1 'No, Fanny, this is not your fault. Your husband is a very troubled man who managed to hide it all these years. Some people can hide things like this all their lives and then some small thing, or sometimes some large event will happen and there's an explosion of emotion."
Fanny's voice was weary. "The young man isn't doing anything illegal. He's doing what everyone does who comes into the casino. He's gambling and he's winning. There's nothing we can do. Changing dealers, calling time out, those are just temporary solutions. He'll keep coming back if he has his
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own agenda, in this case, Simon's agenda. You should leave, Marcus. You said you had an early-morning flight and it's after midnight now. This isn't your problem."
"I can't leave you like this. Things can get ugly."
"We have security."
Marcus perched himself on the edge of the desk. "I was supposed to drop you off at your door and kiss you good night."
"I know. It was such a perfect, wonderful evening, and now ..."
"Fanny, did you know about your husband's son?"
"I just found out recently. The kids don't know yet. How far will Simon go if he is behind this?"
"Fanny, I wish I had an answer for you. I don't. This is just a thought, but do you think perhaps your attorney made his attorney realize he has no grounds for a claim on Babylon? As I said, it's a thought. I think your fifteen minutes are up. I shudder to think what the young man has won in the past thirty minutes."
"Me too, Marcus."
He was so close Fanny could smell the scent of wine on his breath. She saw herself mirrored in his eyes and thought it strange. She felt deliciously warm as she felt herself drawn even closer and yet she had no memory of Marcus reaching out to her, had no memory of moving. She was there, in his arms, against his chest. The world as she knew it ceased to exist. She waited, knowing he was going to kiss her. It seemed to her in that one brief moment that she had waited for this moment all her life.
Fanny stepped back into reality when Marcus kissed her lightly on the mouth and murmured words she barely comprehended. "I'm not a man who starts something he can't finish. We have a lot of tomorrows, Fanny. Are we in agreement?"
Fanny nodded. Her tongue felt three sizes too big for her mouth and her lips still tingled from his touch. She felt Marcus's chin drop to the top of her head. He nuzzled her hair, murmuring words she couldn't hear or understand. It didn't matter. She felt his heart or was it her own? When he spoke again, she
heard the words and she understood them clearly. "I think I'm falling in love with you, Fanny Thornton."
"Guess what, Marcus Reed, I think I'm already in love with you. I don't know how that happened either," Fanny said bluntly. "I think it was the fifty pairs of shoes."
Marcus threw back his head and laughed. "Our timing is incredible."
"It's the story of my life. You better get used to it. It seems I move from one crisis to another with hardly a breath in between. Right now I have crisis 466 to attend to. That's an arbitrary number I picked out of a hat."
Marcus squeezed her shoulders. "Things have a way of working out. I'm going to give this particular crisis my undivided attention, and I'll call you with any suggestions I come up with. It helps to be objective. You and your ex-husband are too close to the situation and you're dealing with emotions that are alien to you right now. I'm not hampered by such things. Come, Fanny, let's see how much more damage the young man has accomplished in the past twenty minutes. Remember something else, Fanny, you're losing other monies as well. By now I imagine play has stopped at the other tables and the slots. Everyone wants to watch a winner. Look at me, Fanny," Marcus said cupping her face in both his hands. "Nothing is so bad that it can't be fixed."
Once they were on the floor it was impossible to shoulder their way through the crowds of people surrounding the blackjack table. "Wait here, Fanny, I'll get your manager."
Fanny watched as Marcus plowed his way through the crowds, using his elbows and shoulders, smiling in apology as he forced the patrons to stand aside. From her position on the fringe of the crowd, she could hear the grumbles and the moans and groans as Neal called for the house break. Then he was at her side.
"Ash is on his way," she told him.
