by Siegel, Alex
She pushed her sharp, black fingernails into his flesh until the tips of her fingers were buried. Blood oozed out.
Sheryl burped and tasted stomach acid.
Suddenly, Lenny's entire body clenched as if he were being electrocuted. A scream tried to escape from his tight throat. His eyes rolled around in his head. She had never heard anybody make that kind of noise before.
"Found it," Marina said calmly.
When he could breathe again, he yelled, "I'll talk! I'll talk!"
She wiped her fingers on his pants. "How do you launder the money?"
"I control accounts through different shell companies. I construct trades where one side wins and the other side loses, and I work both sides. The money is washed through the market."
"I don't quite understand."
"Futures are a zero-sum game," he said. "I just have to find a thinly traded symbol I can manipulate. I work at night so there is less chance of somebody getting in my way."
"I guess I don't need to understand the technicalities," she said. "How much money are we talking about? How long has this been going on?"
"Two hundred million. Two-fifty. It started two years ago."
She dragged the tip of her knife across his throat. "A lot of money. Where is it going?"
"I don't know! The destination accounts are anonymous."
"Answers like that won't get you out of this mess."
"All the details were in the computers!" Lenny cried. "I just wiped them out."
"That was poor planning."
Marina used the knife to remove a strip of muscle and fat. Sheryl caught a glimpse of the organs underneath.
She lurched towards a trashcan and heaved up her dinner. Her stomach clenched so hard it hurt. She felt dizzy afterwards.
"Are you done?" Marina said. "Come back here. Watch."
Sheryl shook her head.
"A commander just gave you an order. Do you understand what will happen if you disobey?"
On shaky legs, Sheryl returned to Marina's side. "Yes, ma'am."
"I want a name." Marina looked down at Lenny. "Give me something, or it's going to be a very long night for you. You have a lot of nerves for me to play with." She pushed her finger into the hole in his guts.
"Please! For God's sake, no!"
"For God's sake, yes."
"I have one name," he said. "Yellow Tower Construction. A ton of money went their way."
"A construction company?" She raised her eyebrows. "Interesting. Wait here."
She walked across the room, took out her phone, and made a call. Sheryl wondered who she was talking to.
Lenny looked like the victim of a horrific car crash. His broken limbs effectively immobilized him. The ghastly wound on his belly was straight out of a horror movie. She had never witnessed anything like this kind of violence.
Tawni was smiling.
"Why are you happy?" Sheryl said.
"Marina is amazing, isn't she? It took her just a couple of minutes to break him wide open, and she only needed a knife. She didn't even use her gift."
That response stunned Sheryl. "This is an atrocity."
"Sure, but she got the information we need, and it didn't take all night."
Sheryl didn't know how to respond. Tawni's statements were truthful and incomprehensible at the same time.
Marina came back. "Good news," she announced. "My computer experts confirmed Yellow Tower Construction has received a huge amount of money from suspicious trades. They are investigating further."
"You called San Francisco?" Sheryl said.
Marina nodded. "One more question," she said to Lenny. "Who do you work for?"
"I never got his name." He shook his head. "We only met one time at the beginning. Tall and handsome. Brown hair. I don't even have his phone number. He always calls me."
"I see. Tawni, we don't need this man anymore. Show us your gift."
"Wait!" Sheryl said. "You're just going to kill him?"
"We don't take prisoners," Marina said. "He's a mess anyway. Best to put him out of his misery."
Sheryl didn't quite agree, but obviously, her opinion was irrelevant.
Tawni knelt down and put her hand over Lenny's wound. Black tendrils streamed from her skin into the hole. It looked like flowing smoke.
His body contorted.
"What are you doing?" Sheryl whispered in horror.
"Filling his heart with darkness," Tawni said.
Lenny died while Sheryl watched. When Tawni removed her hand, his flesh was withered and gray. Sheryl was glad her stomach was already empty.
"Very nice," Marina said. "Let's get out of here."
Everybody headed for the door.
Before leaving, Aaron shot both mercenaries in the head. A suppressor kept the noise to a minimum. Sheryl was past the point of being shocked by this chilling act.
They went to the elevator and took it down.
"Sir," Sheryl said softly, "I thought we weren't supposed to kill anybody until we proved God's enemies are involved."
"That's true," Aaron said. "I'm certainly bending the rules. If it becomes an issue, I'll take full responsibility and accept the consequences. My gut tells me it won't be an issue though. This case has smelled like a legitimate mission from the beginning. The deeper we go, the more certain I become."
"Do you think those feelings come from God?"
"It's possible. Regardless, I trust them."
The team walked out onto the sidewalk. Warm moist air felt like a wet towel on Sheryl's face after being in the air-conditioned building. She was still badly shaken. The image of Lenny's broken body would remain a vivid memory for a long time.
Aaron took out his phone and made a call. "This is the golf buddy. I have to report a terrible crime, a triple homicide. Here is the location." He related the address. "This case requires immediate attention and special handling. Thank you. This favor won't be forgotten." He closed his phone.
"Who did you call, sir?" Sheryl said.
"A captain in the Chicago Police Department. He's one of my contacts."
"I don't understand."
