Call Me Sugar

by Sage Nyx

  “Hey son. It’s me,” he says in his calm, solid voice. “Are you all right? You sound frazzled.”

  “I wasn’t expecting a call from you tonight. It scared me. Is everything okay?”

  “As good as it can be considering my current circumstances,” he says with a familiar chuckle. “I’m calling to give you an update about my parole hearing. They’ve moved it up.”

  “Really? That’s fantastic news. To when? Hopefully, we’ll get you out of there this time.”

  “The first week in January,” he replies. “That’s why I’m calling, it’s all a little too suspicious. Parole hearings are never moved up in this place; they’re always moved out further. There’s something fishy happening.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Someone on the outside is pulling strings and trying to get me released early.”

  “Who would do that? Or a better question might be, who could do that?”

  “I’m not sure,” he replies. “I thought you might know the answer. Have you heard anything from my lawyer? Or any gossip around Vegas?”

  “No, I haven’t. Do you think it’s Mr. Giovanni? He asked me about you a few days ago. Wanted to know how you were doing. I thought it was unusual at the time since he’s never mentioned you to me before.”

  Dad snorts into the phone. “Since when did Mr. Giovanni give a shit about me? Or you for that matter? If he’s trying to get me out, it’s only because he has a job he wants me to do. Mr. Giovanni does nothing out of the goodness in his heart. We both know that.”

  “You always told me not to look a gift horse in the mouth,” I remind him. “If he’s willing to help get you out, then we should be thankful. I would do anything to get you out of that hellhole.”

  Dad lets out a long sigh. “Don’t say that, son. Everything always comes with a big price when you’re dealing with Giovanni. Don’t forget that. If he doesn’t want something from me, he’ll ask it of you instead.”

  “He already holds my contract and owns me,” I say. “What more could he want?”

  “I don’t know,” he says. “If he’s behind getting my parole hearing moved up, we’ll find out soon enough. I’m not sure we’ll want to know if it is him. How’s he treating you these days?”

  “Not bad,” I answer honestly. “I can’t complain. The money is fantastic, and the show is selling out every night.”

  “What’s the problem then?”

  I can never fool him. He senses when something is bothering me.

  “I’m nothing more than a puppet with him pulling all the strings. He called me into his office this week and made me sign an agreement to remove several things from the show. Chainsaws, explosives. He said it was an insurance issue.”

  “If you take out all that, what are you left with?”

  “Not much. Basic magic, nothing exciting. Pulling bunnies out of hats and doing sleight-of-hand card tricks. The same as every other two-bit hustler on the street.”

  “I’m sure it’s not that bad,” he says with a chuckle. “Don’t be putting down hustlers. Never forget your raising, son. Just because we were working the streets doesn’t mean we were any less talented.”

  “That wasn’t what I was saying. I can do more now. The show could be over-the-top impressive if he would let me do things my way.”

  “Mr. Giovanni prefers to keep things managed well and under his control,” he says. “You probably scare the shit out of him. When you work for the man, you do what the man wants. Make the money now, invest it well and wait. Your time will come to branch out on your own; then you can do whatever the hell you want. If you keep selling out shows, investors will line up to work with you when your contract is up.”

  “Do you really believe that?”

  Dad’s opinion means everything to me.

  “I’m not a bullshitter. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t believe it.”

  “I need you here with me, Dad. The fame isn’t the same without you to share it with. We’ve got to get you out of there soon. All of this was our dream, not mine alone. We worked for this our whole lives. Now I’m out here living the good life and you’re stuck in that fucking prison.”

  “Stop worrying about me,” he says. “All it will do is slow you down and mess you up. Keep concentrating on being the best damn illusionist in the country. I’ll work on getting myself out. You’re already paying for my expensive attorney.”

  “He’s supposed to be one of the best,” I say. “Not that it makes a damn bit of difference if someone more powerful than the legal system is pulling strings.”

  “There’s nothing else you can do.”

  “I hate this,” I say after a moment of silence on the phone. “I miss you, Dad.”

