by Paul Harry
“Wow, that’s really scary,” acknowledged Paige, as she took a sip of wine. She was bewildered. The kid’s story was so incredulous that she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. And yet, he was so convincing, and look what he did on the Blackjack table. “So, I’m really confused about something,” she added.
“What?”
“How come, when you showed Jerry your eyes earlier, they were all white and stuff, but now they look so normal?”
Daniel smiled as if revealing a big secret. “Contacts...” he confided.
“No???” She peered hard at his eyes trying to see for herself. “They look so real. And beautiful too.”
Daniel chuckled. “Thanks, it makes people more comfortable. A doctor in California made them for me.”
“That is so cool. Can I ask you something else?”
“Sure.”
“How do you do it? I mean on the Blackjack table−how did you know what cards were coming? And how did you know my nipples were pierced?”
Daniel blushed, embarrassed by her last question. He lowered his eyes to the table. “It’s kind of a mental thing,” he answered. “I get these pictures in my head. I sorta see things...”
“Like a psychic?”
“Yeah, kinda.”
Paige slowly slid a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. She even made eating ice cream look sexy. “Wow,” she remarked, “you should go to Vegas. You could make a killing.”
“Yeah, perhaps. But right now I have to get back to Cal. I need to contact the police and reconnect with my family.”
“So, rent a car − drive back. You have the money. Oh God, I’m sorry that was really stupid of me...”
Daniel placed his hand atop hers. “It’s okay. People say stuff like that all the time to me. They don’t mean anything.”
Paige smiled. Then suddenly her eyes went wide. “Hey, I have an idea − perhaps, I could take you?”
“Really?” Daniel exclaimed in surprise.
“Yeah − Why not? I’m off tomorrow and I don’t have any plans. Of course, we’d need some traveling money − for gas and stuff. I’m a little short right now. And I’d probably have to take Tuesday off from work.”
“Are you sure?”
Paige gave Daniel’s hand a little squeeze. “I’d really like to help you out.”
Daniel’s spirit soared over Paige’s offer. For the first time in all of this he felt like he wasn’t totally alone. “I gotta admit,” he said. “Your help would make things a whole lot easier.”
“Super. Okay, then − first things first. I’ll need to grab a few things from my place and then we can head up the mountain to Tahoe.
Daniel was confused. “Tahoe?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a friend who’s got a condo there. I promised to look in on it while she’s away. I was going to drive up there tomorrow, but we can do it tonight.” She grabbed her purse, indicating she was ready to go. “Don’t worry,” she cautioned. “It’s on the way. We can spend the night there and I’ll have you home first thing tomorrow.”
Daniel’s reluctance melted like an ice cube on a hot sidewalk. The thought of spending the night with Paige was just too much to pass up, especially when she sealed the deal with the biggest, sexiest smile ever.
“Yeah, okay, he said, accepting her offer. “Paige, that’s really nice... thank you.”
After tipping the waiter, Paige led Daniel into the parking garage of the Cal Neva where her car was parked. As Daniel halfway expected, she owned a really cool, brand new, bright-red Ford Mustang. Ironically, after unlocking the car, she opened the door for him to get in−blindness did have its advantages. Daniel just had to keep acting that way.
Sliding into the front seat, Daniel tried to make himself comfortable, but his legs were cramped by a large gym bag sitting on the floor. He gave the bag a shove.
“Here, let me get that,” said Paige, reaching across him. The touch of her hand on his knee gave him a hard-on. It was going to be a great night.
She tossed the bag into the back seat, but not before Daniel scanned its contents. He couldn’t help it. He was curious as to what a girl like her wore to the gym, imagining some skimpy sexy outfit. He was disappointed. All he saw were the usual things, workout sweats, a t-shirt, a towel, sneakers, a combination lock... and? What the hell was that? She had a gun in her bag. Holy crap! Daniel was baffled. Why would Paige have a gun in her gym bag? Though he was curious as hell, Daniel said nothing. He figured she must have a good reason. Let’s face it. She was a petite woman and really pretty. Daniel had to assume that she got hassled from time to time.
