We follow Mikey out of the office and watch as he walks to the large black gate. He pulls open the pedestrian gate and pulls it closed behind him.
“You know, at the end of the day, he’s not a bad guy,” I say.
“I know, both Alex and I have always liked him, he’s just been ruthless when it comes to paying debts back to him. That’s from Alex’s side, not mine,” Brent adds.
“Who was that other guy who worked for him?” I ask.
“I’ve already forgotten his name, but he was a real cunt, maybe Mikey was influenced a little too much by him.” Brent shrugs his shoulders.
“Maybe, people can either lift you up or drag you down,” I reply.
“Right then boss, what’s the order of the day?”
“You have to check with Alex if he’s tried to contact the Russian, what was her name, Ingrid?” I ask. “And, we have to get to the bus station and collect Janey and the girls.”
“We should make a move, it’s about thirty minutes to the bus station at this time of day, and we have to see if Mike has a vehicle suitable.”
We walk through the small door at the side of the now-bricked-up shutter. Mike is sitting at the new bar with John. It looks as if they’re just going over the final details for the club.
“Morning you two,” Brent says.
“Hey there,” Mike says.
“How are things looking?” Brent asks.
“Good, very good. We have all the slots in, they just have to be wired up and tested, and the rest of the tables have to be installed today and leveled.” Mikey smiles.
“Leave the roulette tables for last, we have an expert who can tell you if it’s level,” Brent says.
“It should be easy, a spirit level will do that,” Mike replies.
“Trust me, Mike, it won’t. There’s a slight pattern that forms, but not everyone can notice it,” Brent replies.
“Okay then, if you have an expert, we will wait for them.”
“I will tell Brooke to see you when she gets here,” Brent says.
“Brooke is the expert. The roulette expert? Mikey asks.
“You wouldn’t believe it, would you?” Brent replies. “Oh, and do you have a vehicle we can use to pick the girls up from the bus station?”
“Sure, there’s a small bus out front, the guys just started their shift, so you have until two or three.”
“It’s looking good by the way,” I say.
“Don’t tell Beau or Shona, but I think this is the icing on the cake,” Mike says nodding in agreement with John.
I smile back at them. “Ah, isn’t that sweet.”
Mike frowns and looks puzzled. I sigh. “Cake, icing… sweet… do I have to explain all my jokes?” I ask.
“Young love has so many questions to ask.”
Brent
“Shopping is the route of all evil!”
Once we have the girls from the bus station, the club will appear to actually be a club. Janey has a stack of interviews with local dancers and hookers. Do you still call them hookers if it’s legal?
We’ve sorted all the bar staff and kitchen staff thanks to some assistance from one of the construction workers. Now, it’s just the dealers. How I’d forgotten those I don’t know, but oversights do happen, and I am sure there will be a couple more.
We also had the matter of the door staff. We hadn’t done anything with them; the club only appeared to be a renovation project to anyone who looked. We hadn’t approached any of the agencies involved. We had to get the councilors in our pockets before we approached them. Then (hopefully) we would breeze through the applications and getting all the permits. Next week was going to be a hell of a week.
We walk from the front entrance to the club. Well, it’s still the shutter, and we didn’t want a huge, glamorous canopy appearing for just a renovation project.
We stand and look at the bus. Mike had said it was small, but his meaning of small was slightly different to our thoughts of small.
“I can’t drive that,” I say. “How many seats does it have?
“It looks like around twenty,” Bell says laughing.
“Can you drive that?” I ask.
“I can give it a go, it’s probably just like driving a school bus.”
“You have driven a school bus?
“Only at a bike show. It was a sort of smash ‘em up kind of event,” Bell explains.
“I don’t think we would get away with that here,” I say.
“Fingers crossed, huh?”
I pull open the door and climb up the step to the large front seat. “The front doesn’t feel like a school bus, but look at those fucking seats,” I say.
“Relax, we will be alright,” Bell says as she starts the engine.
I strap myself in. The windshield is huge, and I can just picture myself flying through it if Bell slams the breaks on. Shit! She pulls out from the front of the club to the street. I am happy she can drive better than me, I would have to rely on a rental with a driver, or cabs to get the girls.
“Where first?” Bell asks.
I look at my watch. “We have time to get the gear on the way before we have to be at the station. There’s a mall not far from the terminal.”
Bell heads down the highway as if she’d been driving a bus for ages. She might not look like a regular driver; her high-cut top revealing a fair part of her tattoo… and how many bus drivers have an Asian dragon down the side of their body?
We see the mall in the distance, I hope there are spaces where a bus can be parked. Ultimately, it’s slightly wider and longer than a regular car.
Bell pulls into the parking lot, and luckily, we see some RVs parked at the side. “Pull over by them,” I say.
Bell nods and drives to the RV parking zone. “We aren’t the only ones who have parking issues, thank god.” She laughs. We walk across the parking lot and into the mall. “We can’t just have yoga mats for the girls. If they get stiff backs they will dance like crap,” Bell says.
“Camp beds or fold up beds… anything that has a decent mattress,” I answer.
