by Jade Kuzma
“Making some friends in Ivory?” Faye asked.
“Club members aren’t exactly the kind of people you should be making friends with.”
“Why’s that?”
“Every MC I’ve ever met, there’s always some shit going down. Somebody who needs to get killed. Some beef that needs to get settled. One-percenters are always getting into trouble with the law.”
“Oh… Well… That makes sense. Because you never get into trouble with the law.”
The way she grinned made her whole face light up. I chuckled back at her and shook my head softly.
“I don’t make friends,” I said. “I haven’t made any friends since…”
She smiled softly, already knowing what I was gonna say.
“…since you.”
“That’s right, Hunter. I am your friend. And if there’s something going on, I want to know. I can help.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “This is shit you can’t help me with.”
I gulped down the whiskey and plopped the empty glass back on the counter.
“You know…” I started. “I was thinking the other day…”
I looked at Faye and noticed the strange look on her face. Her eyes were wide like something was wrong. I was about to ask her what it was when I felt another tap on my shoulder.
“Cain,” I said as I spun around. “I told you I’m done drinking for the night…”
I spun around in my seat and didn’t see the club member that I had just spoken to.
Shit.
“Mr. Jacobson,” the man said. “It’s good to see you.”
“Takahashi,” I replied. “What took you so long?”
“Ivory’s hard to find. It’s such a small town.”
“Not small enough, apparently…”
I hadn’t known Takahashi for very long. You didn’t need to be best friends with the motherfucker to know what he was all about though. Just a quick glance at the way he slicked back his hair or how perfectly-tailored his white suit was on his frame told you that he was someone. Even with a calm demeanor, you knew not to fuck with him.
Oh, and then there were two bodyguards he always walked with. The assholes were armed. That much was obvious. But they were big enough that they probably didn’t need to pull out their pieces to deal with someone if it came down to it.
All three of the men standing in front of me were as calm as they always were.
“Who is this?” Faye said, concern still on her face. “What’s going on?”
I ignored her, my attention focused on the man in front of me.
“Do you have it?” he asked.
I sighed a deep breath through my nose before I responded.
“Just gimme a few days…”
Takahashi closed his eyes and shook his head at me.
“Jacobson, Jacobson, Jacobson…”
“Takahashi, Takahashi, Takahashi…”
“What am I going to do with you?”
“I don’t know. Don’t you usually have an instruction manual for this sort of thing?”
The corner of his lip curled into a smile.
“You’re a funny man, Jacobson. Why don’t we step outside so you can make me laugh a little more?”
I eyeballed his two security guards. The two assholes were making sure that I understood even though the shit was obvious.
I got up from my seat and put my hands up.
“All right, all right,” I said. “I’m coming.”
“Hunter—”
“Stay here,” I said to Faye. “Don’t leave the bar.”
I followed Takahashi and his goons out of the bar. We walked through the parking lot and into a dark alley off to the side. There was barely enough light from the streetlights to see them standing in front of me.
“You led me on quite a chase,” Takahashi said, his hands behind his back.
“Look,” I said. “Why don’t you gimme a few more days and I’ll get you your money?”
“You said to give you a few days, a few days ago.”
“That’s right.”
“Where’s my money?”
Takahashi was always so calm. Even when he was angry, he maintained his composure.
“A few days,” I said. “Just gimme a few days—”
I didn’t know what came over me but I swung my fist at one of the guards. I hit him so hard that I knocked him flat onto his back. Of course, I wasn’t fast enough to deal with the other asshole. He hammered me on the back of the head and forced me down to a knee.
“Why would you do something stupid like that?” Takahashi said.
The bodyguard slugged me right across the side of my face. I could feel the blood coming from my cheek.
“That’s gonna bruise,” I grunted. “I don’t suppose—”
A hard kick to my stomach made me keel over. I struggled on all fours, trying to push myself back up to my feet.
“Pick him up,” Takahashi said.
The guard grabbed me by the collar and forced me to stand. He slammed against the brick wall. Takahashi took a step closer to me and looked me right in the eye.
“You’re funny,” he said. “You make me laugh.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I don’t suppose you could forget about my debt.”
“No. But… I’ll give you a few more days. I don’t like getting my hands dirty. A hustler like you… Don’t let me down now, Jacobson.”
He patted me on my cheek. I smirked back at him, satisfied that my time hadn’t come for the moment.
Takahashi’s bodyguard picked up the one I’d laid out and the three of them walked out of the alley. I turned just in time to see Faye standing there.
“Shit…”
Faye looked at the three men as they walked by then rushed up to me.
“Hunter!”
She put a hand up to my cheek.
“What the hell was that?”
“It’s nothing,” I said as I swiped her hand away.
“Your face is bleeding.”
“I’ve got a little bit of scar tissue there. I got into a few scraps when I was locked up. You’d be surprised at how easily it bleeds now—”
“Hunter.”