The drive to Lake Tahoe was rather uneventful, and Paige did most of the talking, filling Daniel in on her personal life. She told him how she became a dealer, which wasn’t all that long ago and how it had come about. According to her, it was all due to her last boyfriend. He used her to finance his drug addiction, then stole everything she had, leaving her broke. With what little she was able to scrape up, she was able to pay for dealing school and find work. The last year had been kinder. She managed to make enough money to get the Mustang and a half decent apartment. Still, she had a lot of credit card debt thanks to her old flame, but she was working it off.
Daniel listened intently to Paige’s story, lending her moral support, but didn’t give it a lot of thought. He was just happy to be heading back home. Hopefully his nightmare would soon be over and of course he was anticipating his night with Paige.
When they arrived at the Hyatt Regency, Paige pulled into valet and had the car parked. She then took Daniel inside where she surveyed the blackjack tables.
Daniel was perplexed. “So why are we here,” he asked. “I thought we were going to your friend’s condo?”
Paige snuggled up to him, looping her arm around his. “Yeah we are, but I was kinda hoping you could show me what you did earlier today first.”
Daniel wasn’t keen on the idea. “Paige, I’m not sure. This is a big place. They might not like it.”
“Oh pooh,” she countered. “You can’t help it if you have a psychic ability. There’s no law against it. Besides, we need the money. How much do you have left?”
“I don’t know − a couple hundred maybe.”
“Yeah, and we’re going to need gas, food, and a place for me to stay when we get there, and don’t forget I’m giving up a day or two of work.”
Daniel still wasn’t convinced and Paige was forced to rely on her feminine wiles. She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “Daniel, we’re not robbing a bank, and I do want to help you, but we’re going to need some extra cash.”
Her hot, sexy breath was more than enough to send him over the edge.
“Okay,” he sighed in resignation.
The next couple of hours were a total blur for Daniel as Paige took control. She led him to a six deck blackjack table where she sat on third base with Daniel standing behind her. Her position on the table gave her the most control over the outcome of each hand, and as the cards were dealt Daniel whispered in her ear, telling her what to do. At first, the other players on the game were outraged with her stupid moves. Her play was ludicrous. She was hitting when she should have stayed, staying when she should have hit and splitting, hell, she was splitting her cards against tens and aces and everything else−but she was winning; and for the most part so were they. So everyone went along for the ride.
The only ones unhappy were the management. They were losing substantially and couldn’t understand why. There seemed to be no logic to Paige’s play. She was just damn lucky, and the luckier she was the more flirtatious and obnoxious she became−and drunk.
“God, this is fuckin’ incredible,” she whispered to Daniel, her wine breath wafting up into his face. “You are amazing. What do you think? Should I bet three hands?”
Peeved, Daniel looked at the pile of chips in front of Paige. There had to be several thousand at least. He shook his head. “I think we’ve got enough. Why don’t we cash in?”
; “No way!” she responded. “Come on, we can double this.”
“Paige, we’ve got plenty. More than enough for gas and food. And I think they’re getting pissed.”
“So what!” She threw the dealer a couple black checks. “Here you go, honey. For your trouble. I know what’s it’s like to be paid crap.” She waved her half empty glass of wine, hollering to the cocktail waitress. “Can I get another glass of Chardonnay?”
More than a little hot, Daniel leaned over and got in Paige’s ear. “Come on, let’s go,” he said. “You don’t need any more to drink.”
Paige pulled away, pouting. “No! Come on, sit here with me.” She patted the empty seat next to her. “Come on, sit. Come on, honey. We can make a lot more.”
Daniel took in Paige’s bleary eyes and flushed face. She was swaying back and forth, and it was more than he could handle−he glared at her. “No! I’ve had enough. I’m leaving. See if you can do it on your own. I’ll find another way home.”
Without another word he walked away, leaving Paige alone at the blackjack table. In drunk indifference she flipped off everyone who was staring at her.