"Let me explain what's going to happen," he said. "Some detectives will be here soon. They'll take pictures of the crime scene, collect some evidence, and haul the bodies away. In other words, they're going to clean up our mess."
"Won't they investigate the murders?"
"For a little while, but the case will never be given high priority. Eventually, it will be dropped. In return for this courtesy, I'll take care of a situation that they can't handle. Friends help each other."
Sheryl shook her head. I'm definitely in Chicago, she thought.
Marina's phone rang, and she immediately answered. "Hello? Hang on. Let me write that down." She took out a notepad and a pen. She used her shoulder to hold her phone to her ear as she wrote a few notes. "Thanks, guys. You're the best." She put her phone away.
"Who was that?" Aaron said.
"My hackers in San Francisco."
"Must be nice to have hackers who actually do their job."
"It is," she said. "I found out where all the money went. Yellow Tower Construction has been building a big new casino for the last year and a half. The casino had its grand opening tonight."
"Where?"
"It's called the Pot of Gold, and it's an hour to the south-west of here. I have the address." She tapped her notes.
"That's our next destination." There was a gleam in his eye.
Chapter Thirteen
Aaron studied the Pot of Gold Casino as he drove into the parking lot. It had four square floors, each one smaller than the one below, leaving a narrow strip of roof at each level. Golden tiles on the exterior gleamed in a wash of colored light from lamps on the ground. The only windows were on the top floor. The casino was the size of a small office building, which made it big compared to other casinos in the Chicago area.
The parking lot was packed full. Cars were using a dirt lot next door even though it was st
rewn with weeds and rocks, so Aaron did the same.
He and Marina got out of the car. She came around to hold his hand.
A green minivan parked in the next space a few seconds later. Sheryl, Tawni, and Smythe stepped out into the night. Aaron motioned for his team to gather into a circle.
"We don't know what we'll find inside," he said. "Stay alert. Don't attract attention. There will be a lot of civilians, so we absolutely do not want to get into a fight. We'll move as a unit. I'll take point. Sheryl will stay safe in the middle. Don't lose sight of me. Got it?"
"Yes, sir," everybody responded.
"Let's go."
They headed across the huge parking lot. Aaron had a hard time estimating how many cars were there, but it had to be thousands, and more were still coming in. He had a bad feeling.
Four young women wearing golden bikinis stood on both sides of the entrance. They had a dull look in their eyes as if they were exhausted. Their high heels had to be uncomfortable. They mumbled something unintelligible as the team walked past.
Aaron entered the casino and stopped dead in his tracks. His bad feeling became ten times worse. His team came up behind him.
"Unbelievable," Sheryl said.
He had to agree. The casino used rounded shapes and flowing color patterns to create the impression of being inside the organs of a giant animal. He couldn't see a straight line anywhere. Irregular openings connected cave-like rooms. The walls had ripples and twists as if they had melted. The games blended into the architecture.
As Aaron walked forward, a cacophony of sound and light assaulted his senses. A continuous stream of bells and whistles made him want to jam his fingers in his ears. Neon bulbs glowed in every possible color.
"This is a nightmare," he growled.
"Yes," Marina said. "We can't stay too long. It's dangerous here. I can feel it in my gut."
Every game was in use. All the gamblers had the dopey expressions of people high on drugs. Some of them were so tired they could barely stand, but they kept playing. They stuffed cash into money slots carelessly as if it were toilet paper.
Aaron could already feel the machines tugging on his mind. Marina was right about the danger.
"We'll make one quick loop through the place," he said. "Keep your eyes open and stay in tight formation. I don't want to catch any of you wandering off."
He glared at his team, one person at a time, to make sure they had heard him.
He started walking. As he moved from room to room, he became a little disoriented. There was nothing to indicate location or direction. Every turn was at an odd angle, and he couldn't see far ahead.
"I think we're walking in circles," Sheryl said after a while.
They were in a room with purple and blue walls. Tiny green lights were scattered across the ceiling like stars.
"This doesn't look familiar," Aaron said.
"I'm pretty sure we were here before."
He opened his phone. The navigation app showed which direction was north, and it wasn't the one he expected. He was completely turned around.
"Damn," he muttered. "It's impossible to stay focused in this place. The sounds and lights are almost hypnotic. Let's just finish our recon and get the hell out of here."
He was paying a lot of attention to the security. There were plenty of surveillance cameras. Crazy lighting and odd placement made them hard to see, but they were in every room. As far as he could tell, all the games were covered from at least one angle.
There were many guards in tan uniforms, too. Aaron didn't know how many were mercenaries, but some had an obvious military bearing and nearly all had a gun.
"Jack?" Marina said. "Is that you?"
Aaron looked over. His security chief was playing one of the games. He had sweat stains under his arms and glazed eyes. His tongue was hanging out as he frantically worked the controls of a machine.
Aaron walked over. "Hey!"
Jack didn't respond. He was using pink paddles behind a sheet of glass to bounce a wooden ball up a corkscrew ramp. Holes and rubber knobs formed obstacles. The apparent goal was to hit a big silver bell at the top, but there were smaller bells along the way. Watching the game made Aaron's eyes cross. He could feel the pull of the machine, and fighting it off took some effort.