"That's a relief. Who the hell is that guy? He just walked in off the street, opened his tie, rolled up his sleeves, and started to play. He did the exact same thing at the other five casinos
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he hit. The kicker is he's playing a straight game. He shows no signs of tiring. He's not drinking either. He's alone, no one is with him. I can't be sure but he looks to me like he's ready to bet the whole bundle at one time. We're talking some serious money here."
"I know, Neal. Let's go into the bar. I think I see Ash. He must have flown down the mountain." She looked up to see Marcus, striding toward her.
"I'll say good-bye, Fanny," he said. "You're in good hands now."
No, I'm not. I want your hands. I want you, only you. She nodded as she watched Marcus walk away.
Ash's chair whirred to a stop. "Where is he?"
"Find the biggest crowd and that's where he'll be," Neal said. "Ash, he's playing a straight game. Don't open yourself to a lawsuit. He hit the whole street. He just likes Babylon the best. It's my opinion he's getting ready to play the wad he's won and call it a night. This guy is going to come back. Again and again."
"We'll see about that," Ash snarled. His chair whipped around as he headed down the center aisle to where a small, dark-haired woman stood waiting, her eyes filled with tears.
* 'This is how your son repays me? Would you mind telling me what the hell is going on here?"
"I don't know. Jeffrey leads his own life these days. You know he has his own apartment. How could I possibly know what he does every hour of the day. Someone called. I don't know who, and I came ..."
"I suggest you go over to him and bring him here and I suggest you do it right now."
"Ash—"
"Now, Margaret."
"I'd like an explanation, Jeffrey," Ash said, his voice colder than chipped ice.
"I've been winning all night long. I guess it must be important for you to come down off your mountain."
"It's important. The Gaming Commission and the IRS will
want to talk to you shortly. As a matter of fact, both gentlemen are on the way as we speak."
"The IRS?" Margaret Lassiter said in a squeaky voice. "Jeffrey, did you hear what Mr. Thornton just said?"
"Did I do something wrong, Mister Thornton?"
"I don't know. Did you? The Gaming Commission will decide. You did make one mistake though. You should have stayed on this side of the street."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jeffrey blustered.
"My God, Jeffrey, did you win money over there, too?" Margaret Lassiter moaned.
"So what if I did."
"I don't think he'll pay attention to me, Margaret. Maybe you should explain what that means to him, to you, and to your lives. Not mine. Yours."
Margaret Lassiter led her son away as she spoke in low tones. Ash watched them, worms of fear crawling inside his stomach. He hadn't even brought Simon's name into the conversation yet. When they returned, Margaret was wringing her hands in frustration while Jeffrey's face exuded bravado.
Ash jumped right in. "I know that my brother Simon put you up to this. I want you to know it isn't going to work. I want you to tell him that for me. I can bar you from this casino, and I will do that. I'll explain the circumstances to the Gaming Commission and go on from there. Babylon is a privately owned casino. We make our own inside rules. What that means, Jeffrey, is, we answer only to ourselves, not Simon. Simon has no part in this casino."
"Yeah, well, how's it going to look to the other casino owners when you won't let me play here?"
"They're going to think I'm one hell of a smart man. They'd do exactly the same thing. You can't beat the odds. What that means is you are doi
ng something you shouldn't be doing. I'm sure Simon promised you a bundle. What's going to be left of your bundle after the IRS takes theirs and Simon takes his? Less than you would get in the trust fund I set up for you and your mother. That's history now. You can take responsibility
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for that, too. We're finished. I'd like you to cash out now. They're waiting for you at the payout counter. One last thing. My side of the street, the other side of the street, it doesn't make a difference when something like this happens. We take care of our own and we protect what's ours. If I were you, I'd go back across the street and lose all that money you won. Do what you want. You are not welcome here any longer."
"Ash—"
"I don't want to hear it, Margaret. You and your son are on your own now. If nothing else, I did expect a certain amount of loyalty. I didn't expect my son to be so weak he would betray me for money. I'm sorry it turned out this way."