  I haven’t seen him in almost two months because of my crazy schedule. The hotel books two shows a day for me. There’s no way I can make it to the prison and back before my afternoon show. Cancellation of a show is never an option unless I’m at the point of death.

  “I’m fine,” he reassures me. “Maybe even gaining a little weight. Being in here gives me time to read and think. I’m even exercising every day out in the yard. Lifting weights and shit. I don’t want you worrying about me. You understand? Live your life. I’ll be out soon enough. Besides, I don’t want you seeing me in here. A prison is no place for my son.”

  I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

  “It’s no place for you either. When you get out, you need to promise me not to do anything that will land you back there. We’ll have more than enough money. I’ll buy you a big house and set up you nice.”

  “Trust me. I’ve seen enough of prison walls to last me a lifetime. From now on, I’m on the straight and narrow path.”

  I wish I could believe him.

  Old habits die hard.

  Once a hustler, always a hustler.

  “I’ve got to go,” he says. “Another inmate is giving me the stink-eye about tying up the phone.”

  “Bye Dad. Love you.”

  “Love you, too. Talk to you soon, son.”

  I wait until hearing the click on his end and the line goes dead.

  Sugar

  “You’re late,” I say to Leroy when he finally shows up in the parking garage with the limo to pick me up. “What took you so long?”

  “I was hunting for your girl,” Leroy replies, stepping out. “The news isn’t good. Not good at all.”

  “She’s gone? Shit!” I slam my hand down on the hood of the limo. “Dammit, I knew it. I’m such a fucking idiot! Any idea where she went to?”

  Leroy shakes his head and holds up a hand. “Hang on, as far as I know she hasn’t left town yet. Not voluntarily, anyway. I found out something mighty suspicious about her though. Maybe you should stay away from Jade until we found out more information.”

  “Quit stalling and tell me. Whatever it is, I can handle it. Is she married? Is she here in Vegas with another guy?”

  “No, I don’t know about another man,” he says. “Calm down and let me tell my story. First, I went to the casino to see if I could find her. When I didn’t, I asked around a bit. She’s easy to spot with those big, ugly glasses. Several of my guys working in the casino remembered seeing her sitting at the slots the last couple of days. She’s kind of plain and ordinary, but in a way she stands out in the flashy Vegas crowd. Not to be insulting or anything.”

  I nod back at him. I know exactly what he means, and it’s not a bad thing.

  “Well, to make a long story short, one of my guys saw her being escorted out of the casino by hotel security yesterday,” he says.

  “Yesterday?” My mouth drops open. “No way! When did this happen? Fuck! I knew she was in trouble.”

  “Here’s the weird thing,” Leroy says, rubbing his bald head. “They removed her from the casino yesterday morning. Now we both know what happens when casino security hauls your ass out. They never let people come back in. There’s no such thing as three strikes in Vegas. One strike and you’re out perma
nently. No second chances ever. If security even gets a whiff of suspicious activity, they’ll kick your ass to the curb so fast it’ll make your ears bleed. Or worse.”

  “I’ve heard about that part,” I say. “There’s a rumor they take card counters to a room in the basement for questioning.”

  A chill runs down my spine at the thought of Jade being hauled off by security. She has no idea what this town is all about and who runs it.

  Vegas has a very dark underbelly.

  “They might call it questioning, but I call it waterboarding,” Leroy says. “Either way, I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end, especially if I was a woman.There are some sick bastards working in this town.”

  My blood runs ice cold. I’ve heard whispers from other staff members about Mr. Giovanni’s dealings in the past. He’s the type that lets other people do his dirty work to keep his own hands clean.

  He’s a ruthless son-of-a-bitch.

  If Jade gets on Mr. Giovanni’s bad side, there’s no telling what he might do to her.

  “You said they took her out yesterday, right? That doesn’t make sense because she’s come back inside the casino since then. My assistant delivered a card and a glass of champagne to her in the afternoon. Then we picked her up for the date out front last night. If she’d been banned from the hotel or casino, there’s no way in hell they would let her back in.”