I was trying to make light of the situation but there was nothing I could say to ease Faye’s concern.
“Tell me,” she said softly.
She’d seen him for herself. She knew something was wrong. There was no point in hiding it from her.
“A few months ago, I got word on a game,” I said. “Told me they were some high-rollers. I didn’t think much of it. When I heard they had money, I was in.
“I hustled ‘em real good. Got about 10 Gs off that man you just saw walking out. Of course, he wasn’t too happy about it. Challenged me to a heads-up match. I…”
I shook my head and laughed as I thought about it.
“…I ended up losing more money than I had. When it came time to pay up, well, let’s just say he wasn’t happy that I didn’t have it.”
“What happened?”
“I told him to give me some time and I would get it. He said he knew what kinda man I am, so he trusted me. So… I came down to Ivory with what little I had left. I never got paid when I was locked up, unfortunately.”
Faye put all the pieces together, nodding softly in understanding.
“You lost it all,” she said. “In that game with Alvarez.”
“That wasn’t my money. It was that guy’s.”
“There’s nothing else you could do? You have to pay him back?”
I burst into laughter at the thought but Faye wasn’t laughing. I took a second to regain my composure.
“His name is Tagawa Takahashi,” I said. “I didn’t know who he was but now I do. He’s a pretty powerful Yakuza member. These guys don’t fuck around. He calls off my debt, it’ll make him look weak. It’s a matter of principle.”
“What will he do if you don’t pay him back?”
“Faye… You’re the smartest woman I’v
e ever known in my life… What do you think he’ll do?”
“So… What are you gonna do?”
“What can I do?” I said with a shrug. “Unless you know of a job that pays 10 grand over the next few days, there’s nothing I can do. I don’t have any friends to borrow money from. I know you don’t have any money, otherwise you wouldn’t be working for a man like Alvarez.”
Faye wasn’t looking at me. She was just staring at the ground. Her eyes weren’t blinking.
“Maybe there is a way,” she said.
“Faye, I don’t want you to get into any trouble over me. Once this shit with Takahashi is settled, you won’t have to deal with—”
“I can do something. Hunter, please.”
The look in her eyes was sincere. There was no way I could refuse.
“You have to do everything you can to get out of this,” she said.
“I have done everything I’m capable of. I don’t know what you see in me, Faye. But there isn’t much more.”
“There is. I know there is. I… I can do something.”
“Faye—”
“Just trust me on this. You trust me, don’t you?”
Damn.
Even at my lowest, just seeing the look in Faye’s eyes was enough to make me forget all of the shit that I was under. This wasn’t about me. I had to do this. For her.
“I trust you,” I said.
“Okay… There’s someone I need to talk to.”
“Who?”
“Alvarez.”
“Alvarez?” I said, trying to hold back my surprise. “How the fuck is he gonna get me out of this.”
“Let me talk to him. I’ll make him see that he has everything to gain by helping you.”
Chapter 15
FAYE
Alvarez sat slumped over at his desk like he always did. He dabbed at the sweat on his brow with his napkin then shoved his fork into a plate full of pasta. He forced enough food into his mouth that it made you wonder how he was able to chew it all.
I looked out into the distance and enjoyed the view on the edges of Holt County. Alvarez’s office was up high enough that I could see Ivory just a few miles away. I thought about Hunter and what he was up to now. I could only hope that he took my advice and waited for me.
Alvarez slurped down another heaping forkful of pasta before finally acknowledging me.
“Have you got my schedule all squared away?” he asked.
“Yes. Emerson would like to speak to you tomorrow afternoon. That’s the only thing on your agenda for the week.
“Good. I’ll need the rest of the weekend for myself. I’m glad you were able to remember.”
“It’s not hard to forget what’s happening this weekend.”
Alvarez smacked his lips and washed down his food with a big gulp of wine. His face was so messy that I wanted to wipe his mouth and mustache with his napkin. Thankfully, he did it for himself.
“Make sure that you keep my spot in the lounge clean tonight,” he said. “I don’t want anybody near it, you hear me?”
“I’ll inform security to keep a close eye on it,” I replied.
“I plan on having a lot of fun tonight. While you’re at it, scour the casino and find a few ladies who are interested in spending some time in my room. Tell them the usual bullshit you always do. Let them know they’ll be comped for everything in my VIP room.”
“Of course.”
Alvarez looked at the computer monitor on his desk and sighed.
“Fucking Emerson,” he muttered. “Always wanting to have these damn meetings… Can’t just let the business take care of itself…”
He took another bite of food then shifted his eyes back toward me.
“Any other messages?” he asked.
“No, sir. It was only Emerson who was trying to get a hold of you.”
“Right, right…”
“Is there anything else you need, sir?”
“Just make sure that my room is stalked tonight. Make sure they have the champagne I want. And make sure they’ve got something to eat. I want full access to the kitchen.”
“I’ll make that call right now.”
