Take Down

SIXTY-SEVEN

The sun was doing a slow Hollywood fade when Billy and Mags arrived at Hotel Erwin. It was a funky spot, with wall-sized graffiti in the valet area and colorful surfboards in the lobby. They went to the rooftop lounge, where they enjoyed a glass of champagne while listening to a DJ.

“You sure know how to treat a girl right,” Mags said.

“I told you I’d make it up to you, didn’t I? Want more champagne?”

“Actually, I had something else in mind.”

Their suite had a spectacular ocean view and a firm king bed. When they were done, he called room service and ordered one of everything off the limited menu. She dug that and rested her head against his chest. It felt perfect, and he wondered if he was dreaming.

“So when do I start?” she asked.

The question knocked him sideways.

“With my crew?” he asked, just to be sure.

“Yeah. That was our deal, and I’m holding you to it.”

“You’d go back into the casinos, after what happened?”

“You think I’m scared of the gaming board? Screw ’em.”

It was crazy talk, and he wondered if it was the booze. The gaming board was going to make sure Mags never cheated another casino. Her face and characteristics would be sent to every gambling establishment from here to Atlantic City, and they’d spot her before she placed her first bet. Her grifting days were finished.

“You’re sure about this?” he asked.

“Damn straight.” She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. “So what’s my role?”

“I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

“So start thinking.” She hopped out of bed and went to the minibar. “Like a scotch?”

“Sure. Straight up.”

He sat up in bed and watched her fix their drinks in the nude. Normally, it would have turned him on. But he was seeing her differently now, and it scared him. She wasn’t being rational. She couldn’t go back into a casino ever again.

She joined him, and they clinked glasses.

“Here’s to running together,” she said.

“You’re sure about this?” he said.

“Why do you keep saying that? Of course I’m sure. I’ve been grifting since I was a kid. What the hell else am I going to do? Work the register at Mickey D’s?”

He took a swallow of his drink. She was on a suicide run, the blinders on so tight that she couldn’t see the forest for the trees. If she wanted to kill herself, fine, that was up to her. But he wasn’t going to let her take him and his crew down as well.

He decided to give her one more chance.

“You should take some time off first,” he suggested. “Go back east, see your kid. It would be good for you.”

“You sound like you’re trying to get rid of me.”

“You need to clear your head. You’ve been through a lot.”

“My head is plenty clear. I want to run with your crew.”

“You want me to set up a meeting, make introductions?”

“Is that how it works?”

“Yeah. Like introducing a new dog to the pack.”

“See where I fit in the pecking order.”

“Something like that.”

“I can dig that. Set it up.”

It was turning into a bad dream. Mags was a liability and always would be. He wondered why he hadn’t seen it before, and realized he’d been blinded by his feelings.

He downed the rest of his scotch. She did the same.

“Want another?” he asked.

“That would be great. So, am I in?” she asked.

“You’re in. Let’s celebrate.”

He got her good and loaded. She started slurring her speech and soon was fast asleep. He put on his clothes and went downstairs to the valet area. His car came up. He popped the trunk and opened the strongbox. Two stacks were left. It was all the money he had in the world. He peeled off two hundreds for himself and could not help but laugh. It was the same amount he’d arrived in Vegas with, ten years ago.

He returned to the suite and put the stacks on the empty pillow so it would be the first thing she saw upon awakening. He stole a last look before walking out the door, made a mental picture so he wouldn’t forget. It would be a long time before he fell this hard again.

He thought about kissing her but decided it was a bad idea.

With the sultry voice of his GPS to guide him, he drove east on Pacific to Neilson Way, went right on Olympic Boulevard, and a quarter mile later was greeted by the sign for I-10 East. Traffic was flowing, and he lowered his window and let the wind dry the stinging tears from his eyes.

He told himself he’d get over it, but he knew that was a lie. He’d never gotten over his mother going to prison or his old man checking out, the losses gnawing away at his insides like slow-moving cancers, and he didn’t think it would be any different this time around.

Soon he was on I-15 North. It was a straight 208-mile shot into downtown Vegas. He put his foot to the pedal and started to race. Eighty, ninety, then a hundred miles per hour, the houses and buildings falling away until he was in the desert, the car practically driving itself.

He tried to take his mind off Mags and thought about Victor Boswell instead. When he’d told Victor he’d figured out their scam, Victor had asked if one of his kids had screwed up, as if it was a common occurrence. Yet Victor wouldn’t think of replacing them. Victor’s family was devoted to him, and he was devoted to them, and that was why the Gypsies had lasted so long.

There was a lesson there. At the end of the day, it was about family, and watching each other’s backs, and sharing the good times. Maybe that was why he was hurting. Losing Mags was hard, but losing two members of his crew was worse.

He pulled off on the shoulder and made a call on his Droid.

“Billy?” Cory asked breathlessly.

“You guys still up?”

“Just watching a movie on Netflix.”

“Hey, Billy,” Morris said in the background.

“Some of those marked decks in the Palms gift shop are bad,” he said. “When I taught you how to use juice, I left out the most important part.”

“You did? What’s that?”

“After you apply the marks, use a blow-dryer to dry the cards. Set the dryer on low, and gently pass it over the cards. That way, the marks will never show.”

“Are you saying we need to replace all the cards?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“We can do that. Do you want in?”

Knowing Cory and Morris, they hadn’t thought the scam out, and it was a risk. But what scam didn’t have risk? It really didn’t matter. The siren’s song was calling to him, just like it had so many countless times before. He needed to hustle again and stuff his pockets with other people’s money. But most importantly, he needed to run with his crew. Without them, there was only so much stealing he could do.

“I’m in,” he said.