  Leroy points his finger at me. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. There’s something mighty fishy going on. You didn’t let me finish telling the story. My guys saw her walk back in later and go straight to the same damn slot machine. She sat down and started playing as if nothing ever happened.”

  “Wait a minute. Are you saying security took her out, questioned her for two fucking hours then let her come back in and start playing again?”

  “That’s it in a nutshell,” he says. “Have you ever heard of anything so crazy? If casino security hauled me out, I’d be shitting bricks for days and there’s no fucking way I’d ever come back. Not even if they begged me or gave me a month’s worth of free steak dinners. I’d move on down the block to another casino. It’s not as if the Imperial Hotel is the only place in town to gamble. Hell, I’d leave the state if it were me. Those men don’t fuck around.”

  I lean back against the side of the limousine and try to think.

  “She’s working for someone,” I say. “She has to be. It’s the only explanation. Or she’s a plant working for the casino on an inside job. Could she be a plainclothes security agent for the casino?”

  “Maybe she’s spying on you,” Leroy says. “Ever thought of that?”

  “No, that doesn’t make sense either. Why would someone spy on me? Besides, it was a complete coincidence how we met. We can’t let our conspiracy theories run away with us here. There must be a logical explanation.”

  “Maybe they questioned her and realized they made a mistake?” he suggests. “Anyone can tell that’s she’s a decent gal. I bet they loaded her up with extra chips and free stuff to make up for the trouble, so she came back. I’m positive that’s it. You’re getting all worked up for nothing.”

  “Getting questioned by security is never nothing in this town,” I point out.

  “Look on the bright side. At least she’s probably still in town. Which means we can find her.” He opens the driver’s door and climbs in. “Let’s go blow off some steam with the boys. We’re already running late. Jade will turn up. When we get to the desert, I’ll make a few more calls to my friends while you guys enjoy your thrill-chasing shit. If she shows her face anywhere in Vegas, we’ll know it.”

  “I can’t shake the idea that Jade might need my help,” I say, hesitating.

  “That’s your male instinct wanting to play hero. You’re making a big fuss for no good reason. Calm the fuck down. Everything will be fine. Jade’s an intelligent girl. She can take care of herself.”

  “You’ll keep searching for her?”

  “I’ll turn over every place in this town until I find her. Then you can dump her ass the same as you always do and we can go back to normal.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” I say. “I’m getting all worked up over a girl I barely know. Kit and Vulcan will help me get my head screwed back on straight. I’ll text Kit to tell him we’re running behind and not to start without us.”

  “Sounds good,” Leroy says. “Normally I can’t condone the crazy shit you do, but tonight I believe it might do you wonders.”

  Sugar

  Leroy drives for a solid twenty-five minutes straight out into the desert. We keep going until we’re no longer meeting oncoming cars on the other side of the road.

  He flips on the limo’s bright headlights to illuminate the dark, empty highway.

  “Damn, I wish you boys would find something else to do,” he mutters. “I hate being out here in the desert at night. Too many bad things could happen.”

  “What are you worried about now?” I ask.

  I’m riding in the front seat of the limo with him. I would feel ridiculous sitting in the back by myself on a long drive. Besides, it’s a pain having a conversation with Leroy when we’re yelling back and forth through the window.

  The limo is mostly to keep up my public appearance as a Vegas star, not because of a burning need to be special.

  “The car could break down for one,” he says, holding up his fingers to count off the reasons. “Or a UFO could come down over one of those hills to steal us away. We could be gone in a flash and nobody would ever have a hint what happened to us. I’ve seen it on the Discovery Channel. That UFO shit is real. They’re still searching for those people they took in Area 51.”

  “There’s always roadside help if we get a flat tire,” I say. “As for the UFO, if it happens, think of it as a once in the lifetime experience.”

  “I don’t need that kind of experience,” he says. “My life is fine. I’ve got a job, a home, nice clothes and my friends. UFOs and space aliens aren’t necessary to make my life complete.”