“Fine! I don’t need this shit!” she shouted. She downed the last of her wine and scooped her chips off the table, raking them into her purse.
Utterly peeved, Daniel headed for the nearest exit, only to find himself outside at the rear of the hotel near the fire pits that overlooked Lake Tahoe. At the moment the place was deserted. It was dimly lit and damn cold with a layer of snow covering the ground, but the pit was in full blaze and giving off radiant warmth. Like a moth to a flame, Daniel headed toward it. He had some serious thinking to do. After all, he had misread Paige. She wasn’t who he thought she was. He’d been taken in and worst of all, she reminded him of his Dad.
A few minutes later Paige found him. She stumbled outside and walked through the snow still carrying her empty wine glass.
“So, what the fuck is your problem?” she asked, defiantly.
Daniel looked at her. “You...” he said. “No, actually it’s me, I guess.”
“Zzat, so...”
“Yeah... You know, I may be slow, but I’m not stupid. I know why you brought me here. You just wanted to make money off of me.” He snorted with self contempt. “Boy, you must think I’m an idiot.”
Paige gave him a smug look. “Welcome to the real world, buddy,” she replied, downing the last few drops from her wine glass. “We’re all just fish in the food chain.”
“Maybe you, not me.”
“And when did you get so damn high and mighty?”
“When I began to realize you’re just like my father.”
“Your father?
“Yeah, he had a gambling problem.”
“I don’t have a gambling problem!”
“Are you sure? Seems to me you’re a dream chaser, just like him. The only time he was happy was when he was betting. He let everything slip − his life... me − nothing else mattered but his gambling.”
Paige swayed, her feet shifting in the snow. “And you think I’m like that?”
“Yeah, I do,” he replied. “Maybe it’s your drinking or the wild party attitude you perpetuate. It just makes me wonder−why are you so out of control? What the hell are you doing? You’re beautiful, but you’re not twenty-one anymore.”
“You son of bitch,” she snapped. “Who the hell do you think you are? You don’t even know me − and I’m not the one who left my friend, dead, in a hotel room of all places.”
The remark stung. “Yeah, you’re right.” responded Daniel. “And here I am in Tahoe, running... my family wondering where I am... why I’ve abandoned them.”
“Well here, then...” Paige opened her purse and pulled out a wad of cash, the night’s winnings. She threw it at him. “Take it!” It scattered across the snow.
Daniel kicked it back. “No, it’s yours. You keep it. I can get more anytime I want.”
“You little shit...” she cursed, stumbling in the snow as she tried to retrieve the money. “So, I have a problem, but it’s okay for you to go gamble anytime you want.”
“It’s not a gamble for me. I know what’s coming − I can see the cards.”
Paige began to laugh, leering as she got up in his face. “So, just wha-at the fuck does that mean, ex-zactly... that you can see the cards?”
“I’m really not blind − I can see through the cards.”
Paige looked at Daniel in total disbelief. He was dead serious. She then began to laugh, actually howling at the absurdity of his statement.
She snickered. “Yeah, right. Like you’ve got x-ray vision. You can see through shit. Next you’ll be tellin’ me you can see through fuckin’ walls? God, what a hoot!”
Daniel didn’t like being laughed at. And Paige was treating him just like those girls did back at school. “Yeah, that’s right,” he responded angrily. “That’s what I’m saying. I can see through shit!”
Paige snorted. She graced him with an exaggerated bow. “Okay, Mister Superman. If you’ve got x-ray vision − show me. See through something.”
“I’ve seen the gun you carry in your gym bag.”
Paige snickered again dismissing his observation. “You could’a checked out my bag anytime and seen that. Come on, Superman, you can do better than that. Show me what you’ve got. Tell me what’s in my purse or better yet what’s inside me.”
Raising her hands skyward Paige began to dance in front of Daniel, laughing sarcastically as she spun herself around and around. “Come on, Superman,” she taunted, “show me what you got.”
