Player: Stone Cold MC (5 page)

Rumor’s Lounge was a bar in the suburbs of L.A. It was one of the more popular hangouts, and Alex had told me that it was owned and run by the Crucifix Six. I was hoping that by going there, I could make friends with one of them. Or friends with one of their friends. I just needed a foot in the door.

I didn’t have a hell of a lot of time. Considering my wonderful history with the Stone Cold Club, they weren’t just going to give up on me, and they would trace me down here sooner or later. I wanted to get my shit in place so that I could gain before I left again.

My bail had been expensive. My track record was long, my criminal record almost longer, and the club had paid for my release with the promise they would get it back. Emmett wasn’t worth the money. Since they hadn’t been bothered to pay for him, I wasn’t bothered to pay back what they’d forked out for me.

Rumor’s had a very vintage feel to it. The walls were all light wood panels, with old vinyl records up against the wall and pictures of people like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley in black and white. There were some old Woodstock pictures, too.

That was where retro ended and modern took over. A large flat screen television was mounted up against one wall, with high-tech speakers all around the place, playing music that was produced by some of the latest bands. Customers sat around sipping their drinks or playing pool in the one corner, and the feel was casual and homey.

I walked to the bar and sat down. What I noticed to my right was a low stage, and there was a sign on the wall showing the next week’s lineup. It was the kind of place that gave start-up bands a chance to get their stuff out there to a crowd that was going to turn up either way.

“What can I do ya for?” the bartender asked in a drawl that was very un-California.

“Brandy,” I said and pointed to the brand behind him. “With Coke. Thanks.”

He nodded and turned to fix my drink. I looked around. There was money in the place, I could see that. A man stood behind the pool tables, leaning on an old-fashioned jukebox that I doubted still worked, looking over the customers. I was guessing he was in a position of power.

I wanted someone who was in a position of power.

When his eyes fell on me, I nodded. He nodded back. My drink arrived, and I saluted him. He didn’t respond. A woman with a very tight shirt and a waist so tiny I could snap her with one hand sidled up to him and left cherry lipstick stains on his neck. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, and still, it looked like it had exploded on her. Frizz everywhere.

I took a good, long gulp of my drink and put it down again.

“So, you’re not one of our regulars.” What do you know? Cherry Lips with the frizz parked herself on the barstool next to me. Judging by her intimacy with Looker over there, she was someone I wanted to talk to tonight. I was guessing he sent her. Good.

“You’re right,” I said. She pulled the elastic out of her hair and the frizz settled around her face. Really, she should have kept it tied up. She wore hooped golden earrings that screamed hooker, even though she didn’t wear the too-short skirt or the stripper heels.

“So, what brings you here, then?” she asked.

I shrugged and took another sip of my drink.

“I was passing through. I wanted to see what it looked like around here to have a good time.”

“Well, honey, you came to the right place. This is one of the best there is.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been to the other side of town and there were some fancy places around there. Casinos and the like.”

“Well, it depends on what you’re looking for,” she said and sounded offended.

I turned to her, body language showing her I was giving her all my attention.

“I’m looking for someone who understands me,” I said. “I’m in a new town with money to spend, and nowhere to spend it.”

She smiled with one half of her mouth, and I could imagine her chewing gum with an open mouth.

“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” she said. “Around here we’re all friends.”

I knew that the mention of money would get her attention. She made small talk for a couple of minutes longer before she disappeared. I was hoping she was going to run to the right people.

When I finished my drink, she appeared again.

“Barney wants to see you.”

Barney? Really?

“Who?”

“The owner. Come on.”

She nodded her head and walked away, as if she was sure I was going to follow her. And who was I to say no? I followed her through the crowd and into a private section that I wasn’t even aware existed. She opened the door, walked through first, and gave me a come-hither look over her shoulder that was very out of place.

The private section was better looking, but with the same vintage feel to it. I was starting to think it wasn’t just for the customer’s sake. The guy I’d seen standing behind the pool tables lurked in the corner, looking like he was ready to take orders. He wasn’t a big show after all.

A man sat in one of the armchairs, smoking a cigarette so thin it would have looked better on a lady.

“Come in, please,” he said when he saw me. He held out his hand and I shook it. “Bernard Tucci, but you can call me Barney.”

Right. The big purple dinosaur in the flesh.

“Harry over there tells me that you’re new in town, looking for a good time.”

I nodded and sat down without being invited to do so. When you were in the shark tank, either you acted like a shark, or you risked being eaten.

“Well, what is it that you’re looking for, exactly?”

“Investments,” I said. “I have money, and I hear there are some good deals around town.”

We both knew what I meant when I said investments. I’d been playing this game long enough to talk the talk, and Barney understood he language.

“I was just itching for some new business,” he said. “What do you have to offer?”

“I couldn’t help but notice the strip of casinos on the seafront,” I said. “Very attractive.”

“It’s a family business,” Barney said.

Bingo. “Well, now that
is
interesting. I’m quite a player, myself. I love the atmosphere in a casino.”

Barney nodded. Harry in the corner glared at me as if I was going to whip out a gun any moment, and he was prepared to take the bullet. Cherry Frizz sat next to him on a wooden chair, looking like she was ordered just for the room.

“What are you prepared to offer?” he asked.

“Twenty.”

Which meant twenty percent of all my winnings. Barney leaned back.

“Now, you know twenty is not going to get you into any of the games that matter. Twenty is just enough to show your face without getting a makeover.”

I nodded. I knew that he’d say that. But I’d started low so that I could bargain up. I didn’t want to start high and then be forced even higher.

“How about forty,” I said. Barney chuckled as if it was funny and leaned forward to kill the cigarette that had mostly just burned to the butt by itself.

