Building a Criminal Empire

by Logan Jacobs

  “Sorry, Madame!” The busty blonde adjusted her gown and then stepped next to Rindell. “Hi, Wade, it’s good to see you again.”

  “Nice to see you, miss … uh … Coco,” I replied with a nod.

  Then the other four girls walked up at the same time.

  “Wade, you remember Miss Teacakes, of course,” Rindell gestured toward the famous halfie with a tea kettle attached at her hip.

  “Hi there,” Miss Teacakes waved as she smiled wide.

  There was something familiar about her that I didn’t notice before. Was it the blonde hair or maybe her eyes? Whatever it was, Miss Teacakes looked a lot like Ava. Like they could even be sisters. Miss Teacakes was supposed to be half-elf, but, but Ava denied that was her actual heritage. Not like it mattered, since Ava was on our side, but it was still odd.

  “Aww,” Madame slapped my shoulder. “Looks like the exotic allure of Miss Teacakes got ya too, huh darlin’?

  “No, no,” I stammered.

  “Don’t fight it,” Rindell grinned. “It never works.”

  “I’d be more than happy to spend some time with you, Wade,” the beautiful woman purred as she batted her eyelashes at me.

  “Ahem,” Penny cleared her throat as she shot daggers at the whore. “Coffee? Do you drink it? Or should I pour it over your head, Miss Teabitch?”

  “Oh, Penny,” Rindell laughed. “So fiery. That’s what the men love, don’t ya know? Can I finish introductions first or not?”

  “Fine …” I nodded, and Penny rolled her eyes.

  “What’s the hurry?” Rindell chuckled as she turned toward the girls. “You’re these lovely ladies’ knight in shining armor, don’t you know that? I think they deserve to know the man with the plan.”

  “Okay, okay.” I motioned for her to continue.

  “And the halfling with the plan,” Dar added. “I’m here, too.”

  “Of course,” Rindell bent down and pinched Dar’s cheek. “Anyway, next to Teacakes is Miss Cloud, then Miss Daffodil, and finally, Miss SugarPop.”

  “Nice to meet all of you,” I said with a slight nod. “Now--”

  “I will be escorting you lovely ladies to the fine coffee establishment down the street.” Dar cut me off, took the pipe out from his mouth, and bowed.

  “What a gentleman you have here, Wade,” Rindell fanned herself with her hand. “But, yes, ladies, mama will be right back, but she has to talk with daddy really quick.”

  “Don’t call me d--”

  “Hush, now.” Rindell placed a finger on my lips. “Have fun now, doves.”

  “Oh, we will,” Dar waved as Penny’s eyes screamed for help.

  “Penny, why don’t you come with us?” I knew she'd hate being around those girls plus, Rindell adored her anyway.

  “Oh, that would make my day,” Rindell clapped her hands.

  “I’d love to,” Penny smirked. “Can you handle all of them, Dar?”

  “Oh,” Dar wiped off his shirt and then extended his hand to Miss Teacakes and then Miss Coco. “I’ll be just fine.”

  Then he and the five dancers walked down the road toward Osman’s and me, Penny, and Rindell walked the other way.

  “So, do you need me to sign my life away or something?” Rindell asked as she intertwined her arm between mine and her other arm between Penny’s.

  “Not yet,” I replied. “We just wanted to make sure we were on the same page before we move forward with our arrangement.”

  “Beautiful way of puttin’ it darlin’,” Rindell turned to Penny as we walked. “Are you fully aware of what’s going on, sweetheart?”

  “I am.” Penny nodded.

  “Why don’t one of you break it down for me one more time,” Rindell breathed. “I may still have my body, but my brain doesn’t quite remember all the details that well.”

  “Sure,” I began. “First, we’re here to tell you that the theatre has room for you and the girls to move in as soon as you can, but …”

  “Oop, there’s another, but,” Rindell giggled. “I bet you’re a butt guy, huh, Wade?”

  “Madame, please,” I cleared my throat. “I will need some help from your girls in return.”

