rising star in the NFL, but his gambling addiction cost him everything. Now, he’s a man with two masters—Ace, the ruthless kingpin of Blackjack, and Solitaire, the organization that owns his debts. As Ace’s top enforcer, Fredrick keeps order in the club, but behind the scenes, he trades secrets to his rivals for a chance at clearing his slate.
When Jack—scarred, relentless, and hunted—walks into the club with Burt, a flashy card counter with a penchant for trouble, Fredrick senses an opportunity. His employers want to keep tabs on Jack, but so do their enemies. As the walls close in, Fredrick must make a choice: stay the course and risk exposure or strike the ultimate deal to secure his freedom.
But in a world where debts are paid in blood, playing both sides might be the most dangerous bet of all.
The Past is never dead, the future never guaranteed
Fredrick, once a star on the gridiron, now shadows the doorway as a bouncer, his life tangled in the smoky webs of Ace's illicit world. Tension crackles as Ace meets a familiar adversary, Uncle Bob, whose King of Clubs card and sharp blade cut through the obscurity of motives masked by smiles.
In their pursuit of Jack Bardlow, a disfigured legend lured by the promise of redemption, the lines between ally and enemy blur. As Fredrick steps deeper into this murky game of power and betrayal, each decision propels him further into a labyrinth where trust is scarce, and the stakes rise with every whispered secret. In a city where past sins never sleep, must Fredrick sacrifice his soul for salvation or revenge?
When Night Deals the Cards
Alec's luck has never been kind—debts stacked high, and now a gun at his window. In Vegas, being caught doesn't always mean handcuffs; sometimes, it's a game with no winners. Tonight, he's merely a pawn on a board littered with shadows and whispered bets.
As secrets peek from under cards held close to the chest, Alec faces a choice—play the hand dealt or fold under pressure. The enigmatic Mr. Suede wants information he doesn't have and allies he can't trust. Yet, in the unforgiving haze of noir, even the smallest card can change the game.
Entangled in a web of deceit and blood, Alec steps into an old house and an even older mystery. With each face-off, the stakes rise. Welcome to a world where the only way out is further in, and every move twists the story tighter.
Playing Solitaire is a Team Sport
Jack Bardlow's world is a puzzle of pain and desperation, a tangle of warring alliances and double-edged deals. His right side burns with a mysterious fire, yet for the first time in years, he sees clearly through both eyes—a clarity that might just be his undoing. Gunshots echo in his head, a brutal reminder that time is his most lethal adversary.
Entrusted with secrets buried deep in a deck of cards, Jack must tread the thin line between ally and enemy, piecing together a cryptic treasure map of unimaginable wealth. But trust is a rare commodity, and betrayal lurks in every shadow. Partners are essential, yet keeping his own heart hidden might be his only chance at freedom. Treachery, after all, is a game best played in layers.
In this gritty labyrinth of high stakes, where every card holds a life-altering secret, Jack must find his team—or forge his escape alone. For in the world of Solitaire, trust is just another gamble, and the ultimate prize demands more than just courage—it demands survival.