“I’m on board,” Grimes said reluctantly.
“Let me hear you say it so we’re all clear,” Billy said.
“The gaming board will leave you alone. The slate is wiped clean,” Grimes said.
“That includes anything I’ve done in the past.”
Grimes looked like he was going to get sick, and Billy guessed that the special agent had evidence about past crimes that Billy had committed that he hoped to use to prosecute him.
“Whatever you did before is ancient history,” Grimes said.
“But if we catch you cheating a casino, we’re still going to bust you,” Tricaricco said, the anger rising in his voice. “You understand what I’m saying, Billy? The past is the past, but that doesn’t mean you get a free ride to steal.”
Billy had never wanted a free ride. Free rides were for lazy bastards who thought the world owed them a favor. What Billy wanted was a set of hard-and-fast rules that both sides agreed to play by. If the gaming board caught him cheating and could prove it in court, Billy would do the time. But if the gaming board couldn’t catch him, they had to leave him alone.
Billy came out of his chair. He’d said everything he was going to say. The gaming agents hesitated before also standing. Not one to be left out, Underman stood up as well.
“It’s been nice doing business with you,” Billy said.
Fifty
“Any word from Billy?” Cory whispered in Travis’s ear.
The big man shook his head. They’d been playing roulette all afternoon and the time had come to take down Carnivale. Travis had stepped away from the table to see if Billy had sent him a text, but there were no messages on his phone.
“So what do we do?” Cory whispered.
“Full steam ahead,” Travis said.
“You sure?”
Travis said he was sure. For all he knew, Billy could be dead, or in jail, or on a plane to another country. None of those things were going to stop the crew from finishing the job. It was how the cheating game worked.
The big man rose from his chair. The script now called for Billy to speak to the croupier and stop play. But since Billy wasn’t there, it was up to Travis to utter the convincing line.
“Hey, Rafael. That guy over there just insulted us,” Travis said.
Rafael had been working the game all afternoon. Normally, croupiers were changed every hour, but this was not always the case when whales were playing.
“Who are you referring to?” the croupier asked politely.
“That tall guy asked if Misty was a hooker. Didn’t he, Misty?” Travis said.
“Yes! I’ve never been more insulted in my life,” Misty said.
“Please point him out,” Rafael said.
Travis pointed at the group of tourists observing the roulette game. Only a small portion of people inside a casino actually gambled; the rest just stood and watched.
“It was the tall guy in the back,” Travis said.
“I will ask management to have him removed,” Rafael said.
“Is that all you’re going to do?”
“Removing people from the casino is not my job. Place your bets, please.”
Travis sank into his chair. He had failed miserably. The line would have worked if Billy had spoken it. Billy was the whale, and the casino was committed to making whales happy.
Tommy Wang slid a sizable bet onto the layout. Wang was losing his shirt and had started doubling his bets to recoup his money. The casinos called this practice chasing your losses. It was what paid for the nice light fixtures and fancy carpets.
The rest of Billy’s crew also placed their bets.
Rafael spun the wheel and set the little white ball in motion. The wheel slowed down and the ball landed on double zero. Everyone lost, and Rafael swept the losing bets off the layout.
“This is no good,” Wang said dejectedly.
Wang looked ready to call it an afternoon. If he walked away from the game, the scam would unravel, and all their hard work would be for nothing. Pepper sprang into action and grabbed her lover’s sleeve. “Remember the backgammon game yesterday? You started out losing, and then you won everything in sight. Your luck will come back.”
“I am losing too much. Soon my money will be gone, and I will have to go home.”
“You’ll get hot again. I can feel it.”
Wang shook his head miserably. Losing had sapped the life out of him, and he looked like a broken man. Billy had taught them to work as a team, and it was Misty who saved the day.
“Rafael, can you hold our spots while we visit the bar?” Misty asked.
“Of course. Your chairs will be waiting upon your return,” the croupier said.
“I need a drink. Anyone care to join me?” Misty said.
“Hey handsome, why don’t you buy us a cocktail?” Pepper said.
Wang found the strength to smile. He had lost everything but Pepper’s affection. With Pepper and Misty on either arm, the Chinese gambler made his way toward the bar.
Cory, Morris, and Travis stepped away from the table and went into a huddle. They’d done their best to keep Wang entertained but had run out of clever things to say. The scam was starting to feel like a movie that had run too long.
“You need to try the line again,” Cory said.
“It didn’t work the first time; it won’t work the second,” Travis said.
“It’s the only play we have,” Cory said.
“What would Billy do?” Morris asked.
Travis’s head snapped. “Speak of the devil. Let’s ask him.”
Billy glided across the casino toward them. He was still in character, and he walked with the self-assuredness of a whale. Whatever reason had caused him to leave was now behind him. Seeing them, he frowned. “Why aren’t you upstairs?”
“I tried the line,” Travis said.
“And?”
“It didn’t fly.”
“Let me give it a try. Go round up the girls. We’ve got some stealing to do.”
“Sorry about that,” Billy said after his crew returned to the roulette table. “How’s everyone doing?”
“I am losing badly,” Wang said.
“Well, let’s see if we can change that.” Billy’s pile of chips was right where he’d left it, and he placed four five-thousand-dollar bets on the layout. Wang hesitated, then placed his bets on the same numbers.
“Let ’er rip,” Billy said.
Rafael set the wheel in motion and launched the little white ball. The wheel slowed down and the ball landed on one of Billy’s numbers. It was pure dumb luck, but sometimes that was the best kind of luck to have. The table erupted and the life returned to Wang’s solemn face. Billy glared menacingly at the tourists gathered behind the velvet rope.
“Is something wrong, Mr. C.?” the croupier asked.
“I just heard someone call my assistant a prostitute,” Billy said.
“I’m terribly sorry, Mr. C. I will call security immediately.”
“It happened before, too,” Pepper said, sounding hurt.
“Are you kidding me? Did they toss the guy?”
“They didn’t do a thing,” Pepper said.
Billy directed his anger at the croupier. “What kind of a place is this? If I wanted my people to be insulted, I’d gamble on Fremont Street. Come on, gang, let’s blow this dump before I lose my temper.”
Billy and his crew exchanged their roulette chips for regular casino chips. Wang did the same. As they walked away from the table, Rafael placed a frantic call to management.
“You did it,” Travis said under his breath.
“I’m just getting warmed up,” Billy said.
Billy went straight to the cage. DeSantis and his boss were waiting. Casino management wasn’t about to let Billy and Wang fly out the door without putting up a fight.
“Mr. C., this is my boss, Larry Lamb,” DeSantis said.