  “Hmm,” Rindell hummed. “Before I say anything else, are you still building me a new dancehall, and going into business with me for a small cut of the pie?”

  “Yes,” I replied. “Plus, any information your girls get out of your loyal clients.”

  “Good, I Just wanted to make sure you weren’t trying to back out on me,” Rindell squeezed my arm tighter. “Now, what do you need help with, dear?”

  “Well, you see, I kind of run the theatre now,” I said.

  “So, you had to consult yourself on if you had room for us?” Madame cackled. “That must mean you need to tell me some of your darker secrets now.”

  “That’s actually right,” I said.

  “Hold your thought,” Madame gestured to her right. “Let’s walk this way, we are going toward an elven tower. And we don’t want that now, do we?”

  “No,” I answered.

  So, we turned to our right and walked into a halfling neighborhood. Their round humble homes surrounded us on each side of the road, a few older residents sat in their yards, enjoyed the morning, and looked at us as if we were elves.

  “Anyway, what were you sayin’?” Rindell started the conversation again. “Oh, yeah, your dark secrets that you need to let me know about.”

  “Well,” I breathed. “Penny, Dar, and my other partner Cimarra--”

  “Ooh, Cimarra, exotic name, I bet she’s something,” Madame nudged my rib with her hand.

  “You’ll meet her soon enough, but she handles the day to day with the theatre, so that’s who I needed to consult about you and the girls,” I said. “Anyway, we run the theatre, and we are in the middle of a grand re-opening that starts tomorrow night.”

  “I heard about that through the grapevine,” Rindell narrowed her eyes. “Spit it out dear, what do you need from me?”

  “You and the girls are more than welcome to stay until we can start on finding another building for your own business, but--”

  “There’s the ‘but’ again,” Rindell giggled.

  “We need your girls to be servers for the theatre in the meantime,” I said.

  “Can they do other things as well?” Rindell asked.

  “Like?” I answered.

  “What do men like, Wade?” Rindell cocked an eyebrow at me. “And what are my girls good at?”

  “No, no,” I said as I shook my head. “They cannot sleep with any of the customers during the show, okay?”

  “We may have to break some of their habits then,” Rindell shrugged. “Just being honest.”

  “Well, I’ll need you to make sure it doesn’t happen,” I clarified. “We run a theatre, not a …”

  “A what?” Rindell asked.

  “A hall like yours,” I answered.

  “Fine.” Rindell nodded. “So they need to be servers. What exactly are they serving, food? They’re used to that, so it shouldn’t be an issue. This may be a great thing, actually. We can even advertise our new hall as they are working in the theatre. I can have them wear different costumes, maybe even bring in some loyal elven kind so you can get that inform--”

  “No!” Penny and I both shouted and caused the madam to flinch.

  “No elves in the theatre,” I said.

  “This must be leading into your dark secret, then?” Rindell wondered and then turned to Penny. “Is it?”

  “Answer me before I tell you,” I stopped mid-step and turned to face the eccentric woman. “I’m trying to help you, but I’ll need your help in return.”

  “Mmm, so brooding,” Madame licked her lips. “Darlin’ I’m all yours. Me and the doves have nowhere to go, and you took us in.”

  Not like she gave me any choice.

  “Okay, so no elves?” I widened my eyes.

  “No elves in the theatre.” She nodded.

  “Good,”
I sighed. “With that said, your girls won’t be serving up food, but a specialty item.”

  “Ooh,” Madame sang. “What exactly is this specialty item? I bet this is the reason for your sudden influx of coin these days, ain’t it?”

  I nodded.

  “I knew you were up to something special,” Madame said as she looked up toward the sky. “My instincts are never wrong.”

  “You’ve told me that before.” I agreed.

  “So, this item?” Rindell smirked. “Illegal?”

  “Very,” I replied.

  “Of course,” Rindell looked around and then nodded ahead of us. “Can we keep walking?”

  I nodded, and then we continued our stroll through the halfling neighborhood.

  “And you trust me with this new information?” Rindell questioned.