“Okay,” he fired back, ripping off his glasses. He looked at her body, studying it−his eyes changing in front of her.
Paige was taken aback. She could have sworn she saw his eyes glow an eerie green color, just for a second, or maybe it was just a reflection from the fire? She turned around again, the smugness in her tone wearing on her. She didn’t like being like this.
Daniel’s eyes stripped Paige down. First she was naked, but this time not quite so appealing in appearance. Then her skin fell away, revealing her underlayment of muscle and blood vessels. Next he saw her skeletal frame and internal organs. Everything looked red and orange and normal. Her heart was pumping regularly, her lungs moving in and out rhythmically−then he saw something. It was a small blue-green lump in front of her right lung near her breast. He zeroed in on it noting its size and position. It looked like a pea. Daniel caught his breath in surprise. This was unexpected.
Taking a couple of steps forward, Daniel grabbed Paige by the shoulders, stopping her cold−their eyes locked. “Paige...” he said, quietly. “You have a small lump in your right breast.”
Paige didn’t move. She just stood there reeling back and forth, tears welling up in her eyes. Suddenly, she slapped him across the face. “You son of a bitch...” she shouted. “Go fuck yourself!”
Turning away, she stumbled out into the snow where she fell to her knees sobbing.
Daniel approached her from behind. “I’m sorry...” he said quietly. He didn’t know what else to say.
Paige knelt there, silently nodding her head as she wiped the tears from her face. “How... how do you know? Is it... is it cancer?”
“I don’t know − I’m not a doctor.
“But you see it?”
“Yeah... it has a different color. Paige, it’s very small, about the size of a pea.”
Paige looked up and wiped her cheeks. “I’ve been getting some pain there for the last week or so. I was going to make a doctor’s appointment. Jesus Christ! This is fucking unbelievable...”
“Yeah,” noted Daniel as he squatted down next to her. He reached out and touched her on the shoulder. “Come on, it’s freezing out here. Let’s go.”
Paige nodded in agreement and got up with his help.
* * * *
The drive to the Tahoe condo was an experience in itself. Paige was too intoxicated to drive, and she left it in Daniel’s hands to get them there. F
ortunately, Daniel was not a complete novice behind the wheel. He had driven his Dad’s VW a couple of times back on the dirt roads in Pahrump before the accident. The thought of that made him smile. It was one of the few good memories of his Dad.
As the two drove, Paige apologized. “Daniel, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have slapped you.”
“It’s okay, I’ve been slapped before.” He chuckled, letting it slide.
“Still, I said some mean things and I shouldn’t have.”
Daniel glanced at her, giving her a brief smile. “Yeah, me too.”
Pulling into the underground parking garage beneath the condo, Paige and Daniel made their way upstairs and let themselves in. Paige flipped on the lights and Daniel was wowed. The condo was a beautiful four star luxury rental, fully furnished with all the conveniences, including a fully stocked bar and pantry.
“You’ve got some nice friends,” he commented.
Paige shivered. “Damn it’s cold in here. I’d better turn on the heat before we freeze. Why don’t you start a fire? The switch is over the mantel.”
Daniel complied as Paige disappeared from view. He lit the gas fireplace, watching as it roared to life, adding heat and more light to the room. Paige returned a few minutes later, carrying several blankets and a pillow which she tossed onto the couch. “I hope this will be okay,” she said, unfolding the blankets. “You should be comfortable out here. The fire should help keep you warm. And I’ll take you home tomorrow as I promised.”
Daniel nodded silently as she made his bed. It was not the ending he had envisioned at the start of the evening, but after what happened earlier he couldn’t expect otherwise.
Paige finished making the bed. “There, that should keep you warm enough.” She patted the blankets, smoothing them out.
Daniel nodded in approval. “Thanks,” he said.
Sitting on the couch, Paige gave Daniel a sorrowful look. “Daniel, again, I’m sorry for this evening. Things got out of hand and I’m ashamed of the way I acted. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” he answered.