"Jack!" Aaron said. "Stop playing. Look at me."
Jack shook his head and kept playing.
Aaron grabbed Jack's right index finger. Aaron applied pressure until a small bone snapped. The move was subtle and wouldn't attract attention.
Jack yanked his broken hand away.
"Are you listening now?" Aaron said.
Jack's eyes were badly bloodshot, and his jaw was slack. He reeked of stress sweat.
"Yes, sir," he said.
"How much money have you lost?"
"I don't know. I ran out of cash and had to use credit cards. I have some receipts..."
With his left hand, Jack pulled scraps of paper out of his pockets. The totals ran well into five figures.
"You're in a lot of trouble," Aaron said. "That machine got its teeth into you, good and hard."
Jack looked around. He gulped and shuddered. "Yes, sir."
Aaron pushed him towards the rest of the team.
"Jack is confined to headquarters until further notice," Aaron announced. "He'll live there full-time. Also, he won't have any shifts in the security booth. He is completely off-duty until I decide I can trust him again. Everybody else will have to take up the slack."
Jack's face fell. "What will I do, sir?"
"Read a book. Watch TV. I don't care. You're useless to me right now, and a danger to yourself."
Jack sniffed and wiped his eye.
"Smythe," Aaron said, "can you get him home?" He handed over the car keys.
"Yes, sir," Smythe said.
"Be careful until you're safely out of the casino. He may try to run. He's not thinking clearly. You can fix his hand later."
Smythe grabbed Jack firmly by the upper arm. "Let's go."
Jack gave his game one last look before being pulled away. He had the slumped shoulders of a broken man.
Aaron sighed deeply. "That really sucks."
"You're lucky you got to him quickly," Marina said. "If you can keep him out of trouble, his mind may eventually heal. He's a tough old bird."
"How long do you think that will take?"
"Weeks. Months." She shrugged. "We don't even know what we're dealing with."
"The twins are out of commission. Now Jack, too. My team is falling apart." Aaron turned to Tawni and Sheryl. "Let that be a warning to both of you. Never let down your guard. The enemy attacks when we are weakest."
"Yes, sir," the women responded.
"Let's keep moving."
Aaron walked quickly as he continued his reconnaissance. He wanted to get out of this place.
The bottom two floors of the casino were entirely dedicated to games. He recognized the Super Double Monkey machines, but there were many other types. All of them involved little balls, tricky challenges, and complicated controls though. As far as he could tell, normal games like poker and blackjack didn't exist here. It was a great business decision. The monkey machines and their cousins were sucking money out of gamblers' pockets like vacuum cleaners.
Stairs led up to a third floor, but it was roped off. A guard told Aaron that section was for private functions and VIPs. Aaron decided not to press the issue.
Eventually, the team finished their hurried tour and left the casino. The darkness and quiet of the night was pure bliss. His head was ringing from sensory overload. The experience had left his sense of reality a little tattered at the edges. He looked up at the stars and the moon until he felt right again. Everybody else had the good sense to keep quiet in the meantime.
He took a deep breath and faced Marina, Tawni, and Sheryl. Having so many beautiful women in his life felt a little strange to Aaron. He was used to hanging out with guys.
"Observations?" he said. "Insi
ghts? I'm listening."
"That was some bad shit," Tawni said. "Those people weren't just gambling. They were slaves to the machines."
"But was it unnatural? Were we looking at something that should be impossible?"
"Yeah."
Marina and Sheryl nodded in agreement.
"Security was very tight," Marina said. "I've seen prisons that weren't as well guarded. I wouldn't want to get caught in there. Fighting my way out would be hell."
"They can certainly afford to pay for that kind of security," Aaron said. "God knows how much money that place is pulling in. The gamblers were handing it over like it wasn't even theirs. We need more information. I want to start by finding out who owns the casino. That's the guy we need to talk to. Tonight is the grand opening, so I'm sure he's in the building somewhere."
"I don't want to go back inside. That place is too hard on the soul."
"The guards didn't seem to mind. It was strange. Everybody else was drooling over the machines, and security wasn't even interested."
"Maybe they know a trick for fighting the effect," she said.
"If so, it's a trick we need to learn. I could feel the pull. The games were calling to me. I understand what happened to Jack." He grimaced. "I don't want to go back, either. Not tonight."
"So we have to get Mr. Big Shot to come out here, instead. That's easy enough to arrange."
Marina pointed across the parking lot, and Aaron turned in that direction. The main sign for the casino looked like a giant iron pot full of gold coins. Yellow lights made the treasure gleam brightly. A steel pole held the massive sign high in the air.
He smiled. "Good idea. I love working with somebody who thinks like me."
"What?" Sheryl said. "Did I miss something, sir?"
"Watch and learn. I want you and Tawni to find concealed positions near the sign. Be close enough to see the show, but not too close. And I need the keys to the van."
Tawni handed over the car keys. "Come on." She walked off.
Sheryl followed her into the darkness.
Aaron and Marina took the long walk back to the green minivan. He opened the rear doors and found a gray duffle bag. It contained basic supplies that were brought along on almost every assignment.