Nightsong For The Boatman by Jovanka Bach

On an isolated wharf lit by a bright moon two men are engaged in a Jacob and the Angel-like struggle shooting dice. Murlie, with a tough-guy accent, looks like a denizen of the docks as does his soft-spoken, shaved head buddy Dunbar. When Harry loses, he's sure the dice are loaded -- we're sure, too. But what are the stakes?