  “I have to,” I said. “You put me in a spot that I don’t like being in. But I also think we can work well together.”

  “Hmm,” Rindell clicked her tongue. “I think you’re very right, handsome. I hope you’ll forgive me for putting you in this predicament, but you also had a hand in destroying everything I own.”

  “I think we’re even now,” I declared. “I’m willing to move on if you’re interested in what we have going on at the theatre. But more importantly, if you think you and your girls can stay quiet about it.”

  “Oh, darlin’.” Madame nodded. “I’m more than interested. But before I answer you, what exactly is the item we’re serving?”

  “It’s, uh…” I paused and locked eyes with Penny. “It’s whiskey.”

  “My, oh my.” Rindell grinned.

  “Now, I’m not too concerned with you, but what about your little ‘doves’?” I asked.

  “What about them concerns you?” Rindell wondered.

  “Their mouths,” I said. “Are they loose?”

  “Depends on what you mean by that?” Madame giggled. “They can fit any size co--”

  “Not that!” Penny cut her off.

  “No,” I shook my head. “What I meant was, can they keep their mouths shut regarding very illegal things, especially when we open up your new hall, and they deal with crooked elves on the daily. I wouldn’t want to clip the wings off any of your precious doves if they get too chatty.”

  “Now, now,” Rindell gasped as she tilted her head. “What do you mean by that?”

  “I need you to know, Madame,” I began as I looked around and then narrowed my eyes. “I can’t have mouthy co-workers especially when we’re dealing with illegal things, okay?”

  “I understand.” Rindell nodded.

  “So, make sure and get that message to your girls if you want them for the new hall we’re gonna open up together,” I demanded.

  “You have nothing to worry about with my girls, honey,” Rindell chuckled. “They just may need something in return from you, though.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “Payment,” Rindell replied.

  “I’m glad you brought that up,” I cleared my throat. “We can’t pay them any coin, right now.”

  “And why’s that, whiskey boy?” Rindell tightened her grip on my arm.

  “Because we’ll be paying them with food and a place to live until we can build or find that new hall,” I answered.

  “That’ll be okay … for now,” Rindell said with a slight smirk. “We all need food and beds right now. I’ve only saved a few dresses from the fire and would very much like a place to store them.”

  “We have room for that,” I said. “Again, with your help at the theatre, we can get started finding a hall soon.”

  “Is that a promise, darlin’?” Rindell asked.

  “It is.” I nodded.

  “Alright, then,” Rindell took a deep breath. “We have a deal. We’ll help you and your theatre.”

  Chapter 7 - Cimarra

  There wasn’t much left that needed to be done, so I paced through each row in the auditorium, and made a mental checklist as the count led the performers through a final walkthrough for the show.

  Billboard … check.

  The workers finished installing the sign just outside of the main entrance. They ended up pounding in two, six-foot rods in the dirt and unfurling the “GRAND RE-OPENING” banner across it. I was confident enough people walked by and saw it.

  Alert System … check.

  Thanks to Wade, that was installed and fixed with minimal issues, minus the small concern last night. The way Wade talked about it, though, had given me no sense of concern going forward. The bell should be fine.

  Handing out flyers … check.

  We needed to do as much advertising as possible. I assigned a few of the newer dancers to spend their days passing out small flyers throughout the other districts. The few girls I assigned to take care of that project were not too happy with me because of the grand amount I tasked them with distributing. But, after doing the numbers in my head, I figured to expect anywhere from one to three percent return based on the amount we made. At first, I only wanted to make a few hundred, but at that rate, only three people would show up, so we flooded the streets with over five thousand flyers.

  Prepare a place for Rindell and the dancers … check

  This all rode on if Rindell and her girls agreed to help us by consenting to our own terms. But I hoped for the best and made sure we made space for them either way. The five girls would join the other dancers in the dorms, and Rindell would have her own room in the vacant office across from my room.

  Finish painting the walls … check.