“I’m prepared to do seventy with you, Mr.—?”

Here we go with the identity thing again. “Reeker. Ben Reeker.”

“Mr. Reeker.” He said the name as if he was trying it out, tasting it, deciding if it was legit. I wasn’t going to tell him my real name, though. Ted was the only one who knew, and if Jerrill was really in the Crucifix Six’s back pocket, this name would come out and it would be fine.

“Fifty,” I said. “Seems fair, considering that it’s my money and my skill, after all.”

“But it’s my casino, my name, and my game, Ben,” he said. I wasn’t happy with the first name basis, but he’d offered the same to me, and it wasn’t my real name anyway.

“Sixty, but no more,” I said. Alex was going to slaughter me for this. Barney looked at me long and hard and finally nodded.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Ben. I look forward to seeing you in my casinos. Just drop my name and you’ll be treated with the highest respect.”

I nodded, extended my hand and Barney took it. He shook it and then let go. His hand had been sweaty, and it felt like it had stayed behind on my skin. I fought the urge to wipe it until I’d left the private section and I was back at the bar, ordering another drink and a shot of Patrón.

I was in. The doors were open. All we had to do now was some serious winning to make up for the fact that I’d promised sixty percent of everything we made to Barney Tucci.

Yeah, Alex was definitely going to have my head for this.

When I answered the phone on the last ring before it rolled over to voicemail it was Cass. My sister and I had been close once upon a time, but since I’d started counting cards we’d drifted.

“Alexandra,” she said in the same tone my mom used to use on us when I did something wrong. “If I don’t call you, I never hear from you.”

  “Sorry, it’s been really busy.” I clamped the phone between my shoulder and ear and dried my hands on the dishcloth. She’d caught me in the middle of house chores.

“I can just imagine what it is you’re so busy with,” Cass said, and she didn’t sound happy.

“Come on, Cass. Did you phone me just to shit on me? We’ll never agree on our lifestyle choices. I thought that was okay because we’re both grown-ups.”

Cass sighed. “I know. I just feel responsible for you. You’ll always be my little sister, and since mom died, there’s no one else to look after you.”

“I can look after myself, you know,” I said. “We’ve been living in opposite parts of the country for years. Have I called you for help once?”

Cass was quiet because I had her there. I hadn’t mentioned that I’d been in a bad place a while ago, where I’d gambled myself into such a hole I could almost not get out of it. There were some things even my sister didn’t need to know. Besides, I was doing good now. I had a house that I paid for myself, a car, I could afford my own medical insurance, and I got to go out partying every night. Life was a blast.

“I wish you would look after yourself better though. I’m always nervous I’m going to get a call from the police saying you’ve been arrested.”

Here was where we got stuck. Cass disagreed with my form of income. Counting cards wasn’t exactly legal, and she was sure I was going to see myself right into jail.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m fine. Besides, I’ve got some money coming in soon, money that will be enough for me not to have to worry for a long time.”

My stomach turned as I said it because I wasn’t a hundred percent sure about that. I didn’t know if I could trust Rip and his plan to get in with the Crucifix Six. And if he did? I wasn’t a hundred percent sure he would give me my cut either. Still, everything in life was a gamble.

I smiled at my own joke.

“Why don’t you come and visit us next week?” Cass asked. “You can stay with us, you know Collin won’t mind, and Dennis will be so happy to see you.”

“I can’t,” I said, glad to have an excuse. I hated seeing my sister and her perfect life. Her husband, Collin, had a job at some IT firm, and he made big bucks because he worked his ass off and studied the right degree. And Dennis was five by now. The last time I’d seen my nephew was on this third birthday, and I’d hated all the moms and their kids and all the sickeningly happy families because it was what I didn’t have.

“Why not? It’s not like your casinos are going to fire you for not showing once in a while.”

I snorted. “Thanks for that,” I said. “But it’s not because of the casinos. I entered into a business deal with someone.”

It wasn’t exactly accurate, but it was one way to put it.

“With who?”

I wasn’t giving her a name. It would already sound bad, and she already disagreed, I could hear it in the tone of her voice.

“A guy I met. He’s well-connected.”

Cass was silent for long enough that I wanted to scream. I knew she was still there, and the connection hadn’t been dropped.

“You really have to be careful, Alex,” she said. “The kind of guys you attract are always bad news.”

That pissed me off. Just because I’ve had my heart broken didn’t mean it was my fault.

“That just makes me feel great about myself, Cass,” I said. “Thanks for your vote of confidence.”

Her voice softened. “I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“It’s business, not pleasure. What could happen? Besides, the money is good, and that’s all I’m interested in. I don’t want to date, you know that.”

“Sure,” she said, and I imagined her shrugging. “Well, I just want you to be careful. By the sounds of it, you’re on top of things, and that’s all I needed to know. Take care of yourself, okay?”

“I’m going to be fine. You don’t have to keep worrying about me.”

“You know I always will.”

She was the one who hung up first. I put the phone back in its cradle and carried on with the dishes I’d been washing.

She had a point. The guys I attracted were never the good kind. Never like Collin, who had swept my sister off her feet just after my mom had died and given her the fairytale she’d always dreamed of.

But Cass was perfect. She was innocent and pure, and everyone wanted to know her because they felt like they were better people around her. That was why I stayed away. I hated being reminded of the fact that I wasn’t perfect. Next to her, my flaws were emphasized.

Besides, I couldn’t be a housewife the way she was. I couldn’t sit around, watch the kids, and let someone else take care of me. So what if I didn’t know if I could trust Rip? So what if I didn’t know if he was good for the money? I wasn’t going to waste time wondering about what-ifs.

No, my life was exactly what I wanted.