  “If it makes you feel safer, Kit and Vulcan are always out here with us, so it’s not as if we’re all alone.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he agrees. “Even a scary alien man with big creepy eyes wouldn’t be dumb enough to take on Vulcan. Now there’s a person they should abduct if they want to run tests. No telling what they might find.”

  I chuckle at the thought. “No, they’d throw him back. Vulcan isn’t of this world, so he wouldn’t interest aliens.”

  “There are rattlesnakes out here in the desert, too,” Leroy continues. He holds up three fingers. “That makes three things to be worried about. Car trouble, UFOs and snakes. Don’t even get me started on those fucking snakes.”

  “You have a valid point there,” I say. “We should wear boots when we come out here. Remind me later this week to go shopping. I’ll buy you a pair.”

  “Damn right you will,” he says. “Making me come out here and get my ankles bit by a big old rattlesnake. Do they sleep at night or are they slithering around in the bushes ready to jump out at us? I hate those things. They ain’t never been good. Not since the Garden of Eden up in that apple tree. There’s a reason the devil is a snake.”

  “I’m not sure if rattlesnakes sleep at night. Ask Kit, he’ll know about their sleeping habits. My little fellow sleeps most of the day.”

  “I’ll do that. You still owe me a nice pair of leather boots.”

  I sit up straighter in my seat and point to a bright light on the side of the highway up ahead.

  “There’s the turnoff,” I say. “Take a left.”

  We turn down a dirt path and Leroy slows the limo to a crawl.

  “Shit!” he yells when the limo hits a big hole. “You need to buy us a truck. This is the last fucking time I’m driving the limo out here. We’re beating the crap out of it, running over rocks and shit. Now I’ll have to spend half of my day tomorrow trying to shine it up. Limos aren’t built for back road mudding.”

  I
spot the guys in a clearing ahead. The bright headlights of Vulcan’s monster truck lights up the whole area.

  Kit is sitting on the back of his black Harley motorcycle while Vulcan is standing up in the bed of his truck.

  “It’s about time,” Kit yells when I open the door of the limo. “We haven’t got all night. We were about to send a search party out to hunt for you.”

  “Sorry about that,” I say, stepping out to join them with Leroy beside me. “Traffic was bad. We’re here now. What’s the plan for tonight?”

  Vulcan throws two large cardboard boxes out of the bed of the truck onto the ground.

  “Bootleg Chinese fireworks,” he says with a loud chuckle. “I bought them off the internet. They’re dangerous as hell and illegal. Sorry, I didn’t have time this week to plan anything bigger. I was planning to rent three bulldozers so we could have a battle out on the empty highway, but the place wouldn’t accept my credit card for the deposit. The bastard outright refused me. Said I was too much of a risk.”

  “I guess your reputation preceded you once again,” I tell him.

  “Yeah, we might have to change our meetup spot for our weekly outings,” he says. “Word is spreading around town about our activities.”

  “Did you say illegal fireworks?” Leroy says, backing up toward the limo. “Oh, hell no. I love my arms and legs too much to be screwing around with that shit. If you boys need me, I’ll be a half-mile down the road. If I hear a big explosion and smell burning flesh, I’ll call 911. Otherwise I’ll see you when it’s over.”

  He’s not joking.

  Hopping back into the limo, he quickly throws it into reverse and makes a wide U-turn before heading down the road in the opposite direction. A thick cloud of dust stirs up behind the limo.

  “That might not be a bad idea,” Vulcan says. “They occasionally explode on the ground.”

  He leaps down from the back of the truck, takes a box cutter out of his back pocket, and starts slicing open the boxes.

  “Pick your pleasure,” he says, pulling out an assortment of fireworks and reading off the labels. “Here’s a good one for you, Kit.” He holds up a package showing a badly drawn image of Santa riding a firework. “It’s called Stolen Christmas. Or maybe you would prefer this one named Grizzly Bear. This is weird. Why the hell is there a panda on the package instead of a grizzly? Surely in China they know what a panda is since that’s where they come from?”