  The walls were challenging and the most frustrating endeavors I had ever taken on. Thanks to Penny, we could re-paint any walls we could reach. Penny and I weren’t the tallest, but Penny has no problems with heights, so she was able to climb up tall ladders or even hang from the ceiling with one hand while she gripped the paint can with her teeth and painted with her other hand.

  Servers … this problem came back around in my mind, and it was the only one left unsolved. I hoped Rindell and her girls would come through on that. I really thought they’d add a nice touch to our whole theatre experience.

  As long as Wade was handling it, I knew he would come through for us. Just the thought of him made my stomach pang as if I was hungry. In a way, I was hungry for him.

  I always would be.

  “Dammit!” the count’s voice rumbled from the stage and pulled me from my thoughts. “You’ve got to make sure and get out of the way in time!”

  I turned and saw the count pointing a finger at Ashlin, and then the other girls on stage. They were all drenched in sweat with pain on their faces. They were learning a new routine for the first time in a long time, but this routine would also become monotonous soon enough, just like the others.

  I promised the girls I’d do my best to have the count switch it up as much as possible, though, to keep things fresh.

  But, to hold our end of the deal, the show was the count’s to control, and he could do whatever he wanted, as long as it was good. As much of an ass as he was, he did know how to put on a good show.

  “If you’re not in your correct spot, the magic wall will fall right on you,” the count pointed above the girls’ heads. “I don’t want a dead dancer on night one. Now, try again!”

  The girls shuffled back into position on the stage just as the auditorium doors swung open behind me, and in walked Wade with Madame Rindell on his arm.

  “Home, sweet home!” Rindell declared and then walked toward me with Wade. “Who in the name of the Ancients is this goddess?”

  “Madame, this is Cimarra,” Wade said as he opened his hand toward me. “And Cimarra, this is--”

  “Mariah Rindell, but call me what Wade and everyone else calls me, Madame Rindell,” she bowed her head slightly and extended her hand toward me. “It’s just a label that fits me.”

  “It’s very nice to finally meet you, Madame,” I said as I shook her gloved hand. “Did you bring your--”

  “My doves?” Ri
ndell cut me off but kept my hand in hers. “Why, yes, they are still in the lobby with Mr. Dar and my favorite in the realm, Penny, although, looking at you, darlin’ I must say--”

  “Cimarra here made sure we had enough room for you and the girls, and without her, this whole theatre would fall apart,” Wade interrupted Rindell.

  “Well, ain’t that something?” Rindell asked as she finally let go of my hand. “I am so very grateful for your kindness, and I’m looking forward to working with you.”

  “Does that mean you’ll be ser--”

  “It sure does, dear.” Rindell nodded. “We are all yours for the keeping.”

  “That’s great news,” I replied. “I’d love to run through everything with you and the girls really quick, but first, can I show you where you’ll be staying, if you’d like?”

  “I’d love that, darlin’.” Madame nudged Wade. “Ain’t she sweet?”

  “She sure is,” Wade smirked. “Should we go gather the others and head upstairs?”

  “I’ll follow you both,” Madame gestured to Wade and then to me.

  “Okay, great,” I replied and started to walk toward the auditorium doors.

  “You’ve been a busy bee,” Rindell said to Wade as they both followed me. “Never pinned you as a theatre guy, but with a perfectly formed woman like Cimarra in charge, I don’t blame you one bit, dear.”

  “I’d be lying if she wasn’t a big reason I became interested in this place,” Wade said.

  “You’re going to make me blush,” I said as I opened the doors and walked into the lobby. All the newly installed lanterns were lit along the walls and illuminated Dar, Penny, and the five oddly dressed girls around them.

  “Finally,” Penny said as she unfolded her arms. “Where do you want them, Cimarra?”

  “We’re going upstairs right now,” I replied.

  “I’ll escort them as well if that’s okay with you, Cim?” Dar asked as he puffed out his chest and turned his cheek for me to see the red lip print on it.

  “Yeah, it’s fine,” I chuckled and then looked at Rindell. “Do they have other clothes?”

  “Most of their costumes were burnt in the fire,” Madame answered. “But Wade said you or the other dancers might spare some fresh clothes for the time being?”