His shoulders quivering with anger, Ash wheeled his chair over to where Neal and Fanny waited. "Boot his fucking ass out the door. Mr. Lassiter is not welcome in this casino. I doubt if he'll be welcome anywhere else for that matter. He's cashing out. Make sure he leaves the building."
"Ash, this is going to hit the morning papers. It's not going to look very good for us."
"When it hits the morning papers, you won't recognize the scenario they play out. How many times do I have to tell you, this town takes care of its own? Take care of business, Neal," Ash said, jerking his head in the direction of the payout window.
"Ash, I'm sorry," Fanny said. "I didn't know what to do. ^aybe I'm not suited for this business after all."
"Of course you are. You were trying to be fair because it was my son. I appreciate that. If it was anyone else, your instincts would have kicked in and you would have reacted to the situation in a forthright business manner. I think Simon thought this was going to be a snap, and he'd come out a winner. He's got to be over the edge, Fanny. For Simon to resort to something like this is so totally out of character I'm having trouble trying to comprehend it. Stay tuned for the next installment."
Fanny cringed at the bitterness in her ex-husband's voice. "Ash, he's young. Simon has ... Simon can ... charm the bees out of the trees, we both know that. God only knows what
he promised the boy. A big windfall would seem like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow to that kid. Don't be too hard on him."
"He didn't have to go along with it. I might not expect much in this life, but I damn well expect loyalty. Birch and Sage wouldn't have knuckled under to something like that. That's because you, not me, brought them up right, Fanny. I think I made it too easy for Jeff and his mother. This is all hindsight now. I'm going back up the mountain."
"Temptation is a terrible thing, Ash. Neither one of us can be certain Birch or Sage wouldn't have done the same thing. Where kids are concerned, you can't afford to bury your head in the sand. Cool off, assess the situation, call your son tomorrow and have a talk with him. Don't leave it like this, Ash."
"Good night, Fanny. Hey, how'd the big date go?"
Fanny snorted, a very unladylike sound. "You see me, do you see him? I guess you have your answer."
"He must be a hell of a patient man. Maybe you need to be more aggressive."
"Ash?"
"What?"
"Shut up."
"Testy, aren't we?"
"Yes, lam."
"Excitement's over. Call him up. The night's not over."
"I'm not looking for advice, Ash."
"It was for free, Fanny. You should never turn anything down that's free."
"Are you sure you're up to the trip home? It's late."
"If I stay, can we do that thing?"
"No."
"Then I'm leaving. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Call me in the morning and read me the paper."
"Okay. Good night, Ash. Drive carefully."
Ash slapped at his head. "Jesus, Fanny, I almost forgot. I got a letter from Birch today. I left in such a hurry I forgot to bring it with me."
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"How is he? Is he all right? What'd he say?"
"I'll read it to you when you call me. It wasn't all that long. He did go on for one whole paragraph about how the chickens scratch on his tin roof at four in the morning. He said he hadn't had a bath in eight days. He sounds like he loves what he's doing."
"All I care about is that he's healthy and happy. Thanks for telling me. The night wasn't so bad after all."
"Do you really like that guy?"
"Yeah, I do, Ash."
"Do you like him better than you liked me and Simon?"
"Don't ask me questions like that. Ash. First of all, it's none of your business."
4 'I feel responsible for you, Fanny. You were my wife once."
"A fact that you conveniently forgot from time to time," Fanny snapped.
"C'mon, do you?"
"It's different, Ash. I'm not the young, crazy girl who fell in love with you. I'm not that needy woman who swallowed Simon's line. I'm finally me. This new me sees and feels things differently. You do, too, Ash; you just won't admit it."
"I just don't want you to get snookered again. I'm not always going to be here to look out for you. I do, in my own way. I want you to know that."
"I do know that. I thought you didn't want to talk about stuff like this."
"I don't. You know, Fanny, you bring out the worst and the best in me."