“That’s it for today. Be there tonight in case some other shit happens.”
“I’ll be there, sir.”
“Good. Now get outta here.”
Alvarez turned his attention back to his endless plate of food. He twirled the pasta around his fork and stuffed it into his mouth like he was still starving.
“Sir…”
I stayed where I was. Regardless of how I felt about Alvarez, I couldn’t lose my nerve now.
It’s all right. This isn’t about you.
Alvarez didn’t hear me, so I raised my voice a little bit louder.
“Sir.”
He raised an eyebrow at me and swallowed his food down.
“What is it?” he barked.
“There’s something I’d like to ask you about.”
He stared at me for a moment then let out a frustrated sigh.
“This better be important,” he muttered.
“It’s about the other night. The man you beat in the lounge.”
“I beat a lot of men in the lounge.”
“The man with the holdout device.”
“Oh… Him… Jacobson…”
A smile came to Alvarez’s face. I tried not to stare at all of the food stuck between his teeth.
“I never would’ve caught that asshole if you didn’t tell me what he was up to,” he said. “You deserve every penny that’s coming to you.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“You did more than I could’ve expected from you. I only told you to track him down and get him to play me again. I never asked you to find out that the motherfucker was cheating.”
“Sir… The thing is…”
I paused for a second, struggling to get the words out.
“Yes?” Alvarez said, an eyebrow raised.
“I knew him.”
“You knew him?”
“From a long time ago. He was an old friend.”
“Is that right?”
Alvarez was thinking about it but that didn’t stop him from stuffing his face again.
“Well, you pulled a fast one on him,” he said with his mouth full. “You must’ve talked to him and convinced him you wanted to catch up on old times. The bastard never saw what was coming. You did the right thing, Faye. He got what he deserved.”
“I know. I don’t condone any kind of cheating. Especially not in this casino. And especially not against you.”
“I know what you’re getting at.”
“You do?”
“Yes… You’re telling me he was an old friend, so it was hard for you to do what you did. You want a bigger bonus.”
“No, that’s not it. Actually—”
“I pay you well, don’t I, Faye?”
“Yes, you do—”
“What makes you think you’re deserving of even more money? You should be lucky I’ve even asked you to be my assistant.”
I gritted my teeth, trying my best to maintain my composure.
“I’m not asking for more money, sir. You pay me just fine. The bonus you gave me for exposing Jacobson was more than adequate.”
“Good. Now get the fuck out of here.”
“There’s something else I’d like to ask you.”
“Now what is it?”
There was a growing frustration on his face. It was almost enough to make him put his fork down but he just kept eating.
“It’s about Nirvana,” I said.
“The tournament this weekend? What about it?”
“I know that you don’t want Jacobson to come back to this casino—”
“The guards have been instructed to eject him on sight.”
“I… I wanted to ask if you could let Jacobson into the tournament.”
Alvarez blinked his eyes at me like he’d misheard me. He finally put his fork down and leaned back in his seat.
“I think I’m hearing things,” he said. “It sounded like you just told me to let that cheating bastard back into this casino. Why the fuck would I do something like that? Why would Emerson, the man who owns this casino, allow that?”
“Because you have something to gain.”
“Do I?”
His eyes widened in surprise. With as upset as he was, Alvarez suddenly started to calm down a bit. Money always got the attention of men like him.
“Explain yourself,” he said.
“Jacobson is a good player. Even when he’s not cheating. He can make it into the money.”
“And what do I have to gain from letting that asshole make money off of one of the casino’s biggest tournaments?”
“You’d have everything to gain. With you playing, Jacobson would let you win. He’d beat everybody else and lay down for you. He’d only ask for enough to cover the buy-in and a small percentage of the winnings. The rest of it would go to you.”
Alvarez scratched the side of his chin while he pondered my suggestion.
“Interesting… Let a ringer into the tournament and I’d get a cut of his winnings. The other players wouldn’t be too happy if they found out. Then again, fuck ‘em. That’s a part of gambling.”
“Then you’ll agree to allow Jacobson into Nirvana?”
“I’ll allow it. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Jacobson is responsible for his own buy-in. I don’t have a lot of faith in him making it into the money. I won’t give that man 10-thousand dollars of my own cash just for him to throw it all away.”
“But—”
“That’s my offer, Faye. He can pay his own way into the tournament and play for me. Or he can go fuck himself. I have no reason to allow him back into this casino.”
I tried to think of what more I could do but there was nothing. I’d gotten Hunter back into the casino but it didn’t mean much if he didn’t have any money for the buy-in.
“What’s it gonna be?” Alvarez asked.
“Okay,” I said with a nod.
“Next time you see that motherfucker, tell him there’ll be worse consequences if he tries anything.”
“I can promise you that he won’t try anything.”
“Now get the fuck out of here so I can finish my lunch. Be at the lounge tonight.”
“Yes, sir.”