We saunter into the department store and head for the bedding center. Ah, a man’s shopping dream, just what you want in the first store.
The sales assistant approaches us. “Can I help you two?” the girl asks.
“Yes, we’re after some camping beds, or foldaway beds,” Bell says.
“We have some offers on, follow me,” she says.
We stand before the range of beds the girl was talking about. It’s a huge range that consisted of three. Maybe not a man’s shopping dream if these were no good. Fuck!!
“Which one do you recommend?” Bell asks the assistant.
“I like the look of that one,” she replies, pointing.
“You like the look of?” Bell says. “Have you ever sat on one to see how it feels?”
“No Ma’am, the sign says to not sit.”
“How the hell can you recommend a bed if you have no idea what it feels like?” Bell snaps. Bell walks up to the beds and sits on each one. “Come on Brent, have a sit.”
“Ma’am, the sign says, ‘Please don’t sit,’” the assistant says.
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what it says, if you can’t do your job properly, someone has to do it for you,” Bell replies angrily.
I open the beds, so they are all extended. Two only look big enough for kids, never mind hookers to stretch out on.
“Try this one, it looks a decent size,” I say. Bell sits next to me and bounces. She nods her head.
“It feels okay, and it’s not a creaky steel frame like that other piece of crap,” she replies.
“Aha,” I say agreeing. I don’t like her yell.
“How much?” Bell asks the girl.
“Two ninety-nine.”
“You said there were offers,” Bell replies.
“Yes, hang on.”
Bell calls out to the girl. “Ask about the offer for ten, not just one!” She mumbles, “Idiot!�
��
“Yes Ma’am, ten beds.”
“Hey, we will be over by the beddings stuff,” Bell calls.
“Okay, Ma’am.”
“Don’t they just get right up your ass when they have no idea what they are selling,” Bell says.
“You can’t blame them, it’s the store's fault. Lack of training in product knowledge.” I grin.
We look around the bedding department and see some large blankets and bedsheet bundles. Bell does what she does best and fills the shopping cart.
“Don’t forget pillows,” I say.
“Okay, Mr. Smarty pants.” She laughs at me.
“Why have you got enough for ten?” I ask.
“You don’t think five girls is enough, we are bound to have a couple of strays turn up for interviews, anyway. Plus, Bob needs a better bed for him and Britney.”
The girl walks over to us and gives us the offer for the ten beds. “Okay, we will take the ten and all these bedsheets and pillows,” Bell replies. We follow the girl to the register. “How long have you worked here?’ Bell asks the girl.
“A month, I was in the casino before, and the boss made a pass at me, so I left.”
“You did what in the casino?” Bell asks.
“I was a card dealer,” she replies.
“Were you any good, Karen? That’s your name?” Bell says.
“Yeah, it’s Karen,” she answers rubbing her name badge. “I like to think I was good.”
Bell turns to me. “You don’t have any cards on you, do you?” Bell asks.
She knows I always have a pack of cards on me. I pull the pack from my jacket pocket and hand them to Karen.
“Show us your shuffling and dealing,” Bell says.
Karen cuts the pack and shuffles the cards. I see immediately she has had some real practice, and it’s evident she’s been taught and not learned from the job. A lot of card dealers can only actually deal from a card shoe, and hand shuffling is beyond them.
I tap Bell’s foot. “She’s not bad,” I whisper.
Karen deals three hands. “What hand do you think is the winning side,” she says as she glances around the store.
“The one on the right,” I say, touching the cards.
“Seven, Eight, Nine, a decent start.”
Karen looks at Bell. “What do you think is the winner from these two?”
Bell touches the three cards on the left. “Ten, Jack, Queen.” She smiles. “A better hand.” Karen flips the three remaining cards. “Oops. I win, three Kings.” She smiles.
Bell looks at Karen. “You like working here?” she asks.
“Hell no, it’s mind numbing.”
“How would you like a real job dealing again?” Bell asks.
“When would I start?” she asks.
Bell smiles at the girl. “You don’t even know where it is?”
“Who cares, I can’t do this much longer. I’m not cut out for selling beds,” Karen says, grinning a wide smile.
“What do you think Brent?”
“Is there anything else you can do?” I ask.
“I was in charge of a pit for a while, as a relief, that was okay. I can see who is cheating and who isn’t.”
“Can you start tomorrow? We’re not open for another week, but we have to get some dealers and floor staff pretty quickly,” Bell says.
“Sure, I can even come now… if you like. I’ve just had my salary, so I won’t lose much,” Karen says plainly.
“Karen, consider this your last sale, your best sale, and your most successful interview, all in one!” I say.
“I will ring this up first and get the guys to take it to your vehicle. Where is it?” she asks.
“In the RV parking, it’s an old white bus with an orange stripe. About a twenty-seater,” Bell says as she hands Karen the keys.
“We have to get some breakfast first, we will meet you there if we are not back already,” I say.
“No problem. And thanks, Boss.” Bell hands Karen her card and we walk from the department store to find a place to eat.
“That was a quick interview, don’t you think?” I say.