"That's a compliment, isn't it?"
"Damn straight it is. Listen, Fanny, if Simon starts to call you, hang up on him. Don't give him a chance to say anything. If you talk to him, he'll feed on it. Promise me. Get an unlisted number. Do it tomorrow."
"All right, Ash. Give the kids a hug."
"Will do."
Fanny looked around the casino. Her new world.
Things were back to normal.
Good or bad?
Good, she decided as she made her way to the elevator.
23
As Fanny made her way down the grocery aisle, she had the strange feeling someone was watching her. The feeling had been with her from the moment she parked her car in the parking lot. She looked over her shoulder, certain she would see someone staring at her. Nerves. The episode at the blackjack tables last night had left her unnerved and today she was paying for it with the jitters.
Ash had been right. The morning paper had relegated the event to page four and one small paragraph. What it said basically was, young man wins big and loses big. So, Jeffrey had followed Ash's advice and crossed the street to return the money by losing. Babylon had taken the hit and things were back to normal.
Fanny scanned the list in her hand. Most of the items in her grocery cart were for Jake's visit on the weekend. They were going to make raisin-filled cookies, Jake's favorite. Peanut butter, jam, cherry Popsicles, cheese sticks, lollipops, and other goodies. The cart was almost full with her own purchases— vegetables, fruits, and a luscious-looking London broil.
Fanny looked over her shoulder again, then up and down the aisle. She tried to shake the uneasy feeling she'd had since entering the store. She saw him then as she reached for a box of cereal. She almost dropped the box. She swiveled around, her eyes wide, and struggled to take a deep breath and then another. Her knuckles gleamed white on the cart under the fluorescent lighting. Her instincts had been right: Simon had been watching her. How did he know she would go to the grocery store at this particular time of day? He couldn't know
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unless he'd been following her. Don't panic, Fanny. Hold on to the cart and walk toward the front of the store, where the cashiers and manager are working.
She could hear his cart behind her, hear the sound of his shoes on the tile floor. The fresh scent of citrus assailed her nostrils. Simon loved oranges, grapefruit, and lemons. She knew his cart was loaded with fruit. Don't look over your shoulder. That's what he wants. Go to the checkout line. He won't do or say anything in
front of other people. When you finish, ask to use the phone and have Security come to the market.
She felt his touch on her shoulder. Once his touch had thrilled her. She recoiled and stepped to the side. "Hello, Simon."
"Fanny, imagine meeting you here."
"I wonder what the odds of that happening are." She was right. There were six grapefruit, a bag of oranges, and a bag of lemons in his cart. "I think you've been following me, and I'd like to know why. Don't do it again, or I'll apply for a restraining order."
"Don't flatter yourself, Fanny. I have as much right to shop in this market as you do. What am I doing wrong? Nothing."
He looked so normal in his white dress shirt open at the throat, the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His chinos were crisp and fresh. He was freshly shaven. She could smell his woodsy aftershave, a scent that had once made her dizzy with desire. He looked so damn normal. Until she looked at his eyes. The urge to bolt and run was so strong she yanked at the cart to put more distance between them.
Simon chuckled. "You're afraid of me, aren't you?"
' 'What do you want from me, Simon? Your plan didn't work last night, did it? That was a low-down dirty thing you did. I knew about Jeffrey. Ash told me. Nothing you do is going to work."
"I want Babylon. Give it to me, and I'll get out of your life. You can go back to sewing baby clothes."
"Not in this lifetime, Simon. Ash will never give it up to you."
"Ash isn't going to live forever."
"That's an ugly thing to say. Ash is your brother. He could very well fool us all and live another twenty years. If that doesn't happen, I'll make sure you never get a foothold."
Simon laughed. He sounded like she'd just told him a joke. She shuddered. Ash had told her not to talk to him, and here she was, babbling like some crazy person.
"You're just spinning your wheels, Fanny. I want it, and I'm going to get it."
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