“I had a feeling about her. And you did say, it’s the store's fault, not the staff.” Bell smiles, obviously happy with herself.
“So, what do you want to eat?”
“Anything, I am feeling good about today,” Bell says.
I smile at Bell and put my arm around her shoulders. “Thanks to you, I have my first employee.”
“Yep, you’re in bed with the devil.”
“What?” I ask, confused.
“I just always wanted to say that!”
“Shopping is the route of all evil!”
Bell
“Not all strays are a bag of bones and hungry.”
We find a place to have something to eat. It’s just a regular diner and not a fast food joint, like all the major names.
Eggs, toast, and coffee for two. That’s our simple order. Not the most exciting breakfast, but probably healthier than a lot of others you can find in shopping malls.
“Just let me know if there are any staff you want to steal, and I will approach them,” I say laughing.
“I don’t think you could be that lucky, finding one like that is quite an exception,” Brent says.
“I bet half of them have worked in a casino or club at some point,” I say.
“Most will be in their element at a casino, already. Just common sense. Take them away from the table, and they are lost,” Brent explains.
“I see what you mean. Like Karen seemed with the beds?”
“I hope she has more sense than that,” Brent adds.
“She will be okay. She was really polite, if you noticed.”
“I was watching her shuffle. Someone has taught her those skills,” Brent says plainly.
“Maybe her dad or something,” I say.
“Yeah, they’re often passed down skills,” Brent says.
“You’ve never mentioned your parents, where are they? If you still have them,” I ask. I hope it’s alright to ask.
“I do, they live in a small town, just outside Phoenix.”
“How long have they lived there?”
“A couple of years. I bought them a small farm, well not a farm, a house with a bit of land.” Brent smiles.
“You have a bit of money?” I ask.
“No, Alex and I had a couple of games where we influenced the outcome.”
I look at him curiously. “You cheated?”
“No, we’ve never cheated, we’ve just influenced the results a couple of times.”
“You cheated?” I say. I raise my eyebrows.
“It’s not the same, you saw how Karen dealt three hands, that would influence a game, but she didn’t cheat,” Brent explains.
“I understand,” I say as I finish my breakfast.
“We better get going, we might find out we have no bus in the parking lot,” Brent says.
“Don't talk like that, that would really piss me off,” I say.
“And she still has my practice cards,” Brent says.
We leave the mall and can see the bus being loaded. Karen is standing with a backpack over her shoulder and is ordering the guys around, on how to fit the beds inside the bus.
“Hey, we thought you would be finished,” Brent says.
Karen tosses him his cards. “Your marks are a bit obvious,” she says.
I look at Brent. “A pack of marked cards?”
“Influencing cards.” He laughs. “They’re just for practice, it helps to spot any slight blemish or dirt mark on a regular deck,” Brent says. “Even a fingerprint of a player can stand out in the right light.”
The guys finish loading the bus with the beds. Brent opens the door for Karen and she slides herself onto a seat behind us.
“Why the backpack?” I ask her.
“Between homes,” Karen replies.
“You are lucky we bought some extra beds then, you can stay with us
,” Brent says.
“Stay with you?” Karen asks.
“Not with us exactly, we have space close to us and our club. Now, we have to pick some other girls up from the bus terminal,” I say.
“Are they dealers?” Karen asks.
Brent looks at me, and we start laughing. “They are not dealers, but they are very good with their hands,” I reply.
“What do they do, then?” Karen asks, innocently.
“Hookers and dancers,” I reply.
“Ah, I see.”
“You are not concerned about that, are you?” Brent asks.
“Nah, each to their own. Everyone has to work.”
We pull into the parking lot at the terminal. We see a space and a few faces that think we are there to collect passengers. They soon realize we’re not one of the regular buses when they notice the beds in the back, and me jumping from the driving seat.
“What time is it?” I ask.
“Ten forty-five,” Brent replies.
We find the stand where Janey’s bus will be arriving. Once they are at the club, everything will be different. Instead of the sound of the drills and hammer guns, we’ll have music and the screams of girls giggling, all day long.
“Here you go,” Brent says as the vehicle pulls into the allocated parking space.
The doors open and I can see Janey standing in the aisle of the vehicle. She waves and pushes her way to the front of the vehicle. She jumps from the steps and gives me a huge hug.
“We’ve had one girl drop out,” Janey says.
“Who’s that?” I ask
“Karen, one of the newer girls.”
“Why did she drop out?” I ask.
“She didn’t really drop out. She vanished, but all her gear was still at the club,” Janey explains.
“Was she sharing a room?”
“She was sharing with Susan, she just said she didn’t appear at bedtime and hadn’t seen her most of the day. It was strange, really,” Janey explains.
“Not to worry, we can easily replace her,” I say.
“Who is this?’ Janey says nodding at our Karen.
“Karen! She’s Brent’s first dealer and pit boss, he forgot about all the dealers,” I say.
“Before I forget, Drake and the gang will be back in Vegas next week when this other show finishes, so if you need him, just get Alex or you to contact him,” Janey says.
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